Protein Target Calculator
Calculator
Why a range, not one number
56–70 gFor general health, guidance suggests 0.8–1 g of protein per kg of body weight — about 56–70 g a day at your weight. Aim anywhere in this band; the higher end suits harder training or a calorie deficit. This is a starting guide, not a prescription.
Protein needs vary by individual, age, activity, and body composition. This is a general guide, not medical advice, and is not intended for people with kidney disease or following a clinically prescribed diet — consult a qualified professional.
About this calculator
This calculator turns your body weight and goal into a sensible daily protein range — and a rough per-meal target to spread it across the day. It deliberately gives a range rather than a single number, because protein needs sit on a band that shifts with your goal, training load, and whether you are losing fat or building muscle. Use it to set a starting point, then adjust to how you feel and perform.
How to read your results
The headline figure is the midpoint of your daily range in grams — a reasonable everyday target. The subline shows the full low-to-high band: anywhere inside it is fine, with the higher end suiting harder training or a calorie deficit. The "per meal" stat divides the midpoint evenly across your chosen number of meals so you know roughly how much protein to build each plate around. The figures are guidance, not a prescription.
How it's calculated
Daily protein is estimated as a range of grams per kilogram of body weight, then scaled by your weight. Weight in pounds is first converted to kilograms (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg). The per-goal g/kg ranges follow published guidance: general health 0.8–1.0 g/kg (the 0.8 g/kg RDA baseline), fat loss 1.6–2.2 g/kg (higher to help preserve lean mass in a deficit), muscle gain 1.6–2.2 g/kg, endurance 1.2–1.6 g/kg, and strength 1.6–2.0 g/kg. Low and high grams are each rounded to whole numbers, the midpoint is their average, and the per-meal figure is the midpoint divided by your number of meals. The underlying figures come from primary guidelines: the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (RDA 0.8 g/kg for healthy adults), the joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation (safe level 0.83 g/kg, for protein scoring 1.0 on the digestibility-corrected amino acid score), the joint Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada / American College of Sports Medicine position paper (1.2–2.0 g/kg for athletes), the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand (1.4–2.0 g/kg for exercising individuals building or maintaining muscle — not a figure for people who do not train), and the PROT-AGE study group (1.0–1.2 g/kg for adults over 65). The 2018 meta-analysis by Morton et al. is often quoted as capping intake at 1.6 g/kg; its break point of 1.62 g/kg/d was not statistically significant (p=0.079) and its 95% confidence interval ran 1.03–2.20, so its authors instead suggest ~2.2 g/kg/d for people seeking to maximise resistance-training gains in fat-free mass. Two limits sit outside all of these ranges: PROT-AGE excludes older people with severe kidney disease (estimated GFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²) who are not on dialysis, who may need to limit protein rather than raise it; and the KDIGO 0.8 g/kg figure covers adults with chronic kidney disease who are NOT treated with dialysis, so people on dialysis must not restrict protein on the strength of it. The table below lists each figure against the guideline it comes from.
Worked example
An 80 kg person aiming for fat loss (1.6–2.2 g/kg), eating 4 meals a day.
Low: 80 × 1.6 = 128 g. High: 80 × 2.2 = 176 g. The midpoint headline is (128 + 176) ÷ 2 = 152 g per day, which across 4 meals is about 38 g of protein per meal. Aim anywhere between 128 and 176 g, leaning higher on harder training days.
| Population | Protein (g/kg body weight per day) | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy adults — RDA baseline | 0.8 | Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes for macronutrients (2002/2005) |
| Healthy adults — safe intake level | 0.83 | Joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation (2007), for protein scoring 1.0 on PDCAAS |
| Athletes — adaptation, repair and remodelling | 1.2–2.0 | Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada / ACSM (2016) |
| Exercising adults building or keeping muscle | 1.4–2.0 | International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand (2017) |
| Resistance training — to maximise fat-free-mass gains | 2.2 | Morton et al. meta-analysis (2018) — 1.62 g/kg/d break point, not statistically significant (p=0.079), 95% CI 1.03–2.20 |
| Adults over 65 — healthy | 1.0–1.2 | PROT-AGE study group (2013) |
| Adults over 65 — acute or chronic illness | 1.2–1.5 | PROT-AGE study group (2013) |
| Adults over 65 with severe kidney disease (eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m²), not on dialysis | — | PROT-AGE study group (2013) — exception to the two rows above; may need to limit protein |
| Adults with chronic kidney disease G3–G5, NOT treated with dialysis | 0.8 | KDIGO clinical practice guideline (2024) — weak suggestion (2C); avoid >1.3 g/kg/d if at risk of progression |
| Body weight (kg) | RDA 0.8 g/kg | Athletes 1.2–2.0 g/kg | Adults 65+ 1.0–1.2 g/kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 48 g | 72–120 g | 60–72 g |
| 70 | 56 g | 84–140 g | 70–84 g |
| 80 | 64 g | 96–160 g | 80–96 g |
| 90 | 72 g | 108–180 g | 90–108 g |
Frequently asked questions
Why does it give a range instead of one exact number?
