How much protein do you need per day? Enter your weight, pick your activity level and goal, and get a personalized daily target in grams — the exact same formula the DailyP app uses.
This is the onboarding formula from the DailyP iOS app, so the number here matches what the app will set as your daily ring target. It's an evidence-informed starting point, not medical advice — adjust with how you feel and perform, and consult a professional if you have a medical condition.
Protein recommendations vary by source because they answer different questions — "how much to avoid deficiency" versus "how much to build or protect muscle."
| Source | Recommendation | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| RDA (US Dietary Reference Intake) | 0.8 g/kg (0.36 g/lb) | Minimum to prevent deficiency in sedentary adults |
| ACSM / Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics | 1.2–2.0 g/kg (0.54–0.9 g/lb) | Active adults and athletes |
| ISSN position stand (Jäger et al., 2017) | 1.4–2.0 g/kg (0.64–0.9 g/lb) | Building and maintaining muscle |
| Mettler et al., 2010 | ~2.3 g/kg (~1.0 g/lb) | Preserving lean mass in a calorie deficit |
The pattern: the more active you are and the harder you're dieting, the more protein it takes to keep the muscle you have. That's what the activity and goal adjustments above reflect. Full citations are on our sources page.
It depends on your weight, activity, and goal. The RDA (0.8 g/kg) is a floor, not a target — it's the amount that prevents deficiency, not the amount that supports training or dieting. For most active people, 0.7–1.0 g per pound of body weight per day is the practical range, which is what this calculator lands in.
Yes. In a deficit, your body will burn muscle as well as fat unless you give it a reason not to. Higher protein plus resistance training is that reason — Mettler et al. found ~2.3 g/kg preserved lean mass during weight loss far better than 1.0 g/kg. This calculator's "lose weight" goal uses the highest multiplier for exactly that reason.
More important than ever. In the STEP 1 trial's body-composition substudy, roughly 40% of weight lost was lean mass. GLP-1s suppress appetite, so it's easy to under-eat protein without noticing. Clinicians commonly suggest 1.2–1.5 g/kg per day plus resistance training — and tracking daily is the only way to know you're hitting it.
For healthy people, intakes well above the RDA haven't been shown to harm kidney function. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, check with your doctor before increasing protein.
Daily total first. Spreading protein across 3–4 meals of 25–40 g each may squeeze out a little extra muscle protein synthesis, but no timing scheme fixes a day that's 50 g short. Hit the number, then worry about distribution.
Knowing your number takes 10 seconds. Hitting it every day is the habit. DailyP is a voice-first protein tracker — just say what you ate, AI logs the protein, one ring shows where you stand. 30 seconds a day.