Protein tracking
A protein tracker answers a simple question in numbers: am I eating enough protein for my goal? Calorix is a calorie tracker that doubles as a protein counter app. It sets a daily protein target from your weight and goal, counts the protein in every meal you log, and helps you spread it across the day, whether you follow a high-protein diet or just want a steady baseline.
How Calorix sets your protein target
The rule is short:
- 1.6 g of protein per kg of goal-adjusted weight,
- 2.0 g/kg while you’re losing weight,
- never more than 2.2 g per kg of your current weight, or 35% of your calories.
Goal-adjusted weight is your goal weight when you’re losing or gaining, and your current weight when you’re maintaining. Basing the target on your goal keeps it realistic if you have a lot of weight to lose, since using current body weight can overestimate protein needs for people with obesity (Mozaffarian et al., 2025).
| Situation | Rule | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| Maintaining at 70 kg (154 lb) | 1.6 g × 70 kg | 112 g |
| Losing from 80 kg (176 lb) to 70 kg | 2.0 g × 70 kg | 140 g |
| Gaining from 60 kg (132 lb) to 65 kg (143 lb) | 1.6 g × 65 kg | 104 g |
If your calorie target is low, the 35% cap can bring protein down: on a 1,500 kcal target, protein tops out at about 131 g. That 35% matches the top of the National Academies’ acceptable range for protein, 10 to 35% of calories for adults, as listed in the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines.
To get your own number, try the free protein calculator.
Where these numbers come from
- The RDA. The recommended dietary allowance for adults is 0.8 g per kg a day, and the National Academies are reviewing it (Mozaffarian et al., 2025).
- The Dietary Guidelines. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 set protein goals of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, adjusted to your calorie needs.
- Strength training research. In a meta-analysis of 49 studies, extra protein stopped adding lean mass beyond about 1.6 g/kg a day.
- The upper end. 2.2 g/kg is the upper daily intake reported in that literature (Schoenfeld and Aragon, 2018), so Calorix never goes above it.
- During a deficit. Sports nutrition research suggests higher protein intakes may help people who strength train keep lean mass while eating less (ISSN position stand), which is why Calorix aims a little higher while you’re losing weight.
So the default sits at the top of the federal range, and the weight-loss setting goes a step beyond it. Because that setting uses your goal weight, it works out lower per kg of your current weight: in the example above, 140 g at 80 kg is 1.75 g/kg. For the longer version, read protein targets explained.
Tracking your protein intake meal by meal
A big daily number is easier in pieces. Guidance for active people suggests about 20 to 40 g of protein per meal, spread every 3 to 4 hours (ISSN position stand), and the Dietary Guidelines advise prioritizing protein foods at every meal. With a 140 g target and four meals, that’s 35 g each.
Calorix helps with the planning:
- Know where you stand. Your protein total updates with every meal you log, alongside carbs, fat and fiber in the macro tracker.
- Ask for ideas. Meal ideas are built from your remaining macros, your diet style and your allergies.
- Make staples one tap. Save your usual breakfast as a favorite, add your protein shake as a custom food, and build batch-cooked recipes once with the recipe builder.
- Scan without guessing. A photo scan totals protein from each ingredient, and changing a portion updates your protein too.
- Mix your sources. The Dietary Guidelines encourage a variety of protein foods, from eggs, poultry, seafood and red meat to beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy.
The daily protein challenge
One of Toasty’s daily challenges is reaching 90% of your protein target. Close counts on purpose: 90% is a good day, not a near miss. Completing it earns coins for Toasty’s outfits, and Toasty reacts happily to every meal you log, whatever is on the plate. Your weekly recap shows your adherence and macro trends, so you can see the pattern instead of chasing a perfect day.
If you take a GLP-1 medication
GLP-1 medications can make it harder to eat enough protein, because of reduced appetite or aversions to some foods. A 2025 joint advisory from four obesity and nutrition societies mentions targets of 1.2 to 1.6 g/kg a day during active weight loss, or a simple 80 to 120 g a day. It notes that using actual body weight can overestimate needs for people with obesity, advises against staying at 2 g/kg or more for long periods, and suggests eating protein-rich foods first in a meal.
Our free GLP-1 protein calculator shows those ranges for your numbers, and GLP-1 and protein goes into more depth.
Calorix’s own protein target is designed for general wellness, not around GLP-1 therapy, and nothing here is medical advice. If you take a GLP-1, set your protein target with your prescriber or a registered dietitian.
When to check with a professional
Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before raising your protein if you have kidney disease or another medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or have a history of disordered eating.
Updated October 9, 2026
