Is 100g protein per day enough?

For many adults, 100g protein per day is enough for general health and moderate training. It equals about 1.4 g/kg for a 70 kg person and about 1.0 g/kg for a 100 kg person. Larger people, lean dieting phases, serious lifting, and some older adults may need more.

How much protein do I need to build muscle?

A strong evidence-based range for muscle gain is 1.6-2.2 g/kg body weight per day, or about 0.7-1.0 g/lb, alongside progressive resistance training. Start near the middle of the range if you train consistently and adjust based on appetite, calories, and progress.

How much protein do I need to lose weight?

During weight loss, many people do well around 1.2-2.0 g/kg body weight per day. The higher end is most useful when you are lifting weights, eating a larger calorie deficit, already lean, or trying to preserve as much muscle as possible.

How much protein should I eat if I weigh 70 kg?

At 70 kg, the RDA minimum is about 56g per day. A practical maintenance range is about 70-84g, weight loss commonly lands around 84-140g, and muscle gain commonly lands around 112-154g per day.

How much protein should I eat if I weigh 150 lb?

At 150 lb, or about 68 kg, the RDA minimum is about 54g per day. A practical maintenance range is about 68-82g, weight loss commonly lands around 82-136g, and muscle gain commonly lands around 109-150g per day.

Should I use lean body mass or total body weight?

Total body weight works well for most people. Lean body mass or adjusted body weight is useful when body fat is high because total body weight can overestimate protein needs. This calculator uses an adjusted weight when body fat percentage is entered above 30%.

Can too much protein damage kidneys?

In healthy adults, evidence does not show that common high-protein ranges for fitness damage healthy kidneys. Kidney disease is different: people with reduced kidney function, albuminuria, dialysis, diabetes-related kidney concerns, or medical kidney advice should follow a clinician or renal dietitian's protein target.

What happens if I do not eat enough protein?

Chronically low protein can make it harder to maintain muscle, recover from training, stay full during dieting, and support normal tissue repair and immune function. Severe deficiency is uncommon in people eating enough varied food, but low appetite and calorie restriction can make intake too low.

Is protein powder necessary?

No. Protein powder is a convenience food, not a requirement. Whole foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, and soy foods can meet your target. Powder can help when appetite, schedule, or meal prep makes food protein difficult.

How much protein do vegetarians need?

Vegetarians can usually use the same daily target range, but they may need more planning because some plant-forward meals are lower in leucine or total protein density. Use soy foods, dairy or eggs if included, lentils, beans, seitan, tempeh, paneer, Greek yogurt, and varied grains to distribute protein across the day.

Protein Calculator: How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?

Get your personalized, evidence-based daily protein target. Based on guidelines from major health organizations and sports nutrition research.

Evidence-based rangesGoal-specific targetsPer-meal breakdownFood examples

Reviewed June 13, 2026Methodology by Jitendra Kumar KumawatSources policy

Enter your details

Adjust the fields, then calculate your daily protein target below.

Sex

Age

Weight

Height (cm)

Activity Level

Primary Goal

How This Protein Calculator Works

The calculator starts with your body weight, then applies a goal-specific protein range from dietary reference intakes and sports nutrition research. It returns a daily range, a best daily target, and a per-meal target so the result is usable for grocery shopping, meal prep, and macro planning.

General health starts near the adult RDA. Muscle gain, weight loss, and body recomposition use higher ranges because training and calorie deficits increase the importance of muscle repair, satiety, and lean-mass retention.

Result card outputs

Daily range: low and high planning bounds for your goal.
Best target: the daily number to plan meals around.
Per-meal target: the daily target divided by your selected meal count.
Explanation: the range and body-weight logic used for the result.

Recommended Protein Ranges by Goal

General health

g/kg/day: 0.8-1.2 g/kg
g/lb/day: 0.36-0.55 g/lb

Baseline health, maintenance, or low training demand.

Weight loss

g/kg/day: 1.2-2.0 g/kg
g/lb/day: 0.55-0.91 g/lb

Calorie deficits where preserving lean mass matters.

Muscle gain

g/kg/day: 1.6-2.2 g/kg
g/lb/day: 0.73-1.0 g/lb

Resistance training, hypertrophy, and strength goals.

Body recomposition

g/kg/day: 1.4-2.2 g/kg
g/lb/day: 0.64-1.0 g/lb

Losing fat and gaining or maintaining muscle together.

Older adults

g/kg/day: 1.0-1.2+ g/kg
g/lb/day: 0.45-0.55+ g/lb

Adults 65+ supporting muscle, strength, and function.

