By now you’ve heard about the power of protein. It’s the magic macronutrient that helps you stay full and preserve muscle mass while losing weight. And you’re probably wondering, “How much protein do I need?” » Well, we can help you figure it out.
THE MyFitnessPal 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 you should aim for. All you need to do is enter some basic information about yourself, including:
- Age: Protein needs can vary by age, especially since muscle mass naturally decreases over time.
- Sex: Although it’s just one thing to consider, men and women tend to have different protein needs.
- Weight: Your weight helps determine your protein needs. This directly affects the amount your body needs for maintenance and growth.
- Activity level: Whether you’re sedentary or very active, your activity level plays an important role in determining how much protein your body uses.
- Fitness goals: Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain your current health, the calculator adjusts your recommendations accordingly.
Protein is essential for building and repairing tissues, producing enzymes and hormones, and maintaining muscle mass. The calculator uses evidence-based guidelines to ensure your protein intake supports your goals without going overboard (1).
As always, the recommendations are only guidelines provided for informational purposes. You should always speak to your doctor or dietitian for personalized advice or if you have any health concerns.
Recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein
The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for most adults. However, this amount is the minimum amount needed to support basic bodily functions and prevent muscle loss (7).
The RDA amount is probably not enough to meet the needs of active people or those with specific fitness goals. How much protein you need to gain muscle or preserve muscle mass is another matter.
Guidelines for protein intake
Other organizations that issue recommendations, such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the International Society of Sports Nutritionrecommend 1.2 to 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. (1)
For a 150-pound person, that’s between 82 and 136 grams of protein per day. Plug your own numbers into the calculator to get a better idea of what would be a good protein goal for you.
How to calculate protein intake in meals
Your daily protein goal may seem high when you first see it. It can help to achieve this goal one meal and snack at a time.
Here are two good strategies for determining the amount of protein in each meal:
Read nutrition labels
Nutrition labels list the protein content per serving. Multiply this number by the number of servings you eat to calculate your total protein intake from packaged foods.
Using MyFitnessPal
With MyFitnessPalProtein tracking is easy. Simply log your meals in the app and it will calculate your daily protein intake, helping you stay on track with your goals.
Protein-rich food sources
Many everyday foods are rich in protein. Here are some common foods that can help you meet your protein and overall nutrition goals:
Risks of insufficient or excessive protein intake
Protein is necessary for all cells in our body. Without it, muscle growth, tissue development and repair do not occur as they should (2).
But there can be too much of a good thing. When you focus on eating protein, it can crowd out other nutritious foods. “It’s getting harder and harder to include all your food groups, it’s getting harder and harder to get variety in your meals and build your meals, it’s getting harder and harder to balance your needs in carbs and fats,” says MyFitnessPal Senior Nutrition Scientist Stephanie Nelson.
Finding the right balance is essential to avoiding these problems while optimizing your health.
Protein Calculation FAQ
Use the MyFitnessPal protein calculator by entering your weight, age, activity level and goals.
Prepare your meals with protein-rich foods like eggs for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch, and tofu stir-fry for dinner.
Most people benefit from 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. Research shows that resistance exercise combined with protein consumption stimulates muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth) (3).
This means that it is important to consume adequate amounts of protein when lifting weights to gain muscle but also to maintain current muscle mass. Although the body can technically build muscle from its amino acid stores, this is not ideal and has not been shown to be as effective. This is why protein intake recommendations for physically active people are higher than for sedentary people (4).
While not getting enough protein isn’t ideal, consuming too much can also have harmful effects. The kidneys filter the byproducts of ingested proteins, so anyone with impaired kidney function should refrain from consuming large amounts of protein. Fluids are also needed to break down and remove these byproducts, so hydration status is sometimes affected when excessive protein consumption (5).
Remember that the source of protein is just as important as the quantity. Research has shown that overconsumption of red and processed meats can increase overall mortality risk. You may want to choose protein sources like fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products more often (6).
Additional Resources for Deeper Learning
- The Essential Guide to Protein for Optimal Health
- Ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats: the role of macronutrients in weight loss
- Free Macro Calculator
The article Protein Calculator: Find Out Your Daily Protein Needs appeared first on the MyFitnessPal blog.
