How much protein do you need?
Your weight and your goal set a typical range. Under it is too low, and many people are.
How it works
The typical range is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, from the 2025 to 2030 US Dietary Guidelines. It counts from your weight today. If you have more than a fifth of your weight to lose, it counts from a weight nearer your goal, so a big loss doesn't push the number past what your muscle needs.
Lean people who lift hard while dieting need more. A 2014 review put them at 2.3 to 3.1 g per kg of lean mass, the part of you that isn't fat.
The old minimum, 0.8 g per kg, is the amount that covers basic needs. It was never set for losing fat. In a US national survey of 11,680 adults over 50, intake fell with age, and up to 46% of the oldest ate less than even that.
Your own number
The Gyroscope app personalizes yours. These ranges are there to show you if you're too low. If you have kidney disease, your doctor sets the number.
3 sources
- US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025 to 2030dietaryguidelines.gov
- Krok-Schoen JL, Archdeacon Price A, Luo M, Kelly OJ, Taylor CA. Low dietary protein intakes and associated dietary patterns and functional limitations in an aging population: a NHANES analysis. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 2019pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Helms ER, Zinn C, Rowlands DS, Brown SR. A systematic review of dietary protein during caloric restriction in resistance trained lean athletes: a case for higher intakes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2014pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
