Low end sourced to the National Academies' RDA
Protein targets this calculator uses
The low end of every range on this page traces back to the Recommended Dietary Allowance published by the Institute of Medicine, now part of the National Academies of Sciences, in its 2005 Dietary Reference Intakes report: 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or about 0.36 grams per pound. The higher ranges reflect guidance from sports nutrition research, including the International Society of Sports Nutrition's 2017 position stand on protein and exercise, which points to noticeably higher intakes for people training or in a calorie deficit.
| Goal | Grams per pound of body weight |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (RDA) | 0.36 to 0.45 |
| Active / general fitness | 0.5 to 0.7 |
| Building muscle / cutting | 0.7 to 1.0 |
Spacing it across the day
Sports nutrition research generally points to spreading protein across three to four meals rather than loading most of it into one, since the body can only put so much of a single dose to work building or repairing muscle tissue at once. This calculator divides the daily range by four as a rough per-meal guide; three larger meals or five smaller ones both work fine as long as the daily total lands in range.
Why the range is wide
Body composition, training intensity and how aggressive a calorie deficit is all shift where in the range a given person should sit. Someone lifting heavy in a deep cut leans toward the top of the building-muscle band to protect lean mass; someone doing light activity with no calorie deficit has less reason to reach for it. None of these ranges are a hard ceiling, and none replace individualized guidance from a registered dietitian, especially for anyone with kidney disease or another condition where protein intake needs closer monitoring.
Common questions
Is the official RDA enough for someone who exercises regularly?
The RDA is set as the minimum amount that prevents deficiency in a sedentary adult, not an optimized number for someone training. Most active people land somewhere above it, which is why this calculator shows a higher range for the active and building-muscle goals.
Can too much protein hurt healthy kidneys?
Current research on healthy adults hasn't shown kidney harm at the intake ranges used on this page. Anyone with existing kidney disease should get an individualized protein target from their doctor rather than using a general calculator.
Does it matter if my protein comes from animal or plant sources?
This calculator doesn't distinguish between them. Animal proteins are generally complete on their own, while some plant proteins are lower in one or more amino acids, so a plant-heavy diet may need slightly more variety, if not necessarily more total grams, to cover the same ground.
Why does this use total body weight instead of lean body mass?
Total body weight is a simpler input, but it can overstate the target for someone carrying more body fat, since protein needs track lean tissue more closely than total weight. Pairing this page with the body fat calculator gives a more precise starting point.