How much protein should I eat per day?

Between 0.8 g/kg (baseline) and about 2.2 g/kg (building muscle or dieting). For a 70 kg person that ranges from roughly 56 g to 154 g per day.

How much protein to build muscle?

Around 1.6-2.2 g/kg of body weight per day, combined with resistance training.

Can I eat too much protein?

Very high intakes offer little extra benefit for most people. Those with kidney disease should follow medical advice on protein.

Should I split protein across meals?

Yes. Spreading it into 20-40 g servings a few times a day supports muscle better than one large dose.

Health & Fitness

Daily Protein Calculator

Protein needs scale with body weight and how active you are. This estimates a daily target in grams from your weight and goal, plus a rough per-meal amount.

Your numbers

Result

Daily protein target

126

grams

Per meal (4 meals)grams: 32

Protein by goal (grams per day)
Goal	Protein (g)
Sedentary (RDA baseline)	56
Active / general fitness	84
Endurance training	98
Building muscle	126
Losing fat / athlete	154

How much protein you need

The target is weight (kg) x grams per kg. The baseline RDA is 0.8 g/kg, but active people benefit from more: about 1.2-1.4 g/kg for general fitness and endurance, and 1.6-2.2 g/kg when building muscle or dieting to keep muscle. For a 70 kg person aiming to build muscle at 1.8 g/kg, that is about 126 g/day.

Spreading it out

Muscle protein synthesis responds best to protein spread across meals — roughly 20-40 g each, a few times a day, rather than one large serving. Whole-food sources (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes) cover most needs; supplements just make hitting the target easier.

Informational and educational result. Not a substitute for professional advice.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Dietary protein recommendations (RDA and sports nutrition guidelines)

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