Find how much protein you should eat per day based on your weight and goal — backed by sports-nutrition research.
Protein builds and preserves muscle, keeps you full, and protects lean mass in a diet. It's the single most important macro for body composition.
Research supports roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight for active people. We suggest a little more in a fat-loss phase (to protect muscle) and a solid baseline for maintenance and gaining.
Spread protein across 3–4 meals, each with a quality source — chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes or a shake. Use our food calorie lookup to count it.
About 1.8–2.2 g per kg of body weight per day, paired with training and enough total calories.
For healthy people, intakes in this range are safe. Extremely high intakes offer no extra muscle benefit and displace other nutrients.
Both work. Plant eaters should aim slightly higher and combine sources to cover all essential amino acids.
In a calorie deficit, aim for the higher end — around 1.8–2.2 g per kg of body weight — to protect muscle while you lose fat. For an 80 kg person that is roughly 145–175 g per day.
Research supports 1.6–2.2 g/kg for building or keeping muscle. Below about 1.6 g/kg you leave results on the table; above about 2.2 g/kg adds little for most people.