Fitness culture has convinced everyone they're walking around in a protein deficit. Influencers slam 300g a day and act like one missed shake undoes a week of training. For almost everyone, that's overkill.
The number that matters
The research is refreshingly boring. For building muscle and holding onto it while losing fat, aim for roughly 1.6 to 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight per day.
If you weigh 80kg, that's about 128g to 176g of protein a day. Most people get great results sitting near the middle, around 1.8g/kg. Going higher rarely adds much beyond that.
Why "more" isn't better
Your body can only use so much protein to build and repair muscle. Past your target, the extra is just expensive calories. That money and stomach space is better spent on carbs to fuel training, or simply on enjoying your food.
Timing barely matters
The "anabolic window", the panic that you must drink a shake within 30 minutes of training, is mostly a myth. What matters is your total for the day. Spreading protein across 3 to 4 meals is convenient and helps with fullness, but the daily number is the thing.
Easy ways to hit it
- A chicken breast: roughly 35–40g.
- A tin of tuna: about 25g.
- Greek yoghurt (170g pot): around 17g.
- A protein shake: 20–30g.
- Three eggs: about 18g.
Stack a few of those across the day and most people hit their target without thinking about it.
- Aim for 1.6–2.2g per kg of bodyweight.
- Total beats timing. Hit the daily number, whenever suits you.
- More than that isn't dangerous, it's just unnecessary.
Know your number, hit it daily.
MyMacroGo sets your protein target and tracks it at a glance, wherever you eat.