Use this protein calculator to estimate your daily protein target for maintenance, active training, muscle gain, or fat loss. Get your range in grams, grams per pound, grams per kilogram, and per meal.
Enter your body weight and goal for a practical daily protein range, then use the per-meal target to make it easy to hit.
Your protein target depends on body size, training, overall calorie intake, and your goal. The baseline recommended dietary allowance for sedentary adults is about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or roughly 0.36 grams per pound. That is a minimum to cover basic needs—not automatically the best target for a lifter, athlete, or person dieting for fat loss.
For regular training, practical targets often sit higher. Tiger Fitness’s evidence-led guidance puts dedicated lifters around 0.8–0.9 grams per pound of body weight, rather than the extreme 2 grams per pound sometimes pushed online. Sports nutrition research also commonly places physically active adults in a higher range than sedentary adults.
| Goal | Starting range | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| General health | 0.36–0.45 g/lb | Low-activity maintenance |
| Active training | 0.55–0.70 g/lb | Regular cardio, lifting, or sport |
| Build or maintain muscle | 0.75–0.90 g/lb | Consistent resistance training |
| Fat loss | 0.75–1.00 g/lb | Dieting while prioritizing lean mass |
These are practical starting ranges for generally healthy adults, not a medical prescription. Use your response—training performance, recovery, hunger, digestion, and progress—to decide where inside the range to start.
Muscle gain requires more than protein alone: you need progressive resistance training, enough total calories to support your goal, sleep, and consistency. Protein is the daily building material, but more is not always better. Start in the calculator’s 0.75–0.90 g/lb muscle range, hit the target consistently, then put your attention into progressive training and a sustainable calorie plan.
When calories drop, protein can help preserve lean mass and make meals more filling. Pair the fat-loss range with resistance training and a calorie target you can sustain. For the calorie side of the plan, use the TDEE calculator.
Build your target around foods you can repeat: chicken, lean beef, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, and protein powder. If you need a convenient option after training or between meals, browse Tiger Fitness’s protein selection—but food quality, total calories, and consistency still set the foundation.
A practical starting range for consistent lifters is 0.75–0.90 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. Use the calculator to turn that into a daily and per-meal target.
For generally healthy adults dieting while resistance training, 0.75–1.00 grams per pound is a practical starting range. Pair it with a sustainable calorie deficit and adjust with a qualified professional if needed.
Not always. It can be a simple high-end target, especially during a fat-loss phase, but many lifters make progress around 0.8–0.9 grams per pound.
No. The daily total is the priority. Splitting your target across meals is simply a practical way to make the total easier to reach.
Not as a substitute for medical care. Protein needs can differ with kidney disease and other medical conditions, so ask your clinician or registered dietitian for an individualized target.
Use this protein calculator to build a daily target you can hit consistently, then support it with hard training, adequate calories, and recovery. Fuel the work and earn the gains.
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