Important Disclaimer

Your body doesn’t respond to protein endlessly. It responds once a minimum amount and quality is reached in a single meal. This minimum is called the muscle activation threshold, often referred to as the leucine threshold. When a meal reaches this threshold, your muscles “switch on” and begin repairing and building tissue. Eating far more protein in that same sitting does not multiply the activation signal. However, slightly higher protein amounts can support whole-body needs beyond muscle alone. Because of this, protein needs are not just about daily totals. They are also about how much protein you get in one sitting.

We estimate a healthy reference weight from your height using a standard BMI guideline.

This prevents over- or under-estimating protein needs, particularly when body fat is higher or lower than average. It is simply a dosing reference, not a judgment of health. If your BMI exceeds the reference range, calculations use a conservative lean-adjusted weight to avoid overstating protein requirements.

Your daily protein needs change with:

• Age
   
• Activity level
   
• Training load
   
• Illness or frailty
   

As we age, muscle becomes less responsive to protein, a process known as anabolic resistance. This means slightly higher protein quality or dose may be required to achieve the same muscle response seen in younger adults.

Your daily protein range (grams per day) ensures you are supporting:

• Muscle repair and growth
   
• Connective tissue and skin turnover
   
• Gut lining renewal
   
• Immune function
   
• Enzyme and hormone production
   
• Healthy aging physiology
   

Muscle protein synthesis happens meal by meal, not in one large daily total.

Each meal must contain enough high-quality protein to reach your leucine target:

• Age ≤39: ~2.2 g leucine
   
• Age 40–59: ~2.5 g leucine
   
• 60+ active: ~2.8 g leucine
   
• 60+ sedentary or frail: ~3.0 g leucine
   

Leucine acts as the biological “signal” that switches on muscle building. Once that threshold is reached, muscle activation begins. However, consuming somewhat more protein per meal may help support total tissue needs beyond muscle alone.

Your “Precision Scoop Dose” shows a range for a reason.

• The lower value meets your leucine (muscle activation) threshold.
   
• The upper value optimizes total protein intake for whole-body health and aging support.
   

This reflects both:

• Activation (signal)
   
• Substrate availability (building material)
   

Different protein flavours contain slightly different protein concentrations per scoop. Because leucine is proportional to protein content, some flavours may require a slightly larger scoop amount to reach the same muscle activation threshold. The calculator adjusts automatically.

Whole foods should always form the foundation of your diet: Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and nuts.
 

Protein powder is a supplement, not a replacement. TLC PureProtein is designed to:

• Help you consistently reach your per-meal activation target
   
• Support your daily protein intake
   
•  Simplify dosing when whole foods aren’t convenient
   

Think of protein intake in three layers:

1. Activation — reaching the leucine threshold per meal
    
2. Optimization — adequate protein per sitting for whole-body support
    
3. Total sufficiency — meeting your daily grams per kilogram target
    

This calculator brings all three together in one clear plan.