Protein Intake Calculator
Turn weight, goal and training into daily protein ranges
Daily protein targets, training and safety FAQ
Where do these protein ranges come from?
The lower end of the ranges starts near the Recommended Dietary Allowance of about 0.8 g/kg/day for sedentary adults, which mainly prevents deficiency. Many sports-nutrition and performance guidelines suggest 1.2–2.2 g/kg/day for people who exercise regularly, with the higher end more common in hard training, muscle gain and fat-loss phases.
Why do goal and training level change protein needs?
Protein is used for muscle repair, immune support, hormones and enzymes. When you train more, especially with resistance or high-impact work, your body breaks down and rebuilds more tissue. Higher protein intakes can help protect lean mass in fat loss and support muscle gain when food and training are in place.
Is more protein always better for muscle or fat loss?
Not automatically. Beyond a certain point, extra protein does not magically build more muscle; it mostly becomes extra calories. Many people do well in a moderate high-protein zone for their goal, with enough total calories, carbs and fats to support training and hormones. Extremely high intakes can crowd out other nutrients or be unnecessary work for the body.
Can I hit my protein with just one big meal?
You can, but spreading protein across the day often works better. Many experts like a pattern of around 20–40 g of protein at each meal, adjusted for body size and goals, to support muscle-protein synthesis and appetite control. The calculator’s per-meal band is there to nudge you in that direction.
Do I have to use protein powder to reach these targets?
No. Most people can hit their targets with a mix of whole-food protein sources like dairy or fortified plant alternatives, eggs, meat, fish, soy, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Protein powders are convenience tools, not essentials, and they vary in quality and ingredients.
Who should be careful with higher-protein diets?
Anyone with a history of kidney or liver disease, kidney stones, uncontrolled diabetes, certain metabolic or digestive conditions, or a very restricted diet should work closely with a clinician or dietitian. For those groups, protein targets may differ, and fluid, sodium and other nutrients also need more attention.
Does this tool replace a personalised plan?
No. It’s a starting point and education tool. A personalised plan factors in medications, blood work, performance goals, budget, culture, appetite and any medical conditions. Use these numbers to ask clearer questions, not as a stand-alone medical decision.
How to use this protein intake calculator
The goal of this page is to turn “I should eat more protein” into actual grams per day and per meal you can match with real foods. Instead of a single vague target, you get a calm range that flexes with your goal and training.
1. Choose units and enter body weight
Pick the unit system you think in. The calculator loads with US-first (pounds) and lets you flip to kilograms if you prefer. Enter a recent, honest body weight—ideally a morning weight before breakfast. This is the base for all g/kg calculations.
2. Pick your main goal and training level
In the goal box, choose the option that best matches your current phase: general health, fat loss and recomposition, focused muscle gain, or endurance / mixed cardio. In the training box, describe your current week, not your “ideal” week. The tool uses these two inputs to select a g/kg/day band that is higher for more demanding goals and training.
3. Decide how many meals and snacks carry protein
In the meals field, count the eating times where you can be intentional with protein. That might be three main meals, or three meals plus one or two regular snacks. The calculator uses this to break your daily grams into simple per-meal targets.
4. Read the daily and per-meal protein bands
Hit Plan daily protein to see:
- A daily protein range in grams, based on g/kg and your weight.
- The underlying g/kg/day band and an approximate g per lb figure.
- Per-meal protein targets split across the meals you chose.
You can treat the middle of the range as a typical day and the edges as “still fine” days when appetite, travel or training change things.
5. Copy the summary and map it onto real foods
Use the Copy summary button to drop your target into a notes app, meal plan or a message to your coach or dietitian. Then plug in familiar foods—yogurt, eggs, beans, tofu, meat, fish, lentils, cottage cheese, nuts—to roughly match the grams per meal without obsessing over every gram.
If you feel overly full, bloated, tired, or your lab results change in ways that worry you, treat that as a cue to check in with a clinician. Protein helps most people when it sits inside a balanced, sustainable eating pattern, not when it turns into a rigid rule.
How the daily and per-meal protein math works
The math behind the calculator aims to stay transparent: it converts weight into kilograms when needed, applies a goal- and training-specific g/kg/day band, then splits that across the number of meals you chose.
1. Converting body weight into kilograms
If you enter weight in pounds, the tool converts to kilograms using:
Weight (kg) ≈ weight (lb) ÷ 2.2046
If you start in kilograms, that number is used directly. All internal calculations for g/kg/day are based on kilograms to match most guidelines.
2. Picking a baseline g/kg/day band from your goal
Each goal maps to a baseline protein band per kilogram of body weight. For example:
- General health & light activity: roughly 0.8–1.2 g/kg/day.
- Endurance or mixed cardio: roughly 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day.
- Fat loss or recomposition: roughly 1.6–2.0 g/kg/day.
- Muscle gain / heavy strength: roughly 1.8–2.2 g/kg/day.
These sit above the 0.8 g/kg RDA for more active goals and inside the 1.2–2.2 g/kg zone often discussed in sports nutrition for healthy adults who train.
3. Adjusting for training level
A separate adjustment nudges the band up or down based on training level. A mostly sedentary or rehab phase gently pulls the band toward the lower end, while 3–4+ hard sessions per week nudges it upward within a safe range. The calculator also soft-clamps values so they stay broadly between about 0.8 and 2.3 g/kg/day for most scenarios.
4. Calculating daily and per-meal grams
Once it has your adjusted low and high g/kg/day values, the tool multiplies by your weight in kilograms to get:
- A lower and upper daily target in grams of protein.
- A “middle” daily target as the average of the band.
- Per-meal ranges by dividing the low and high daily targets by the number of meals you entered.
It also converts the central g/kg/day figure into an approximate g per pound value so you can sanity-check it against simple “0.6–0.9 g per lb” rules of thumb.
Because real life is messy—appetite, training, sleep and health all move—the output is meant to be a flexible lane, not a razor-thin tightrope. If you and your clinician agree on different numbers, their plan always wins over this page.
References and further reading on protein intake
These resources explain where common daily protein ranges and per-meal suggestions come from:
- Harvard Health — How much protein do you need every day? — explains the 0.8 g/kg/day RDA and puts it in context for everyday adults.
- Mayo Clinic Health System — Assessing protein needs for performance — discusses higher protein intakes for active people and gives simple per-meal targets.
- International Society of Sports Nutrition — Position stand: protein and exercise — outlines suggested ranges around 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for many exercising individuals.
Use these as background reading, then adapt the gram ranges on this page with your own dietitian, coach or medical team to match your training, medical history and long-term goals.