Protein Calculator: How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

How this calculator works

There is no fancy equation here. Your body weight in kg is multiplied by a range that depends on the goal you pick:

Goal	Range used	70 kg example
Build muscle	1.6-2.2 g/kg	112-154 g/day
Lose fat, keep muscle	1.8-2.4 g/kg	126-168 g/day
General health, not lifting	0.8-1.2 g/kg	56-84 g/day

The per-meal number is simply 0.4 g/kg of body weight, never less than 20 g. For that 70 kg person it works out to about 28 g a meal.

Where these numbers come from

The muscle-building range leans mainly on one large meta-analysis. It pooled 49 trials and 1,863 people and found that protein supplementation added a little extra lean mass and strength during resistance training, and that the benefit plateaued at around 1.6 g/kg/day (Morton et al., 2018). That plateau is an average, not a hard ceiling, which is why the range stretches to 2.2. The ISSN position stand lands in a similar place, at 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day for most people who exercise (Jäger et al., 2017).

The cutting range is higher because dieting changes the picture. Helms and colleagues reviewed just six studies of lean, trained people in a deficit and suggested 2.3-3.1 g per kg of fat-free mass (Helms et al., 2014). Small evidence base, so hold it loosely. Also note the units: this calculator uses total body weight, so if you are already lean and running a hard diet, aim for the top of your range rather than the bottom.

The general-health range starts at the familiar 0.8 g/kg RDA. Some researchers argue that 1.2-1.6 g/kg is a better target for adults who care about ageing well and appetite control (Phillips et al., 2016), so the upper end of that row is the better pick if you are older or trying to lose weight.

Using your number

Pick a daily figure inside your range and hit it most days. Consistency beats precision.

Then spread it out. Schoenfeld and Aragon suggested roughly 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals (Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018). The per-meal result does not change when you enter fewer meals, so on a two-meal day you will need bigger portions to reach the total. Our guide on 3 vs 5 protein meals covers the trade-offs.

Protein is only one slice of your diet. Set calories first with the calorie calculator, then fill in carbs and fats using the macro calculator. If you eat a mostly vegetarian Indian diet, the Indian high-protein nutrition guide shows practical ways to close the gap.

Limitations and who it is not for

A frequent mistake is applying these numbers to a body weight that is mostly fat. If you have a lot to lose, total weight can overshoot what you need. Enter a goal weight, or check your body fat with the body fat calculator and work from lean mass.

This tool is built for healthy adults. It is not meant for anyone with kidney or liver disease, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for under-18s. If any of those apply, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before you change your protein intake.