Protein calculator

How much protein do you need per day? That mostly depends on your weight and what you do. Enter them and see how many grams of protein you need per day and per meal.

Units

kg, cmlb, ft, in

Weight

Height

What fits you best?

Protein per day

120–165grams

1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight.

Per meal (4 meals): 36 g
Per meal (3 meals): 48 g
Cooked chicken breast if it all came from that: 427 g

Track your protein in Fuse with a photo or barcode

Free for iPhone. Android coming soon.

How much protein per day?

For a healthy adult who does little exercise, 0.83 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day is enough. That is the reference intake of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and it is already well above what most people need at minimum. People who exercise, and certainly people who want to build muscle, need more. For athletes, the American and Canadian sports nutrition bodies give 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilo.

Protein per kilo of body weight per goal
Who	Grams per kg per day	For 75 kg
Healthy eating, little exercise	0.83	62 g
Regular exercise (cardio, endurance)	1.2 – 1.6	90 – 120 g
Strength training, building muscle	1.6 – 2.2	120 – 165 g
Losing fat while strength training	1.8 – 2.5	135 – 188 g

Protein for muscle gain

A large analysis of 49 studies (Morton and colleagues, 2018) found that extra protein helps strength training up to about 1.6 grams per kilo per day. Above that it adds little on average, although some people still benefit up to about 2.2 grams. That is why we use 1.6 to 2.2 grams for muscle gain.

Spread it over the day: three to four meals with a good portion of protein each work better than everything at once. A common guideline is about 0.4 grams per kilo per meal.

Protein when losing fat

When you eat less than you burn, your body also wants to break down muscle. More protein and strength training slow that down. Research in trained people eating less than they burn recommends 2.3 to 3.1 grams per kilo of fat-free mass (your weight without fat). For most people that works out to about 1.8 to 2.5 grams per kilo of body weight. Protein is also filling, which makes a deficit easier.

Protein if you carry a lot of extra weight

Protein per kilo of body weight assumes your weight is mostly muscle, bone and organs. With a lot of extra weight that no longer holds: body fat needs hardly any protein, so the number comes out too high. That is why this calculator also asks your height. If your BMI is 30 or higher, we use an adjusted weight: the weight at a BMI of 25 plus a third of what you weigh above that. The European Society for Clinical Nutrition (ESPEN) calculates it the same way.

Example: 120 kg at 1.80 m is a BMI of 37. The weight at BMI 25 is 81 kg, and a third of the 39 kg above that is 13 kg. So the adjusted weight is 94 kg. Losing fat while strength training then gives 169 to 235 grams of protein per day, instead of 216 to 300.

How much protein is in your food?

A few everyday foods, with the values from the Fuse food list. Brands differ; check the label if in doubt.

Protein per serving
Food	Serving	Protein
Chicken breast, cooked	1 fillet (120 g)	40 g
Lean ground beef, cooked	1 serving (125 g)	33 g
Tuna in water, canned	1 can (80 g)	19 g
Plain skyr	1 pot (150 g)	17 g
Low-fat quark	1 pot (150 g)	15 g
Greek yogurt 0%	1 bowl (150 g)	15 g
Plain tofu	1 serving (100 g)	17 g
Lentils, cooked	1 serving (150 g)	14 g
Egg, boiled	1 egg (55 g)	7 g
Semi-skimmed milk	1 glass (200 ml)	7 g
Gouda cheese	1 slice (20 g)	5 g
Rolled oats	1 serving (40 g)	5 g
Peanut butter	1 tablespoon (15 g)	4 g

Frequently asked questions

How much protein does a man need per day?

An 80 kg man who exercises little needs about 66 grams (0.83 g per kg). If he does strength training, 128 to 176 grams per day is a good target.

How much protein does a woman need per day?

A 65 kg woman who exercises little needs about 54 grams. With strength training, 104 to 143 grams per day is a good target. The same per-kilo calculation applies to women and men.

Is too much protein bad?

EFSA considers up to twice the reference intake safe, so about 1.7 grams per kilo. There is less research on higher amounts, although studies in healthy athletes found no harm at higher intakes either. If you have a kidney condition, talk to your doctor first.

Do older adults need more protein?

In the Netherlands the reference intake is also 0.83 grams per kilo for people over 70 (Health Council, 2021). International expert groups advise 1.0 to 1.2 grams per kilo for older adults, and more during illness or recovery. If in doubt, ask your doctor or a dietitian.

Do I need protein shakes?

No. A shake is only convenient if you cannot hit your target with regular food. Quark, skyr, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes and tofu work just as well.

This calculator is for healthy adults and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, over 70 or have a kidney condition, ask your doctor or a dietitian what applies to you.

Sources

See how much protein you have had in Fuse.

Log your food with a photo, a barcode or a quick search, and your protein adds up automatically.

Snap a photo, the AI recognizes your meal
Scan the barcode on a package
Over 1,700 Dutch foods, even offline