Calculate your daily protein needs based on your weight, goal, and activity level. Science-based, fast, and completely free.
Choose how you want to enter your weight
Enter your current body weight in kilograms
How active are you on a typical week?
Select what you want to achieve
⚖️
Maintain
Stay healthy
🔥
Lose Fat
Preserve muscle
💪
Build Muscle
Gain strength
Recommended Daily Protein
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🎯 Protein per kg--
🍽️ Per Meal (4 meals)--
🔢 Protein Calories--
🏋️ Goal--
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g chicken breast
--
large eggs
--
whey scoops
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cups lentils
These are general estimates based on healthy adults. Protein needs can vary with age, pregnancy, illness, and kidney health. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian for personalized advice.
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How to Use the Protein Intake Calculator
Our free protein intake calculator helps you find a daily protein target tailored to your body and goals. Choose your unit system, enter your body weight, select your weekly activity level, and pick your goal — maintain, lose fat, or build muscle. Click "Calculate Protein Needs" and you'll instantly see your recommended daily protein in grams, along with a per-meal target and easy food equivalents.
How Protein Needs Are Calculated
The calculator uses your body weight in kilograms multiplied by a protein factor (grams per kilogram). The factor increases with activity and changes based on your goal. Sedentary adults need roughly 0.8 g/kg, active individuals 1.2–1.6 g/kg, and those building muscle or losing fat while preserving lean mass typically benefit from 1.6–2.2 g/kg.
Best Protein Sources
High-quality protein sources include chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whey protein. Plant-based options such as tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, edamame, and seitan are excellent too — combining several sources ensures a complete amino acid profile.
Tips for Hitting Your Protein Target
Spread your protein across 3–4 meals for better muscle protein synthesis, aim for 20–40 g per meal, and include a source at breakfast since it's the meal people most often skip. Keep convenient options like Greek yogurt, jerky, eggs, or a protein shake on hand to close any gaps at the end of the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
The general recommendation is 0.8 g/kg of body weight for sedentary adults. Active people, athletes, and those building muscle typically need 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Your exact target depends on your weight, activity level, and goal — which this calculator factors in automatically.
To build muscle, most research supports 1.6–2.2 g/kg of body weight per day, combined with progressive resistance training and a slight calorie surplus. Going much higher than this offers little additional benefit for muscle growth.
Yes. A higher protein intake (around 1.6–2.0 g/kg) during a calorie deficit helps preserve lean muscle, increases fullness, and slightly raises your metabolism — making fat loss easier to sustain.
For healthy people, intakes up to about 2.2 g/kg are considered safe. Very high intakes provide little extra benefit and should be discussed with a doctor if you have kidney disease or other medical conditions.
Plant proteins can fully meet your needs, but they are often lower in certain essential amino acids. Eating a variety of sources such as legumes, soy, grains, nuts, and seeds ensures a complete amino acid profile.