How much protein do I need to heal after surgery?

Most people recovering from surgery do well on about 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day — more than the usual everyday amount. Around 1.2 g/kg suits smaller procedures, roughly 1.5 g/kg fits major surgery, older adults or a pressure injury, and up to 2.0 g/kg is used for large or open wounds and severely catabolic states. This calculator turns your weight and situation into a daily target and a per-meal split. It's a guide to discuss with your team or dietitian, not a prescription.

Yes. Protein supplies the amino acids your body uses to rebuild tissue, make collagen and fight infection, so getting enough is one of the most useful things you can do for wound healing. Spreading it fairly evenly across meals — rather than one big serving — helps your body use it. Adequate calories, fluid, vitamin C and zinc matter too.

For most healthy people, eating toward the higher end of this range for a few weeks of recovery is safe. But if you have kidney disease (or liver disease), more protein is not automatically better and can be harmful — you should check with your surgical team or kidney specialist before increasing it. If a target here looks very high, spread protein through the day and confirm the amount with your team.

No. Everything is worked out on your own device and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere. You can print or save your result as a PDF to share with your dietitian or family.