Your protein takes one step to find. Multiply your weight by your level, the grams of protein per pound that fit your goal. This guide shows that step with your own numbers, then answers the questions people ask most about protein.
How much protein do you need a day?
At least 0.36 g per pound you weigh, or 0.8 g per kilogram. That is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for healthy adults. At average body weights, it comes to 46 g a day for women and 56 g for men1. The RDA is a minimum for health, not a target. Most people who exercise need 0.6 to 0.9 g per pound (1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram)2.
In this example, the minimum is 67 g a day. At the High level, it is 168 g.
How to calculate your protein
Multiply your weight in pounds by your level’s grams per pound. If you weigh yourself in kilograms, use the grams per kilogram.
High is 0.907 g per pound, which the table rounds to 0.9. 185 × 0.907 is about 168 g of protein a day.
The Fit Shapes app has four protein levels. Here is each one for your weight.
| Level | g/lb | g/kg | Your protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low The minimum if you exercise | 0.5 | 1.2 | 101 g |
| Moderate Where more protein stops adding muscle | 0.7 | 1.6 | 134 g |
| High The top of the range for people who train | 0.9 | 2.0 | 168 g |
| Extra High For lean lifters on a strict diet | 1.1 | 2.4 | 201 g |
How much protein per pound of body weight?
From 0.5 to 1.1 g per pound at the app’s four levels, and 0.36 g for the RDA. The table above shows each level. To go the other way, a gram per pound is 2.2 g per kilogram.
Is 1 gram of protein per pound too much?
For most people, it is more than they need, but it is not harmful for a healthy adult. It sits between High and Extra High. Lean people who lift while they diet may need that much to keep their muscle4.
How much protein to build muscle
About 0.7 g per pound you weigh (1.6 g per kilogram), which is Moderate. In a review of strength-training studies, extra protein stopped adding muscle at about that amount. The authors suggest up to 1 g per pound (2.2 g per kilogram) for people who want every bit of muscle they can gain3. In this example, that is 134 to 185 g a day.
Everyone in those studies did strength training, so the numbers are for people who lift. For the rest of the plan, read how to lean bulk.
How much protein to lose weight
For most people, 0.5 to 0.7 g per pound (1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram)5. People who lift while they diet keep more muscle at higher amounts2. So when your goal is to lose weight, this calculator picks High, 0.9 g per pound (2.0 g per kilogram).
Each gram of protein has 4 calories, so 168 g is 672 kcal. Fit Shapes keeps protein under 45% of your calories, so a small target does not turn into mostly protein. In this example, that limit lowers your protein only if you eat under 1,492 kcal a day.
For the rest of the plan, read how to cut.
How much protein per meal?
About 0.18 g per pound you weigh (0.4 g per kilogram) at each meal, over four meals or more. For most adults, that is 25 to 40 g a meal. A review of the studies on muscle building suggests that amount, and up to 0.25 g per pound (0.55 g per kilogram) a meal6.
Over four meals, 168 g is about 42 g a meal. At 185 lb, the review's amount is 34 to 46 g a meal.
Fit Shapes does not set a target for each meal. This is a way to plan your day, not a rule.
Can your body absorb more than 30 g of protein at once?
Yes. The amount of protein your body can absorb is almost unlimited6. The real question is how much your muscles use. In a 2023 study, 100 g of protein after a workout built more muscle protein, for longer, than 25 g7. So a big meal is not wasted.
Can you eat too much protein?
For a healthy adult, the amounts on this page are safe. There is no official upper limit for protein. The Institute of Medicine did not set one, because the evidence was not enough to set one1. A review of studies found that high-protein diets did not harm kidney function in healthy adults8. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor how much protein to eat.
Do women need less protein?
Not per pound. The RDA is the same for adult women and men, 0.36 g per pound. Women weigh less on average, so it comes to fewer grams, 46 g a day against 56 g for men1. That is why this calculator asks only your weight.
How much protein do older adults need?
More than the minimum. For people over 65, an expert group recommends at least 0.45 to 0.54 g per pound (1.0 to 1.2 g per kilogram) a day, and more for people who exercise or are ill9. In this example, that is 84–101 g. Even Low, the app’s lowest level, meets it.
Your protein in Fit Shapes
Fit Shapes sets your protein the same way, from your weight and a level. Every plan starts at Moderate, and you can pick another level in Goals. When your weight changes, the weekly check-in works out your protein again, so you never redo the math.
To split the rest of your calories into carbs and fat, use the macro calculator. To find your calories, use the TDEE calculator.
Questions
Is this the number the Fit Shapes app would give me?
Yes, for the same weight and level. The app also keeps protein under 45% of your calories, so on a very low calorie target it can set a little less. The line under the answer says when.
Should I use my goal weight instead of my current weight?
Fit Shapes uses your current weight, and so does this calculator. As your weight changes, the weekly check-in moves your protein with it.
I take a GLP-1 medicine. How much protein do I need?
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian. These medicines change how much you eat, and they can set a target for you.
Can I use this calculator if I am pregnant or breastfeeding?
No. Pregnancy and breastfeeding change how much protein you need, and this calculator does not count that. Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Can I use this calculator if I have kidney disease?
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian first. Kidney disease can change how much protein you should eat.
Can a teenager use this calculator?
No. It is for adults 18 and older. For a younger person, ask a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Does this calculator save my answers?
Only in this browser tab, and only until you close it. The math runs in your browser, and nothing you type leaves it. The tab keeps your answers so that the other calculators can use them.
Sources
10 sources
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2005. doi.org/10.17226/10490
- Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376–384. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
- Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014;24(2):127–138. doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0054
- Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101(6):1320S–1329S. doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.084038
- Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018;15:10. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
- Trommelen J, van Lieshout GAA, Nyakayiru J, Holwerda AM, Smeets JSJ, Hendriks FK, et al. The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(12):101324. doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101324
- Devries MC, Sithamparapillai A, Brimble KS, Banfield L, Morton RW, Phillips SM. Changes in kidney function do not differ between healthy adults consuming higher- compared with lower- or normal-protein diets: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nutr. 2018;148(11):1760–1775. doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy197
- Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, Cesari M, Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Morley JE, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14(8):542–559. doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2013.05.021
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, SR Legacy. Chicken breast, roasted, meat only (171477). Egg, whole, raw (171287). Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (175168). Lentils, boiled (172421). fdc.nal.usda.gov/