Protein calculator: how much protein do you need a day?

Where the ranges come from

• General health: 0.8 g per kg a day. This is the US Recommended Dietary Allowance. It is the amount that prevents deficiency, not a target for building muscle.
• You exercise regularly: 1.4–2.0 g per kg. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand says this range is adequate for most exercising people.
• You lift to build muscle: 1.6–2.0 g per kg. A 2018 meta-regression (Morton et al.) found that above about 1.6 g per kg a day, extra protein did not add much to gains in lean mass. The evidence was rated low quality.
• You lift while eating fewer calories: 2.3–3.1 g per kg. The ISSN says resistance-trained people may need this much to hold on to lean mass during a calorie deficit.

Using the result

Treat the range as a starting point and spread it over 3–4 meals. If you are at the top of a range, check that your calories are enough too, because protein cannot do the work of a calorie shortfall.

If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your doctor before raising your protein intake.

Read more

Our guide on whether you are behind on protein looks at typical US intakes, and the macro calculator shows how protein fits with carbs and fat.

Quick answers

Sources

• Jäger et al. (2017), International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise
• Morton et al. (2018), protein supplementation and resistance-training gains, Br J Sports Med 52:376–384
• US Dietary Reference Intakes (National Academies): the 0.8 g per kg protein RDA