Protein Calculator
Work out how many grams of protein you need each day based on your body weight and training goal.
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Quick Tip
Switch between pounds and kilograms, then enter your body weight.
About This Tool
Why use Protein Calculator?
This protein calculator turns your body weight and training goal into a daily protein target in grams, and divides it across four meals so the number is easy to act on. It works in pounds or kilograms.
Example: someone weighing 160 lb (72.6 kg) aiming to build muscle at 1.6 g per kilogram needs about 116 g of protein a day, which is roughly 29 g per meal across four meals — about a chicken breast, a large Greek yoghurt, or a scoop and a half of whey each time.
Key Benefits
Evidence-based targets
Ranges reflect the sports nutrition literature: 0.8 g/kg as a minimum, 1.2 g/kg for active and older adults, 1.6 g/kg for muscle gain and 2.0 g/kg when cutting.
Per-meal breakdown
Splits the daily total across four meals, which is closer to how protein is actually eaten and absorbed.
Pounds or kilograms
Enter weight in whichever unit you think in; the underlying calculation always uses kilograms.
How to use Protein Calculator
- 1
Switch between pounds and kilograms, then enter your body weight.
- 2
Pick the target that matches your situation, from the 0.8 g/kg RDA up to 2.0 g/kg for dieting while training.
- 3
Use the per-meal figure to plan, since spreading protein through the day is easier than hitting the total in one sitting.
Best use cases
Set a daily protein goal in a food tracking app.
Check whether your current diet falls short.
Plan meals around a realistic per-meal protein target.
Adjust intake when moving from a bulk to a cut.
How this tool compares
Protein Calculator FAQs
How much protein do I need per day?
The RDA of 0.8 g per kilogram prevents deficiency but is not optimal for anyone training. Around 1.6 g per kilogram supports muscle growth, and up to 2.2 g per kilogram helps preserve muscle while losing fat. Older adults benefit from at least 1.2 g per kilogram to counter age-related muscle loss.
Can you eat too much protein?
For people with healthy kidneys, intakes well above these targets have not been shown to cause harm in the research. The practical limits are appetite, cost, and the fact that calories spent on excess protein are calories not spent on carbohydrate or fat, which fuel training and support hormones.
Is there a limit to how much protein I can absorb per meal?
You absorb essentially all of it; the older claim of a 20–30 g ceiling refers to the muscle-building response, not absorption. Spreading intake across meals does appear slightly better for muscle protein synthesis, which is why this calculator shows a per-meal figure, but the daily total matters most.
Should I use body weight or lean body mass?
Total body weight is fine for most people and is what these targets are based on. If you carry a lot of excess body fat, calculating from lean body mass or a goal weight avoids an unnecessarily high target, since fat mass does not require protein to maintain.
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