Your daily protein target will appear here.
How This Protein Calculator Works
Protein needs scale with body weight, so this calculator works in grams per kilogram (g/kg). It picks a range based on what you are doing: training, eating in a deficit, or simply staying healthy. It then multiplies that range by your weight. You get a range rather than one number on purpose. The lower end covers most of the benefit. The upper end gives a margin of safety for hard training, aggressive dieting or a less efficient digestion.
1. The g/kg ranges we use
These ranges come from the research behind the RDA and ICMR-NIN guidelines, the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand, and meta-analyses of protein and resistance training (notably Morton et al., 2018).
| Situation | Protein (g/kg/day) | 70 kg person |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary, maintaining (RDA / ICMR baseline) | 0.8–1.0 | 56–70 g |
| Sedentary, losing fat or gaining | 1.0–1.2 | 70–84 g |
| Active, not lifting (maintain) | 1.2–1.6 | 84–112 g |
| Active, not lifting (fat loss, gain, recomp) | 1.4–1.8 | 98–126 g |
| Lifting or athlete, maintaining | 1.6–2.0 | 112–140 g |
| Lifting or athlete, muscle gain or recomposition | 1.6–2.2 | 112–154 g |
| Lifting or athlete, fat loss | 1.8–2.4 | 126–168 g |
| Age 50+ | +0.2 on both ends (max 2.4) | e.g. 70–84 g sedentary |
Fat loss gets the highest range. In a calorie deficit your body is more willing to break down muscle for energy, and extra protein is one of the strongest protections against that. It also keeps you fuller, which matters more than people expect when calories are tight. Muscle gain and recomposition sit at 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Most studies find the benefit levels off around 1.6 g/kg, with some people continuing to respond up to about 2.2 g/kg.
If you are 50 or older, the calculator adds 0.2 g/kg to both ends. Older muscle is less responsive to protein ("anabolic resistance"), and groups such as PROT-AGE recommend at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg for healthy older adults. That is why the sedentary 50+ figure starts at 1.0 rather than 0.8.
2. Why per-meal protein matters
Your muscles respond best when protein arrives in meaningful doses. About 0.4 g/kg per meal, which is roughly 28 g for a 70 kg person, maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis for most people. Spread over 3–4 meals, that also adds up neatly to the 1.6–2.2 g/kg range. A typical Indian day often front-loads carbohydrate: poha or toast for breakfast, then a dal-and-sabzi lunch with maybe 10–15 g of protein. If that sounds like your day, the easiest fix is to give breakfast and dinner a real protein anchor. Read more in our guide to how much protein Indians need to build muscle.
3. Hitting your target on an Indian diet
Vegetarians can absolutely reach 1.6 g/kg, but it rarely happens by accident. Dal, roti and rice contribute protein, yet you would need to eat a lot of calories to reach 120 g from them alone. Build each meal around one dense source, then let dal and grains fill the gaps:
- Soya chunks: about 26 g protein per 50 g dry, the most protein-dense vegetarian staple. See soya chunks protein, explained.
- Paneer: about 18 g per 100 g, but also about 20 g of fat. Low-fat paneer improves the ratio. See protein in paneer.
- Hung curd or Greek yogurt: about 15 g per 150 g, compared with about 6 g for 200 g of regular curd.
- Eggs: about 12 g for two whole eggs. Adding egg whites is an inexpensive way to raise it.
- Chicken breast: about 46 g per 150 g cooked, with very little fat.
- Whey: about 24 g per 30 g scoop. It is a convenient food, not a requirement.
For a full list with calories alongside protein, use our Indian food calories and protein chart.
4. Use your goal weight if you carry a lot of fat
If your BMI is well above 30, g/kg calculations based on total weight can overshoot. A practical shortcut is to enter your target or lean-ish body weight instead. The result will be lower and much easier to eat, and it still fully protects muscle.
5. Protein is one part of the picture
Protein targets work best inside the right calorie budget. A high-protein diet in a large surplus still adds fat, and in too steep a deficit it cannot fully protect muscle. Pair this result with our calorie and macro calculator to set calories, carbohydrates and fat around your protein. The UltraFit360 app then logs Indian meals and tracks protein per meal automatically. Explore the app features.
The Science Behind This Calculator
The calculator does one thing: it picks a grams-per-kilogram range for your situation and multiplies it by your weight. This section shows the study behind each range, the exact arithmetic, and the limits of the method.
