Protein calculator: Find out your daily protein needs

By now, you’ve heard about the power of protein. It’s the magic macronutrient that helps you stay full and maintain muscle mass while losing weight. And you’re probably wondering, “How much protein do I need?” Well, we’ll help you figure that out.

The MyFitnessPal The Protein Calculator is a simple, easy-to-use tool designed to help you determine your approximate daily protein needs based on your unique lifestyle and health goals.

How to use the MyFitnessPal protein calculator

This tool takes some of the guesswork out of how much protein you should be getting. All you have to do is enter some basic information about yourself, including:

Protein is essential for building and repairing tissue, creating enzymes and hormones, and maintaining muscle mass. The calculator uses evidence-based guidelines to ensure your protein intake supports your goals (1).

However, as always, the recommendations are guidelines for your information only – you should always speak to your doctor or registered dietitian for personalized advice or if you have a medical condition.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Protein

The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for most adults. However, this number is the minimum the amount needed to maintain basic body functions and prevent muscle wasting (7).

The RDA amount is probably not enough to meet the needs of active people or those with specific fitness goals. How much protein you need to gain muscle or preserve muscle mass is another matter.

Protein intake guidelines

Other organizations that provide recommendations, such as Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has International Association of Sports NutritionIt recommends 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. (1)

For a 150-pound person, that’s 82 to 136 grams of protein per day. Plug your numbers into the calculator to get a better idea of ​​what a good protein goal would be for you.

How to calculate protein intake at meals

Your protein goal for the day may seem like a high number when you first see it. It can be helpful to work towards this goal with one meal and one snack at a time.

Here are two good strategies for figuring out how much protein is in each meal:

Read Nutrition Labels

Nutrition labels list the protein content per serving. Multiply that number by the number of servings you consume to calculate your total protein intake from packaged foods.

Use MyFitnessPal

with that MyFitnessPalProtein tracking is easy. Simply log your meals in the app, and it will calculate your daily protein intake, helping you stay on track with your goals.

High protein food sources

Many everyday foods are high in protein. Here are the most common foods that will help you reach your overall protein and nutrition goals:

The dangers of getting too much or too little protein

Protein is needed by every cell in our body. Without it, muscle growth, development and tissue repair do not occur as they should (2).

But it can be too much of a good thing. When you focus on eating protein, it can crowd out other nutritious foods. “It’s harder to get all your food groups in, it’s harder to get variety in your meals and create your own meals, it’s harder to balance your carb and fat needs,” says Stephanie Nelson, chief nutrition scientist at MyFitnessPal.

Striking the right balance is key to avoiding these issues while optimizing your health.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate how much protein I need?

Use the MyFitnessPal Protein Calculator by entering your weight, age, activity level and goals.

How to get 100 g of protein a day?

Build your meals around protein-rich foods like eggs for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch, and fried tofu for dinner.

How much protein do I need to lose weight?

Most people get 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight while losing weight (1).

Do you need more protein if you lift weights?

Building new muscle and maintaining muscle mass requires a positive balance of muscle proteins. Research shows that resistance exercise along with protein consumption stimulates muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth) (3).
This means that it is important to consume adequate amounts of protein when lifting weights to gain muscle, but also to maintain your current muscle mass. Although the body can technically build muscle from amino acid stores, it is not ideal and has not been proven to be as effective, so protein intake recommendations for physically active people are higher than for sedentary people (4).

What are the symptoms of too much protein in the body?

While not getting enough protein is ideal, consuming too much protein can also have harmful effects. The kidneys filter out the byproducts of ingested protein, so anyone with impaired kidney function should avoid consuming large amounts of protein. Fluids are also needed to break down and wash away these byproducts, so hydration status is occasionally compromised by excessive protein consumption (5).
Remember that the source of protein is as important as the amount, studies have shown that excessive consumption of red meat and processed meat can increase the overall risk of mortality. You’ll want to choose protein sources like fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy more often (6).

Additional resources for further learning

Explore the protein calculator today and take the guesswork out of meeting your protein goals!

The mail Protein calculator: Find out your daily protein needs appeared in the first MyFitnessPal Blog.

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