Protein Calculator

Protein is one of the three macronutrients, along with fats and carbohydrates, that the body needs in larger quantities to be healthy. Protein is needed for tissue growth and repair, energy production, maintaining lean body mass, digesting food, hormone regulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and more.

While most Americans consume plenty of carbohydrates and unhealthy fats (think fast food), they often lack protein. This protein calculator can help you determine your protein needs and optimal intake in grams per day.

Expert protein recommendations and ranges can vary widely. In fact, even the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) used by dietitians and other healthcare professionals has changed over the years. There have even been studies that postulated that you can eat too much protein.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is a set of reference values created by the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council in 1941. It’s intended to be sufficient for 97-98% of healthy individuals.

Since its founding, the RDA has changed several times to reflect updates in scientific research. At one point, the adult protein RDA was as low as 0.56 g/kg. But since 1989, it has been 0.8 g/kg per day. (To get your weight in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2.)

It’s important to note that the RDA doesn’t represent the ideal intake for optimal health. It represents the minimum protein intake needed to prevent malnutrition. You likely need a minimum of 1.2–1.8 g/kg daily to achieve your best health and fitness levels. That’s equivalent to 0.54–0.82 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily.

Fitness goals are specific outcomes achieved through diet (especially through optimal protein intake) and exercise.

• Lose Weight: This means you’re aiming to shed unnecessary fat and are not as concerned with gaining muscle. For this reason, our protein recommendation tends to be a little more static.
• Maintain: Maintaining means you’re happy with your current fitness level and don’t want to make any significant changes to your physical appearance or athletic capabilities. When in maintenance mode, you’re usually practicing a “eucaloric” or “equicaloric” diet, meaning you take in about as many calories as you burn.
• Tone Up: Toning means you want to lose fat and gain muscle mass simultaneously, though you aren’t aiming to be a bodybuilder. The goal is to get leaner and fitter. To tone up, you usually don’t focus on weightlifting.
• Build Muscle: Muscle growth involves getting larger and usually heavier. Your goal isn’t to lose weight, though it’s important to know that the more muscle you have, the more fat you will lose in general.

Protein provides the essential amino acids for tissue repair, recovery, and muscle growth. It also helps preserve lean muscle mass and body composition while promoting satiety. By aligning protein intake with specific fitness goals, you can optimize your diet to support your desired physical outcomes.

The protein RDA for the average adult woman is 46 grams per day (assuming an average weight of 58 kg or 128 lbs). However, this general guideline is designed to prevent nutrient deficiencies and help maintain a woman’s weight. It doesn’t account for specific fitness goals like weight loss or muscle gain.

Instead of settling for the 0.8 g/kg calculation, aim for 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein (or more!) per kilogram of body weight daily. For a woman weighing 70 kg (154 lbs), this translates to 84–154 grams of protein daily. A higher protein intake can increase satiety, reduce overall calorie intake, and preserve lean muscle mass during calorie deficits.

It’s also a good idea to distribute protein intake evenly across meals and snacks to enhance muscle protein synthesis and maintain energy levels. So, consider consuming protein-rich meals or snacks every 3–4 hours. This regular intake helps maintain a positive muscle protein balance throughout the day. Protein supplements like bars or powders can help you meet higher protein needs on the go.

It’s good practice to track your daily protein intake to ensure you’re meeting your goals. Take a few seconds and think about what you ate yesterday. Were your meals full of high-protein foods like juicy steak or chicken breast? Perhaps you had eggs for breakfast—eggs are also an excellent source of protein.

But after you add up all the grams (10 grams here, 20 grams there), you’ll notice it can be challenging to get enough protein. Tracking your protein intake can help you reach your goals and keep you focused. Adjust your intake based on progress, as muscle gain or fat loss plateaus might require changes.

Many different foods can help you reach your goals. For vegetarian and plant-based options, you can also opt for plant-based protein powder, quinoa, hemp seeds, lentils, and other legumes. You can also routinely substitute more common forms of protein for ones that follow your food allergy allowances and restrictions. For example, you could substitute duck eggs for chicken eggs and goat or sheep’s milk yogurt and cheeses for cow’s milk dairy products.

The first step to tracking your protein intake is knowing the amount of protein in the food you buy. Quick searches of the amount of protein in each food can also give you a general idea. From there, the next step would be to keep track of the food and dietary protein you consume each day.

It can be as simple as a spreadsheet that records your eating habits and protein values. Many protein-tracking apps, both free and paid, are available. The Cronometer is one example. Find it at https://cronometer.com/. You may also be able to find other protein trackers online that can make tracking protein easier.

In addition to tracking your actual protein intake, it’s a good idea to record how these dietary changes are affecting you.

• Are you still feeling hungry after reaching your optimal protein requirements?
• Does the time of day you start eating protein affect the rest of your day?
• How has the increase in protein affected your sleep?
• How do you look at the foods you were eating before you started tracking your protein? Do you still crave carbs or junk food?
• Are you feeling stronger? Is it easier to climb stairs or open a jar?

Record your responses in a journal so you can track how increasing your protein intake is affecting your feelings and behaviors.