Protein calculator
Enter your body weight and how you train to get a protein target for the day as a range in grams, split per meal, with foods from the catalog that add up to it.
Protein calculator
Protein a day
120–165g
1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight. A round target in the middle is 143 g, about 36 g in each of 4 meals.
GymTribe shows protein against your target on every day.
What 143 g looks like
- Chicken Tikka54 g · 3× a day
- Dal Makhani with Paneer47 g · 3× a day
- Banana Whey Milkshake35 g · 4× a day
- Egg Bhurji20 g · 7× a day
- Tuna Sandwich48 g · 3× a day
- Greek Yogurt with Nuts31 g · 5× a day
Where the ranges come from
0.8 g per kg a day is the adult minimum in most national dietary guidelines, enough to avoid deficiency in people who do little training. Sports-nutrition position papers commonly quote 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg for active adults and 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg for people lifting to gain muscle or strength.
In a calorie deficit the upper end, up to about 2.4 g per kg, is often suggested, because more protein helps keep muscle while weight comes down. In pounds, 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg is roughly 0.7 to 1 g per pound.
Per meal
Most people find a target easier to hit as three or four meals of 25 to 45 g than as one or two large ones. The result shows the middle of your range split evenly across the meals you chose.
A palm-sized serving of chicken, fish or paneer, three eggs, a scoop of whey or a bowl of dal with yogurt each land in that per-meal band.
Grams are grams
The target counts protein from any food: dal, tofu, eggs, chicken, yogurt or a shake. Plant sources tend to carry more carbs and calories per gram of protein, so on a lower calorie target it helps to mix in a few dense sources.
If you log meals, you will see your real average within a week. That number matters more than hitting the target on any single day.
Fit the protein into a full day with the macro calculator and the TDEE calculator. For high-protein plates, see the high-protein vegetarian recipes or chicken breast calories and protein.
More free tools
- TDEE calculatorMaintenance calories a day, and targets above and below it.
- Macro calculatorProtein, carbs and fat in grams for your calories.
- 1RM calculatorEstimated one-rep max from any set, in kg or lb.
- Bench press calculatorYour bench max and working weights by rep count.
- Recipe calorie calculatorCalories and macros per serving of anything you cook.
These tools give estimates from standard formulas. They are not medical or dietary advice; if you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are under 18, ask a clinician or registered dietitian before changing how you eat or train.
Protein calculator: questions people ask
How much protein a day to build muscle?
The range most often quoted for people lifting to gain muscle or strength is 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight a day: 120 to 165 g for a 75 kg person. Choose Building muscle or strength above to see your own figures.
Is more than 2.2 g per kg useful?
For most people, not much. Studies of muscle gain see little extra benefit above about 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg at maintenance calories. In a deficit, up to 2.4 g per kg is sometimes suggested to help hold on to muscle.
How much protein per meal?
25 to 45 g a meal is a common target, spread across three or four meals. The result shows the middle of your range divided by the number of meals you picked.
What is the target in grams per pound?
Divide the per-kilogram figure by 2.2. 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg is about 0.7 to 1 g per pound of body weight; 0.8 g per kg is about 0.36 g per pound.
Should I use my current weight or my lean mass?
Current body weight is the simplest and what the ranges were written for. People with a lot of body fat sometimes use a goal weight instead, which gives a lower, still reasonable, target.
How does GymTribe track protein?
Set a daily protein target in the app. Every meal you log, by photo, barcode, catalog or by hand, adds its protein, and the day shows grams eaten against the target.