Protein Intake Calculator
Find your daily protein target in grams, based on your body weight and goal — maintenance, muscle gain or fat loss.
How the daily range is worked out
Enter your weight in kilograms and pick a goal. The tool multiplies your weight by a low and a high grams-per-kilogram figure for that goal, then divides both by four to show a per-meal amount:
| Goal in the tool | g per kg per day | At 70 kg | Per meal (4 meals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General health (sedentary) | 0.8–1.0 | 56–70 g | 14–18 g |
| Active / maintain muscle | 1.2–1.6 | 84–112 g | 21–28 g |
| Build muscle | 1.6–2.2 | 112–154 g | 28–39 g |
| Lose fat (preserve muscle) | 1.8–2.4 | 126–168 g | 32–42 g |
The default, 70 kg on Active / maintain muscle, shows 84–112 g a day. Like every figure on this page, it is an estimate, not a diagnosis or a prescribed diet.
Which of these numbers are official
Only the bottom of the first row. The adult Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day (US Institute of Medicine, 2005), which is 56 g for a 70 kg reference man and 46 g for a 57 kg reference woman. European and WHO reference values are very similar at 0.83 g per kg.
The higher ranges are the tool's settings for people who train. They sit above the RDA and are not set by those bodies. If a doctor or dietitian has given you a protein limit for a medical condition, that limit takes priority over anything here.
Ranges at three body weights
Because the tool simply multiplies, the range scales directly with the weight you enter:
| Goal | 60 kg | 70 kg | 95 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| General health | 48–60 g | 56–70 g | 76–95 g |
| Active / maintain | 72–96 g | 84–112 g | 114–152 g |
| Build muscle | 96–132 g | 112–154 g | 152–209 g |
| Lose fat | 108–144 g | 126–168 g | 171–228 g |
The tool doesn't adjust for body fat, so two people of the same weight get the same range whatever their build.
If you eat three meals, not four
The per-meal line always divides by four. For three meals, divide the daily range by three instead: 84–112 g becomes about 28–37 g per meal. For five, divide by five. The daily total is the figure that matters; the per-meal line is only a convenience.
If you also use the Macro Calculator, note that it sets protein as a share of calories rather than by body weight, so the two tools can give quite different grams for the same person.
Frequently asked questions
Can I enter my weight in pounds?+
The box is in kilograms. Multiply pounds by 0.4536 first: 150 lb is 68 kg, and 200 lb is 90.7 kg.
Why does the range overlap between Build muscle and Active?+
The two goals share a boundary at 1.6 g per kg, so the top of one is the bottom of the next. The tool's ranges are bands of guidance rather than separate categories.
Does the protein in my whole day count, or only from protein foods?+
The target is total protein from everything you eat. Grains, dairy, beans and vegetables all contribute, not only meat, fish or supplements.
Embed this tool on your website
Free to use on blogs, school sites and intranets. Paste this code into your page's HTML; please keep the credit line.
<iframe src="https://utilityapp.lat/embed/health/protein-intake-calculator" title="Protein Intake Calculator" width="100%" height="660" style="border:0;max-width:760px" loading="lazy"></iframe> <p style="font-size:13px"><a href="https://utilityapp.lat/health/protein-intake-calculator">Protein Intake Calculator</a> by UtilityApp</p>