Protein Calculator
Daily grams and a per-meal split, from published ranges with their sources.
Updated September 2026
If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Published range for your weight
Example for 70 kg and 1,600 kcal. Enter your numbers and press Calculate.
Split across the day
Published per-meal guidance is 20 to 40 g, or about 18 g for your weight.
That is 21 to 28% of 1,600 kcal.
Where this range comes from
Joint advisory, AJCN 2025 (PMC12264624)
The same advisory also gives an absolute reference: 80 to 120 g per day may be easier to follow.
Guidance is uncertain about which body weight to use at higher body weights, so treat the range as a starting point.
Mealyno's app default: 2.0 g/kg in a deficit (top of the ISSN range for exercising adults). This calculator shows the published ranges instead.
Example days at 1,600 kcal
Real days from Mealyno's checked plan library, each at or above 98 g protein. No signup needed.
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Yogurt Berry BowlBreakfast | 350 | 35 g |
| Grilled Chicken and Quinoa SaladLunch | 450 | 42 g |
| Apple and Almond Butter SnackSnack | 200 | 5 g |
| Baked Salmon with Asparagus and Sweet PotatoDinner | 500 | 38 g |
| Total | 1500 | 120 g |
See all 7 days
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Berry Protein Smoothie with Almond MilkBreakfast | 330 | 25 g |
| Tuna Salad in Cucumber BoatsLunch | 440 | 42 g |
| Carrot Sticks with HummusSnack | 180 | 5 g |
| Shrimp and Zucchini Noodle Stir-FryDinner | 550 | 46 g |
| Total | 1500 | 118 g |
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Yogurt with Chia SeedsBreakfast | 310 | 22 g |
| Grilled Chicken Salad with Olive OilLunch | 450 | 42 g |
| Beef Steak with Broccoli MashDinner | 590 | 50 g |
| Celery Sticks with Cream CheeseSnack | 160 | 4 g |
| Total | 1510 | 118 g |
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Spinach and Feta OmeletteBreakfast | 360 | 22 g |
| Turkey and Avocado Lettuce WrapsLunch | 440 | 35 g |
| Greek Yogurt with BlueberriesSnack | 180 | 15 g |
| Lean Beef Stir-Fry with Rice NoodlesDinner | 520 | 42 g |
| Total | 1500 | 114 g |
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and FetaBreakfast | 380 | 24 g |
| Grilled Chicken Salad with Olive Oil DressingLunch | 450 | 42 g |
| Mixed Almonds and WalnutsSnack | 200 | 6 g |
| Baked Salmon with Roasted AsparagusDinner | 570 | 45 g |
| Total | 1600 | 117 g |
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-Free Toast with Avocado and EggBreakfast | 350 | 14 g |
| Grilled Chicken and Roasted Vegetable BowlLunch | 450 | 40 g |
| Rice Cakes with Peanut ButterSnack | 190 | 6 g |
| Pork Tenderloin with Green BeansDinner | 510 | 48 g |
| Total | 1500 | 108 g |
| Meal | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Cream CheeseBreakfast | 460 | 28 g |
| Sliced Turkey Breast with Mixed Greens and Olive OilLunch | 470 | 39 g |
| Sirloin Steak with Garlic Butter and AsparagusDinner | 550 | 46 g |
| Macadamia NutsSnack | 120 | 2 g |
| Total | 1600 | 115 g |
Free to start. Your kcal and goal carry over.
Days are drawn from the Mealyno plan library. Meals are never resized.
Want a 7-day plan built from your own numbers?
Try Mealyno FreeThese are general estimates generated from published formulas, not a medical prescription. Not reviewed by a doctor or registered dietitian.
Read the full disclaimer
Every number on this page (calorie targets, macro splits and any suggested meal plan) is produced by formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, standard activity multipliers) or, for AI-generated meal plans, by a language model applying those same formulas. On meal-plan pages the carbohydrate figure for each meal is calculated by difference: total calories minus protein and fat calories, divided by 4. It is not measured or estimated on its own, so read it as an arithmetic balance and not as an independent nutritional analysis of the dish. None of it is individualized medical or nutritional advice, and none of it has been reviewed by a registered dietitian, physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what is right for you before starting a new diet, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a diagnosed medical condition, take prescription medication, or have a history of disordered eating. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Mealyno never recommends a calorie target below your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the minimum energy your body needs at complete rest. Even the most aggressive weight-loss setting is clamped at that floor.
Calorie and BMR estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990).
Generated: September 2026
Protein needs are usually given as grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This calculator turns your weight, goal and activity into a range in grams, then shows where that range comes from. It does not return one magic number, because the published guidance is a range, and it names the study or advisory behind each row.
