Protein Calculator
Daily protein in grams from your height and weight, at three levels from everyday to lifting.
How your protein goal is worked out
It's the same rule the Calsa app uses to set your protein goal.
1. A reference weight
Your weight, if your BMI is 25 or under. Above that, it's the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height: protein needs follow muscle more than total weight. At 175 cm and 120 kg, that's 92 g at the everyday level.
2. × 1.2, 1.4 or 1.6 g
1.2 g per kg covers most adults. Train often? Pick more.
3. At least 60 g
At 48 kg, 1.2 g per kg gives 58 g, so the goal is 60 g.
Protein in everyday foods
Protein in ten common portions, from USDA FoodData Central. Enter your numbers above to see each as a share of your daily goal.
- Chicken breast, roasted100 g31.0 g
- Salmon, farmed, cooked100 g22.1 g
- Tuna in water, drained100 g19.0 g
- Lentils, boiled1 cup, 198 g17.9 g
- Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat170 g17.5 g
- Firm tofu, calcium-set100 g17.3 g
- Milk, 2%1 cup, 244 g8.1 g
- Peanut butter2 tbsp, 32 g7.1 g
- Cheddar cheese28 g6.5 g
- Egg1 large, 50 g6.3 g
Values from USDA FoodData Central, records 171477, 175168, 334194, 172421, 330137, 172475, 171267, 172470, 328637, 171287. Tofu set with nigari has about half the protein of calcium-set tofu.
Questions about protein
How much protein do I need a day?
1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight for most adults (US dietary guidance 2025–2030), and never under 60 g in this calculator. A 70 kg adult at 175 cm gets 84 g at 1.2 and 112 g at 1.6. Take 1.2 if you move normally, 1.4 with regular exercise, 1.6 if you lift.
How many grams of protein are in an egg?
A large egg (50 g) has 6.3 g of protein, per USDA FoodData Central. Three eggs give 18.9 g and four give 25.2 g. Count by size: small and medium eggs have less than a large one.
How many grams of protein are in a chicken breast?
Roasted chicken breast has 31 g of protein per 100 g (USDA FoodData Central, record 171477). A 120 g portion gives about 37 g and 150 g gives 46.5 g. Weigh it after cooking: the same breast is lighter cooked than raw, so a raw weight overstates the protein.
How much protein do I need to build muscle?
Use the top level, 1.6 g per kg, the highest figure in US dietary guidance. An 80 kg lifter at 180 cm gets 128 g. Above a BMI of 25 the calculator works from the weight at a BMI of 25, so a 100 kg lifter at 175 cm gets 123 g, not 160 g.
How much protein per day to lose weight?
The same 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg as at any other time: the grams don't drop when your calories do. At 85 kg and 175 cm that is 92 g at 1.2 and 123 g at 1.6. On a smaller budget the same 92 g takes a bigger share, 23% of a 1,600 kcal day against 17% of 2,200 kcal.
Why does the calculator use a reference weight?
Protein needs follow muscle more than total weight. Up to a BMI of 25 it uses your actual weight, above that the weight at a BMI of 25 for your height. At 175 cm and 120 kg the reference is 77 kg, so 92 g at 1.2 g per kg instead of 144 g.