Protein Intake Calculator
Instant results as you type.
Protein is the macronutrient people most often under-eat, and the amount you need depends far more on what you are doing than on how much you weigh. This calculator gives a daily target in grams for your goal, splits it across four meals — because protein is used better spread through the day — and shows the calories it accounts for.
How to use it
- Pick your units, then enter your body weight in kilograms or pounds.
- Pick the goal that matches your training, not your ambition.
- Read the daily target and the per-meal split.
Examples
- A 70 kg person building muscle needs about 126 g a day, roughly 32 g per meal.
- A 154 lb person building muscle needs the same 126 g — the target is grams either way.
- The 70 kg person sedentary needs 56 g — the basic requirement, not an optimum.
Frequently asked questions
- How much protein do I need per day?
- The basic requirement is about 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight, which prevents deficiency rather than optimising anything. Around 1.2 g suits general fitness, 1.4 for endurance training, 1.8 for building muscle, and up to 2 g when losing fat and trying to keep muscle. Those figures come from sports-nutrition position stands, not from supplement marketing.
- Why is more protein recommended when losing weight?
- For two reasons. In a calorie deficit the body will break down muscle as well as fat, and a higher protein intake blunts that. Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient, so the same calories leave you less hungry — which is what makes a deficit survivable rather than a test of willpower.
- Can I get enough protein on a vegetarian diet?
- Yes, but it takes deliberate planning, because Indian vegetarian plates are usually grain-heavy and grains are protein-poor per calorie. Dal, paneer, curd, soya, rajma, chana and peanuts all carry it well. The usual failure is not that plant protein is inadequate, but that not enough of it is eaten.
- Is too much protein harmful?
- For healthy kidneys, intakes in the ranges here are considered safe by the available evidence. If you have kidney disease or any condition affecting protein handling, the answer is different and belongs to your doctor rather than a calculator. Very high intakes also crowd out other foods, which is its own cost.