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Protein calculator

Enter your weight and goal for a daily protein range in grams, with the per-kilogram math and a per-meal split shown plainly.

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Find your protein range

Add your weight and goal to see a daily protein range with the per-kilogram math shown.

For healthy adults 18+ who are not pregnant or breastfeeding. This is a range from published research, not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, a clinician-set nutrition plan, or a condition that changes protein needs, use that guidance instead.

How the protein range is calculated

Protein needs scale with body weight, so every number here is grams per kilogram. The goal you pick chooses the range; your weight turns it into grams.

  1. 01

    Start from body weight

    The RDA of 0.8 g/kg is the intake that prevents deficiency in most sedentary adults. It is a floor, not a target for anyone who trains or is trying to change their body.

  2. 02

    Pick the range for your goal

    Active adults do well at 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg; the ISSN position stand puts most exercising people at 1.4 to 2.0. For building muscle, a 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials found gains plateau near 1.6 g/kg with 2.2 as the upper bound. In a calorie deficit the higher end helps keep muscle, which is why the fat-loss goal shares that range.

  3. 03

    Split it across the day

    Muscle protein synthesis responds to about 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg per meal, or 25 to 40 grams for most adults. The result shows the range divided over four meals; three larger meals work too.

A range, not a rule

The research behind these numbers comes from group averages. Your own sweet spot sits somewhere in the range, and the lower end is a perfectly good place to start if the upper end looks like more food than you can face.

Hitting the total is usually a logistics problem, not a knowledge problem. Most people who fall short do so at breakfast and lunch, then try to make it up at dinner. A protein source in every meal closes most of the gap.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, calculate from your goal weight, or use the lower end from your current weight. Fat mass does not raise protein needs the way lean mass does.

Use the right tool for the question

Protein is one macro. If the question is total calories or fat, use the tool built for it.

Browse all free tools
Calorie Deficit CalculatorMaintenance calories, a daily target, and a projected date for a goal weight.Fat Intake CalculatorA daily dietary-fat range from your energy estimate and goal.

Frequently asked questions

How much protein do I need per day?

It depends on what you are asking your body to do. The RDA of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (0.36 per pound) is the amount that prevents deficiency in sedentary adults, not an optimum. Adults who train regularly do better at 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg, and the International Society of Sports Nutrition puts most exercising people at 1.4 to 2.0. For a 75 kg (165 lb) adult that is roughly 60 grams at the RDA, 90 to 120 grams if active, and 120 to 165 grams when building muscle or losing fat.

How much protein per pound of body weight?

Divide the per-kilogram numbers by 2.2. The RDA works out to about 0.36 grams per pound. Active adults land around 0.55 to 0.7 per pound, and people building muscle or dieting hard use 0.7 to 1.0 per pound. The familiar "one gram per pound" rule sits at the top of that range, which is fine for lean, hard-training people and more than most others need.

How much protein should I eat to build muscle?

About 1.6 grams per kilogram a day, spread over the day. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 resistance-training trials found that lean mass gains stopped increasing past roughly 1.6 g/kg, with 2.2 as the upper edge of the confidence interval. Eating more than that is not harmful for healthy adults, but the trials did not find it built more muscle. The calculator's "Build muscle" range is 1.6 to 2.2 for that reason.

How much protein on a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic or Zepbound?

Appetite drops on these medications, and when total food goes down, protein tends to go down with it, which is one reason people lose muscle along with fat. The 2025 joint clinical advisory on nutrition with these medications gives weight-based targets and, as a pragmatic alternative when weighing everything feels like too much, 80 to 120 grams a day. Use the "Lose fat, keep muscle" goal here, lean toward the lower end if the full range is out of reach on a small appetite, and read our note on protein while on a GLP-1 for foods that get you there in small portions.

Is a high-protein diet bad for your kidneys?

Not for healthy kidneys. Intakes up to about 2.0 g/kg have been studied in healthy adults without evidence of harm, and the ISSN position stand says the same. People with chronic kidney disease are a different case: protein limits there come from a clinician, and this calculator is not a substitute for that advice.

Should I use my current weight or my goal weight?

If you are close to a healthy weight, current weight is fine. If you have a lot of weight to lose, per-kilogram targets from current weight overshoot, because fat mass does not need protein the way lean mass does. Enter your goal weight instead, or use the lower end of the range from your current weight. The calculator says so when the "Lose fat" goal meets a higher body weight.

Does it matter how I spread protein across the day?

Some. Muscle protein synthesis responds to roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg per meal, which for most adults means 25 to 40 grams at a time. Four meals with protein in each is a practical shape; three larger ones also work. Getting the daily total matters more than the exact timing, so do not skip a meal's protein to protect a schedule.

Sources and further reading

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