Protein Intake Calculator
Enter your bodyweight and pick your goal. The calculator applies the evidence-based g/kg ranges, shows your daily target with its range, splits it into per-meal doses, and translates it into grams of chicken breast so the number means something at dinner.
Supplement sites scale everyone up to 2 g/kg and sell powder. The research says needs depend on what you do: 0.8 g/kg holds a sedentary body, training pushes it to 1.2-1.6, muscle building tops out near 2.2, and cutting raises protein because it protects muscle in a deficit.
How to use
- Weigh yourself and enter the figure in kilograms — the ranges are per kg of total bodyweight.
- Pick the goal that matches your training week, not your aspiration.
- Aim the per-meal figure at 3-4 meals a day; hitting the daily total with two giant meals works noticeably worse.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat too much protein?
Healthy kidneys handle high intakes fine — the real cost of overshooting is displacement: protein calories crowd out vegetables and carbs that fuel training. Beyond about 2.2 g/kg when building, extra protein is just expensive energy.
Do I need protein powder to hit these numbers?
No — 150 g is 500 g of chicken, or four eggs plus 300 g of greek yogurt plus 200 g of lentils. Powder is convenience, not chemistry: milk protein ranks with the best-studied sources anyway.
Why is my cutting target higher than my bulking one?
In a calorie deficit the body burns some protein for energy. Raising intake to 1.8-2.4 g/kg forces that burn to come from food instead of muscle — it is muscle insurance, not extra growth.
Does protein timing matter?
The per-meal dose matters more than the clock: near 0.4 g/kg per meal maximises the muscle-building response, so 3-4 evenly spaced protein meals beat one feast. The mythical 30-minute anabolic window is generously wider than sold.