Protein intake calculator
The RDA of 0.8 g/kg is the bare minimum to prevent deficiency — not the optimum for your body. Get your real target in 10 seconds, plus what it actually looks like in food.
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Fill in the form to see your daily protein target — and what it looks like in real food.
How this calculator works
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), then apply a goal-specific protein coefficient based on the latest sports nutrition research:
- Maintain weight: 1.2–1.6 g/kg of bodyweight (Phillips & Van Loon 2011)
- Lose fat: 1.6–2.2 g/kg — preserves lean mass under deficit (Helms et al. 2014)
- Build muscle: 1.6–2.2 g/kg — meta-analysis ceiling (Morton et al. 2018)
Adults 50+ are biased toward the upper end of each range to combat anabolic resistance (Bauer et al. 2013). For the full math and citations, see the methodology page →