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Protein Intake Calculator
How much protein do you need a day? Enter your body weight, goal and activity level to get your daily gram target, a min–max range and a per-meal split — computed live, before you finish reading this sentence.
Your numbers
Everything updates as you type — there is no submit button.
What your target looks like on a plate
Servings needed to hit your daily target, based on common protein sources. Updated live with the calculator above.
How it works
Enter your body weight in pounds or kilograms. The tool converts to kilograms internally, so both units give the same answer.
Your goal sets the base g/kg factor (1.2–2.0). Activity nudges it by up to ±0.15 g/kg, clamped to the 1.0–2.4 g/kg safety band.
Multiply the factor by your weight in kg, round to whole grams, then split that total across your meals — the meal amounts always add up to the daily target.
The g/kg factors behind the number
| Maintain weight | 1.2 g/kg |
| Build muscle | 1.8 g/kg |
| Lose fat | 2.0 g/kg |
| Endurance training | 1.4 g/kg |
| Sedentary | −0.15 g/kg |
| Light | −0.05 g/kg |
| Moderate | +0.05 g/kg |
| High | +0.15 g/kg |
Hard limits: never below 1.0 g/kg, never above 2.4 g/kg.
FAQ
Is this medical advice?
No. It is a general-population estimate built from widely used sports-nutrition ranges. If you have kidney or liver disease, are pregnant, or are managing a medical condition, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your intake.
Why show a range instead of one number?
The daily target uses your goal factor plus the activity nudge. The range brackets the goal factor by ±0.15 g/kg, so you can see how much room the research gives you. Anything inside the range is a sensible target.
Does the timing of protein matter?
Total daily protein matters most. Spreading it over 3–5 servings of roughly 25–40 g per meal is a practical way to hit the total and keeps each meal near the range where muscle protein synthesis responds well. The split table above shows what that looks like for your number.
How much protein builds muscle?
For people doing resistance training, roughly 1.6–2.2 g/kg per day is the evidence-backed zone. The “build muscle” preset sits at 1.8 g/kg, in the middle of it. Past that, extra protein is used for energy rather than extra muscle.
What if I am very heavy or very light?
Weight is capped at 700 lb / 320 kg and the factor is capped at 2.4 g/kg, so the maths can never produce an absurd result. If you carry a lot of excess weight, many coaches base protein on a lean or target body weight — try entering that instead for a more realistic number.