Goal	Range (g/kg/day)	Range (g/lb/day)	Best fit
General health	0.8-1.2 g/kg	0.36-0.55 g/lb	Baseline health, maintenance, or low training demand.
Weight loss	1.2-2.0 g/kg	0.55-0.91 g/lb	Calorie deficits where preserving lean mass matters.
Muscle gain	1.6-2.2 g/kg	0.73-1.0 g/lb	Resistance training, hypertrophy, and strength goals.
Body recomposition	1.4-2.2 g/kg	0.64-1.0 g/lb	Losing fat and gaining or maintaining muscle together.
Older adults	1.0-1.2+ g/kg	0.45-0.55+ g/lb	Adults 65+ supporting muscle, strength, and function.

Ranges are general adult planning estimates. Medical conditions, pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney disease, and clinical recovery can change protein needs.

Transparent Formula and Source Methodology

1. Convert body weight

pounds / 2.20462 = kilograms

Protein research ranges are usually expressed in grams per kilogram per day.

2. Choose the goal range

body weight kg x goal g/kg range

Maintenance, weight loss, muscle gain, and recomposition use different ranges.

3. Adjust for activity and age

higher activity moves the target upward

Adults 65+ are kept at a higher minimum because older adults often need more protein.

4. Split across meals

daily protein / meals per day

Per-meal targets help planning. They are not a hard absorption limit.

When body fat percentage is entered above 30%, the calculator uses adjusted body weight: lean mass plus 40% of the difference between total weight and lean mass. This avoids overestimating protein needs from total body weight alone.

Food examples use common serving estimates from USDA FoodData Central. Health and sports ranges are checked against dietary reference intakes, ISSN protein guidance, resistance-training meta-analyses, older-adult protein recommendations, and kidney nutrition cautions listed in the sources section below.

Protein Per Meal Guidance

Total daily protein matters most, but spreading protein across meals makes the target easier to hit and can support muscle protein synthesis. Use the calculator's per-meal number as a planning target, then adjust portions based on your schedule.

3 meals/day

Daily target / 3

120g/day = 40g per meal

Simple schedule with larger meals.

4 meals/day

Daily target / 4

120g/day = 30g per meal

Most practical split for many active adults.

5 meals/day

Daily target / 5

120g/day = 24g per meal

Useful when appetite is low or protein targets are high.

Meal split	Formula	Example	Best fit
3 meals/day	Daily target / 3	120g/day = 40g per meal	Simple schedule with larger meals.
4 meals/day	Daily target / 4	120g/day = 30g per meal	Most practical split for many active adults.
5 meals/day	Daily target / 5	120g/day = 24g per meal	Useful when appetite is low or protein targets are high.

For a deeper explanation, read how much protein you can use per meal.

Use Your Protein Result With Other Calculators

Fat loss

If your goal is fat loss, use our Weight Loss Calculator with this protein result.

Muscle gain

If your goal is muscle gain, combine this with the Muscle Gain Calculator.

Calorie planning

For calorie planning, use the TDEE Calculator to estimate maintenance calories.

Macro balance

For macro balance, use the Macro Calculator to set protein, carbs, and fat together.

Protein for Different Goals

General Health

For adults maintaining weight with moderate activity, the RDA starts at 0.8 g/kg per day. Many people prefer a practical maintenance target closer to 1.0-1.2 g/kg. Use the maintenance calculator for a focused baseline estimate.

Muscle Gain

Muscle gain targets commonly sit around 1.6-2.2 g/kg per day alongside progressive resistance training. Pair this page with the Muscle Gain Calculator and the muscle-gain protein guide.

Weight Loss

During a calorie deficit, higher protein can help preserve lean mass and improve satiety. Use the Weight Loss Calculator with the TDEE Calculator to connect protein with calories.

Vegetarian or Plant-Forward

Vegetarian diets can meet the same protein targets, but meal planning matters more. Combine the result with plant protein charts or the Indian Vegetarian Protein Planner.

Sources and methodology reviewed

Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables - National Academies Press
Nutrient Recommendations and Databases - NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Protein supplementation and resistance training meta-analysis - British Journal of Sports Medicine / PubMed
PROT-AGE recommendations for dietary protein intake in older people - Journal of the American Medical Directors Association / PubMed
USDA FoodData Central - U.S. Department of Agriculture
CKD diet: how much protein is the right amount? - National Kidney Foundation

Reviewed for source accuracy and calculator consistency by the ProteinCalc editorial team. Research and methodology by Jitendra Kumar Kumawat, Researcher & Tool Creator, against the sources and methodology policy. Jitendra is not a registered dietitian or licensed medical provider.Not medically reviewed. Not a substitute for a registered dietitian, physician, pharmacist, or prescribing clinician. Use professional guidance for personal medical decisions.Last updated: June 13, 2026

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Total daily calorie expenditure and goal-adjusted targets.

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Safety note: This calculator provides general nutrition estimates based on published research and dietary guidelines. It is not medical advice or a substitute for a registered dietitian, physician, renal dietitian, pharmacist, or prescribing clinician. Use professional guidance for kidney disease, pregnancy, breastfeeding, eating disorders, diabetes complications, recent surgery, chronic illness, or any prescribed protein limit.