Protein Calculator

Checked 15 October 2026. What was checked. How these pages are maintained.

Protein rules of thumb

Many adult guidelines start near 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Active people and those lifting weights often use 1.2–2.0 g/kg. 75 kg at 1.6 g/kg is 120 g a day. Kidney disease, pregnancy, and medical diets need a clinician, not this page.

Worked example

At 75 kg, 0.8 g/kg (a common sedentary reference) is 60 g/day. 1.6 g/kg, often used in strength-training talk, is 120 g. A 150 g chicken breast is roughly 30–35 g of protein, not 150 g.

Kidney disease, some sports, and age change the useful range. Food labels are per serving. This page is a gram target from body weight, not a meal plan. Not medical advice.

Grams per kilogram of body weight

The page multiplies body weight by the grams-per-kilogram figure you pick. The choices are 0.8, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0. At 82 kg on the active setting, 82 × 1.2 = 98.4 grams, which displays as 98 g. Split into four meals that is about 25 g a meal. The same 98 g is what 180 pounds produces at 1.2 g/kg, because 180 ÷ 2.20462 is about 81.6 kg and 81.6 × 1.2 is about 98. The pound box converts before it multiplies. It does not treat 1.2 grams per pound, which would be a much larger and different target.

A 150 g chicken breast is not 150 g of protein. Cooked poultry is often around 30 g of protein per 100 g, so a 150 g piece is on the order of 45 g, and labels vary by cut and brand. Read the label’s grams of protein, not the weight of the food.

The range is not a prescription

Many adult references start near 0.8 g/kg. Strength-training writing often uses something closer to 1.6 g/kg. More is not automatically better. Extra protein is still calories, and kidney disease, pregnancy, and some clinical diets need a target from a clinician, not from a dropdown. This page does not build a menu, and it does not know the rest of what you eat. Plant and animal protein count as grams the same way here. Combining foods so the day adds up is your job. The calorie calculator is about energy, not about this gram target.

Common questions