Your protein target is probably about half of what you think.
Enter your weight, say how you train, and see the number split across four meals.
Two thirds of 3,000 adults surveyed in July 2026 put their daily protein target under 50 grams. For most women who train, the real number is closer to double that. The gap is arithmetic, not discipline.
Three things decide your number: your bodyweight, how hard you train, and whether you actually spread the protein out. The calculator handles all three.
Protein calculator
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SedentaryDesk work, walking, little or no structured training.
Mostly cardioRunning, cycling, classes, three or more sessions a week.
Lifting hardResistance training three or more times a week.
The live calculator
Your daily protein range, split into four meals that sum exactly to your target, with the per-meal floor checked against the ISSN position stand.
The one-page sheet
Printable Letter handout with the three tiers, the food table, and a blank day to fill in. Goes on the fridge, no app needed.
The food table
Ten common Canadian groceries with cooked weights and rounded label protein, so you can build a meal to your number instead of guessing.
Open the calculator
Where should the sheet go?
Add your name and email. The calculator opens straight away and the printable sheet lands in your inbox.
Why breakfast is where this usually breaks
The ISSN position stand recommends spreading protein in doses of about 0.25 g per kg, every three to four hours, rather than loading most of it at dinner. Almost nobody does this. Breakfast comes in at 8 or 10 grams, lunch is a salad, and then dinner tries to carry 60.
Moving protein to breakfast is the single change that fixes the daily total for most people, and it does not cost anything.
The three numbers, and where they come from
How you train
Target
Source
Sedentary
1.2 to 1.4 g/kg
2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines
Mostly cardio
1.4 to 1.6 g/kg
ISSN position stand
Lifting hard
1.6 to 2.0 g/kg
Morton meta-analysis, ISSN
Morton's review of 49 trials and 1,863 people found gains from resistance training kept improving up to about 1.6 g/kg/day, with little added benefit above that. The ISSN range runs to 2.0 g/kg for exercising individuals. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or living with kidney disease, these ranges do not apply to you without medical supervision.
Sources
Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. DOI 10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8. PMID 28642676.
Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608. PMID 28698222.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. Protein intake range of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg/day.
The New Consumer / FoodNavigator-USA, 1 July 2026. Survey of 3,000 adults: two thirds named a daily protein target under 50 grams.