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How much protein you need

Protein requirements scale with body weight and activity. The official minimum — around 0.36 grams per pound — is set to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults, not to support training or body composition goals. Most people reading a protein calculator want the second number.

Practical ranges:

• 0.36 g/lb — the minimum to avoid deficiency
• 0.5–0.7 g/lb — general health and moderate activity
• 0.7–1.0 g/lb — building or maintaining muscle
• 1.0–1.2 g/lb — fat loss while preserving lean mass, or heavy training

Research suggests benefits plateau above roughly 1.0 g/lb for most people. Higher intakes are not harmful for those with healthy kidneys, but they stop adding much.

Why protein matters most during fat loss

This is the situation where protein intake changes outcomes rather than just optimising them. In a calorie deficit, your body draws on stored energy — and it will take that from muscle as well as fat unless given reason not to.

Adequate protein combined with resistance training is what directs the loss toward fat. The difference is not marginal: studies comparing higher and lower protein intakes during weight loss consistently find better lean mass retention at the higher intake, with the same total calories.

Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient, gram for gram. It has the highest thermic effect too — roughly 20–30% of its calories are used in digestion, compared with 5–10% for carbohydrate and 0–3% for fat. Both effects make a deficit more tolerable.

Distribution across the day

Total daily protein matters most, but distribution has a secondary effect. Muscle protein synthesis responds to a meal containing roughly 20–40 grams of protein, and the response is limited by leucine content rather than by total grams alone.

Spreading intake across three to four meals of similar size appears modestly better than one large serving plus two small ones. This is a refinement rather than a requirement — hitting your daily total in two meals is far better than missing it across five.

Where protein comes from

Animal sources are complete, containing all nine essential amino acids in useful proportions: meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Per serving, 6 oz chicken breast supplies about 50 g, 6 oz salmon about 34 g, a cup of Greek yoghurt around 20 g, and three eggs roughly 18 g.

Plant sources are often lower in one or more essential amino acids individually, but this matters far less than once thought. Eating a variety across the day — legumes, grains, nuts, soy — supplies the full range without any need to combine them within a single meal. Soy, quinoa, and buckwheat are complete on their own. A cup of lentils gives about 18 g, a cup of chickpeas 15 g, and firm tofu around 20 g per cup.

Plant-based eaters may want to target the upper end of their range, since plant proteins are somewhat less efficiently used, and to ensure variety across sources.

Common concerns

Kidney health. The belief that high protein damages kidneys comes from advice given to people who already have kidney disease. In people with healthy kidney function, higher protein intakes have not been shown to cause harm. If you have any diagnosed kidney condition, protein intake is a clinical decision for your doctor.

Supplements. Protein powder is a convenience, not a requirement. It is a practical way to close a gap when food alone is difficult, and it offers nothing that food does not.

Timing. The idea of a narrow post-workout window has weakened considerably in the research. Getting enough protein across the day matters far more than the specific hour.

Frequently Asked Questions