How many grams of protein do I need a day?

Multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.54 for the low end and 0.73 for the high end. A 150 lb adult lands at 81–110 g, a 200 lb adult at 108–146 g. Aim at the top of the range if you are over 60, in a calorie deficit, training hard, or on a GLP-1 medication.

Can you eat too much protein?

For healthy kidneys, intakes up to roughly 1 g per pound have not been shown to cause harm in the research. The practical limit is usually appetite and cost. If you have existing kidney disease, protein targets are a question for your doctor rather than a guideline table.

Is plant protein as good as animal protein?

Per gram it is usually lower in leucine and less complete in amino acid profile, so a plant-based diet generally wants the upper end of the range and a mix of sources across the day. Soy, quinoa and buckwheat are the closest single-source matches.

How much protein do you actually need?

The 2026 guidelines nearly doubled the official figure to 0.54–0.73 g per pound. Here is where that lands for your body weight, and the four situations where you should aim at the top of the range.

The AIM teamSeptember 16, 20264 min read

The official US protein recommendation moved in January 2026, from 0.36 g per pound of body weight to a range of 0.54 to 0.73 g per pound. That is nearly double at the top end.

Here is what it means in practice.

The numbers at your weight

Body weight	Low end (0.54 g/lb)	High end (0.73 g/lb)
130 lb	70 g	95 g
150 lb	81 g	110 g
170 lb	92 g	124 g
200 lb	108 g	146 g
230 lb	124 g	168 g

If you are carrying a lot of excess weight, calculate from a target weight rather than current weight, protein needs scale with lean mass, not with total mass.

Why the old number was low

The 0.36 g/lb figure was the RDA, and an RDA is a floor. It is the amount that prevents deficiency in nearly everyone, not the amount associated with the best outcomes.

That distinction got lost for about forty years. People read "recommended" and heard "optimal", when the actual meaning was closer to "you will not get sick at this level".

The new range reflects what the research on muscle retention, satiety and healthy aging has been pointing at for a while.

Four reasons to aim high in the range

You are over 60. Older muscle responds less to the same amount of protein, anabolic resistance. The usual answer is more protein per meal, not just more per day.

You are eating in a deficit. When calories are short, the body will take amino acids from muscle. Higher protein is the main thing that blunts it, along with resistance training.

You are training hard. Especially resistance training. The extra is going somewhere useful.

You are on a GLP-1 medication. Appetite drops, total intake drops, and protein usually drops fastest because it is the least appealing macro when you are not hungry. This one has its own article.

What this looks like on a plate

Rough numbers, so you can eyeball rather than weigh:

Chicken breast, 6 oz cooked, 50 g
Greek yogurt, 1 cup, 20 g
Two eggs, 12 g
Lentils, 1 cup cooked, 18 g
Tofu, firm, 6 oz, 18 g
Cottage cheese, 1 cup, 25 g
Salmon fillet, 6 oz, 40 g

A 170 lb person aiming for 110 g gets there on eggs at breakfast, yogurt as a snack, chicken at lunch and salmon at dinner, without a shake.

One thing to fix in your tracker

If your protein goal was set before 2026, it was almost certainly calculated from the old RDA. Check it against the table above. A goal you are hitting easily every day may just be a goal set too low to mean anything.

Common questions

How many grams of protein do I need a day?: Multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.54 for the low end and 0.73 for the high end. A 150 lb adult lands at 81–110 g, a 200 lb adult at 108–146 g. Aim at the top of the range if you are over 60, in a calorie deficit, training hard, or on a GLP-1 medication.
Can you eat too much protein?: For healthy kidneys, intakes up to roughly 1 g per pound have not been shown to cause harm in the research. The practical limit is usually appetite and cost. If you have existing kidney disease, protein targets are a question for your doctor rather than a guideline table.
Is plant protein as good as animal protein?: Per gram it is usually lower in leucine and less complete in amino acid profile, so a plant-based diet generally wants the upper end of the range and a mix of sources across the day. Soy, quinoa and buckwheat are the closest single-source matches.