Every few months someone asks me the same question with a slightly panicked look on their face: “Am I even eating enough protein?” Usually they’ve just watched a video telling them to hit 200g a day, done the maths against their actual diet and realised they’re nowhere close.
Most of the time, they’re not as far away as they think. The real number is normally nowhere near as dramatic as social media makes it sound.
Where the confusion comes from
Two very different figures get thrown around, and people mix them up constantly.
The UK government’s Reference Nutrient Intake for protein is around 0.75g per kilogram of body weight. That’s the general recommendation for adults. It isn’t a muscle-building target for someone training in the gym several times a week.
Research looking at people lifting weights gives us a more useful figure. A 2018 review covering 49 studies and more than 1,800 participants found that the extra muscle-building benefits appeared to level off at around 1.6g per kilogram per day.
For most people who lift weights regularly, 1.6g per kilogram is a strong starting target. Anywhere from 1.6–2.0g per kilogram will cover most people without sending the target through the roof.
If you weigh 80kg, that means around 128–160g per day. There is no need to turn 128g into a hostage negotiation either. Call it 130g and move on.
How to work out your protein target
Start by multiplying your weight in kg by 1.6.
For example:
- 60kg = around 96g per day
- 80kg = around 128g per day
- 100kg = around 160g per day
If you’ve got quite a bit of body fat to lose, using your current weight can give you a ridiculous protein target. Use a realistic target weight instead.
If someone weighs 120kg but is aiming for 90kg, calculate it from 90kg. That gives them roughly 145g per day rather than 192g, which is much easier to manage and still plenty.
If you have kidney disease or have been advised by a doctor or dietitian to limit your protein intake, follow their advice rather than using a general number from a blog.
Why more is not automatically better
I’ve coached plenty of people who thought more protein simply meant more muscle. It doesn’t work like that. Past a certain point, pushing it higher gives you very little extra. It’ll just make your shopping bill bigger.
It can also make the rest of your diet awkward. If protein takes up a huge amount of your daily calories, you have less room for carbs, fats, fruit, vegetables and foods you actually enjoy. Training still does the heavy lifting. Protein just backs it up.
Does the target change during fat loss?
When you’re losing fat, protein helps you hold on to the muscle you’ve already built. For most people dieting and lifting weights, the same 1.6–2.0g per kilogram range works well. If you’re dieting hard or already fairly lean, aim closer to 2.0g per kilogram.
Protein can make meals more filling, but it doesn’t cancel out calories. A protein bar containing 250 calories still contains 250 calories. Putting “protein” on the wrapper doesn’t make those calories disappear.
If you want to improve your body composition rather than simply make the scale lighter, I’ve covered that in more detail in Can You Build Muscle While Losing Fat?.
What it looks like across a normal day
Your total for the day matters far more than perfect timing. Once you’re hitting that fairly regularly, split it across three to five meals and you’ll be grand. For most people, that means roughly 25–40g in each main meal.
You don’t need to eat every two hours, and you haven’t wasted your workout because you didn’t drink a shake in the changing room within 20 minutes.
What I see far more often is someone eating very little protein at breakfast and lunch, then trying to rescue the whole day with an enormous dinner.
For a 75kg person aiming for roughly 120g per day, it could look like this:
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt, fruit and a scoop of whey, around 30g
- Lunch: chicken wrap with salad, around 30g
- Dinner: lean beef mince, potatoes and vegetables, around 40g
- Snack: cottage cheese, milk or another yoghurt, around 20g
That is around 120g without eating six times, carrying tubs of chicken everywhere or making food your second job.
Do you need protein powder?
Protein powder is a handy way to add protein without preparing another meal. That’s really all it is. If you regularly finish the day 20–25g short, a scoop of whey or a plant-based protein powder can make life easier.
You still want most of your protein coming from proper meals. They’ll fill you up more and give you more nutrients as well. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils and seitan can all help you get there.
If most of your diet is plant-based, mix up your protein sources across the day and consider a plant-based protein powder if you’re struggling to hit your target.
Pick a sensible target and leave it there
Once you’ve got a sensible target, work it into meals you can actually repeat and leave it there. Another 12g of protein was never what was holding your results back.
If you want help setting up the rest of your nutrition, download my free Fat Loss Blueprint. It shows you how to set your calories, organise your meals and build a plan you can actually stick to.
