Protein Intake Calculator
Your daily protein target from your body weight and goal: 1 g per pound for muscle and strength work, 0.75 g per pound for wellness or fat loss.
Fill in the form and your result lands here.
Learn the details
Your target scales with bodyweight and goal: 1 gram per pound when you are training for strength or muscle or holding muscle through a cut, and 0.75 grams per pound for general wellness or gentler fat loss. Both sit inside the range the research supports for people who lift; the higher end is there because protein protects muscle best when calories are low.
Protein is not a target worth agonizing over at the margins. Land close to it most days and you get nearly all of the benefit. What is worth understanding is why the number changes with your goal, and why so many people fall short of it without ever noticing.
Why the number changes with your goal
The two targets exist because protein is doing a different job in each case. When you are training for size or strength it is raw material for repair and growth, and the evidence suggests the returns flatten out not far past the higher target, so eating well beyond it buys very little. When calories are low, protein switches roles and becomes protection, which is why a cut sits at the higher number even though you are eating less overall. And without a specific strength goal, the lower target still covers what protein is there for day to day: holding onto the muscle you already have, keeping you full between meals, and supporting recovery from ordinary life. If growth is the goal you picked above, how much protein to build muscle goes further into where that higher range comes from, and how much protein to eat to lose weight covers why a cut lands on the same number.
A worked example
Take someone who weighs 170 pounds. If they are building muscle, their target is about 170 grams of protein a day, one gram for every pound. If that same person is focused on general wellness or fat loss instead, the target drops to about 128 grams a day, 0.75 grams per pound. Same body, different goal, different number. The calculator above does this math for you the moment you enter your weight and pick a goal.
Why most people undershoot it
Protein is easy to underestimate because it hides in small amounts across a lot of foods rather than showing up as one big number. Most people eating a fairly normal diet land well below their target without realizing it, especially on lighter meals like salads, toast, or a bowl of cereal. If your number comes out higher than what you are used to eating, that is normal, not a sign you did something wrong. Eating a bit over your target is not a problem either. Extra protein beyond your target does not build extra muscle, but it will not hurt you, and it tends to keep you fuller for longer.
Spreading it across the day
Your body uses protein more effectively when it comes in steadily rather than in one large hit at dinner. Aim for 3 to 5 meals carrying roughly 25 to 40 grams each rather than saving it all for one sitting. Build every meal around a protein source first, chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, lean beef, tofu, or a protein shake, and let the rest of the plate fill in around it. That habit alone closes most of the gap between where people land and where their target actually is.
What to do with your number
Once you have your daily protein target, the next step is fitting it into your full day of macros so protein, carbs, and fat all line up with your calories. If you have not nailed down your calories yet, start with your total daily energy expenditure first, then come back and build your protein target on top of it.
Sources: ISSN protein position stand
Spread it across 3-5 meals of roughly 25-40g each, with a protein source in every meal. The target moves only when your body weight or goal changes, so there is nothing to recalculate weekly.