Protein Intake Calculator: Daily Target by Goal

Your daily protein range in grams, from the published evidence for your goal, not a guess.

  • Nutrition
  • 5 cited sources
  • Runs in your browser

Daily protein target

128 to 176 g/day

Per meal (≥ 4 meals)
~32 g
RDA baseline (0.8 g/kg)
64 g

Ranges come straight from the cited literature for your goal, anywhere inside the band works; consistency matters more than precision.

Methodology

The calculator multiplies your body weight by a grams-per-kilogram band taken directly from the research for each goal, the bands are the findings, not our inventions:

  • General training, 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg: the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand's recommendation for building and maintaining muscle in exercising people.
  • Build muscle, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg: Morton and colleagues' meta-analysis of 49 resistance-training trials found gains plateau at roughly 1.6 g/kg, with the upper 95% confidence bound at 2.2 g/kg, the band spans that uncertainty.
  • Lose fat, 1.8 to 2.0 g/kg: in an energy deficit, higher protein helps preserve lean mass while fat is lost (Phillips & Van Loon).
  • 65 and over, 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg: the PROT-AGE expert group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg for older adults, and more for the active, to counter anabolic resistance and age-related muscle loss.

The per-meal figure applies Schoenfeld and Aragon's practical target of ~0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals; the RDA line (0.8 g/kg) is shown for contrast as the sedentary minimum, not a training target.

Interpreting your result

Anywhere inside your band works, the difference between the bottom and top of a range matters far less than hitting it consistently. Heavier individuals with high body fat can sensibly compute from a weight closer to their goal weight rather than current weight, since lean tissue drives the requirement.

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, which is why cutting protocols hold it high while calories fall.

Limitations

  • Bands are for healthy adults; kidney disease changes the calculus, follow your clinician.
  • Requirements scale with lean mass, not fat mass, so g/kg of total weight over-estimates for very high body-fat levels.
  • Elite endurance athletes in heavy training blocks sit at the top of the general band, sometimes above it, context the single number can't carry.

Sources

Pull the receipts, 5 cited sources

FitTools · sources

  1. 01 Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of protein supplementation on resistance training to induced gains. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:376-384
  2. 02 Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:20
  3. 03 Phillips SM, Van Loon LJC. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci 2011;29(S1):S29-S38
  4. 04 Bauer J, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people (PROT-AGE). J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013;14:542-559
  5. 05 Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2018;15:10

Every formula cited ✓

Frequently asked questions

How much protein do I need a day?
It depends on the goal. The RDA of 0.8 g per kg of body weight is a sedentary minimum. For people who train, the ISSN position stand recommends 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg; for maximising muscle gain the meta-analytic estimate is about 1.6 g/kg with an upper confidence bound of 2.2 g/kg.
Do I need more protein when cutting?
Usually yes. During an energy deficit, higher intakes of roughly 1.8 to 2.0 g/kg help preserve lean mass while fat is lost, protein is the last macro to cut.
How much protein per meal?
A practical evidence-based target is about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals, for an 80 kg person that's roughly 32 g, four times a day. More in one sitting isn't wasted, but distribution helps hit the daily total.
Is a high protein intake safe?
For healthy people, intakes in these ranges show no evidence of harm to kidney or bone health in the research reviewed by the ISSN. Anyone with kidney disease should follow their clinician's advice instead.
Should older adults eat more protein?
Yes, the PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg daily for people over 65, and 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg for those who are active or recovering from illness, to counter age-related muscle loss.

Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.

Last reviewed:

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