Work out how many grams of protein you need per day from your body weight and goal, then see the amount in common foods and split across your meals.
| Food | Protein per serving | Servings for your target |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast (100 g, cooked) | about 31 g | - |
| Large eggs (1 egg) | about 6 g | - |
| Greek yogurt (100 g) | about 10 g | - |
| Firm tofu (100 g) | about 8 g | - |
| Cooked lentils (100 g) | about 9 g | - |
Each row shows how much of that single food alone would cover your daily target. In practice you mix several sources across the day.
Spreading protein evenly across meals, with roughly 0.3 g per kg of body weight at each, helps your body use it for muscle.
Advanced: lean-mass mode and manual g/kg
For beginners: how to read this result
To get a result, choose a starting preset or enter your own values: sex and body weight. Use the unit toggle to switch between metric (kg) and imperial (stone and pounds), then pick the goal button that matches how you train and live.
How the daily target is calculated
Protein needs scale with body weight, so the calculator multiplies a factor in grams per kilogram by your weight: protein per day equals the factor times your weight in kilograms. Each goal uses a typical factor from nutrition guidelines.
- Sedentary: about 0.8 g per kg, the basic intake to avoid a deficiency.
- General health: about 1.2 g per kg for light activity and daily basics.
- Build muscle: about 1.8 g per kg, inside the common 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg band for strength training.
- Lose fat, keep muscle: about 2.0 g per kg, raised because a calorie deficit makes protein more important.
- Endurance: about 1.5 g per kg for running, cycling and other cardio.
- Older adult: about 1.2 g per kg, slightly higher than the basic minimum to protect muscle with age.
Range, foods and meal split
The calculator shows a minimum, target and maximum so you can see that protein is a range, not one exact number. The food table converts your target into servings of chicken breast, eggs, Greek yogurt, tofu and cooked lentils, using roughly 31 g of protein per 100 g of chicken, 6 g per egg, 10 g per 100 g of yogurt, 8 g per 100 g of tofu and 9 g per 100 g of lentils. The meal split divides the total target evenly across 3, 4 or 5 meals, since spreading protein through the day helps your body use it.
Lean-mass mode and manual factor
The advanced section lets you base the calculation on lean body mass instead of total weight, which needs a body fat percentage and suits people at higher body fat. You can also enter your own grams-per-kilogram factor to override the goal. If the resulting intake goes above 3.0 g per kg the calculator shows a warning, because most people gain no extra benefit at that level.
What is not included
This estimate does not account for individual health, kidney function, pregnancy, medication, exact body composition, total calories or carbohydrate and fat needs. It is a general guideline, not a medical or nutrition prescription. People with kidney disease or other medical conditions should speak to a qualified professional before raising protein intake.