Walk into any gym and you'll hear a dozen different numbers for how much protein you should eat. One guy swears by 1 gram per pound, another says 0.8 grams per kilogram, and some coach on YouTube wants you eating 250 grams a day even if you weigh 130 pounds. Let's cut through the noise and figure out what actually works.
The short answer
Most adults do fine with 0.8 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Where you land in that range depends on your goals, how active you are, and your age. A 70 kg person who sits at a desk needs about 56 grams. The same person lifting weights four days a week probably wants 112 to 140 grams.
That's a wide range. Let's break it down so you can pick a number that actually fits you.
Figure out your base needs
The World Health Organization sets the minimum at 0.8 g per kg of body weight. That's the amount you need to not lose muscle or get sick. It's a floor, not a target.
Here's what different activity levels look like:
- Sedentary (desk job, no exercise): 0.8 g per kg
- Light activity (walking, light yoga): 1.0 g per kg
- Moderate exercise (3-5 days a week): 1.2 to 1.4 g per kg
- Active/strength training: 1.6 to 2.0 g per kg
- Serious athlete or bodybuilder: 2.0 to 2.4 g per kg
A quick example
Let's say you weigh 75 kg and you lift weights three times a week. You're in the active range. Multiply 75 by 1.6 and you get 120 grams per day. If you want to push harder and build more muscle, bump it up to 1.8 or even 2.0, giving you 135 to 150 grams.
Our protein calculator does all this math for you. Just plug in your weight, pick an activity level, and it shows you the daily target plus how much to eat per meal.
Losing weight? You need more, not less
This one surprises people. When you cut calories to lose fat, you should actually eat more protein, not less. Why? Because your body starts burning everything it can for fuel, including muscle. Eating enough protein protects that muscle so you lose fat instead.
Aim for 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg during a cut. Some research even supports going up to 2.4 g per kg if you're very lean and trying to preserve every ounce of muscle.
Trying to build muscle?
The sweet spot for muscle gain sits around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg. Going higher than that probably won't hurt you, but studies show diminishing returns past about 2.2. You're better off putting the extra calories into carbs and fats that fuel your workouts.
Spread it across meals
Your body can only use so much protein at once for muscle building. Research suggests 20 to 40 grams per meal is the sweet spot, depending on your size. So if your total target is 150 grams, split it into 4 or 5 meals of about 30 to 40 grams each.
That's easier than it sounds. Here's what 30 grams of protein looks like in real food:
- 1 chicken breast (about 4 oz or 115g)
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt + a scoop of whey
- 5 eggs
- 1 can of tuna
- 3/4 cup of cottage cheese
- 150g of lean beef
What about too much protein?
The old warning about protein wrecking your kidneys has mostly been debunked for healthy people. Studies on bodybuilders eating 2.5 to 3 g per kg for years showed no kidney damage. If you already have kidney disease, talk to your doctor before loading up. For everyone else, high protein is fine.
That said, eating way more than you need is just expensive pee. Your body uses what it needs and excretes the rest. No magic happens at 300 grams a day if your body only needed 150.
Plant-based eaters, listen up
If you're vegan or vegetarian, you can absolutely hit your protein goals without meat. It just takes more planning because plant proteins tend to be less complete. Aim for the higher end of your range (so 1.4 instead of 1.2) and mix your sources. Beans with rice, tofu with quinoa, lentils with seeds, that kind of thing. A scoop of pea or soy protein in a smoothie closes most gaps easily.
Final word
Don't overthink this. Pick a number in your range, hit it most days, and adjust based on results. If you're not seeing gains after a few months, eat a bit more. If you feel stuffed all the time, eat a bit less. Your body will tell you.
Use our protein calculator to get a personalized daily target in about 10 seconds. Pair it with the calorie calculator to build a full nutrition plan, and the BMI calculator to see where you stand health-wise.