We used to think calorie counting was the be-all and end-all of dieting, but in recent years experts have realised it's much more about eating the right types of foods.
High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage right now and for good reason. Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and nails are mostly made of protein and your body uses protein to build and repair tissues.
You also use protein to make enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals and it's an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.
Eating an adequate amount of protein is also essential for weight loss, according to diet experts.
But how much protein should you be eating?
Alexandra Miller, a corporate dietician, says protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer, repairs muscle tissue and ups your energy levels.
And while everyone's body is different, there is a "perfect" amount of protein, that could help you beat the bulge.
“Protein needs are based on body weight or, in some instances, a percentage of calories but as a rule the minimum recommended dietary allowance for protein is about 0.4 grams of protein per pound for women.” Alexandra told Pop Sugar.
But if you're planning on slimming down in 2017, the health expert recommends increasing your protein intake by about 50%.
So to aid weight loss you should be eating 0.54 to 0.68 grams of protein for every pound you weigh, every day.
The average woman in the UK weighs 11st, so that would be a total of 83g to 104g of protein each day.
But what about men? The recommended intake for adults is 56 grams of protein a day, but most men need a lot more than this.
According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes consume 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for an average 180lb man.
Men who exercise five times a week for an hour or longer need around 0.55 gram per pound every day.
While guys who work out three to five days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound.
So the average 180lb guy who hits the gym regularly needs about 80 grams of protein every day
