By now you’ve probably heard about the power of protein. This is a magic macronutrient that helps you stay full and preserve muscle mass when losing weight. And you’re probably wondering, “How much protein do I need?” Well, we can help you figure it out.
that MyFitnessPal The Protein Calculator is a simple, user-friendly tool designed to help you determine your approximate daily protein needs based on your unique lifestyle and health goals.
How to Use the MyFitnessPal Protein Calculator
This tool takes some of the guesswork out of how much protein to target. All you have to do is enter some basic information about yourself, including:
- age: Protein requirements may vary with age, especially since muscle mass naturally decreases over time.
- sex: Although it’s just a consideration, men and women tend to have different protein requirements.
- weight: Your body weight helps determine your protein needs. This directly affects how much your body needs for maintenance and growth.
- Activity level: Whether you live a sedentary lifestyle or are very active, your activity level plays a big role in determining how much protein your body uses.
- Fitness Goals: Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain your current health, the calculator will adjust its recommendations accordingly.
Protein is essential for building and repairing tissue, producing enzymes and hormones, and maintaining muscle mass. The calculator uses evidence-based guidelines to ensure your protein intake meets your goals without going overboard (1).
As always, recommendations are guidelines provided for informational purposes only. You should always consult your physician or registered dietitian for individualized advice or if you have a medical condition.
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Protein
For most adults, the RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, this amount is minimum Amount needed to support basic body functions and prevent muscle loss (7).
The RDA amount may not be sufficient to meet the needs of active people or those with specific fitness goals. How much protein you need to build muscle or maintain muscle mass is another issue.
Protein Intake Guidelines
Other organizations issuing recommendations, such as: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and International Sports Nutrition SocietyIt is recommended to consume 1.2 to 2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. (1)
A person weighing 150 pounds would consume 82 to 136 grams of protein per day. To get a better idea of what a good protein goal is for you, enter your numbers into the calculator.
How to Calculate Protein Intake During Meals
When you first look at your daily protein goal, it may seem like a high number. It may be helpful to aim for one meal and snack at a time.
Two good strategies for finding out how much protein is in each meal are:
Reading Nutrition Labels
Nutrition labels list the protein content per serving. Multiply this number by the servings you eat to calculate your total protein intake from packaged foods.
Use MyFitnessPal
with MyFitnessPalProtein tracking is easy. Simply log your meals in the app and it will calculate your daily protein intake to help you stay on track with your goals.
High-protein food sources
Many everyday foods are high in protein. The most common foods to help you meet your protein and overall nutrition goals include:
Dangers of Insufficient or Excessive Protein Intake
Protein is needed by every cell in our body. Without this, muscle growth, development and tissue repair will not occur in the desired manner (2).
But there can be too much of a good thing. Focusing on protein intake may crowd out other nutritious foods. “It’s increasingly difficult to include all food groups, it’s increasingly difficult to provide variety and structure to your meals, and it’s increasingly difficult to balance your carbohydrate and fat needs,” says Stephanie Nelson, senior nutrition scientist at MyFitnessPal. “It’s getting more and more difficult,” he says.
It’s important to strike the right balance to avoid these problems while optimizing your health.
Protein Calculation FAQ
Use the MyFitnessPal protein calculator by entering your weight, age, activity level, and goals.
Build your meals around protein-rich foods, such as eggs for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch, and stir-fried tofu for dinner.
Most people are advised to consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight while losing weight (1).
Building new muscle and maintaining muscle mass requires a positive muscle protein balance. Studies have shown that resistance training combined with protein intake stimulates muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth).3).
This means that it is important to consume adequate amounts of protein when lifting weights to maintain your current muscle mass while gaining muscle mass. Although the body can technically build muscle from its amino acid reserves, this is not ideal and has not been proven to be effective. Therefore, protein intake recommendations for physically active individuals are higher than for sedentary individuals (4).
While not consuming enough protein is not ideal, consuming too much protein can also cause side effects. Because the kidneys filter by-products of ingested protein, people with impaired kidney function should avoid consuming large amounts of protein. Since water is needed to break down and flush out these by-products, consuming too much protein may affect your hydration status (5).
The source of protein is as important as the quantity. Studies have shown that excessive consumption of red and processed meat may increase the overall risk of death. It is recommended that you choose protein sources such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products more often (6).
Additional resources for further learning
- Your Essential Guide to Protein for Optimal Health
- Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat Ratio: The Role of Macronutrients in Weight Loss
- free macro calculator
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