Fitness Freddies / Free help / How much protein you actually need
How much protein you actually need
Most people I coach are not short of a tub of powder. They are short of a number they can hit on a Tuesday, when lunch is a sandwich eaten at the desk and dinner is whatever gets eaten before the evening disappears.
- If you train, a useful daily target is about 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That range is from the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand.
- Split it over three or four meals. One huge plate at night does less than the same protein spread through the day.
- You do not need a perfect diet. You need a repeatable one.
- If you have a kidney condition, agree the target with your GP before you raise protein.
Start with your body weight, not a slogan
Ignore the packet that says "high protein" and ignore the mate who lives on chicken and rice. Weigh yourself, or use a recent figure you trust, and multiply by a number inside 1.4 to 2.0. The ISSN position stand on protein and exercise puts exercising people in that band. Sedentary adults can sit lower. If you lift two or three times a week and you want to keep or build muscle, I use the middle of the band as the working number: about 1.6 grams per kilogram.
That is a coaching target, not a medical prescription. The NHS guide to a balanced diet is the wider picture: protein foods alongside vegetables, potatoes, bread, rice or pasta, and some dairy or alternatives. The gram target tells you whether the protein part of that plate is actually big enough. Round to the nearest 10 grams. You will not weigh chicken on a station platform.
A worked example: 90 kilograms
Take someone who weighs 90 kilograms and trains three days a week. 90 times 1.6 is 144 grams of protein. Here is one ordinary day that lands close to it, using typical label figures rather than laboratory precision.
- Breakfast: three eggs and a 200 gram pot of plain Greek yoghurt. About 20 grams from the eggs and about 20 from the yoghurt. Call it 40.
- Lunch: a chicken wrap with about 120 grams of cooked chicken, plus a piece of fruit. About 35 grams from the chicken.
- Mid-afternoon: a mug of milk and a handful of cheese, or a small tub of cottage cheese. About 20 grams.
- Dinner: a palm-sized salmon fillet or a portion of lean mince, with potatoes and vegetables. About 40 grams.
That is roughly 135 grams. Close enough. If dinner is a takeaway, order the option with a clear protein — grilled chicken, prawns, a bean-heavy curry — and do not pretend the naan counts. If you miss the afternoon snack, a ready-made shake of about 20 to 25 grams fills the hole. The shake is a spare tyre, not the car.
Smaller or larger body, same method. At 70 kilograms, 1.6 grams is about 110 grams. At 100 kilograms it is about 160. Change the portions, not the habit.
Why the split matters more than the brand
Muscle repair is a daily job, not a bedtime one. If 100 grams of your protein arrives after 8pm, the morning and the session itself ran on fumes. Three or four hits of 30 to 45 grams suits most adults who train. Breakfast is the meal people skip, and it is the easiest place to fall short. Eggs, yoghurt, milk on porridge, or last night's leftovers all work. Fancy recipes are optional.
You can hit the number without meat. Eggs, dairy, soya, tofu, lentils, beans and a proper portion of them, not a sprinkle. A lentil soup the size of a side dish is not a protein meal. Check the carton. If a meal has less than about 25 grams, add something rather than hoping the day averages out.
Plant foods often come with more carbohydrate and fibre for the same protein, which is fine. It just means the portion looks bigger. That is not a problem unless you are also trying to eat in a calorie deficit, which is covered in losing fat without losing muscle.
What I would not bother with
Do not buy four different powders. Do not time a shake to the minute. Do not drop carbohydrates to "make room" and then train like a wet paper bag. Protein is one lever. The session, the walk, and the sleep are the others. Sleep and recovery is where a lot of busy parents actually lose the week, not at the protein aisle. Creatine is a separate decision. It is not a protein substitute, and it does not change this daily target.
Questions
Do I have to use a protein shake?
No. Food covers it for most people. A shake is useful when a meal is short, you are travelling, or you cannot face another chicken wrap. Pick a simple whey, milk or soya product with about 20 to 25 grams a serving and a short ingredient list.
Is more protein always better?
No. Once you are inside the 1.4 to 2.0 gram range and you are training, extra scoops mostly become extra calories. Spend that effort on lifting and on sleeping.
What if I do not know my weight?
Use a recent figure, or weigh yourself once in the morning and use that for a month. Chasing a new target every Monday is how people stop tracking anything.
I have a medical condition. Should I just copy the 90 kilogram example?
No. If you have a kidney problem or you have been told to limit protein, speak to your GP before you raise it. The example is general coaching information for healthy adults who train.
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