Find how much protein you should eat per day from your body weight and goal — whether that is general health, staying active, building muscle or losing fat — plus a realistic per-meal target.
Daily protein target
112–154 g
1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight
Per meal
28–39 g
How to use the protein calculator
Enter your body weight, choose the goal that matches what you are training for, and pick how many meals you eat. The calculator shows a daily protein range in grams and how much to aim for at each meal. Protein needs scale with weight, so heavier and more active people need more.
Protein by goal
Goal
g per kg
General health
0.8 – 1.0
Active lifestyle
1.2 – 1.6
Build muscle
1.6 – 2.2
Lose fat (keep muscle)
1.8 – 2.4
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your weight and goal. General health is about 0.8–1.0 g of protein per kilogram of body weight; active people need 1.2–1.6 g; and those building muscle or losing fat while keeping muscle do best around 1.6–2.4 g per kilogram. The calculator turns that into grams for your weight.
Up to a point. Most people see no extra benefit above roughly 2.2–2.5 g per kilogram, and very high intakes are simply used for energy. Spreading protein across the day — some at each meal — helps your body use it for muscle.
Around 20–40 g per meal covers most people's needs and is enough to stimulate muscle building. The calculator divides your daily target across meals so you can aim for a realistic amount each time.
For most people, current body weight works well. If you are carrying a lot of excess fat, some coaches use a target or lean weight to avoid overestimating. When in doubt, current weight with an appropriate goal multiplier is a sound choice.
Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh and protein powders are all efficient sources. Mixing animal and plant proteins makes it easy to hit your target across the day.