How much protein do you need a day?

The EFSA’s reference intake for adults is 0.83 g of protein per kilo of body weight a day. To keep your muscle while you lose weight, or to build it, Evzia suggests more: 1.2 g per kilo to maintain, 1.5 to lose weight and 1.8 to build muscle. At 70 kg, that’s between 84 and 126 g a day.

Work out your protein

How it’s calculated

Your weight times the grams per kilo for your goal, the same ones the Evzia app uses:

1.2 g per kilo to maintain;
1.5 g to lose weight, so you keep your muscle while you lose;
1.8 g to build muscle, with strength training;
and with a BMI of 30 or more, 1.2 g for any goal: a good part of your weight isn’t muscle and more would be too much.

Protein per day = weight (kg) × grams per kilo

Why more than the EFSA’s reference?

For healthy adults, the EFSA sets a reference intake of 0.83 g per kilo a day (2012): it starts from an average need of 0.66 g per kilo and goes up to cover 97.5% of people who aren’t trying to change. When you eat less to lose weight, diets with a bit more protein, between 1.2 and 1.6 g per kilo, help keep your muscle and make hunger easier to manage (Leidy et al., 2015). And with strength training, on average muscle stops growing beyond about 1.6 g per kilo (Morton et al., 2018); the app suggests 1.8, a little above that average.

From age 65 you need a bit more to keep your muscle: the PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kilo (Bauer et al., 2013).

A worked example

A person who weighs 70 kg and is 172 cm tall (BMI of 23.7). They’re a made-up person. They need about:

84 g a day to maintain (70 × 1.2);
105 g to lose weight (70 × 1.5);
126 g to build muscle (70 × 1.8).

The EFSA’s reference intake for their weight is about 58 g (70 × 0.83). A day with about 103 g, close to what they need to lose weight:

A glass of low-fat milk and a slice of toast with 4 slices of Serrano ham for breakfast: 17.8 g.
A bowl of lentils for lunch: 25.3 g.
A small tub of smooth fresh cheese, like quark, and a handful of almonds in the afternoon: 14.7 g.
A grilled chicken breast for dinner: 45.2 g.

Not counting bread, pasta, rice or vegetables, which also add some.

Protein in everyday portions

What each portion has as it’s eaten (cooked or drained), from most to least protein. Values from the 2025 CIQUAL table from Anses, the French food safety agency.

Protein and calories in everyday portions
Food and portion	Protein	kcal
Grilled chicken breast , one chicken breast (150 g)	45.2 g	212
Cooked hake (a white fish) , one fillet (150 g)	31.8 g	168
Cooked lentils , one bowl of lentils (250 g)	25.3 g	313
Cooked chickpeas , one bowl of chickpeas (250 g)	20.8 g	370
Hard-boiled eggs , 2 hard-boiled eggs (120 g)	16.2 g	161
Canned tuna in water , one small can, drained (56 g)	15 g	80
Plain tofu , one portion (100 g)	13.4 g	147
Plain smooth fresh cheese, like quark (2–3% fat) , one small tub (125 g)	9.1 g	95
Serrano ham (Spanish dry-cured ham) , about 4 slices (30 g)	9.1 g	71
Low-fat milk (semi-skimmed) , one glass (250 g)	8.7 g	119
Almonds with skin, unsalted , a handful (30 g)	5.6 g	185
Plain yogurt , one small tub (125 g)	4.8 g	63

To get it right

Use your weight today, ideally in the morning on an empty stomach.
Spread it across your meals: it’s easier to get there with about 25 to 30 g at each than with all of it at dinner.
Count all the protein: the protein in legumes, dairy, bread or pasta adds up too.
If you eat little meat or fish, combine legumes, eggs, dairy, tofu and nuts.
If you have kidney disease, don’t raise your protein without talking to your doctor.
For the calories that suit your goal, continue with the calorie goal calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much protein do I need a day?

The EFSA’s reference intake for healthy adults is 0.83 g per kilo of body weight a day: almost everyone gets enough with it (the average need is 0.66 g per kilo). With a goal, a bit more: 1.2 g per kilo to maintain, 1.5 to lose weight and 1.8 to build muscle with strength training.

Is eating a lot of protein bad for you?

For healthy adults there’s no set upper limit: the EFSA didn’t find enough data to set one and considers twice its reference intake (about 1.7 g per kilo) safe, an amount active people in Europe often eat. If you have kidney disease, follow what your doctor tells you: sometimes you need to eat less protein.

Why does a BMI of 30 or more give less per kilo?

Because with a high BMI a good part of your weight is fat, and protein mostly serves muscle. Multiplying your whole weight by 1.5 or 1.8 would give more than you need, so the calculator uses 1.2 g per kilo for any goal.

What about from age 65?

You need a bit more than when you’re young to keep your muscle: the PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kilo, and more if you exercise (Bauer et al., 2013). What this calculator gives, 1.2 or more, is already in that range.

Do I need protein shakes?

Not if you get there with food: the table on this page has everyday portions with plenty of protein. A shake is just a convenient way to add some, not something you must have.

Evzia does this for you every day from what you log

The Evzia app adds up the protein in everything you log, from a photo or a sentence, and tells you how much you still need today. Your protein goal updates by itself with your latest weight.

Download on the App Store

Android? Coming soon to Google Play. Meanwhile, try it in your browser.

By Alberto López · reviewed on October 10, 2026 · Sources

This is an estimate, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing what you eat.