Let me dispell some crazy myth that perhaps you have heard. A protein diet will not help you maintain weight loss. Your body's primary energy source is Carbs.  50 - 65% of your daily food intake (depending on how active you are) needs to be carbohydrates. Some are better than others of course but we will discuss this another time. So, what about protein. Why do you need it and how much should you eat??

Proteins are the primary component of numerous body tissues. They are the main component of muscle tissue. Protein helps muscle development, increases strength, and improves athletic performance.The most important function of protein is to build up, keep up, and replace the tissues in your body. Your muscles, your organs, and some of your hormones are made up mostly of protein.Proteins are made up of sequences of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids. Our body is able to produce 14 of the 20 amino acids. We have to get the remaining amino acids from the foods we eat.

The truth is, if you eat too much protein, this can actually cause weight gain. The body can't store protein the way it stores energy in fat tissues. Sometimes when someone eats too much protein over a long time, the body will either break down the protein and use it as an energy source or deposit it as fat. If you cut out carbs, the body will 'panic' and begin storing the protein you are eating as fat for a potential future energy source. The moral is, eat a balanced diet!

So how much do you really need? Here is how you can figure that out:

Weight in lbs_____ / 2.2 = ______ weight in kilograms

Weight in Kilograms x 0.8 = ______ protein requirement per day.

so a 140 lb person: 140/2.2 = 63.63kilograms

63.63x 0.8= 50.90grams of protein required per day.

Here's a link of some examples of how much protein is in certain foods:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/highproteinfood.htm

Foods high in protein:Eggs, milk, meat, apricots, avocados, bananas, cherries, dates, figs, nuts, beans, and grapes. Ex. 8 grams in 1 cup of milk

Cheers!