Your daily protein target by body weight and goal
| Body weight | RDA 0.8 g/kg | Active 1.2 g/kg | Build muscle 1.6 g/kg | Build muscle 2.2 g/kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54 kg) | 44 g | 65 g | 87 g | 120 g |
| 150 lb (68 kg) | 54 g | 82 g | 109 g | 150 g |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | 65 g | 98 g | 131 g | 180 g |
| 210 lb (95 kg) | 76 g | 114 g | 152 g | 210 g |
| 240 lb (109 kg) | 87 g | 131 g | 174 g | 239 g |
The 0.8 g/kg column is the National Academies' RDA, a deficiency-prevention floor. The 1.6–2.2 g/kg muscle range comes from sports nutrition position stands and meta-analyses of resistance training studies; benefits flatten past the top of it.
| Food | Serving | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked skinless | 100 g (3.5 oz) | 31 g |
| Ground beef, 90% lean cooked | 100 g | 26 g |
| Salmon, cooked | 100 g | 25 g |
| Egg, large | 1 egg | 6 g |
| Greek yogurt, nonfat plain | 170 g cup | 17 g |
| Cottage cheese, 2% | 113 g (half cup) | 12 g |
| Lentils, cooked | 100 g (half cup) | 9 g |
| Tofu, firm | 100 g | 12 g |
| Whey protein powder | 1 scoop (30 g) | 24 g |
Approximate USDA FoodData Central values; labels vary by brand, especially for yogurt and protein powder.
Protein targets scale with body weight, and everything else is an adjustment for what you're asking your body to do. This calculator converts your weight to kilograms, then applies the g/kg range matched to your goal and shows the low end, high end, and midpoint.
Daily protein (g) = body weight (kg) × multiplier. The multipliers are the published ones: 0.8 g/kg for the RDA, 1.0–1.2 g/kg for active maintenance and for adults over 65 (per geriatric nutrition societies), 1.2–1.4 g/kg for endurance training, 1.6–2.2 g/kg for building muscle, and 1.6–2.4 g/kg when cutting weight. Pounds convert at 1 kg = 2.2046 lb.
Enter your weight, pick units, and choose the goal that matches your training. If you're over 65 and lifting, use the muscle range, not the 65+ range: age raises the floor, it doesn't cap the ceiling. The per-meal figure divides your midpoint target by 4, matching the research habit of 0.4 g/kg per sitting across 3–4 meals.
A 180 lb lifter weighs 180 ÷ 2.2046 = 81.6 kg. Building muscle at 1.6–2.2 g/kg gives 131 to 180 g a day, midpoint 155 g. Split over four meals that's about 39 g each, roughly the protein in 125 g of cooked chicken breast per meal. As a share of a 2,400 calorie training day, 155 g of protein is 620 calories, about 26% of intake, which leaves plenty of room for carbs to fuel the work itself.
Compare the floor: the same person at the RDA would eat just 65 g a day. That's enough to avoid deficiency, but resistance training research consistently shows better muscle retention and growth at two to three times that number.
The RDA is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, about 56 g a day for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and it covers basic nutrition for a sedentary person. Active people and anyone over 65 do better with more: commonly cited expert ranges run 1.2 to 2.2 g/kg depending on training and goals, which is 84 to 154 g for that same 70 kg adult.
Research and sports nutrition position stands converge on 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight a day during resistance training. For a 180 lb (82 kg) person that's 131 to 180 g a day, split across 3 to 4 meals. Eating much beyond about 2.2 g/kg adds little measurable muscle in most studies.
The 0.8 g/kg RDA is a deficiency-prevention floor, not an optimum. Evidence reviews for older adults recommend 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, and exercising adults 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg. Higher intakes within these ranges support muscle retention during aging and weight loss without harm in people with healthy kidneys.
A common research-based target is 0.4 g per kg per meal across 4 meals, or 0.55 g per kg across 3 meals, which maxes out the muscle-building response of each sitting. For an 80 kg adult that's roughly 30 to 45 g per meal, about one cooked chicken breast's worth.
In people with healthy kidneys, higher protein intakes up to about 2.2 g/kg have not been shown to cause harm in controlled studies. If you have chronic kidney disease or a single functioning kidney, protein limits are real and individualized, and you should follow your nephrologist's numbers, not a calculator's.
Yes, calorie deficits raise protein needs because your body burns some protein for fuel. During weight loss, 1.6 to 2.4 g per kg a day is the commonly cited range for preserving muscle, especially if you're lean and training hard. Protein also blunts hunger more per calorie than carbs or fat.