How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?

Fitness & Nutrition | Brown Bag Protein Blog

“Am I getting enough protein?” is one of the most common questions in fitness — and one of the most over-complicated. The honest answer depends on your body weight, activity level, and goals, but the science gives us a clear, workable range. Here’s what it actually says.

The short answer

For most active adults, 1.2 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day covers everything from general health to serious muscle building. The International Society of Sports Nutrition puts the sweet spot for building and maintaining muscle at roughly 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for most people who train regularly.

• Sedentary or just starting out: 1.2–1.5 g/kg/day
• Training a few times a week: 1.5–2.0 g/kg/day
• Serious resistance training or cutting calories: 2.0–2.2 g/kg/day

For a 75kg (11st 10lb) person training regularly, that’s roughly 110–150g of protein a day — spread across meals rather than crammed into one sitting.

Why spreading it out matters

Muscle protein synthesis — the process that actually repairs and builds tissue — responds best to protein doses arriving every few hours rather than one enormous serving at dinner. Aiming for 3–5 servings of 20–40g across the day, including one within a couple of hours of training, tends to work better than trying to hit your total in one go.

Where it should come from

Whole foods — meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, tofu — should do most of the heavy lifting. Powders are simply a convenient way to close the gap when a whole-food meal isn’t practical. A scoop of our vegan or whey protein (both sit around 21–22g of protein per serving) is an easy way to hit your number without overthinking every meal, and our 30g sample packs are a low-commitment way to find a flavour you actually enjoy before buying a full 1kg bag.

The bottom line

You don’t need to hit an exact number every single day — consistency across the week matters more than precision on any one day. Pick a target inside the 1.2–2.2 g/kg range based on how hard you’re training, spread it across your meals, and let whole food do most of the work with a scoop of protein filling the gaps.

Sources: ISSN Position Stand: protein and exercise · Examine.com Protein Intake Guide · Healthline