"How much protein should I eat?" is probably the question your clients ask most, and the internet answers it with everything from 0.36 grams per pound to "one gram per pound, minimum". Both numbers come from somewhere real. They just answer different questions. Here is what the research actually supports, goal by goal, with the numbers in grams per kilogram and per pound.
The short answer, by goal
- Healthy adult, not training: 0.8 g/kg (0.36 g/lb). That is the RDA, set to prevent deficiency, not to build muscle.
- Training regularly: 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg (0.64 to 0.9 g/lb), from the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand (Jäger et al., 2017).
- Building muscle: 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg (0.73 to 1.0 g/lb). In Morton and colleagues' 2018 meta-analysis of 49 studies, gains in lean mass leveled off around 1.6 g/kg, and 2.2 g/kg covers people who respond above average.
- Losing fat while keeping muscle: 2.3 to 3.1 g per kg of lean mass (Helms et al., 2014). Needs go up in a calorie deficit.
- Over 65: 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, and at least 1.2 g/kg for those who train (PROT-AGE study group, 2013).
Want the number for one specific client? Our free protein calculator takes weight in pounds or kilos, the goal, and optionally body fat, and gives grams per day and per meal.
Where "one gram per pound" comes from
One gram per pound is 2.2 g/kg, the top of the muscle-building range. As a gym rule it is not wrong, it is just generous. For a 180 lb client, 1.6 g/kg is about 130 g a day and 2.2 g/kg is about 180 g. If hitting 180 g makes the diet miserable, 130 to 150 g gets nearly all of the benefit.
Clients with a lot of body fat
For a 280 lb client with 40% body fat, "one gram per pound" means 280 g of protein, which is far more than their muscle needs and hard to eat. Two practical options: calculate from lean mass (the calculator does this when you enter body fat) or use their goal weight. If you don't know their body fat yet, a tape measure and the US Navy body fat calculator give you a usable estimate in two minutes.
Per meal matters more than people think
Muscle protein synthesis responds to each feeding. Schoenfeld and Aragon (2018) suggest about 0.4 g/kg per meal across at least four meals, which lands most people at 20 to 40 g per sitting. In practice, the client who eats 15 g at breakfast and 90 g at dinner usually does better by moving some of that dinner to the morning, not by adding more.
Food first, shakes to fill the gap
Meat, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, beans and lentils cover most of the target. Whey is useful when real food doesn't close the gap, not as a replacement for it. A quick reference for planning:
- Chicken breast, cooked, 4 oz (113 g): about 35 g protein
- Greek yogurt, plain nonfat, 1 cup: about 23 g
- Eggs, 3 large: about 18 g
- Lentils, cooked, 1 cup: about 18 g
Values are typical label figures; check the brands your client actually buys.
Is high protein safe?
In healthy people, studies with intakes up to around 3 g/kg per day have not shown harm to kidney function. Clients with kidney disease, diabetes with kidney involvement, or who are pregnant need their doctor or dietitian to set the number. That is also the line for us as trainers: we give evidence-based ranges, and the clinical cases go to the clinician.
Tracking it without nagging
Knowing the target is the easy part. Hitting it every day is where clients slip. In Trainer Connect the client logs meals, including by photo, and you see protein and calories for the day next to their training, in the same app. The client app works in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and the free plan covers one client.
Create your free account or run the numbers first in the protein calculator.
References: Institute of Medicine (2005), Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy and Macronutrients. Jäger R et al. (2017), "International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise", JISSN 14:20. Morton RW et al. (2018), British Journal of Sports Medicine 52(6). Helms ER et al. (2014), International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 24(2). Bauer J et al. (2013), PROT-AGE Study Group, JAMDA 14(8). Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA (2018), JISSN 15:10.