Calculator
Daily protein calculator
Protein needs are worked out from bodyweight, not from calories. That is a different approach from a macro ratio: grams per kilogram rather than a percentage. The tool below does it, and deliberately returns a range - because the scientific literature does not agree on a single figure, and a tool that returns one is concealing that uncertainty.
Result
Daily protein range
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Per kilogram
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Selected goal
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In calories
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Why this is not a single number
The studies behind protein recommendations were run in different populations, with different training protocols and different measurement methods. The result is a widely accepted direction - needs rise as activity and a muscle-gain goal rise - but no single exact figure. A calculator saying "exactly 142 grams a day" is imitating a precision that does not exist. Giving a range stays closer to what the evidence supports.
| Situation | g / kg | Why this range |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary / general health | 0.8 – 1 | The adequacy range for the general population. |
| Regularly active | 1.2 – 1.6 | Exercising a few days a week. |
| Building muscle | 1.6 – 2.2 | A muscle-gain goal alongside resistance training. |
| Retaining muscle in a deficit | 1.8 – 2.4 | Protein needs rise in a deficit; the goal is holding on to muscle. |
The values in the top band apply to people doing resistance training while in a calorie deficit. They do not apply if you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or live with a metabolic condition; in those cases a doctor or dietitian sets the target, not a calculator.
Protein is both grams and calories
Protein carries 4 kcal per gram, so 150 grams of protein uses 600 kcal of your daily total. That shows how a protein target constrains the rest of the macro split: choose a high protein target and the share left for carbohydrate and fat falls automatically. That is why the two pages work together - the macro calculator divides the same calories three ways, and this page tells you whether the protein side meets your goal.
How Cookrange plans against this target
When the app generates a weekly plan it works the protein share out from the protein slice of the balanced ratio (40/30/30). If you are in a deficit and want to hold on to muscle, a target near the top of the relevant band is the sensible choice; regenerate the plan and the new target applies from that moment forward, while meals you already logged do not change. Detail:nutrition and planning.
The concepts: macro tracking,body recomposition,calorie deficit and surplus.
The other calculators
- Calorie and macro calculator — daily calorie requirement (TDEE)
- BMR calculator — basal metabolic rate and the activity multipliers
- Macro calculator — splits calories into grams
- BMI calculator — body mass index
Sources
- Atwater general factors — carbohydrate and protein 4 kcal/g, fat 9 kcal/g.