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How much protein in grams do I need at 103 kg on 1,000 kcal a day?

Asked 16 Sept 2025Modified 8 months agoViewed 9.6k times
3

The particulars: 103 kg · 1,000 kcal.

I would rather understand the derivation than memorise the outcome.

Two people I asked gave two answers that differ by a factor of ten, which is suggestive.

What is the general form of this calculation?

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NT
askedn_takahashi29k3816 Sept 2025
4Worth adding the rate of loss, because most of this tracks it. – b_delacroix 4 months ago
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5 Answers

Accepted answer first, then by votes
46

Accepted answer

165 to 227 g a day. The range the resistance-training literature supports is 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram, which at 103 kg is 165–227 g. At 4 kcal per gram that is 659–906 kcal, or 66–91 per cent of a 1,000 intake — which is why protein has to be planned first at this energy level rather than fitted in afterwards. Split it across three or four servings; roughly 0.4 g/kg per meal saturates the synthetic response and the surplus in one large serving does not carry over.

Worth being precise here: the relevant physiology is the per-meal saturation of the synthetic response, which is why one large serving does not substitute for three moderate ones.

High protein intakes do not damage healthy kidneys in the published evidence; existing kidney disease is a genuine exception and is a clinical question.

A practical construction: 30 to 40 grams at each of three meals plus a 20 to 30 gram snack covers most targets without any protein powder at all.

Systematic reviews of high-protein intake in people with normal renal function have not found evidence of harm to kidney function.

The caveat is that anyone with chronic kidney disease has a genuinely different protein calculation and needs it done by a clinician.

Per-meal saturation is real. One enormous serving does not do the job of three.

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answered · acceptedkirsi_lahtinen25k277 Dec 2025
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18

The short version: total daily protein first, per-meal distribution second, timing a distant third.

The leucine threshold for triggering the response is around two and a half to three grams per meal. Thirty grams of most animal protein reaches it; thirty grams of many plant proteins does not, which is why plant-based targets run higher.

The underlying point is that older adults need more per meal to overcome anabolic resistance, with 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg daily commonly quoted for maintenance and more in a deficit.

Leucine threshold effects are documented across protein sources and explain the difference in per-serving requirements between animal and plant proteins.

Targets are population estimates; individual requirements vary and there is no cheap way to measure yours.

Plant-based patterns need a higher total and more attention per serving.

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AN
answeredamara_nwachukwu20k2726 Nov 2025
12

This is one of the better-evidenced areas in nutrition and the disagreements are about the top of the range, not the bottom.

Appetite suppression makes protein-rich foods harder to eat because they are satiating. Liquid protein and leaner, less voluminous sources are the usual practical workaround.

Per meal, roughly 0.4 grams per kilogram saturates the synthetic response in most adults, which is about 30 to 40 grams for a typical person. Beyond that the surplus is oxidised or used for other purposes rather than adding to synthesis.

Nothing here is dietetic or medical advice.

Healthy kidneys tolerate this fine. Diseased ones are a clinical question.

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TI
answeredteodora_ilic17k2715 Nov 2025
5Thank you — reframing progression as maintained performance was genuinely useful. – ilaria_bertone 5 months ago
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10

Protein is also the most satiating macronutrient per kilocalorie, which makes hitting the target easier than it sounds once it is prioritised.

Use reference or adjusted body weight rather than total weight where adiposity is substantial: a common approach is ideal body weight plus a quarter of the excess, which avoids targets that no one could eat.

Plan protein first in the day; with suppressed appetite it will not happen otherwise.

edited 26 Nov 2025 by sian_llewellyn — updated for the 2026 guidance change

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SL
answeredsian_llewellyn65k1474 Nov 2025
8Is the twenty-five per cent figure from surgical cohorts or from dietary ones? – fib4_reader 10 months ago
Confirming that maintaining load rather than adding it is the realistic goal in a deficit. – RP_C18 2 months ago
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7

Answer first: aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of reference body weight per day, distributed across three or four servings, and treat it as the first constraint on the day rather than the last.

Hydration requirements rise modestly with protein intake because urea excretion increases, which is a real effect and a small one.

1.6 to 2.2 g/kg of reference weight, split three or four ways. That is the answer.

edited 10 Oct 2025 by mz_4113 — reworded for clarity after a comment

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M4
answeredmz_4113101k35823 Sept 2025

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