Protein Intake Calculator
How much protein should you eat each day? Enter your body weight and pick your activity level or fitness goal to get a daily protein range in grams, a per-meal split, and simple food equivalents — chicken breast, eggs, and tofu.
Enter your body weight to see your daily protein range
Roughly equal to (pick one, or mix and match):
This tool provides educational estimates only — not medical, nutrition, or dietary advice.
Every calculation runs in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.
How much protein does your body actually need?
Protein repairs and builds muscle tissue, keeps you full for longer than carbs or fat, and supplies the raw material for enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and hair and skin. The RDA of about 0.8 g/kg body weight is the floor that prevents deficiency in a mostly sedentary adult — it is not a target for anyone who trains, is trying to build or preserve muscle, or is eating fewer calories than they burn. Sports-nutrition research generally puts the useful range for active people between 1.2 and 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with the higher end reserved for resistance training and calorie-restricted "cutting" phases where extra protein helps protect lean mass.
How this calculator works
Enter your body weight in kilograms or pounds, then pick the activity level or goal that best matches you. Each option maps to a gram-per-kilogram range drawn from general sports-nutrition guidance; the calculator multiplies that range by your weight to produce a daily gram target, divides it by your chosen number of meals for a per-meal figure, and converts the midpoint into rough servings of three common protein foods so the number feels concrete rather than abstract.
| Activity level / goal | Range (g/kg) | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 0.8–1.0 | Little or no structured exercise |
| Active | 1.2–1.6 | Regular exercise, general fitness maintenance |
| Muscle gain | 1.6–2.2 | Resistance / strength training |
| Weight loss | 1.8–2.2 | Calorie deficit, protecting lean mass |
| Endurance | 1.2–1.7 | Running, cycling and other endurance training |
Worked example 1 — 70 kg, building muscle
At 1.6–2.2 g/kg, a 70 kg person's range is 70 × 1.6 = 112 g to 70 × 2.2 = 154 g per day. Across 4 meals that's about 28–39 g per meal. The midpoint, roughly 133 g, is approximately 4.5 chicken-breast servings (100 g cooked each), 22 large eggs, or 16.5 servings of firm tofu (100 g each) — most people combine a few sources rather than relying on just one.
Worked example 2 — 55 kg, sedentary
At 0.8–1.0 g/kg, a 55 kg person's range is 55 × 0.8 = 44 g to 55 × 1.0 = 55 g per day — close to the RDA floor. Across the default 3 meals that's about 15–18 g per meal, easily covered by a couple of eggs at breakfast and a modest portion of meat, fish, or tofu later in the day.
About the food equivalents
The chicken breast, egg and tofu figures are rounded reference values, not a specific product's nutrition label: about 31 g of protein per 100 g of cooked chicken breast, about 6 g per large egg, and about 8 g per 100 g of firm tofu. Actual protein content varies by cut, brand, and cooking method, so treat these as a quick sanity check — "roughly five chicken breasts' worth of protein" — rather than a precise meal plan.
Not medical advice
This calculator provides general educational estimates based on population-level sports-nutrition guidance, not a personalized medical or dietary recommendation. It cannot see your full health history, kidney or liver function, medications, or whether you're pregnant or nursing. If you have a medical condition, are on a restricted diet, or want a plan tailored to you, talk to a registered dietitian or your physician before making significant changes to your protein intake.
Sources & further reading
- USDA National Agricultural Library — Dietary Reference Intakes, including the protein RDA
- American College of Sports Medicine — position stands on protein needs for athletes
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — practical guidance on protein and food labels
- USDA FoodData Central — protein content of chicken, eggs, tofu and other foods
Frequently asked questions
How much protein do I need per day?
Most general sports-nutrition guidance sets daily protein need as a range per kilogram of body weight rather than one fixed number, because needs scale with activity and goal. Sedentary adults typically do well around 0.8–1.0 g/kg (close to the RDA), regularly active people around 1.2–1.6 g/kg, and those building muscle or losing weight while preserving lean mass often aim for 1.6–2.2 g/kg. This calculator multiplies your body weight by the appropriate range for the activity level or goal you select, so you get a personalized gram target instead of a single generic number.
Worked example: protein intake for a 70 kg (154 lb) person building muscle
For a 70 kg person with a muscle-gain goal (1.6–2.2 g/kg), the range is 70 × 1.6 = 112 g to 70 × 2.2 = 154 g of protein per day. Split across 4 meals that's roughly 28–39 g per meal. At the midpoint of about 133 g, that's approximately equal to 4.5 chicken-breast servings (100 g cooked each), 22 large eggs, or 16.5 servings of firm tofu (100 g each) — in practice most people mix protein sources across meals rather than eating just one.
Is eating more protein always better, and is there a safe upper limit?
No — more isn't automatically better. For healthy adults without kidney disease, intakes up to roughly 2.2 g/kg body weight per day are generally considered safe and already sit at the high end of what research shows adds a training benefit; going well beyond that mainly displaces other nutrients rather than building more muscle. This calculator caps its guideline range at 2.2 g/kg for that reason. People with kidney disease, liver disease, or other conditions affecting protein metabolism should follow a lower target set by their doctor or dietitian rather than a general calculator.
Does this protein calculator send my weight or any data to a server?
No. Your body weight, unit choice, activity level and meal count are processed entirely in your browser using JavaScript — nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored on a server. The only place your inputs are saved is your own browser's localStorage, purely so the form remembers your last entry the next time you open the page, and you can clear that at any time by clearing your browser data.
Is this medical or nutrition advice, and where do the guideline ranges come from?
No — this tool provides general educational estimates based on widely cited sports-nutrition guidance (protein ranges roughly 0.8–2.2 g/kg body weight depending on activity and goal), not a personalized medical or dietary recommendation. It cannot account for your full health history, medications, kidney or liver function, pregnancy, or other individual factors. For a plan tailored to you, talk to a registered dietitian or your physician, especially if you have an existing medical condition.