Protein is the most important macronutrient for body composition — essential for building and repairing muscle, supporting immune function, and keeping you full between meals. But how much you actually need depends on your body weight and your goal. This calculator gives you a personalised daily protein target based on established research recommendations.
🧮 Calculate Your Daily Protein Target
📊 Your Daily Protein Target
🍗 How to Hit Your Protein Target
These high-protein foods are some of the most efficient ways to reach your daily target:
Use our Food Tracker to log your daily meals and track your protein intake against your target. See the full list of protein-rich foods in our blog.
📖 How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?
The Baseline: Sedentary Adults
The official Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g per kilogram of body weight (0.36g per pound). This is the minimum required to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults — not the optimal amount for most people who exercise or have body composition goals.
For Weight Loss
When eating in a calorie deficit, higher protein intake (1.2–1.6g per kg) helps preserve lean muscle mass. Research consistently shows that people who eat more protein during weight loss retain more muscle and lose more fat compared to those eating standard protein amounts. Higher protein also increases satiety, helping you feel fuller on fewer calories.
For Muscle Gain
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight for muscle gain. Recent meta-analyses suggest that protein intakes above 2.2g/kg provide diminishing returns for most people, though higher intakes are safe and not harmful.
For Older Adults
Protein requirements increase with age due to reduced muscle protein synthesis efficiency (a process called anabolic resistance). Adults over 65 benefit from 1.2–1.6g per kg to maintain muscle mass and strength, reduce fall risk, and support immune function. Spacing protein intake across 3-4 meals helps maximise muscle protein synthesis in older adults.
Spreading Protein Throughout the Day
Research suggests that muscle protein synthesis is maximised when protein is distributed across 3-5 meals per day, with each meal containing 20-40g of protein. A single large protein meal is less effective than spreading the same total amount across the day. Aim for a protein source at every meal.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The RDA is 0.36g per pound of bodyweight (0.8g per kg) — this is the minimum to prevent deficiency, not the optimal amount for most people.
For active individuals, 0.7-1.0g per pound is the typical research-backed range. For weight loss with muscle preservation, 0.8-1.0g per pound is widely supported. Higher than 1.0g per pound is rarely necessary outside of competitive bodybuilding.
For healthy people with normal kidney function, very high protein intakes (up to 1.5g per pound) are not harmful in research studies. The main downsides are practical: harder to fit other macros around, more expensive, can crowd out other foods.
People with existing kidney disease should consult a doctor about appropriate protein intake. There is no benefit to exceeding 1.0g per pound for most people.
Animal proteins are complete (contain all essential amino acids) and well-absorbed: chicken breast, eggs, fish, lean beef, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese.
Plant sources can be complete with combinations: rice and beans, hummus and pita, tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame. Whey and casein protein powders are convenient supplements but not necessary if you can hit your target from whole foods.
No, this is a myth. The body absorbs all protein you consume — there is no upper limit per meal. The 30g claim refers to maximum muscle protein synthesis stimulation per meal, but absorbed protein above this still serves other functions.
That said, spreading protein across 3-5 meals (with 20-40g each) optimizes muscle protein synthesis better than consuming it all at once. Frequency matters for muscle building, not for total protein utilization.
No. Protein powders are convenient but not necessary. Most people can hit even high protein targets through whole foods.
Whey protein is useful for post-workout convenience and for people who struggle to consume enough protein from food (often older adults or anyone with low appetite). Casein is useful at bedtime for slower release. If whole foods cover your target, supplements add nothing.
Older adults benefit from higher protein than the standard RDA — typically 1.2-1.6g per kilogram (0.5-0.7g per pound). This is due to anabolic resistance: older muscles are less responsive to protein, requiring more to achieve the same muscle protein synthesis.
Spreading protein across 3-4 meals (with at least 30g per meal) is more effective than the same total in one meal. Adequate protein in older adults is associated with maintained muscle mass, reduced fall risk, and better immune function.
Plant-based diets can support muscle building, but require more attention to amino acid completeness and total volume. Most plant proteins are lower in leucine (the key muscle-building amino acid) and less digestible than animal proteins.
Solutions: combine sources for complete amino acid profiles, eat 10-20% more total protein than animal-based eaters, and prioritize highest-quality plant sources like soy, pea protein, and quinoa.
Protein has the highest thermic effect of any macro — 20-30% of protein calories are burned during digestion versus 5-10% for carbs and 0-3% for fat. Protein is also the most satiating macro, helping you feel full on fewer calories.
During weight loss, adequate protein preserves muscle mass, so the weight you lose is mostly fat rather than lean tissue. These three effects make protein the single most important macro for weight loss success.
Hitting your protein target daily is harder than it sounds. Our AI tracker logs entire meals — "greek yogurt, 4 oz chicken, almonds" — and instantly shows your running protein total. 100% free.
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