Protein Intake Calculator
How much protein a day for your body weight and what you are training for.
Protein targets are written per kilogram of body weight, and the right number depends far more on what you are doing than on who you are. This gives a range rather than a single figure, because that is how the evidence reads.
How this is worked out
The adult RDA of 0.8 g per kilogram is a minimum designed to prevent deficiency, not an optimum. Position stands from the International Society of Sports Nutrition and the American College of Sports Medicine put 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram on people training regularly, with the top of that range — and a little above — for those in a calorie deficit trying to hold on to muscle.
Older adults need more than younger ones for the same effect, because ageing muscle responds less strongly to a given dose of protein; 1.0 to 1.2 g per kilogram is the common recommendation past 65, higher if also training.
If you have reduced kidney function, do not raise your protein intake on the strength of a calculator. High intakes are safe for healthy kidneys but are managed carefully in chronic kidney disease.
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Common questions
Can too much protein damage healthy kidneys?
In people with normal kidney function, controlled trials have not found harm from high protein intakes. The caution applies to people who already have kidney disease.
Should I spread protein across the day?
Roughly even doses of 20 to 40 g across three or four meals stimulate muscle protein synthesis better than one large serving, especially for older adults.