December 9, 2025
This guide shows exactly how much protein you need per day for fat loss, muscle gain, and overall health, using ranges backed by leading nutrition research.
Most active adults do best with 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day.
For fat loss, higher protein (around 2.0–2.4 g/kg) helps keep muscle and control hunger.
For muscle growth, aim for 1.6–2.2 g/kg plus 20–40 g of high-quality protein per meal.
Older adults and very lean dieters often benefit from the higher end of these ranges.
Total daily protein matters more than exact timing, but spreading it across 3–5 meals helps.
Daily protein targets are based on body weight (grams of protein per kilogram or pound), activity level, and goal: fat loss, maintenance, or muscle gain. Ranges here summarize consensus from major reviews and position stands from sports nutrition and dietetics organizations, focusing on body composition, muscle preservation, and satiety.
Under-eating protein makes fat loss harder, muscle gain slower, and hunger worse. Over-shooting by huge margins is unnecessary for most people. Clear ranges let you choose a target that fits your size, age, and training instead of guessing or following extremes.
Base level to support health, preserve muscle mass, and improve satiety without major lifestyle changes.
Great for
Covers needs for recovery, small muscle gains, and fat loss while maintaining weight.
Great for
If you use kilograms: multiply your body weight by the recommended grams per kilogram for your goal. If you only know your weight in pounds, divide your weight by 2.2 to get kilograms, or multiply your pounds by 0.7–1.0 g per pound depending on your goal. Rough guide: 0.45–0.55 g/lb for sedentary, 0.65–0.8 g/lb for active, and 0.8–1.1 g/lb for fat loss and muscle gain. Use these as ranges, not rigid rules, and choose a number you can realistically hit most days.
Muscle protein synthesis responds best to doses of roughly 20–25 g for smaller people and 30–40 g for larger or older adults per meal. Once you know your daily total, divide it across 3–5 meals or eating occasions. Example: If your target is 130 g/day and you eat 4 times, aim for about 30–35 g per meal. This keeps muscle-building signals active throughout the day and makes the total feel manageable rather than overwhelming in one sitting.
Instead of weighing every bite forever, learn visual anchors: a palm-sized portion of cooked meat, fish, tofu, or tempeh is typically around 25–30 g protein; a cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese gives ~15–20 g; 3 large eggs provide ~18–20 g; a scoop of most protein powders has 20–25 g. Anchor each meal around one or two of these, then fill the rest of your plate with vegetables, fruits, and carbohydrates or fats based on your total calorie needs.
Most people need more protein than the formal RDA if they care about body composition, but they do not need extreme bodybuilding intakes; the effective zone for active adults clusters around 1.6–2.2 g/kg.
Your goal (fat loss vs. muscle gain) and context (age, body fat level, plant-based or not) explain most of the variation in optimal protein needs; once those are defined, protein planning becomes straightforward.
Hitting a consistent daily total and spreading protein across meals has far more impact than chasing precise timing gimmicks, making a habit-based approach both easier and more effective.
Visual portion guides and a few reliable high-protein foods at each meal can make these evidence-based targets achievable without obsessive tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
In people with healthy kidneys, high-protein diets within the ranges discussed here have not been shown to damage kidney function. Large reviews in healthy athletes and active adults find no harmful effects up to around 2.2–3.0 g/kg. However, if you have pre-existing kidney disease or reduced kidney function, you should follow your doctor or dietitian’s guidance, as your recommended protein intake may be lower.
You do not need to slam a shake immediately after your last set. What matters most is total protein across the day. That said, having 20–40 g of protein within roughly 2–3 hours before or after training supports recovery and muscle growth. If you trained fasted or haven’t eaten in many hours, it’s more helpful to eat sooner rather than later, but the idea of a 30-minute “anabolic window” is exaggerated.
Yes. Protein powders are convenient, not mandatory. You can reach your target using foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, lentils, and high-protein yogurt or cottage cheese. Supplements can help if you’re very busy, have a low appetite, or follow a plant-based diet and struggle to get enough from whole foods, but they are just another tool, not a requirement.
It’s better than not getting enough protein at all, but not ideal for muscle. Research suggests that distributing protein more evenly across the day—at least 3 meals with 20–30+ g—supports better muscle protein synthesis than having most protein in one large meal. If you currently eat almost all your protein at dinner, start by increasing protein at breakfast and lunch with simple additions like eggs, yogurt, or leftovers from previous meals.
Use the lower end if you are smaller, have a higher body fat percentage, are fairly new to training, or struggle to eat enough calories. Use the higher end if you are leaner, older, dieting, or doing intense, frequent training. You can also use your appetite and recovery as guides—if you are very hungry while dieting or not recovering well from workouts, a modest bump in protein often helps.
Defining how much protein you need per day becomes simple once you anchor it to your body weight, goal, and activity level. Choose the evidence-based range that fits your situation, translate it into realistic per-meal targets, and focus on hitting those consistently; over time, your body composition, strength, and hunger control will reflect that consistency.
Track meals via photos, get adaptive workouts, and act on smart nudges personalised for your goals.
AI meal logging with photo and voice
Adaptive workouts that respond to your progress
Insights, nudges, and weekly reviews on autopilot
Higher protein helps maintain muscle, reduce hunger, and improve diet adherence in a calorie deficit.
Great for
Optimal range for maximizing muscle protein synthesis in people who are lifting regularly.
Great for
Aging muscles respond less strongly to low doses of protein, so total needs and per-meal doses rise.
Great for
Using current body weight can overestimate needs; goal weight gives a more realistic target.
Great for
Some plant proteins are lower in certain amino acids and less digestible, so total needs may be slightly higher.
Great for
Total protein per day matters most; timing is secondary. However, spreading intake evenly supports better muscle response than cramming most of your protein into one meal. Aim for 3–5 meals with at least 20 g of high-quality protein each. Having 20–40 g of protein within a few hours after training helps recovery, but it’s not an emergency window. Think of your entire day as your opportunity to hit your target, with slightly more focus around your workouts.
After 2–4 weeks at a chosen target, ask: Are you recovering from workouts? How is hunger? Is your weight and body composition moving the direction you want? If you’re very hungry while dieting, slightly raising protein and fiber while lowering some carbs or fats often helps. If you feel too full to eat enough calories for muscle gain, you may need more calorie-dense protein sources like higher-fat dairy, eggs, or shakes, or reduce protein slightly while keeping strength progress strong.
