How Much Protein Do I Need a Day? By Weight and Goal

Most healthy adults need at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day (about 0.36 g per pound). That’s the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) set by the US National Academies, and it works out to 56 g for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult.

The RDA is a minimum to avoid deficiency, not an ideal for everyone. Research supports more for people who strength train (about 1.4–2.0 g/kg), for adults over 65 (1.0–1.2 g/kg), and for people losing weight who want to keep their muscle. The protein calculator gives a personal target in grams.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or follow a diet prescribed by a doctor, ask them before changing your protein intake.

The basic calculation

Protein targets by body weight

Which weight to use. If you’re near a healthy weight, use your current weight. If you carry a lot of extra body fat, many dietitians base the target on a goal or adjusted weight instead, because fat tissue needs little protein. For example, someone weighing 120 kg with a goal of 85 kg might plan around 85 kg. The BMI calculator shows the healthy weight range for your height.

Worked examples

Maria, 34, 62 kg, walks daily, no special goal. RDA: 62 × 0.8 = 50 g a day. A typical mixed diet often provides this without trying.

James, 28, 180 lb, lifting weights four times a week. 180 ÷ 2.205 = 81.6 kg. At 1.6 g/kg: 81.6 × 1.6 = 131 g a day. Going to 2.2 g/kg (180 g) is unlikely to add much muscle for most people.

Rukhsana, 70, 58 kg. PROT-AGE suggests 1.0–1.2 g/kg: 58–70 g a day. Older muscles respond less to protein, so they need more of it, ideally spread across meals and combined with some strength exercise.

Ahmed, 45, 95 kg, losing weight. In a calorie deficit, extra protein helps keep lean mass. At 1.2–1.6 g/kg on a goal weight of 82 kg: 98–131 g a day. The calorie deficit calculator sets the calorie side; protein fits inside that total.

How much protein per meal?

Spreading protein through the day appears to work better for muscle than eating most of it at dinner. A research review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018) suggests about 0.4 g/kg per meal over at least four meals for people aiming to build muscle.

For a 70 kg person, that’s about 28 g per meal. In practice, 25–40 g per main meal is a sensible range for most adults.

What 25–30 g of protein looks like

Approximate values for common foods:

Values vary by brand and preparation. USDA FoodData Central has exact figures for thousands of foods.

A day for James’s 131 g target might be: 3 eggs and milk at breakfast (about 27 g), chicken and rice at lunch (about 40 g), Greek yogurt and nuts as a snack (about 24 g), and lentils with fish or meat at dinner (about 40 g).

Plant-based diets

Vegetarians and vegans can meet the same targets. Plant proteins are slightly less digestible and some are low in one or two essential amino acids, so:

• eat a variety of sources across the day (beans, lentils, soy, grains, nuts, seeds),
• aim toward the upper part of your range,
• use soy foods, seitan or pea protein for the densest sources.

Combining foods in the same meal (like rice and beans) isn’t required; variety over the day is enough.

Can you eat too much protein?

For healthy adults, intakes up to about 2 g/kg a day appear safe, according to the sports nutrition research above. Beyond that there’s little added benefit, and the extra calories still count toward your daily total.

People with chronic kidney disease are usually advised to limit protein, so higher-protein advice does not apply to them. Check with your doctor if you have kidney problems, diabetes with kidney involvement, or liver disease.

Protein in your daily calories

Protein has 4 calories per gram. At 112 g a day, that’s 448 calories: about 20% of a 2,200-calorie diet. If you want to plan protein, carbs and fat together, the macro calculator splits your calorie target into grams of each. To find that calorie target in the first place, start with the TDEE calculator.

FAQ

How much protein do I need to build muscle?

Studies of people doing resistance training find muscle gains level off around 1.6 g per kg a day. Up to 2.2 g/kg covers nearly everyone. That’s roughly 0.7–1.0 g per pound.

Is 100 grams of protein a day too much?

Not for most healthy adults. For someone weighing 70 kg it’s about 1.4 g/kg, within the range recommended for active people. It may be more than you need if you are small and inactive.

Do women need less protein than men?

The RDA is the same per kilogram, 0.8 g/kg, so women usually need fewer grams only because they tend to weigh less. Needs go up in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Should I count protein from vegetables and grains?

Yes. All protein counts toward your total. Bread, rice, oats and vegetables add up across a day, often contributing 15–25 g.

Sources

• National Academies: Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
• Jäger R. et al. (2017). ISSN position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14:20
• Morton R. W. et al. (2018). Protein supplementation and resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 52:376–384
• Bauer J. et al. (2013). Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people (PROT-AGE). JAMDA 14:542–559
• Schoenfeld B. J. and Aragon A. A. (2018). How much protein can the body use in a single meal? J Int Soc Sports Nutr 15:10
• USDA FoodData Central