How Much Protein Per Day? NZ Targets by Goal

Most active people land somewhere between 1.4g and 2.0g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That is 98g to 140g for a 70kg person. Sedentary adults need less, hard training and cutting push you toward the top of the range, and everything counts: food first, shakes for the gap. You do not need to hit a magic number to the gram, you need to stop landing 40g short every single day.

Protein targets get argued about endlessly online, but the ranges used by sports nutrition bodies are boringly consistent. The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand puts general exercising adults at 1.4 to 2.0g/kg/day. The baseline recommended intake for sedentary adults sits far lower, around 0.8g/kg, which is a floor for not losing muscle, not a target for building it.

Here is how to turn that into actual meals, with the worked examples people search for.

Daily protein targets by goal

Situation	Guide range	60kg person	85kg person
Sedentary baseline	~0.8g/kg	48g	68g
General training	1.4-1.6g/kg	84-96g	119-136g
Building muscle	1.6-2.0g/kg	96-120g	136-170g
Cutting (keeping muscle)	1.8-2.2g/kg	108-132g	153-187g

Two notes on the table. Cutting sits highest because protein protects muscle when calories drop, and it keeps you fuller per calorie than carbs or fat, which is half the battle on a diet. And the ranges overlap on purpose: precision to the gram is not the point, consistency across the week is.

How much protein per day for a woman?

The same per-kilogram maths, scaled to body weight. A 60kg woman training a few times a week lands around 84 to 96g a day; chasing muscle, 96 to 120g. There is no evidence-based reason to use different multipliers by sex for these goals, and the "women need barely any protein" instinct mostly reflects smaller default portions, not different physiology.

The practical female-specific note is that smaller bodies hit the target with smaller absolute numbers, which makes it very achievable from food plus one shake. The creatine for women guide covers the other half of the most-asked training-supplement questions.

What 100g of protein actually looks like

3 eggs at breakfast: about 19g
200g chicken breast at lunch: about 45g
200g Greek yoghurt as a snack: about 20g
Glass of milk with dinner: about 8g
Running total: 92g, one shake away from any target in the table

That is the entire trick. Meals built around an actual protein source carry you to within one scoop of the target, and a 25g shake closes the gap for about $2.36 at current prices. The protein per scoop guide shows what each stocked tub really delivers per serve, because scoop weight and protein grams are different numbers.

Spread matters a little, too. Protein synthesis responds better to three or four decent hits of 25 to 40g than to a token breakfast and a giant dinner. Do not build a spreadsheet about it; just stop eating 80% of your protein after 7pm.

Can you eat too much protein?

For healthy people, intakes above the ranges here mostly waste money rather than cause harm; research on healthy kidneys has not shown damage from higher protein diets. The practical downsides are budget and crowding out other food. Anyone with kidney disease or under medical dietary management is a different case and should follow their clinician's numbers, not a gym article's.

The other overshoot is the shake-heavy diet. Powders are a top-up, not a food group. If shakes are supplying more than a third of your daily protein, the cheaper and more filling fix is usually meals with more actual food in them.

Hitting the number without hating your life

Anchor every meal on a protein source: eggs, meat, fish, tofu, dairy, legumes.
Batch the boring wins: a bag of chicken thighs and a tub of Greek yoghurt cover half a week.
Keep one whey or plant protein tub for the daily gap. One scoop, done.
Cutting? Read the cutting protein guide for the leanest per-calorie options.
Bulking and can't eat enough? That is the one job of a mass gainer.

Know your number now? Multiply your weight by 1.6 as a starting target, eat food first, and grab a tub from the protein range for the daily 25g the fridge keeps failing to supply. The stack finder can sort the rest of the routine in about a minute.

How much protein per day to build muscle?

About 1.6 to 2.0g per kilogram of body weight daily, alongside progressive training. For an 80kg person that is 128 to 160g. More than that has not shown extra muscle growth in controlled research.

How much protein per day to lose weight?

Aim high in the range, about 1.8 to 2.2g/kg, to protect muscle and stay fuller while calories are down. A 70kg person cutting lands around 126 to 154g. Total calories still decide the weight change; protein decides how much of the loss is fat.

How much protein per day for a 60kg female?

Roughly 84 to 96g for general training and 96 to 120g when prioritising muscle gain. That is normal meals plus one shake, not a chicken-only existence.

Is 200g of protein a day too much?

For most people it is simply more than needed; for a 100kg lifter it sits within the cutting range. Healthy kidneys handle high intakes, but the extra grams beyond the ranges above buy little. Anyone with kidney conditions needs medical guidance.

Sources and health note

This is general sports-nutrition information, not an individual prescription. Body composition, age, pregnancy, and medical conditions change protein needs; a registered dietitian can set a personal target. Product prices referenced were checked 6 August 2026.