Three published ranges sit behind the numbers. The recommended dietary allowance for healthy adults is 0.8 g per kilogram, which the 2025 joint advisory on nutrition during weight reduction cites as a floor. That advisory suggests 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram while losing weight, and says plainly that it is a synthesis of guidelines and expert opinion. The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand gives 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram for people who exercise, with 20 to 40 g per meal, or about 0.25 g per kilogram, as the per-meal figure.
Choose maintain, lose weight, build muscle or eating less than usual, then say how much you train. The result is a low to high range, a midpoint, and the midpoint split across three, four or five meals. Results are capped at 2.0 g per kilogram, and body weights outside 35 to 250 kg are rejected. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Under the numbers the page builds seven example days at your calorie level from real plans in Mealyno's library, so you can see what a target looks like on a plate. Mealyno's own app uses a higher default in a deficit, 2.0 g per kilogram, which is the top of the ISSN range for exercising adults. This calculator shows the published ranges so you can compare the two. Nothing on this page is medical advice.
The ranges are for healthy adults. Guidance for people aged 65 and over is different, so it has its own page, and anyone with a medical condition should ask a clinician first. Pick a number inside your range, use the per-meal split to plan a normal day, and treat the example days as a picture of what the target looks like, not as a prescription.
How the calculation works
- Range = body weight (kg) x the low and high g/kg of the published row that fits your goal and activity.
- Maintain, not training: 0.8 to 1.2 g/kg. Lose weight or eating less: 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg (joint advisory, 2025). Build muscle or trains with weights: 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg (ISSN).
- Per meal = the midpoint divided by 3, 4 or 5 meals, checked against the ISSN guidance of 20 to 40 g or about 0.25 g/kg.
Worked example
A person weighing 70 kg who wants to lose weight gets the joint advisory row, 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram. That is 70 x 1.2 = 84 g to 70 x 1.6 = 112 g per day, with a midpoint of 98 g. Split over four meals, the midpoint is about 25 g per meal, inside the 20 to 40 g per-meal guidance.
A 70 kg person who builds muscle and trains with weights gets the ISSN row, 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram: 98 g to 140 g per day, midpoint 119 g. Nothing above 2.0 g per kilogram is ever shown, so the highest possible result for 70 kg is 140 g.
A 60 kg person who maintains weight and does not train uses the first row, 0.8 to 1.2 g per kilogram: 60 x 0.8 = 48 g to 60 x 1.2 = 72 g, midpoint 60 g. Ranges start lower than the weight-loss and exercise rows, which is why the goal and activity fields change the result more than any other input.
What to do with this number
Pick a number inside your range, then look at the example days under the result. They come from real plans at your calorie level and show what your target looks like on a plate. For a bigger view, the guides show how to reach 100, 120 and 150 g a day.
If you are not sure about your calories, use the calorie calculator first and come back with the result added to the address as ?kcal= so the example days match.
Keep in mind what the number is: a formula-based estimate for a healthy adult, worked out in your browser and not reviewed by a doctor or dietitian. Use it to plan, then watch how you feel and how your weight trends over a few weeks, and adjust. If anything about it looks wrong for your situation, or you have a medical condition, ask a clinician before you change what you eat.
Calculators by goal
Protein calculator questions
How much protein do I need per day?
It depends on your goal and how much you train. Published ranges run from 0.8 g per kilogram for healthy adults at rest, to 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilogram while losing weight, to 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilogram for people who exercise. The calculator picks the row that fits and shows its source.
How much protein per meal?
The ISSN position stand gives 20 to 40 g per meal, or about 0.25 g per kilogram of body weight. Spreading the daily total across three to five meals lands most people inside that band.
Is 150 g of protein a day too much?
It depends on body weight. For a 75 kg person it is 2.0 g per kilogram, the top of the published range for exercising adults. The calculator never shows more than 2.0 g per kilogram. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Which body weight should I use?
Use your current weight. The joint advisory notes that guidance is uncertain about which weight to use at higher body weights, so treat the range as a starting point and ask a dietitian if that applies to you.
Why does Mealyno's app show a different protein number?
The app uses 2.0 g per kilogram in a deficit, which is the top of the ISSN range for exercising adults. This calculator shows the published ranges so you can see the whole band and decide.
Do the example days change my protein target?
No. They are real days from Mealyno's plan library at or above your midpoint, chosen to show what the target looks like in food. They are examples, not a prescription.
Can I use pounds?
Yes. Switch the unit toggle to pounds and the calculator converts to kilograms before it applies the ranges. Weights between 35 and 250 kg (77 to 551 lb) are accepted.
Does the calculator give one number or a range?
A range and a midpoint. Published guidance is a range, so a single figure would look more certain than the evidence is. Start at the midpoint and adjust within the range.
Sources
- Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2017.
- Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity. ACLM, ASN, OMA, TOS. Am J Clin Nutr, 2025 (guideline synthesis and expert opinion, not trials in people on these medicines).
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 1990 (calories)
If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.