United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates Protein intake calculator
Protein does the repair work in your body, rebuilding muscle after training, holding lean tissue when you lose weight, and keeping you full between meals. How much you need depends mostly on your body weight and what you are asking your body to do. This calculator turns those into a daily target in grams. Enter your weight and pick a goal, from a sedentary baseline up to building muscle or losing fat while keeping it, and the tool returns a sensible range rather than a single rigid figure, because real needs sit on a band, not a point. It also breaks the target into a per-meal amount, since the body uses protein best when you spread it across the day rather than loading it all at dinner. The numbers follow the ranges that sports-nutrition and dietetics bodies publish, with the lower end matching the official daily requirement for people who do little exercise.
This range is a daily target spread across the day, not a single dose. Most people absorb protein best in 20 to 40 g portions every few hours. The figures suit healthy adults; people with kidney disease or other conditions should follow medical advice instead.
How it works
- Enter your current body weight; protein needs scale with body mass, so this is the main input.
- Choose a goal: sedentary, generally active, endurance training, building muscle, or losing fat while keeping muscle.
- The tool multiplies your weight in kilograms by the grams-per-kilogram range for that goal.
- It returns a daily range, a practical midpoint, and a per-meal figure across four meals.
- The grams-per-kilogram band used is shown so you can see why the target moved when you changed goal.
Daily protein (g) = body weight (kg) x goal factor (g/kg)
The body needs a baseline of protein just to maintain tissue, set by the official requirement of 0.8 g per kilogram. Exercise raises that need, because training breaks down and rebuilds muscle, and a calorie deficit raises it again to protect lean mass. The calculator multiplies your weight by the grams-per-kilogram band that matches your goal, then shows the resulting range and its midpoint.
- kg
- body weight in kilograms
- goal factor
- grams of protein per kilogram for your goal, from 0.8 to 2.4
Protein targets by goal (grams per kilogram of body weight)
| Sedentary | 0.8 to 1.0 g/kg | the official daily requirement, little exercise |
| Generally active | 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg | regular light activity |
| Endurance training | 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg | running, cycling, swimming |
| Building muscle | 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg | resistance training in a surplus or at maintenance |
| Losing fat, keeping muscle | 1.6 to 2.4 g/kg | higher to protect lean mass in a deficit |
Worked example
A 75 kg person who lifts weights and wants to build muscle: At 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg, the target is about 120 to 165 g of protein a day, with a midpoint near 143 g. Split across four meals that is roughly 36 g each, which is close to the 30 to 40 g portion the body handles well at once. A sedentary person of the same weight would need far less, about 60 to 75 g.
Key facts
- The official requirement of 0.8 g per kg is a floor to prevent deficiency, not the optimum for active people.
- Active and strength-training adults benefit from roughly twice that, around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg.
- The body handles about 20 to 40 g of protein per meal for muscle building, so spreading intake helps.
- Protein is the most filling of the three macronutrients, which is why higher intakes help with appetite when dieting.
Tips
- Anchor each meal with a protein source first, then build the rest of the plate around it.
- If you train, get 20 to 40 g within a few hours of the session to support recovery.
- Use the per-meal figure as a simple daily plan rather than tracking every gram.
- Pair this with the calorie calculator so your protein fits inside your overall energy target.
Frequently asked questions
Is more protein always better?+
Up to a point. Past roughly 2.2 g per kg there is little extra muscle benefit for most people, and the surplus is just used for energy. Very high intakes are not dangerous for healthy kidneys, but they crowd out other nutrients if they replace too much of the plate.
Should I use my current weight or my goal weight?+
Current weight works for most people. If you are carrying a lot of excess fat, using a target weight or lean body mass gives a more realistic figure, because fat tissue needs little protein to maintain.
Why does losing fat need so much protein?+
When you eat fewer calories, the body is tempted to break down muscle for fuel. A higher protein intake, around 1.6 to 2.4 g per kg, plus resistance training, signals it to keep the muscle and burn fat instead.
Does it matter when I eat protein?+
Spreading it across three or four meals beats one large serving, because muscle protein synthesis responds to each feeding. Aim for 20 to 40 g per meal rather than a single big hit.
Can I hit these targets on a plant-based diet?+
Yes, though it takes more planning. Combine sources like beans, lentils, tofu, soy, seitan and grains across the day, and consider aiming for the upper end of the range, since some plant proteins are slightly less complete.
What counts as a gram of protein?+
The figures are grams of protein, not grams of food. A 100 g chicken breast holds about 31 g of protein, a large egg about 6 g, and a cup of cooked lentils about 18 g, so read labels rather than weighing the plate.
Things to watch
- This is general guidance, not medical advice; needs differ with health, age and training.
- People with kidney disease or certain conditions should follow a clinician or dietitian, not a general formula.
- Older adults often need the upper end of the active range to fight age-related muscle loss, so do not default to the floor.
Sources
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise (Jäger et al., 2017) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
- Nutrition and Athletic Performance: Joint Position Statement (2016) · Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, ACSM
- Dietary Reference Intakes: protein (RDA 0.8 g/kg) · US National Academies of Sciences
Last updated: 2026
This is an estimate for general guidance, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Figures can change and individual circumstances vary. Always confirm with the official sources listed before making decisions.
Reviewed by Vikas Dulgunde.