Protein calculator: how much do you need?
Daily protein from your weight and goal, split into per-meal amounts, and translated into raw grams of real food so you know what to weigh on prep day.
About 28 g per meal across 4 meals (aim 112 g/day).
28 g of protein looks like
| Food (weigh raw / dry) | Raw | Cooked ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | 124 g | 93 g |
| Salmon fillet | 137 g | 110 g |
| Ground turkey 93/7 | 150 g | 113 g |
| Firm tofu | 162 g | 138 g |
| Eggs | 222 g | 222 g |
| Greek yogurt, nonfat | 275 g | 275 g |
| Lentils (dry) | 114 g | 285 g |
| Shrimp, peeled | 140 g | 112 g |
Protein per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central. Cooked weight uses typical yields (see how).
Why protein is the number to plan around
Of the three macros, protein is the one people most often under-eat, and it's the hardest to fix with a snack. Meal prep solves that: once each container holds a fixed amount of protein, the daily total follows. The per-meal figure above is based on research showing muscle building responds best to roughly 0.3–0.4 g of protein per kg of body weight per meal, repeated through the day.
When you build a batch, weigh the protein raw for the whole pot, then divide by the number of containers. Cooked chicken loses about a quarter of its weight as water, so a 150 g cooked portion is not the same as 150 g raw. That mismatch is the most common reason tracked meal prep drifts off target.
To set calories, carbs and fat as well, use the macro calculator. It uses the same protein ranges.
Questions people ask
How much protein do I need a day?
The RDA for healthy adults is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, the minimum to avoid deficiency. For people who exercise, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4–2.0 g/kg. During fat loss, up to about 2.2 g/kg helps preserve muscle. Adults over 65 benefit from at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg.
How much protein should be in each meal?
Research on muscle protein synthesis suggests around 0.3–0.4 g/kg per meal (roughly 25–40 g for most adults), spread over 3–4 meals, works better than one very large serving. That maps neatly onto meal prep containers.
Should I use my current weight or goal weight?
If you have a lot of body fat to lose, use your goal weight (or height-based reference weight); otherwise protein targets run unrealistically high. For most people within a normal weight range, current weight is fine.
Is too much protein harmful?
For healthy adults, intakes up to about 2 g/kg are considered safe in long-term studies. People with kidney disease should follow their doctor’s advice on protein.