Daily protein intake in grams from body weight, goal and training level, using published g/kg ranges, with a per-meal split.
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The published range for your goal and training gives about 98 g of protein a day (range 84–112 g), or roughly 25 g at each of 4 meals.
1.2–1.6 g/kg from the lower half of 1.2–2.0 g/kg for athletes (ACSM/AND/DC, 2016).
Where one published range covers all exercisers, regular exercise uses its lower half and hard training its upper half.
Schoenfeld & Aragon (2018) suggest about 0.4 g/kg per meal over at least four meals for muscle building.
Daily protein is body weight in kilograms times a grams-per-kilogram figure taken from published ranges for your goal and training. The adult RDA is 0.8 g/kg; athletes are advised 1.2–2.0 g/kg (ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada, 2016); higher ranges apply during fat loss and muscle building. The target is the midpoint of the range, divided evenly across your meals.
People use it to plan meals around training or a diet. A 70 kg adult who exercises regularly gets 1.2–1.6 g/kg, or 84 to 112 g a day, with a 98 g target of about 25 g at each of 4 meals.
The RDA is a population figure set to cover 97–98 % of healthy adults. From age 65 the PROT-AGE group's minimum of 1.0–1.2 g/kg replaces it. People with kidney disease are usually given separate protein limits by their care team.
Multiply your weight in kilograms by a grams-per-kilogram figure for your situation. The adult RDA is 0.8 g/kg, athletes are advised 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg, and building muscle calls for about 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg. A 70 kg adult who exercises regularly needs about 84 to 112 g a day.
The RDA covers the needs of 97 to 98 % of healthy adults: 56 g a day at 70 kg. It is a floor that prevents deficiency, not a ceiling.
Take a 150 lb adult who wants to lose weight and does little exercise. A 2015 review by Leidy and colleagues supports 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg a day for weight loss.
Each gram of protein supplies 4 kcal, so 95.3 g is about 381 kcal of the day's energy.
The chart assumes a 70 kg adult under 65 eating four meals a day. Ranges are grams per kilogram per day, and targets are the midpoint of the range, rounded to whole grams.
| Goal | Exercise | Range, g/kg | Target, g/day | Per meal, g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain | Little or none | 0.80–0.80 | 56 | 14 |
| Maintain | Regular | 1.20–1.60 | 98 | 25 |
| Maintain | Hard training | 1.60–2.00 | 126 | 32 |
| Lose fat | Little or none | 1.20–1.60 | 98 | 25 |
| Lose fat | Regular | 1.80–2.25 | 142 | 35 |
| Lose fat | Hard training | 2.25–2.70 | 173 | 43 |
| Build muscle | Little or none | 1.60–1.90 | 123 | 31 |
| Build muscle | Regular | 1.60–1.90 | 123 | 31 |
| Build muscle | Hard training | 1.90–2.20 | 144 | 36 |
Where each range comes from:
Where one published range covers all exercisers, regular exercise (3 to 5 sessions a week) takes its lower half and hard training (daily or twice daily) its upper half. That split is a planning convention, not a separate research finding.
A 2018 meta-analysis by Morton and colleagues pooled 49 trials with 1,863 participants. Extra protein stopped adding fat-free mass beyond a total intake of 1.62 g/kg a day, with 2.2 g/kg as the upper confidence limit.
The gains came with resistance training. Protein alone does not build muscle; without training, the extra is used for energy.
For an 80 kg lifter training daily, the upper half of Morton's range is 1.9 to 2.2 g/kg: 152 to 176 g a day, with a 164 g target, or 41 g at each of four meals.
Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018) concluded that muscle building is best served by about 0.4 g/kg per meal over at least four meals. At the top of the range, 2.2 g/kg a day, that rises to at most about 0.55 g/kg per meal.
For a 70 kg person, 0.4 g/kg is 28 g a meal. Hitting it at four meals takes 112 g a day, more than the 98 g midpoint for regular exercise, which works out to 24.5 g a meal.
The PROT-AGE group (2013) recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg a day for adults 65 and over, in place of the 0.8 g/kg RDA. A 70 kg 70-year-old with little exercise needs 70 to 84 g a day, a 77 g midpoint.
Ranges that already sit above that floor, such as those for training or fat loss, stay as they are.
To fit protein into a full calorie and macro plan, use the calorie and macro calculator. For daily energy needs, use the BMR and TDEE calculator.
Checked against: IOM RDA 0.8 g/kg × 70 kg = 56 g; ÷ 4 meals; × 4 kcal/g
Checked against: Upper half of Morton 2018's 1.6–2.2 g/kg = 1.9–2.2 × 80 kg; midpoint 2.05 × 80
Checked against: Lower half of Phillips & Van Loon's 1.8–2.7 g/kg = 1.8–2.25 × 90 kg
Checked against: PROT-AGE (Bauer 2013): at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg for adults 65+, replacing 0.8; × 60 kg
The US and Canadian RDA for adults is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, set to cover the needs of 97–98 % of healthy people: 56 g a day for a 70 kg adult. It is a floor that prevents deficiency, not a ceiling. Guidance for other groups is higher: 1.2–2.0 g/kg for athletes (ACSM 2016) and at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg for adults over 65 (PROT-AGE 2013).
About 1.6 g per kg a day. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials with 1,863 participants (Morton and colleagues) found that extra protein stopped adding fat-free mass beyond a total intake of 1.62 g/kg, with 2.2 g/kg as the upper confidence limit. For an 80 kg person that is 130 to 176 g a day. The gains came with resistance training; protein alone does not build muscle.
More than the often-quoted 20–25 g, though higher doses are increasingly oxidised for energy. Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018) concluded that muscle building is best served by about 0.4 g/kg per meal over at least four meals, reaching at least 1.6 g/kg a day, and at most about 0.55 g/kg per meal at 2.2 g/kg a day. For a 70 kg person, 0.4 g/kg is 28 g per meal.
More than the RDA. A 2015 review by Leidy and colleagues supports 1.2–1.6 g/kg a day for weight loss and maintenance, and Phillips and Van Loon (2011) proposed 1.8–2.7 g/kg for athletes in an energy deficit to limit muscle loss. For a 90 kg person training regularly, the lower half of that athletic range is 162 to 203 g a day.
For information only, not medical advice. These formulas describe populations, not you; talk to a clinician before acting on a result.
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