Protein Intake Calculator

Protein is the macronutrient responsible for building and repairing tissue. It is made of amino acids, nine of which the body cannot manufacture and must get from food. Getting enough matters for muscle, bone, skin, hair, immune function and a long list of enzymes and hormones, which is why the question "how much do I actually need?" comes up so often.

The official minimum for a healthy sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, a figure set to prevent deficiency in the average person. It is a floor, not a target. Anyone who exercises regularly, is over 60, or is eating in a calorie deficit needs more — often considerably more. For resistance training specifically, the evidence converges on 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg as the range where muscle building is maximised; beyond about 2.2 g/kg the returns all but vanish for most people.

Dieting is the situation where protein earns its keep most clearly. When calories are low, the body will happily break down muscle for energy unless it is given plenty of protein and a training stimulus. That is why the recommendation rises to roughly 1.8 to 2.4 g/kg during a fat-loss phase, and why protein's satiating effect — it keeps you fuller than fat or carbohydrate per calorie — makes it doubly useful on a diet.

Distribution is a minor but real consideration. Muscle protein synthesis responds better to protein spread across the day than to a single large dose, so splitting your total into three to five servings of roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg each is ideal. In practice this means including a protein source with every meal. If you eat plant-based, aim for the upper end of the range and combine sources, since individual plant proteins are lower in some essential amino acids.

This calculator returns estimates for general information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it cannot replace an assessment by a qualified health professional. Individual results vary, and figures such as calorie needs, body-fat percentage and heart-rate zones are approximations based on population averages rather than measurements of you.