Is more protein always better?

Not always. Past a useful range, extra protein has diminishing returns. A practical approach is to pick a target you can hit consistently, then adjust calories first if your weight trend is off.

Should protein change on rest days?

Usually no. Keep protein per day fairly consistent across training and rest days. If you need to adjust intake, change calories (often carbs or fats) before changing protein.

Does protein need to be evenly split across meals?

It does not need to be perfect, but an even split makes it easier to hit your daily target and get enough protein per meal. If you eat fewer meals, each meal will need more protein.

How much protein per day do I need for cutting?

For a cut, this calculator uses higher protein targets than maintenance to help preserve lean mass. Choose minimum-effective for adherence, or performance if you train hard and want a more aggressive target.

How much protein per meal should I aim for?

Use the protein per meal numbers this tool gives you for 3 to 5 meals. If the per-meal number feels too high, increase meals per day or choose the minimum-effective mode.

Free toolProtein per dayProtein per meal

Protein Calculator for Vegetarians

Use this protein intake calculator to estimate protein for cutting, maintenance, or bulking. Get a protein range and a daily protein target (g/day), plus protein per meal for 3 to 5 meals. Enter your body weight in lb or kg, and add body fat % (optional) to base the calculation on lean mass. After 14 days, keep protein steady and adjust calories by 100 to 200 per day if your weight trend is off.

Methods & assumptions

This variant focuses on Protein Calculator for Vegetarians.

This tool returns a protein range (g/day), a chosen daily target (midpoint), and protein per meal for 3 to 5 meals.

Protein range: a practical low-to-high range for your goal and mode.
Chosen target: the midpoint of the selected range (easy default).
Protein per meal: a simple split across your selected meal count.

We calculate targets in grams per kilogram (g/kg) using your weight. If you enter body fat %, we estimate lean mass and apply targets to lean mass instead of total body weight.

Convert body weight to kilograms (1 lb = 0.4536 kg).
If body fat % is provided, estimate lean mass using the formula below.
Apply the g/kg targets for your goal and target mode.
Choose the midpoint, round to whole grams, then split across meals.

Lean mass (if body fat % is provided)

Lean mass (kg) = weight_kg * (1 - bodyFatFraction)

Unit conversion

1 lb = 0.4536 kg.

Protein targets by goal (g/kg)

Goal	Minimum effective	Performance
Cut	1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)	2.2-2.6 g/kg (~1.0-1.2 g/lb)
Maintain	1.6-2.0 g/kg (~0.7-0.9 g/lb)	1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)
Bulk	1.6-2.0 g/kg (~0.7-0.9 g/lb)	1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)

Cut

Minimum effective1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)

Performance2.2-2.6 g/kg (~1.0-1.2 g/lb)

Maintain

Minimum effective1.6-2.0 g/kg (~0.7-0.9 g/lb)

Performance1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)

Bulk

Minimum effective1.6-2.0 g/kg (~0.7-0.9 g/lb)

Performance1.8-2.2 g/kg (~0.8-1.0 g/lb)

We choose the midpoint of the selected range, round to whole grams, and round per-meal protein so the meals sum to the daily target.

Minimum effective uses a lower range that is easier to hit. Performance uses a higher range.

Diet style does not change the math, only the food examples.