As a Houston in-home personal trainer, I have found that a lot of people are confused about how much protein is needed in a day.











Too much protein in the diet puts a strain on the kidneys but not enough can short-change your muscle requirements if a person is very active or if they are a bodybuilder trying to add mass with weight training workouts. Using protein to help build or repair muscles in the body is a good thing because eventually the increased muscle mass speeds up your metabolism. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will burn to maintain itself.

In plain English, this means that you can eat more and still not gain weight if you have a large percentage of lean muscle in your body. An endurance athlete would need 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight and a strength training athlete would need 1.6 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight. (To determine your weight in kilograms, divide your body weight in pounds by 2.19) For example, A 125 pound woman would be 57 kilograms, and if she was an endurance athlete ( someone who works out reguarly) she would need approximately 80 grams of protein. (57 kilograms X 1.4 grams)  Photo of Sexy Houston Personal  Trainer Melissa in a miniskirt dress.