Protein Calculator

Your BMI sets the starting point. If your BMI is 22 (normal), multiply your weight by 0.36 to 0.45 g/lb for general health. A 140 lb person at BMI 22 needs 50–63 g/day. If your BMI is 28 (overweight) and you're trying to lose fat, use 0.64–0.82 g/lb to protect muscle: a 190 lb person needs 122–156 g/day. If your BMI is 34 (obese), calculate protein from your goal weight instead of current weight to avoid overestimating. For a 240 lb person with a goal weight of 180 lbs, that's 65–81 g/day for general health or 115–148 g/day for active training. The follow-up most people want is how to split this across meals: aim for 25–40 g per meal, three to four times daily, because your body can only use about 0.4 g/kg per meal for muscle building. Pair this with the calorie calculator to make sure your total intake supports your goal, and the TDEE calculator to find your maintenance calories.

No. The 0.36 g/lb figure is the RDA, which is the minimum to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults, not the amount for muscle growth. For muscle gain, research supports 0.64–0.82 g/lb. A 170 lb person doing resistance training needs 109–139 g/day, not 61 g. If you're eating only 61 g while lifting three times a week, you'll struggle to add muscle. A concrete example: a 170 lb man eating 61 g/day gained 0.5 lbs of lean mass over 12 weeks in one study, while a similar group eating 120 g/day gained 2.5 lbs. The next question is timing: spread protein across four meals of 30–40 g each rather than one large dinner. Use the calorie calculator to set your total intake at a 250–500 calorie surplus for lean gains, and the TDEE calculator to find your maintenance level first.

Yes, though the threshold is higher than most people think. Healthy adults can tolerate 0.9–1.4 g/lb per day without kidney damage, according to long-term studies. For a 180 lb person, that's 162–252 g/day. Problems appear above that range or in people with existing kidney disease. A 180 lb person eating 300 g/day for months may see elevated BUN and creatinine, plus digestive issues like bloating and constipation. High protein also displaces carbs and fats, which can tank energy for workouts. If you're eating 200 g/day and feeling sluggish, you're likely under-eating carbohydrates, not over-eating protein. The practical ceiling for most lifters is 1 g/lb. Beyond that, extra protein is oxidized for energy or stored as fat. If you have kidney disease, cap intake at 0.36 g/lb unless your doctor says otherwise. Use the calorie calculator to check that protein isn't crowding out the carbs and fats you need.

Weight loss needs more protein per pound than muscle gain in many cases, because a calorie deficit breaks down muscle unless protein is high. For fat loss, target 0.82–1.0 g/lb of goal weight. A 200 lb person aiming for 170 lbs should eat 139–170 g/day. For muscle gain, target 0.64–0.82 g/lb of current weight. A 170 lb person bulking needs 109–139 g/day. Notice the fat-loss range is higher per pound of goal weight. A concrete example: two 180 lb people, one cutting to 160 lbs and one bulking to 195 lbs. The cutter eats 131–160 g/day; the bulker eats 115–148 g/day. The cutter also needs a 500-calorie deficit, while the bulker needs a 300-calorie surplus. Use the TDEE calculator to find maintenance calories, then adjust by 300–500 in either direction. The protein calculator's BMI output helps you pick the right goal weight for the fat-loss calculation.

Choose lean sources. A 4 oz chicken breast has 26 g of protein and 120 calories. A 4 oz ribeye has 26 g and 280 calories. Swap the ribeye for chicken and you save 160 calories per meal, or 480 per day. Other high-protein, low-calorie picks: nonfat Greek yogurt (20 g per 170 calories), egg whites (26 g per 120 calories), cod (26 g per 120 calories), and 99% lean ground turkey (28 g per 130 calories). A 160 lb person needing 102 g/day can hit it with 1 cup Greek yogurt (20 g), 4 oz chicken at lunch (26 g), 4 oz cod at dinner (26 g), and a scoop of whey (25 g) for 97 g total and about 620 calories. That leaves room for rice, vegetables, and fats. If you're vegetarian, use tofu (20 g per 180 calories), lentils (18 g per 230 calories), and seitan (36 g per 160 calories). Use the calorie calculator to confirm your daily total stays on target.

Total daily intake matters most, but timing adds a measurable benefit. Research shows muscle protein synthesis peaks when you eat 0.18 g/lb of protein per meal, roughly 25–40 g for most adults. A 170 lb person should eat 30 g per meal, four times daily, to hit 120 g. If that same person eats all 120 g at dinner, muscle building is lower than if it's spread across the day. The anabolic window after training is wider than once thought: 4–6 hours, not 30 minutes. A 170 lb lifter can train at 6 PM and eat dinner at 7:30 PM with no loss. The practical rule: eat 25–40 g of protein within two hours of training, and distribute the rest across three other meals. A concrete example: 3 eggs and oatmeal at breakfast (25 g), chicken and rice at lunch (35 g), Greek yogurt snack (20 g), and salmon at dinner (40 g) totals 120 g. That beats 120 g eaten in one sitting. Pair with the TDEE calculator to keep calories aligned.