Set a range from your weight and goal, then track toward it#
To calculate your daily protein target, multiply your body weight by a factor set by your goal, and read the answer as a range rather than a single gram. Roughly: about 0.36 grams per pound (0.8 g/kg) if you only want to avoid deficiency, 0.7 to 0.8 g/lb (1.6-1.8 g/kg) if you train, and up to about 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg) if you are dieting hard while lean. A 160-pound recreational lifter lands somewhere near 115-130 grams a day. That is the whole calculation — the rest of this page is how to do each part without fooling yourself.
The reason it is a range and not a number is that the evidence it comes from is a range. The target most people quote for training, about 1.6 g/kg, is the midpoint of a confidence interval that runs from 1.03 to 2.20 — so treating your result as a precise figure claims a certainty the research never had. What sets your number inside the band is your goal, your training, your age, and which body weight you multiply in the first place. The per-goal science lives in how much protein per day; this is the method that turns it into a number you can act on.
Step 1: choose which weight to multiply#
Every protein formula is "grams per kilogram of body weight" — but which kilograms is the first decision, and it is the one most calculators quietly make for you. Three options, in order of who they suit:
- Total body weight. If you are roughly lean, multiply your actual weight and stop. Simple and accurate enough.
- Goal body weight. If you carry a substantial amount of fat, multiplying total weight inflates the target, because fat tissue is not the tissue the protein feeds. Use the weight you are aiming for instead — a 240-pound person targeting 180 computes against 180.
- Lean body mass. The most precise basis, and the one the aggressive-cut research uses: a review of lean, resistance-trained athletes under caloric restriction put their needs at 2.3-3.1 g/kg of fat-free mass, not total weight2. It requires a body-fat estimate, so it is worth the trouble mainly if you are already lean and dieting; the deficit case is worked out in protein for fat loss.
The rule of thumb: lean and simple, use total weight; carrying extra fat, use goal weight; lean and cutting, use lean mass. Picking a realistic goal weight is its own small task, covered in how to set a realistic weight goal.
Step 2: pick your goal band#
Now the multiplier. This table converts the evidence-based ranges into both units, because the per-pound version is the one most people think in — and the one most often gotten wrong.
| Your situation | Grams per kg | Grams per lb |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary, avoiding deficiency | 0.8-1.0 | 0.36-0.45 |
| General health | 1.2-1.4 | 0.55-0.64 |
| Training for muscle | 1.4-1.6 (up to 2.2) | 0.64-0.73 (up to 1.0) |
| Dieting / preserving muscle | 1.6-2.0 | 0.73-0.91 |
| Age 65+ | 1.2-1.5 | 0.55-0.68 |
A note on each, kept to a line because the depth is elsewhere. The training band centers on the ~1.6 g/kg plateau from the pooled resistance-training trials1; the full dose-response is in how much protein to build muscle. The dieting band comes from athlete-focused reviews recommending 1.8-2.0 g/kg during a deficit to defend lean mass3. The over-65 band reflects the PROT-AGE recommendation of at least 1.0-1.2 g/kg for healthy older adults, rising to 1.2-1.5 with illness4, because aging muscle responds less to the same dose.
Here is the myth the per-pound column exposes. The gym maxim "a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight" equals about 2.2 g/kg — which is the top of the entire useful range, the point past which the muscle-building data stop moving. It is not wrong, but it is a ceiling dressed up as a target, and for most people it is more protein than the evidence rewards. The genuinely useful training number is nearer 0.7-0.8 g/lb.
Step 3: convert and land on a range#
Multiply your chosen weight by both ends of your goal band. Two worked examples:
- 160-pound recreational lifter, roughly lean. Training band 0.64-0.73 g/lb × 160 = 102-117 g/day. Round to a target of about 110, with 100 as a floor on a busy day.
- 200-pound person carrying extra fat, goal weight 175. Compute against the goal weight: 0.64-0.73 g/lb × 175 = 112-128 g/day. Multiplying the full 200 would have added roughly 15-18 grams the fat tissue does not need.
Notice both answers are spans of 15 grams or so. That width is not sloppiness — it is the real shape of the target, and it means a day at the low end still counts. Aim for the middle; treat the bottom of your range as the line you do not want to drop below.
Step 4: sanity-check it, then track toward it#
Two final checks stop a reasonable number from becoming a silly one. First, divide by your meals: hitting a training target usually works out to roughly 0.4 g/kg — about 25-35 grams — at each of three or four meals, which is a useful reality check on whether the total is even reachable with the food you eat (protein per meal covers why that split, not the total, is the flexible part). Second, if you are pregnant, have kidney disease, or another medical condition that changes protein handling, the bands above are not for you and the number is a clinical one.
Then track toward the range instead of chasing an exact gram. The target is a band because its source is a band; a food log that reports your intake as a single confident figure is claiming a precision the underlying requirement data never had. Land inside your range most days and you have done everything the evidence asks — the practical workflow for hitting it alongside calories is in how to track macros and calories together.
FAQ#
How many grams of protein per pound of body weight should I eat?#
For most people who train, about 0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound — which is 1.6-1.8 g/kg. The popular "1 gram per pound" works out to roughly 2.2 g/kg, the ceiling of the useful range rather than the target1. If you are sedentary, 0.36 g/lb (0.8 g/kg) covers deficiency; if you are dieting to preserve muscle, push toward 0.9 g/lb.
Should I calculate protein from total body weight or lean mass?#
Use total weight if you are roughly lean — it is simple and close enough. Switch to goal weight if you carry substantial fat, since fat tissue does not raise your protein needs, or to lean body mass if you are lean and cutting hard, which is the basis the aggressive-deficit research uses (2.3-3.1 g/kg of fat-free mass, Helms et al., 2014).
Is my calculated protein target exact?#
No, and it should not be. The training plateau it is built on has a confidence interval from 1.03 to 2.20 g/kg1, so the sensible output is a range of 15-20 grams, not a single figure. Aim for the middle and treat the low end as your floor.
Sources#
- Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018.
- Helms ER, et al. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014.
- Phillips SM, Van Loon LJC. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011.
- Bauer J, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013.
