Protein Intake Calculator: How Much Protein Do You Need?
Punch in your weight, activity level and goal. We give you a personalised daily gram target, calculate how many tubs of protein powder that means per month, and recommend the best-value products on our catalog to hit your number affordably.
Your details
💰 How many tubs do you need per month?
🏆 Best Value Protein For Your Goal
What This Calculator Does
Most online calculators spit out a single number. Ours gives you a sensible target range, factors in your activity level and goal, then connects that target to the real cost of hitting it with the cheapest tubs we track. The math is grounded in widely cited sports-nutrition research: roughly 0.36g of protein per pound of body weight for sedentary adults, and 0.7g to 1.0g per pound for people who train regularly. Underneath, we apply a small activity nudge for each step above sedentary, plus a goal multiplier that ranges from general health (0.8 to 1.2 g/kg) to athletic performance (1.6 to 2.4 g/kg).
The result is a daily protein target, an estimate of how much you already get from food, and a powder gap to fill. We then take the cheapest product per gram on our catalog right now and calculate exactly how many tubs you would burn through in a month, plus the dollar cost. That makes the number actionable instead of theoretical.
Recommended Protein Per Day (By Goal and Bodyweight)
Use this as a quick cross-check against the calculator. The figures are daily totals in grams, based on common bodyweights and the active-lifter range. Sedentary adults can subtract roughly 30 to 40 percent. Seniors over 65 should aim for the higher end of maintenance to protect muscle.
| Bodyweight | Maintenance | Fat Loss / Cut | Muscle Build / Bulk | Seniors (65+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | 95g | 105g | 115g | 95g |
| 150 lb (68 kg) | 110g | 120g | 135g | 110g |
| 170 lb (77 kg) | 125g | 140g | 155g | 125g |
| 190 lb (86 kg) | 140g | 155g | 170g | 140g |
| 210 lb (95 kg) | 155g | 170g | 190g | 155g |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | 170g | 185g | 210g | 170g |
One caveat for fat loss: when calories drop, protein needs go up, not down. Aiming higher (closer to 1.0g per pound) protects lean mass during a cut. For bulking the opposite is true: extra protein above 2.2 g/kg does not produce more muscle if calories and training are dialled in.
How to Hit Your Number on a Budget
Once you know your daily target, the cheapest path is almost always a 5 lb tub of whey concentrate or a whey blend from a value brand. Our best-value rankings are updated daily and sorted by grams of protein per dollar. As of this week, these four picks deliver the most protein per dollar across the catalog:
A quick rule of thumb: if a tub is delivering fewer than 20g of protein per dollar, you are overpaying compared to the catalog leader. Premium and clean-label brands run 12 to 16g per dollar, which is fine if that is what you want, but unnecessary if your only goal is hitting a daily number.
Common Mistakes
- Counting total powder weight, not protein. A 30g scoop is rarely 30g of protein. Check the label: most blends are 70 to 80 percent protein by weight, isolates 85 to 90 percent.
- Front-loading one big shake. Anything beyond ~40g in a single sitting offers diminishing returns. Spread intake across the day for better synthesis.
- Eating sedentary numbers while training. The 0.36 g/lb US RDA is a survival minimum, not an optimum. Active adults need roughly double that.
- Ignoring food protein. Most adults already get 50 to 70g from a normal diet. Subtract that before you decide how many scoops to take.
- Buying small tubs. Sub-2lb tubs are nearly always 30 to 50 percent more expensive per gram than 5lb tubs. Use the calculator output above to size up.
- Switching products on price alone. A $5 saving means nothing if you stop taking it because it tastes bad. Try a small size first, then bulk up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein do I actually need to build muscle?
Current research points to roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for someone actively building muscle through resistance training. That is about 0.7 to 1.0g per pound of body weight. Going above 2.2 g/kg does not appear to add benefit for most people, even competitive lifters.
How much protein per day for a 150 lb, 170 lb or 200 lb person?
For an active person aiming to build muscle, a 150 lb adult needs about 110 to 150g of protein per day, a 170 lb adult about 125 to 170g, and a 200 lb adult about 145 to 200g. Sedentary adults can hit minimum needs with 55g, 62g and 73g respectively, but most lifters benefit from being well above that floor.
Does protein timing matter?
Total daily protein is by far the most important factor. That said, spreading intake across 3 to 5 meals of roughly 0.3 to 0.4g per kg (around 25 to 40g per meal) appears to maximise muscle protein synthesis across the day better than one or two huge meals.
Can I get all my protein from food instead of powder?
Absolutely. A serving of chicken, fish or lean beef is 25 to 35g of protein; Greek yogurt is 15 to 20g; eggs are 6g each. Powder is just a convenient and very cheap way to fill the gap. Most people use it because hitting 150 to 200g per day from food alone gets expensive and time-consuming.
Is too much protein bad for my kidneys?
For healthy adults, high-protein diets up to about 3 g/kg have not been shown to harm kidney function. The risk applies mainly to people with pre-existing chronic kidney disease, who should follow advice from their doctor or dietitian.
Why does this calculator give a range rather than one number?
Because individual responses vary. Body composition, training intensity, age, and how much muscle you carry all shift your optimum. The lower end of the range is the floor: go below it and you will likely under-recover. The upper end is the ceiling beyond which extra protein does not add value.
How much does it cost to hit a 150g daily protein target?
If you cover roughly 65g a day from food and fill the remaining 85g gap with powder, the cheapest tubs on our catalog work out to about $25 to $35 per month. Premium clean-label whey or isolate runs roughly $45 to $75 per month. Plant protein sits in between. The tubs band above runs that exact calculation against today's catalog leader so you get a real number for your weight.
See top products
All rankings →Top-value pick in each major category, refreshed daily.