Most adults need between 0.36 and 0.91 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, depending on activity level, age, and goals. The low end (0.36 g/lb) is the bare minimum to avoid deficiency, while the higher end supports muscle growth, athletic performance, or healthy aging. Your ideal number falls somewhere in that range based on what your body is doing right now.
The Minimum: 0.36 Grams Per Pound
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, which works out to about 54 grams a day for a 150-pound person. This number is easy to misunderstand. It’s not a target for optimal health. It’s the minimum intake needed to prevent protein deficiency in a sedentary adult. Think of it as the floor, not the ceiling. Most people who exercise, want to lose fat, or are over 65 will benefit from eating well above this amount.
Building Muscle: 0.55 to 0.91 Grams Per Pound
If you lift weights or train for endurance sports, your protein needs roughly double or triple compared to the RDA. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram per day for exercising individuals looking to build or maintain muscle. That translates to about 0.64 to 0.91 grams per pound.
Mayo Clinic Health System places the range for people who regularly lift weights or train for running and cycling events at 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg (0.55 to 0.77 g/lb). These numbers are consistent across most sports nutrition guidelines. A widely cited recommendation for both endurance and strength athletes is 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound per day.
The practical takeaway: a 180-pound person training consistently would aim for roughly 100 to 145 grams of protein daily. Going above 0.91 g/lb (2.0 g/kg) is generally considered excessive, with diminishing returns for muscle building and no clear additional benefit for most people.
Losing Fat Without Losing Muscle
When you’re eating fewer calories than you burn, your body can break down muscle for energy alongside fat. Protein intake becomes even more important during a calorie deficit because it helps preserve lean mass. Recommendations for weight loss sit around 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg, or roughly 0.45 to 0.55 grams per pound. For a 150-pound person, that’s about 68 to 82 grams daily.
If you’re combining a calorie deficit with strength training, you may benefit from the higher end of the athletic range (closer to 0.7 to 0.8 g/lb) rather than the weight-loss baseline. The harder you train while cutting calories, the more protein your muscles need to recover and hold onto their size.
Adults Over 65: Higher Needs Than You’d Expect
Aging muscles become less efficient at using dietary protein to repair and grow. This gradual loss of muscle mass, called sarcopenia, starts as early as your 30s but accelerates after 65. To counteract it, researchers recommend older adults consume 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg per day, which is 0.45 to 0.55 grams per pound. That’s 25% to 50% more than the standard RDA.
Meal distribution matters more with age, too. Evidence suggests older adults should aim for at least 25 to 30 grams of protein at each main meal to cross the threshold that triggers meaningful muscle repair. Spreading protein evenly across three meals is more effective than eating most of it at dinner, which is a common pattern for many people.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Protein needs increase gradually during pregnancy. Early pregnancy calls for about 0.37 g/lb (0.82 g/kg), rising to roughly 0.45 g/lb (1.0 g/kg) by the third trimester as the baby’s growth accelerates. During breastfeeding, the recommendation climbs to about 0.50 g/lb (1.1 to 1.2 g/kg) to support milk production while maintaining the mother’s own muscle and tissue health.
Plant-Based Diets and Protein Quality
Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own, and they’re more easily digested. Plant proteins are typically lower in one or more of these amino acids and slightly less digestible. This doesn’t mean plant-based eaters can’t meet their needs, but it does mean they benefit from eating a variety of protein sources (legumes, grains, nuts, soy) rather than relying on a single one. Some plant-based athletes aim for the upper end of the recommended ranges to compensate for the lower digestibility.
Is Too Much Protein Dangerous?
For healthy people, high-protein diets are not known to cause medical problems. Your kidneys are well equipped to handle protein’s waste products as long as they’re functioning normally. However, if you already have kidney disease, a high-protein diet can accelerate the decline in kidney function because the damaged kidneys struggle to filter the byproducts of protein metabolism.
The more practical concerns with very high protein intake are about what comes along with it. Diets heavy in red and processed meats can raise LDL cholesterol and heart disease risk. Extremely restrictive high-protein diets that cut carbohydrates very low (like the carnivore diet) can lead to inadequate fiber and nutrient intake, causing constipation, headaches, and bad breath. The protein itself isn’t the problem in these cases. It’s the overall dietary pattern.
Quick Reference by Goal
- Sedentary adult (minimum): 0.36 g/lb (0.8 g/kg)
- Weight loss: 0.45–0.55 g/lb (1.0–1.2 g/kg)
- Adults over 65: 0.45–0.55 g/lb (1.0–1.2 g/kg)
- Endurance or strength training: 0.55–0.77 g/lb (1.2–1.7 g/kg)
- Maximizing muscle growth: 0.64–0.91 g/lb (1.4–2.0 g/kg)
- Pregnancy (third trimester): 0.45 g/lb (1.0 g/kg)
- Breastfeeding: 0.50 g/lb (1.1–1.2 g/kg)
If you fall into more than one category (say, over 65 and lifting weights), aim for the higher of the two ranges. These numbers are based on total body weight. If you’re significantly overweight, using your goal weight or lean body mass as the basis for calculation will give you a more accurate target.