The evidence behind each range
| Range we use (g/kg/day) | What the research found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8–1.0, sedentary | Average adult requirement is 0.66 g/kg from nitrogen-balance studies. Adding a safety margin to cover nearly all healthy adults gives 0.83 g/kg. | WHO/FAO/UNU 2007; ICMR-NIN 2020 |
| 1.2–1.6, active, not lifting | Athletes and regular exercisers need 1.2–2.0 g/kg depending on training load. | ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada, 2016 |
| 1.6–2.2, lifting | Across 49 trials and 1,863 people, extra protein stopped adding muscle beyond a total of 1.62 g/kg. The 95% confidence interval ran from 1.03 to 2.20 g/kg, so some people benefit up to about 2.2. | Morton et al., 2018 |
| 1.8–2.4, lifting and losing fat | Lean, resistance-trained people in a calorie deficit keep more muscle at 2.3–3.1 g per kg of fat-free mass. For someone at 15–25% body fat that is roughly 1.7–2.6 g per kg of total weight. | Helms et al., 2014; ISSN position stand, 2017 |
| +0.2 at age 50 and over | Healthy older adults need at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg, and 1.2 g/kg or more if they exercise. | PROT-AGE Study Group, 2013 |
| 0.4 per meal | Muscle building per meal is maximised at about 0.4 g/kg, eaten across at least four meals to reach 1.6 g/kg a day. The upper figure is 0.55 g/kg per meal for 2.2 g/kg a day. | Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018 |
The "sedentary, losing fat or gaining" range of 1.0–1.2 and the "active, losing fat or gaining" range of 1.4–1.8 are our own steps between these published anchors. They are not taken from a single study.
Worked example 1: lifting and losing fat
Weight 70 kg, strength training, goal fat loss, under 50.
- Range for lifting and fat loss: 1.8–2.4 g/kg.
- Daily protein = 70 × 1.8 to 70 × 2.4 = 126–168 g.
- Per-meal anchor = 70 × 0.4 = 28 g.
- Split over 3 meals: 126 / 3 to 168 / 3 = 42–56 g a meal. Over 4 meals: 32–42 g a meal.
- If the same person is over 50: 1.8 + 0.2 = 2.0, and 2.4 + 0.2 is capped at 2.4. Daily protein = 140–168 g.
Worked example 2: active, not lifting
Weight 60 kg, walks and does yoga, goal fat loss, under 50.
- Range for active, not lifting, with a fat-loss goal: 1.4–1.8 g/kg.
- Daily protein = 60 × 1.4 to 60 × 1.8 = 84–108 g.
- Per-meal anchor = 60 × 0.4 = 24 g. Over 4 meals: 21–27 g a meal.
Rounding and limits
- Daily and per-meal grams are rounded to the nearest whole gram. Pounds are converted at 0.45359237 kg per pound.
- No range goes above 2.4 g/kg, including after the age 50 adjustment.
- The ranges use total body weight. At a high body fat percentage this overstates need, which is why we suggest entering a goal weight if your BMI is well above 30.
- The studies were done in healthy adults. They do not apply to pregnancy, breastfeeding, children or kidney disease, where a doctor or dietitian should set the target.
- Plant proteins are slightly less digestible than dairy, egg or meat. Vegetarians who rely mainly on dal and grains should aim for the upper half of their range.
Sources
- WHO/FAO/UNU. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. WHO Technical Report Series 935, 2007.
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements, 2020.
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2016;116:501–528.
- Morton RW, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018;52:376–384.
- Jäger R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017;14:20.
- Helms ER, et al. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2014;24:127–138.
- Bauer J, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2013;14:542–559.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2018;15:10.
Protein FAQs
How much protein do I need per day?
It depends on your body weight, activity and goal. A sedentary adult needs about 0.8–1.0 g per kg of body weight (the RDA/ICMR baseline). Active people who do not lift weights do well on about 1.2–1.6 g/kg. If you do regular strength training, aim for about 1.6–2.2 g/kg, and 1.8–2.4 g/kg while losing fat. Adults over 50 benefit from slightly more.
How much protein to build muscle?
About 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight per day, combined with progressive strength training. For a 70 kg person that is roughly 112–154 g a day, ideally split into 3–4 meals of about 0.4 g/kg (around 28 g) each. Gains beyond about 1.6 g/kg are small for most people, so the upper end is a margin of safety rather than a requirement.
Is 2 g per kg too much?
For healthy adults with normal kidney function, intakes around 2 g/kg have not been shown to cause harm in studies lasting up to a year or more, and they are common among people who lift. It is more than most people need outside of fat loss, though. If you have kidney disease, diabetes with kidney involvement or another medical condition, ask your doctor before raising your protein intake.
How can vegetarians in India get enough protein?
Build each meal around one concentrated protein source: paneer, tofu, soya chunks, hung curd or Greek yogurt, milk, or a whey scoop. Then add dal, chana, rajma or sprouts on top. Soya chunks give about 26 g of protein per 50 g dry, 100 g of paneer gives about 18 g, and a scoop of whey gives about 24 g. Dal and roti alone rarely get a vegetarian past 60–70 g a day.
Should I count protein from dal and roti?
Yes, count it, because it is real protein and it adds up. Just do not rely on it. A katori of cooked dal gives about 7 g and a roti about 3 g, and both come with a lot of carbohydrate per gram of protein. Dal plus a cereal also gives a more complete amino acid profile than either alone. Count it, but build your target around denser sources.