Protein Calculator

Recommendations are given in grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The minimum, the RDA, is enough to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults; more is useful for active people, for building muscle, when losing weight, and in later life when the body uses protein less efficiently.

Muscle responds best when protein is spread over several meals instead of eaten mostly at dinner. Many studies suggest about 0.4 g per kg of body weight per meal — often 20 to 40 g — across three or four meals, for the strongest muscle-building response. The per-meal figure helps you plan: if your target is 120 g over three meals, aim for about 40 g at each. Good sources include eggs, dairy, fish, poultry, meat, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils and protein-rich grains; plant eaters can reach the same targets by combining sources and eating a little more in total.

Up to a point. Above about 2.2 g per kg there is little extra benefit for muscle, and the extra protein simply provides calories. For healthy people, intakes in the ranges above are considered safe. People with chronic kidney disease, however, are often advised to limit protein, so they should talk to their doctor before increasing it. If you are very overweight, using your total weight can overestimate needs; a dietitian may base the target on a lower reference weight or on lean body mass, which you can estimate with the Lean Body Mass Calculator.

Once you have your protein target, the Macro Calculator can fit it into your calorie budget with a custom split, and the TDEE Calculator tells you how many calories you need in the first place. Track your intake for a week or two to see where you are; most people find that adding a protein source to breakfast and snacks is the easiest way to close the gap.