Protein Calculator

For most healthy adults the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, which is about 0.36 grams per pound or 54 grams for a 150-pound adult. It is set to meet the needs of nearly all healthy adults, not as a goal for everyone. Older adults, people cutting calories and people who exercise are advised more, up to about 2.0 g/kg. Pick your goal above to see your range.

Multiply your body weight in kilograms by the grams of protein per kilogram for your goal. Divide pounds by 2.2046 to get kilograms, or multiply pounds by the grams per pound (0.36 at the RDA). For example, a 180-pound adult on a weight loss diet at 1.4 g/kg: 180 ÷ 2.2046 = 81.6 kg, and 81.6 × 1.4 = 114 grams a day. The calculator does this for you in pounds or kilograms.

At 70 kg, about 154 pounds, the RDA is 56 grams a day. For adults over 65 the range is 70 to 84 grams, for losing weight 84 to 112 grams, for regular exercise 98 to 140 grams and for building muscle 112 to 140 grams. Choose the goal that fits you and the calculator shows the same figures, with the middle of each range as the headline number.

No. It works out how much protein to aim for each day, your protein intake target. To compare with what you eat now, add up the protein grams on the Nutrition Facts labels for a few days. MedlinePlus counts about 7 grams of protein in an ounce of meat, fish or poultry, in a large egg, in a quarter cup of tofu and in half a cup of cooked beans or lentils.

Yes, as a starting point. Reviews of higher-protein diets, such as Leidy and colleagues in 2015, point to 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram a day, with at least 25 to 30 grams at a meal, for better fullness and weight management while eating fewer calories. Protein does not cause weight loss on its own: total calories still decide that. Choose the weight loss goal above.

Spread it fairly evenly through the day instead of eating most of it at dinner. The calculator divides your daily amount over 3, 4 or 5 meals or snacks, so 100 grams is about 33 grams at each of 3 meals or 25 grams at each of 4. For athletes the ISSN suggests about 0.25 grams per kilogram, or 20 to 40 grams, per serving, spaced every 3 to 4 hours.

Aim for about 25 grams at each of four meals or snacks, or 33 grams at each of three meals. MedlinePlus counts about 7 grams of protein in an ounce of meat, fish or poultry, in a large egg, in a quarter cup of tofu and in half a cup of cooked beans or lentils, so 100 grams is about 14 of those servings. It supplies 400 calories, 20 percent of a 2,000 calorie day. That is above the RDA unless you weigh about 276 pounds or more, so check your own figure first.

Most research points to 1.6 to 2.0 grams per kilogram a day. A 2018 analysis of 49 trials by Morton and colleagues found no further gain in fat-free mass from added protein above about 1.6 g/kg, and the ISSN says 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg is enough for most people who exercise. At 180 pounds that is 131 to 163 grams a day. Strength training builds the muscle, and protein supports it.

Per kilogram of body weight, no: the RDA is 0.8 grams for adult women and men alike. In grams a day the RDA tables list 46 for women and 56 for men because they assume average body weights of 57 and 70 kilograms, about 126 and 154 pounds. Enter your own weight and the calculator gives your figure whatever your sex. Pregnancy and breastfeeding raise needs, so ask your clinician.

The PROT-AGE Study Group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilogram a day for people over 65, more than the 0.8 RDA, to help keep lean mass and function. It advises 1.2 g/kg or more for those who exercise, and 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg for most older adults with acute or chronic disease. Severe kidney disease is an exception where protein may need to be limited.

No. The result is for healthy adults. With chronic kidney disease some people need only moderate amounts of protein so that waste does not build up in the blood, while people on dialysis may need more, according to NIDDK. The right amount depends on your stage and treatment, so work it out with your doctor or a renal dietitian. The same goes for pregnancy, breastfeeding and other conditions that change protein needs.

Protein supplies 4 calories per gram, the same as carbohydrate, while fat supplies 9. So 100 grams of protein is 400 calories. MedlinePlus gives 10 to 35 percent of calories as the recommended range for healthy adults. The calculator shows the calories from your daily amount. To turn a calorie goal into grams of carbs, protein and fat, use the macro calculator.

It is an informal nickname, not a nutrition term. People use it for inexpensive protein foods, most often dried beans, lentils, eggs and peanut butter. They count toward your total like any other protein: MedlinePlus lists beans, lentils and nut butters among the sources, counts a large egg or half a cup of cooked beans or lentils as about 7 grams, and says you do not need animal products to get all the protein you need.

There is no reliable checklist of five signs. MedlinePlus lists swelling, loss of muscle mass, fatigue, hair changes and frequent infections among the symptoms of kwashiorkor, a severe protein deficiency that is rare in the United States, and each of those signs has many other causes. A better test is a few days of food notes compared with your result. See a doctor about unexplained weight or muscle loss.