Free tool for coaches
Protein calculator
A daily protein target for any client, from body weight and goal, with the per-meal split and what each meal's protein looks like in real food.
Daily protein target
— g per day
—
Per meal
— —
—
- Cooked chicken breast — g
- Greek yogurt 0% — g
- Large eggs — eggs
- Firm tofu — g
- Whey protein — scoops
For healthy adults, not medical advice. Clients with kidney disease, pregnancy or other conditions should get their targets from a doctor or dietitian.
Put the target on the client's plan
In SendFit the protein target lives on the plan and every meal you add shows how the day's protein stacks up against it.
How the protein target is calculated
The calculator uses grams per kilogram of body weight, the way the research is written. For people who train, meta-analyses show benefits for muscle up to about 1.6 g/kg, with no extra gain beyond roughly 2.2 g/kg. The target moves within that range by goal:
- Maintenance: 1.4–1.8 g/kg, target 1.6.
- Fat loss: 1.8–2.2 g/kg, target 2.0, because a higher intake protects muscle in a calorie deficit.
- Muscle gain: 1.6–2.2 g/kg, target 1.8.
- 60 and over: 0.2 g/kg more, because the muscle-building response to each dose of protein weakens with age.
For clients with a high body-fat percentage, the target is applied to an adjusted weight (85% of total), since protein needs track lean mass rather than total weight. Otherwise a 120 kg client would get an impractical 240 g.
Why the per-meal number matters
Muscle protein synthesis responds best to about 0.4 g/kg per meal, spread over three to five eating occasions. The same 150 g eaten as 20 g at breakfast and 100 g at dinner works less well than four meals of about 38 g. The per-meal figure is the one most clients fall short on, usually at breakfast.
Turning grams into food
Clients think in portions, not grams. The food lines under the result show what one meal's protein looks like: cooked chicken breast has about 31 g per 100 g, Greek yogurt 0% about 10 g, a large egg about 6 g, firm tofu about 15 g per 100 g, and a 30 g scoop of whey about 24 g. Nuts, cheese and nut butters look like protein foods but deliver far more fat than protein, so they shouldn't be the protein source of a meal.
Questions about the protein calculator
Is this much protein safe?
For healthy adults, studies at intakes of 2.2–2.8 g/kg found no harm to kidney function. Clients with an existing kidney condition are a medical case and should get their targets from a doctor or dietitian.
Should I use current weight or goal weight?
Current weight for most clients. For clients carrying a lot of body fat, pick "high" in the body-fat field: the calculator then uses an adjusted weight, which gives a realistic number that still protects muscle.
Does it work for vegetarian and vegan clients?
The target is the same, with the top of the range recommended because plant proteins are a little less digestible and lower in leucine. Soy foods, seitan, legumes and a protein powder usually get there; eggs and dairy make it easy for vegetarians.
Can a client get the protein from shakes?
A shake is fine to fill a gap, but two or three real meals built around whole-food protein work better for satiety, micronutrients and habits. Use whey to top up a low meal, not to replace meals.