The dose, in research terms
For active people optimizing composition, the evidence clusters around 0.7–1.0 g per pound of body weight daily — the upper range during cuts, the lower during maintenance. Below ~0.6, deficits burn muscle; above ~1.1, healthy kidneys shrug but nothing improves. The macro calculator anchors here first because every other macro decision is downstream.
Distribution and the synthesis window
Muscle protein synthesis responds to doses of 25–50 g, repeated across the day — so 3–5 feedings beat one heroic dinner. The "anabolic window" post-workout is wider than bro-science claimed (hours, not minutes), but total daily distribution still matters enough to structure meals around it.
Hitting it in practice
A palm of meat/fish ≈ 25–30 g; Greek yogurt cups, eggs, whey scoops, and cottage cheese are the fast-fill units. Build each meal around a protein source first, add carbs and fat to the calorie budget, and the macro split assembles itself. Vegetarians: dairy, eggs, soy, legumes plus intentional combining — higher protein targets (top of range) compensate for lower digestibility.