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How Much Protein Should I Eat?

How Much Protein Do I Need Each Day?

August 3, 2011

If you're wondering how many grams of protein a woman should consume per day, there's no cut and dry answer. It depends on your weight, your activity level, and whether or not you're pregnant. There's an easy way to calculate the number of protein grams that's right for you. Just take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2 to figure out your weight in kilograms. Then multiply that number by 0.8 (not very active) through 1.8 (extremely active), depending on how much exercise you get. As a general guideline, the USDA's RDA for protein for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. The USDA's average requirement of protein for women ages 31-50 is 46 g/day. But, as you can see from this chart, you'll need to up that if you keep an active life; you should also increase protein intake if you are pregnant or nursing.

Check out the chart below to see how much protein you should be eating each day. If you don't see your weight, just use the formula above to calculate your daily protein. See the chart after the break!

Weight in pounds	Weight in kilograms	Protein per day if you're not very active (kg multiplied by 0.8)	Protein per day if you're active or pregnant (kg multiplied by 1.3)	Protein per day if you're extremely active or in training (kg multiplied by 1.8)
100 lbs	45.5 kg	36.4 g	59.2 g	81.9 g
105 lbs	47.7 kg	38.2 g	62 g	85.9 g
110 lbs	50 kg	40 g	65 g	90 g
115 lbs	52.3 kg	41.8 g	68 g	94.1 g
120 lbs	54.5 kg	43.6 g	70.9 g	98.1 g
125 lbs	56.8 kg	45.4 g	73.8 g	102.2 g
130 lbs	59.1 kg	47.3 g	76.8 g	106.4 g
135 lbs	61.4 kg	49.1 g	79.8 g	110.5 g
140 lbs	63.6 kg	50.9 g	82.7 g	114.5 g
145 lbs	65.9 kg	52.7 g	85.7 g	118.6 g
150 lbs	68.2 kg	54.7 g	88.7 g	122.8 g
155 lbs	70.5 kg	56.4 g	91.7 g	126.9 g
160 lbs	72.7 kg	58.2 g	94.5 g	130.8 g
165 lbs	75 kg	60 g	97.5 g	135 g

Based on the numbers above, do you already get enough protein per day?

Source: Thinkstock

18 Comments

sunnyt47165 1 year 31 weeks

I'm new to this site, but it sounds just like what I need. I'm 68 just diagnois with diabetes and I'm a kidney transplant patient. I would really like to see some diet that would help keep me from going on insulin. Any ideas or suggestions would really be helpful. Thanks , Sunny

runswimmerrun 1 year 41 weeks

I had a friend that went on a low carb. high (animal) protein diet. She lost a lot of weight, but was hospitalized for about 3 weeks during the diet because he liver failed. I have a feeling she was basically only eating meat, and nothing else. Of course it is an extreme case, but I think some one asked what might happen if you consumed too much protein.

awesomepants 1 year 41 weeks

^I'm with ya sister.

KACIEJPC 1 year 42 weeks

WHOA... i am NOWHERE near close =( depressing... and here I though I had made improvements.

2 years 1 week

it is very helpful for our school project

esanchez 3 years 31 weeks

ok so I go to school in the morning, come home and workout for about an hour and a half, then go to work for 8 hours loading airplanes, so it's pretty strenuous work. I wouldn't call my workouts intense, but I work out 5 times a week as well as all that other stuff. So my question is, does this constitute an "extremely active" lifestyle? Should I be eating .54 grams of protein per pound of body weight?

3 years 32 weeks

It is possible to overtax your kidneys with protein, but as long as you stay hydrated and active, you should be okay. However, it is possible to take too many amino acids, and i will tell you, it is not a fun experience. So if you are consuming mass amounts of protein everyday, try to drink .5 oz of water per pound of body weight, .66 if you are taking any other supplements as in creatine or anything of that nature. I hope this helps otionfrost.

3 years 37 weeks

vadim, everything you say is so true! I am a new vegan just starting to research veganism. I just wish I would have started this years ago. I am so excited to start feeling healthy and alive!

3 years 44 weeks

I dont want to scary you, but the more meat/diary you eat the more acid your body becomes, and in order to bring it back to normal (ph7.3-7.6) slightly alkaline state it uses calcium from the bones and teeth. First when the doctor says that u have calcium insufficiency, you already will know what is the cause. And second please make some research about under what conditions the words diseases appear (cancer and so on) and why the cells start overgrowing. It's not the amount of protein that matters but the type, if ur a vegetarian you will not be able to eat more than 60-80g of proteins per day (due to a very smart balance of nutrients in the beans and soy which are known to be the most rich in proteins) - this was done on purpose, we are vegs by nature and we should be eating no more than 30-60g (the chart is quite good), but since the introduction of other foods that are not designed for us into our diet we discovered all these diseases. Look around, and tell me what other animals have diabetes, cancers and so on, only the ones that we keep around our house and which we feed as we think we should. Go into nature and start changing the diet of a monkey from the forest, you will see that it will start developing all the diseases possible. Look at the books such as "The china study" or the "there is cure for diabetes" and see the research figures that prove my words. Food is our best drug! I hope one day kids will be taught nutrition guidelines in schools, because no matter if ur very smart and intelligent if you have a migraine your smartness and ingenuity is useless. Try to research and spread the word - i am doing it already, we deserve to be healthy!!!

3 years 47 weeks

The RDA of protein is the MINIMUM for decent survival and is far from OPTIMAL. Forget about counting calories and stick to this simple plan: eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and 1 gram of carbs per pound of body weight per day. It is not easy to meet this goal as a vegan but I do it. You can eat as much leafy, fibrous veggies as you like as the calories used trying to digest them is higher than the calories they contain. Even with a sedentary lifestyle this diet will help you reach your optimal BMI. Don't worry about counting carbs and RDA. Just do it and your body will thank you. Please research further if interested.

4 years 5 weeks

It does not "become" fat. Foods do not change food groups when you eat too much of them. Excess can be stored in fat cells and that's certainly not the full extent of overeating from any one particular food.

4 years 9 weeks

yeah its not good eat ingest too much protein. Look up the RDA on it. The dietary allowance will show you how much is too much.

PeachyKeen19 4 years 17 weeks

otionfrost, the answer is that it becomes fat.

raieven 5 years 7 weeks

good to know, thanks!

otionfrost 5 years 37 weeks

does anyone know what happens if you eat too much protein? is it bad?

Giasbash6260 5 years 41 weeks

I probably eat 2 pounds of meat a day, sometimes more: I wonder HOW BAD/GOOD that is for me...hmmm!? I do not eat any fatty gross meats though like pig...