Daily Protein Calculator

The target is simply weight (kg) × grams per kilogram, with the per-kilogram figure set by the goal you select — 0.8 g/kg at the low end up to 2.2 g/kg at the high end. A 70 kg person selecting the muscle-building factor of 1.8 g/kg gets 70 × 1.8 = 126 g a day. The per-meal figure just divides that total by four, a simplification for people who eat roughly that many meals rather than a rule about meal count.

The 0.8 g/kg floor is the U.S. RDA — the intake set to prevent deficiency in a sedentary adult, with a built-in safety margin, not a target for anyone training. The higher factors reflect a large body of sports-nutrition research showing that people doing regular resistance training or endurance work generally do better on more, commonly cited in the 1.6–2.2 g/kg range depending on training volume and how large a calorie deficit they are in. Above roughly 2.2 g/kg, evidence for additional benefit thins out for most people.

Scaling protein to total body weight works reasonably well across a normal range of body composition, but it overstates the need for someone carrying a higher proportion of body fat, since fat tissue does not drive protein needs the way muscle does — a coach or dietitian working from lean body mass instead gets a more precise number in that situation. The factors here also describe a daily total; they say nothing about protein quality, amino acid completeness, or how the rest of the diet is built, all of which affect how well the target actually translates into muscle repair and maintenance.

These figures describe healthy adults. Kidney disease changes protein needs substantially and requires medical guidance rather than a general calculator — restricting or increasing intake without that guidance can cause harm. Pregnancy and breastfeeding raise protein needs above baseline in ways this tool does not model, and are best planned with a prenatal provider or registered dietitian. Growing children and teenagers have needs tied to their growth stage rather than the adult per-kilogram figures used here. Anyone with liver disease or another condition affecting protein metabolism should also get an individualized target from a clinician.

Muscle protein synthesis responds better to protein spread across the day — commonly cited as roughly 20–40 g per serving, several times a day — than to the same total eaten in one sitting, which is the reasoning behind the per-meal figure above. Whole foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, soy) cover most people's needs on their own; powders and bars are a convenience for hitting the number, not a requirement. A registered dietitian can turn this daily gram target into an actual meal plan that fits your food preferences, budget and any medical conditions — something a calculator cannot do.