How much protein do you need?

Why protein matters most

Of the three macronutrients, protein is the one worth getting right first. It supplies the amino acids your body uses to repair and build muscle tissue after training. In a calorie deficit it is protective: without enough protein, a meaningful share of the weight you lose comes from muscle rather than fat, which lowers your metabolic rate and leaves you smaller but no leaner.

Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient and carries the highest thermic effect — roughly 20–30% of its calories are spent digesting it, against 5–10% for carbohydrate and 0–3% for fat. A higher-protein diet therefore makes hunger easier to manage and nudges your daily burn slightly upward.

How much do you actually need?

The government RDI of 0.8g per kilogram is the amount required to prevent deficiency — not the amount that supports training. For anyone lifting weights, the research supports considerably more: around 1.6g per kilogram is where muscle-building benefits plateau for most people, rising to roughly 2.0g per kilogram when you are in a deficit or training hard, where the extra provides insurance rather than additional growth.

Spreading intake across three to five meals, each containing 25–40g, appears slightly better for stimulating muscle protein synthesis than eating the same total in one or two sittings. That said, total daily protein is far more important than its distribution — hit the number first, optimise the timing later.

Is too much protein dangerous?

For people with healthy kidneys, high-protein diets have not been shown to cause kidney damage in the research. The concern originates from patients who already have kidney disease, for whom protein restriction is genuinely prescribed. If you have existing kidney problems, are pregnant, or take medication that affects kidney function, talk to your doctor before substantially increasing your protein intake.