The Resource Library · Tool 03

The Protein
Target.

The one macro to get right before anything else - it protects muscle in a deficit, builds it in a surplus, and keeps you full doing both. This uses the same lean-mass logic applied in coaching.

What it does

Gives you a daily protein target in grams, a working range, and a per-meal breakdown - calculated on lean mass where that's more accurate.

Why it matters

Protein decides whether weight lost is fat or muscle. Get it right and every other imperfection in your diet matters less.

When to use it

Any time your goal or bodyweight changes - and especially before starting a fat-loss phase.

The common mistakes

Dosing protein on total bodyweight at higher body-fat levels and ending up with an impossible target. Obsessing over timing windows before daily totals are even consistent. Buying supplements before fixing meals.

The Hallmark approach

Protein is the non-negotiable macro - we secure it first, calculated on lean mass where that's more honest, then spread it across your real meal pattern. Food first, shakes for convenience, and the target adjusted as your body composition changes.

Loaded your saved details from another tool - edit anything you like.

Weight (kg)

Age (optional)

Body fat (rough guess)

Your goal

Meals per day

Your daily protein target

0 g / day

Calculated on-

Working range-

Per meal-

Calories from protein-

A starting point, not the full picture

These numbers come from proven formulas - but formulas can't see your training history, stress, sleep, hormones or how your body actually responds. Real precision comes from tracking your own weekly data and adjusting. That individualisation is exactly what coaching does.

Read the free guide → Have it managed for you →

A number, not the whole picture

Treat this as an evidence-based starting point, not a prescription. No formula can see the things that genuinely shift your real requirements - sleep quality, stress, hormones (thyroid, cortisol, the menstrual cycle), medication, recovery, how much you move outside training, how accurately you track, and the way your metabolism adapts as your body changes. Two people with identical stats can respond very differently. That gap between the estimate and your reality is exactly what coaching closes - your day-to-day data, reviewed weekly by a human, with targets adjusted from how your body is actually responding rather than what a formula predicted. That’s the HALLMARK standard →

Understand the method

Short answers to the questions that actually matter - the same things I explain to clients.

Why calculate on lean mass at higher body fat?

Protein feeds muscle, and body fat doesn't need it. At higher body-fat levels, dosing per kilo of total weight produces inflated, impractical targets - so we calculate on your estimated lean mass instead. It's more accurate, more achievable, and it's the method used with real clients.

What does 90-110g even look like in food?

Roughly: a chicken breast is 35-40g, a tin of tuna 25-30g, 3 eggs about 19g, a scoop of whey 20-25g, 250g of Greek yoghurt around 25g. Most people hit their target with one protein-anchored portion per meal plus one snack - it's less food than it sounds.

Does the timing and spread really matter?

Total daily protein matters most - hit that first. The spread is the refinement: roughly 0.3-0.4g per kg per meal across 3-5 meals keeps muscle-building signalling topped up through the day, which matters a little more the older you get and the harder you train.