This free protein calculator estimates how much protein you need in a day for optimal health, energy, and sustainable weight loss.
The Best Protein Calculator [Free & Personalized]
Use the calculator below to figure out how much protein you need to eat per day. After you calculate — make sure to check the expert tips, free downloads, and high protein recipes in this blog post.
Protein Calculator
Our protein calculator helps you figure out how much protein to eat in a day based on your needs. Remember to divide the final result by 3 to get how much protein you need per meal!
This calculator provides personalized estimates based on your inputs and is for educational purposes only.
How To Use The Protein Calculator
Here’s a deeper explanation of each category to help you pick the right option:
Sedentary: You get less than 8,000 steps per day or you have a desk job and you don’t go for daily walks. You also do not have a structured exercise routine.
Light: You walk at least 8,000 steps per day and/or you participate in a structured exercise routine 1-2 days per week. This includes activities like group classes, swimming, running, strength training, and home workouts.
Moderate: You walk at least 8,000 steps per day AND you participate in a structured exercise routine 3-5 days per week.
Very active: You walk at least 8,000 steps per day AND you participate in a structured exercise routine 5+ days per week OR you have a labor intensive job (construction, cleaning, food industry, etc.).
In most cases, use your current weight. Here are a few caveats:
Your BMI is over 30: This calculator already figures this out for you. So just enter both your current and goal weight and it’ll do all the work.
You’re trying to increase muscle: Muscle requires a lot of protein to help maintain or grow. If you’re exercising and trying to increase muscle, use the “very active” option.
You’re over the age of 50: Muscle loss speeds up as we age, which means you need to eat more protein to compensate. Choose the “very active” option if you’re over the age of 50.
You’re pregnant/breastfeeding: This is a very nutrient demanding time that usually requires more protein. In most cases, use the “very active” option. Check with your doctor or OBGYN first to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
In short, yes. The body needs more protein to rebuild muscles post-workout. This helps you see the strength and lean muscle benefits of exercise. Without enough protein, lifting weights can result in muscle loss. For this reason, you’ll want to use the “moderate” to “very active” range.
Typically women require the same amount of protein as men. The amount of protein we need is based on our activity level, current weight, and goals — not sex.
Research shows that between 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is needed to maintain muscle while losing weight. This helps prioritize fat burning while keeping the metabolism running smoothly. This is also the range that is used in our protein calculator.
How To Eat Enough Protein For Your Body
Now that you know how much protein you need to eat per day from the calculator… how in the world do you actually do it? Here’s a simple two-step method:
- Divide your total daily protein by three: This tells you how much protein to eat at each meal. For example, if you need 120 grams of protein according to the calculator, then you’ll need 40 grams of protein per meal.
- Know your high protein foods: There’s no need to track your food as long as you know what actually has protein in it and center your meal choices around those foods. Check the list below for the best high protein foods, plus my free high protein food list download.
Pssst… Eating enough protein can be extremely helpful for achieving a sustainable and lasting weight loss goal at any age. Check out Dolly’s inspiring 77 pound weight loss journey here.
The Best High Protein Foods
Not all protein is created equal. The best ones that support a weight loss or wellness goal are those that are considered “high quality”. Typically these include all animal-based foods such as meat, chicken, fish, dairy, and eggs. It also includes some plant-based foods like tempeh.
To simplify things, I created a free download that you can print out or keep on your phone for easy reference. It includes every high quality protein, plus how much of it to eat.
Grab the free high protein food list download here.
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High Protein Meal Ideas
Below are tasty, high protein meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each meal has at least 30 grams of complete protein to help support sustainable weight loss, reduced hunger, and improved wellness.
High Protein Breakfast Ideas
- High Protein Overnight Oats
- Citrus Green Protein Smoothie with Pineapple and Lemon
- Tropical Lemon Chia Pudding
Want even more high protein breakfast ideas? Check out all of my free breakfast recipes here.
High Protein Lunch Ideas
Want even more high protein lunch ideas? Check out all of my free lunch recipes here.
High Protein Dinner Ideas
Want even more high protein dinner ideas? Check out all of my free dinner recipes here.