There is no single correct protein intake — research reports bands, not points. For most goals an extra 10–20 g a day makes little difference, so a range avoids false precision. Pick a target inside the band that fits your appetite and training, and treat the midpoint as a convenient default.
Should I use the higher or lower end of the range?
Lean toward the higher end when you are training hard, lifting to build muscle, or eating in a calorie deficit, since more protein helps preserve lean mass and supports recovery. The lower end is fine for lighter activity or general maintenance. Total daily intake matters far more than hitting an exact number at any one meal.
Where do these g/kg figures come from?
From primary guidelines, not from any one website. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine sets the RDA for healthy adults at 0.8 g/kg a day, and the joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation puts the safe level — the intake that covers 97.5% of healthy adults — at 0.83 g/kg, for protein scoring 1.0 on the digestibility-corrected amino acid score. For athletes, the joint Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada / American College of Sports Medicine position paper gives 1.2–2.0 g/kg, and the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand gives 1.4–2.0 g/kg for exercising individuals building or maintaining muscle. For adults over 65 the PROT-AGE study group recommends 1.0–1.2 g/kg, rising to 1.2–1.5 g/kg with acute or chronic illness. The table above lists each figure next to the guideline it comes from.
How much protein per kg to gain muscle?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand puts the muscle-building range at 1.4–2.0 g/kg a day for exercising individuals — it is not guidance for someone who does not train — and that sits inside the wider 1.2–2.0 g/kg band the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine give for athletes. The 2018 meta-analysis of resistance-training studies is widely quoted as capping protein at 1.6 g/kg, which misreads it: its break point of 1.62 g/kg a day was not statistically significant (p=0.079) and its 95% confidence interval ran from 1.03 to 2.20, so the authors concluded it "may be prudent to recommend ~2.2 g protein/kg/d for those seeking to maximise resistance training-induced gains in FFM". Treat about 2.2 g/kg as the target when maximising muscle is the goal, not as a limit to stay under.
How much protein for a 70 kg man?
At the 0.8 g/kg RDA baseline, a 70 kg adult needs about 56 g of protein a day. Training raises that: the 1.2–2.0 g/kg athlete range works out to 84–140 g, and about 2.2 g/kg — what the 2018 meta-analysis suggests for maximising resistance-training gains in fat-free mass — is 154 g. A healthy 70 kg adult over 65 is advised 1.0–1.2 g/kg, or 70–84 g. The arithmetic is the same every time: body weight in kg × the g/kg figure.
Is 100g of protein a day a lot?
For most adults, no. At 70 kg, 100 g is about 1.4 g/kg — the bottom of the 1.4–2.0 g/kg range the ISSN position stand gives for people who train, and well above the 0.8 g/kg RDA, which is 56 g at that weight. It is generous for a sedentary adult and modest for someone lifting seriously. It is too much, however, for anyone advised to restrict protein: the KDIGO 2024 kidney guideline suggests 0.8 g/kg for adults with chronic kidney disease stages G3–G5 who are not treated with dialysis, and advises avoiding intakes above 1.3 g/kg where the disease is at risk of progressing. Both are weak suggestions (graded 2C), and if you are on dialysis neither figure applies to you.
How much protein per day to lose weight?
Guidelines do not publish a separate weight-loss number, but they agree the target rises as energy intake falls. The 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics / Dietitians of Canada / American College of Sports Medicine paper states that when energy availability is reduced — for example to lose body weight or fat — higher protein intakes are needed to support muscle protein synthesis and retention of fat-free mass. A target inside the athlete band of 1.2–2.0 g/kg (84–140 g at 70 kg) is therefore a reasonable starting point in a deficit, and this calculator uses 1.6–2.2 g/kg for its fat-loss goal.
Is this calculator safe for everyone?
It is a general guide for healthy adults, not medical advice. Kidney disease is the clearest exception, and it cuts both ways. PROT-AGE excludes older people with severe kidney disease — an estimated GFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m², and not on dialysis — from its 1.0–1.2 g/kg advice; those individuals may need to limit protein rather than raise it. KDIGO 2024 suggests 0.8 g/kg a day for adults with chronic kidney disease stages G3–G5 who are NOT treated with dialysis, and advises against exceeding 1.3 g/kg where the disease is at risk of progressing; both are weak suggestions graded 2C. If you are on dialysis, neither figure is about you and you should not cut protein on the strength of this page. KDIGO names the tension itself: geriatric guidelines recommend 1.0–1.2 g/kg to prevent age-related malnutrition and sarcopenia, and such intakes "may be appropriate in some people with stable or slowly progressing CKD". Low-protein diets are also contraindicated where there is sarcopenia, cachexia or undernutrition. Anyone pregnant, on a clinically prescribed diet, on dialysis, or managing a medical condition should have the number set by a doctor or registered dietitian, not by a calculator.
Sources
- Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Total Water and Macronutrients — National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition: report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation — World Health Organization
- Nutrition and Athletic Performance: Position of Dietitians of Canada, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American College of Sports Medicine — Dietitians of Canada
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise — National Center for Biotechnology Information
- A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults — National Center for Biotechnology Information
- Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group — PubMed
- KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease — Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)
Reviewed by the YouCalc Team · Last reviewed
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