How much protein you need — daily grams by weight, activity and goal, split per meal.
General nutrition information only, not medical advice. Kidney disease, pregnancy and some medical conditions change protein needs — check with a clinician if any apply.
How to use this tool
Enter your weight in kg or pounds — this protein intake calculator converts pounds automatically.
Pick how active you are and whether you want to lose weight, maintain, or build muscle. Losing weight and building muscle both raise the g/kg range.
Your daily range in g/day and g/kg appears, plus how much protein to aim for at each meal if you eat 3, 4 or 5 times a day.
Copy your target into your meal plan, or share the calculator with a training partner.
Formula & worked example
Worked example: 80 kg, moderately active, building muscle. Range: 1.6–2.0 g/kg, so 80 × 1.6 = 128 g to 80 × 2.0 = 160 g of protein per day. Across 4 meals that is 32–40 g per meal — about a palm-and-a-half of chicken, a large Greek yogurt plus nuts, or two eggs with cottage cheese at each meal. The bare-minimum RDA for the same person is only 80 × 0.8 = 64 g, which is why active people who eat 'enough by the RDA' still stall.
Limitations — read this before you rely on it
Protein targets here follow published sports-nutrition ranges (roughly 1.2–2.4 g/kg for active adults), but they are general information, not personal medical advice. Older adults, pregnant people, teenagers and anyone with kidney or liver disease, diabetes or an eating disorder should get personalised advice. The RDA comparison (0.8 g/kg) is a deficiency floor, not a fitness target. If your weight changes a lot, re-run the calculator — the target scales with body weight.
Frequently asked questions
The classic RDA is 0.8 g per kg per day — for an 80 kg person, 64 g. But that is the minimum to avoid deficiency in a sedentary adult, not the amount for fitness. Research-backed targets run higher: about 1.2–1.6 g/kg for active adults maintaining weight, 1.6–2.2 g/kg when losing fat or building muscle. This calculator picks the range for your activity and goal, so you get an answer for how much protein per day you actually need, not just the floor.
Roughly 25–40 g per meal maximises muscle protein synthesis for most adults — smaller doses under-use the meal, and much larger ones add little extra muscle signal. That is why this calculator splits your daily target across your meals instead of giving one big number.
For losing weight, protein is your best friend: it keeps you full and protects muscle while you diet. Dieters do best at 1.6–2.4 g/kg depending on activity — higher than maintainers. The calculator raises the range automatically when you pick 'Lose weight'.
Yes, with a caveat: healthy adults tolerate high protein well, but people with kidney disease, liver disease or certain metabolic conditions must follow medical advice, not a calculator. Very high intakes also squeeze out other foods if total calories are fixed, so keep the overall diet balanced.
Animal sources (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, whey) are complete proteins. Plant eaters can match them by mixing sources across the day — beans with rice, tofu with grains, lentils with nuts — and soy, quinoa and hemp are complete on their own. Aim for variety rather than perfection at a single meal.