Calculate your optimal daily protein intake. Find out how much protein you need to build muscle or lose weight.
This guide is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. See our Disclaimer and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.
Protein is one of the three macronutrients your body relies on, alongside carbohydrates and fat. It provides 4 calories per gram, but its real value goes far beyond energy. Protein repairs and rebuilds muscle tissue after exercise, forms the enzymes that drive nearly every chemical reaction in your body, builds hormones and antibodies, and helps you feel full after a meal. Unlike fat, your body doesn't keep a dedicated reserve of protein, so you need a steady supply from food throughout the day.
Protein is made of amino acids. Nine of them are essential, meaning your body can't produce them and must get them from food. The rest are non-essential because your body can make them on its own. A food that supplies all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts is called a complete protein, a distinction that matters when you're choosing sources.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), set by the National Academies (formerly the Institute of Medicine), is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, which works out to roughly 0.36 g per pound. That figure is the minimum to prevent deficiency in a sedentary adult, not a target for someone who trains.
If you exercise regularly or want to build muscle, you need more. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand recommends roughly 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg (about 0.6 to 0.9 g per pound) for active people, with the higher end reserved for those in an intense training phase or a calorie deficit. Older adults also tend to benefit from more than the RDA, often around 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, to help offset the natural loss of muscle that comes with age.
This tool works in grams per pound of body weight. It starts with a baseline that reflects your activity level, then adjusts for your goal:
If your goal is to build muscle or lose fat, the calculator adds roughly 0.2 g per pound, since both situations benefit from extra protein, one to fuel growth and the other to protect muscle during a deficit. The result is capped at a sensible 1.2 g per pound, because intakes beyond that rarely add benefit for most people. Your answer is shown as a small range rather than a single number, which reflects the reality that your ideal intake is a target zone, not a precise figure.
Say you weigh 70 kg (about 154 lb), train several times a week, and want to build muscle. Using the ISSN-style guideline of 1.6 g/kg for an active person aiming to grow, the math is:
Spread across four meals, that's roughly 28 g each, an easy and practical way to hit the number without any single meal feeling overloaded.
Not all protein is equal. Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids and include most animal foods (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy) plus soy. Incomplete proteins, such as many beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, are each missing or low in one or more essential amino acids. That's not a problem in practice: eating a variety of plant foods across the day, like beans with rice, easily covers the full amino acid profile.
One amino acid worth knowing is leucine, which acts as the main trigger for muscle protein synthesis. Animal sources and soy are naturally rich in it, which is part of why they're so effective for muscle repair. If you eat mostly plants, you can still thrive; you may simply need a slightly higher total intake and a good spread of sources.
Timing and distribution matter more than any single "anabolic window." Aim to include a protein source at each meal, roughly 20 to 40 grams, rather than saving most of it for dinner. Even spacing supports steady muscle repair throughout the day.
For healthy people, higher protein intakes are well tolerated and not harmful to the kidneys. The common worry that protein "damages" kidneys comes from advice meant for people who already have kidney disease. If you have a diagnosed kidney condition, or any medical concern, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian before making a large change to your protein intake. This calculator is an educational estimate, not medical advice.
Now that you have your protein number, fit it into your wider nutrition picture.
Balance protein with carbs and fat.
Match protein with your total calories.
Want to go deeper on the science? Read our full guide to protein and how it works in the body.
For healthy individuals, intakes up to 2g per pound of body weight are generally safe. However, eating more than your body can use for muscle synthesis (typically >1g/lb) usually just provides expensive calories.
No. Whole foods like chicken, eggs, and beans are superior. Supplements are convenient but not necessary if you can meet your targets through diet alone.
High protein intake is safe for people with healthy kidneys. Only those with pre-existing kidney conditions need to restrict protein intake.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) set by the National Academies is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (about 0.36 g per pound) for sedentary adults. Active people, those building muscle, and older adults generally benefit from more. The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests roughly 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg (about 0.6 to 0.9 g/lb) for people who exercise regularly.
Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids your body cannot make on its own. Most animal foods (meat, eggs, dairy, fish) and soy are complete. Many plant proteins are incomplete on their own, but eating a variety of sources across the day, such as beans with grains, easily provides the full amino acid profile.
Yes. Research suggests muscle protein synthesis is best supported by spreading intake across three to four meals of roughly 20 to 40 grams each, rather than eating most of your protein in a single meal. Each meal should ideally include a source rich in leucine, the amino acid that triggers muscle repair.
Generally yes. As we age, muscle becomes harder to maintain, a process called sarcopenia. Many experts recommend that healthy older adults aim toward the higher end of protein intake, often around 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, paired with regular resistance exercise to preserve strength and mobility.
Protein is the most filling macronutrient and has a higher thermic effect of food, meaning your body burns more energy digesting it. During a calorie deficit, a higher protein intake helps preserve lean muscle so more of the weight you lose comes from fat.
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