Most adults do well with roughly 0.8–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with the lower end for sedentary people and the higher end for very active or older adults. For many people, that works out to about 50–110 grams of protein per day, depending on weight, activity level, age, and health.

Quick Scoop

Basic daily target

  • The general Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for healthy, mostly sedentary adults is 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight per day.
  • In calorie terms, major health organizations suggest about 10–35% of your daily calories can come from protein.

Examples in grams

  • If you weigh 60 kg (about 132 lb):
    • RDA level: around 48 g/day of protein.
  • If you weigh 75 kg (about 165 lb):
    • RDA level: around 60 g/day of protein.
  • At 68 kg (about 150 lb), many experts give a practical range of roughly 55–110 g/day , depending on activity and goals.

When you might need more

  • Regular exercise or lifting weights: Many sports-nutrition experts suggest 1.0–1.6 g/kg/day to support muscle maintenance and growth.
  • Older adults (around 65+): Often benefit from 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day to help counter muscle loss with aging.
  • Weight loss / body recomposition: Higher protein within that 1.0–1.6 g/kg/day range can help preserve muscle and control appetite.

Upper safe limits

  • Long-term intakes up to around 2 g/kg/day appear safe for healthy adults, with about 3.5 g/kg/day suggested as a tolerable upper level for well‑adapted people in some research.
  • Consistently going well above 2 g/kg/day without medical supervision may increase risk of digestive, kidney, or vascular issues, especially if you already have health conditions.

How to use this for yourself

  1. Take your body weight in kilograms.
  2. Multiply by:
    • 0.8 if you are mostly sedentary and just want to meet basic needs.
    • 1.0–1.2 if you’re lightly active or trying to lose weight while keeping muscle.
    • 1.3–1.6 if you lift weights seriously, are very active, or are an older adult aiming to protect muscle.
  1. Aim to spread that total across 2–4 meals over the day for easier digestion and better muscle protein synthesis.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.