Protein Calculator
Protein is the macronutrient that protects muscle in a deficit and builds it in a surplus. This calculator turns your body weight and goal into a daily gram target.
Your daily protein target
144 g
1.8 g per kg of body weight · 576 kcal from protein
36 g
Per meal (4 meals)
640 g
Chicken breast equivalent
Example for 80 kg, 175 cm, Lose weight. With JavaScript on, the result follows your input.
High-protein foods per 100 g
- Canned Tuna (in water) — 25.5 g protein, 116 kcal
- Turkey Breast — 23.7 g protein, 114 kcal
- Chicken Breast — 22.5 g protein, 120 kcal
- Lean Ground Beef (93% lean) — 20.8 g protein, 152 kcal
- Pork Tenderloin — 20.6 g protein, 120 kcal
- Salmon — 20.4 g protein, 208 kcal
Spread it through the day
The targets — 1.8 g per kg when losing weight, 1.6 g per kg otherwise — are for people who train; the minimum for adults is about 0.8 g per kg. At a BMI of 30 or more the calculator counts from the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height, because muscle needs protein, body fat doesn’t.
Muscle protein synthesis responds best to 25–40 g of protein at a time, so three or four servings beat one large evening meal. Put a protein source in every meal, and use dairy, eggs or a shake to close the gap if you're short in the evening.
Higher intakes than shown here aren't harmful for healthy adults, but they rarely add benefit. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before raising protein.