How much protein do you actually need?

The range, and where it comes from

For someone training regularly, the usual guideline sits between 1.6 and 2.2 g per kilo per day. Below 1.6, the muscle kept during a deficit measurably drops. Above 2.2, studies stop finding an additional benefit.

Someone sedentary needs far less — around 0.8 g/kg covers basic needs. The higher range exists because training damages muscle, and repair costs material.

Per kilo of what, exactly

This is where most calculators go wrong. They apply the ratio to TOTAL weight, which means two people of the same weight get the same target regardless of how much of that weight is fat — and fat does not need feeding.

The defensible version applies it to LEAN mass. For a lean person the two barely differ; for someone with a lot of fat to lose, total weight can overshoot the real need by a third. Camaleo computes it on lean mass for that reason, and floors the whole plan at your basal rate.

Spread across the day, within reason

Three to four servings of 25 to 40 g work better than one large one. The body uses protein for repair over a window, not in a single sitting.

That said, the daily TOTAL carries most of the effect. If a day ends short, do not build an elaborate schedule — just get the total closer tomorrow.

What it does not do

Protein does not build muscle on its own. Without a training stimulus, a surplus of protein is just calories, and calories accumulate.

And more is not better past the range. Very high intakes have not shown harm in healthy people, but they have not shown benefit either — they mostly displace carbohydrate, which is what fuels the sessions that make the protein useful.

One exception worth naming: if you are under medical follow-up for your kidneys, protein targets are a question for your doctor, not for an app. Camaleo applies that rule before any calculation.