The essence of the diet is that every day you should eat mostly protein foods - lots of fish, meat and low-fat dairy. All these products are very nutritious, they saturate for a long time, so that you are not bothered by the feeling of hunger. But the body deprived of carbohydrates and fats will start using its own fat stores for additional energy.
The role of proteins in the body
Life without protein is impossible. The importance of proteins for the body lies in the fact that they serve as material for building cells, tissues and organs, forming enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions in the body. Proteins and their role in the body also lie in the fact that they are involved in protecting the body from infections and also promoting the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our life activity is linked to the continuous consumption and renewal of proteins. To balance these processes, protein losses must be replaced daily. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, it does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, meaning you can get protein from food alone.
The duration of the protein diet
Typically, protein-type diets are prescribed in detail for a week or two. The menu is not very diverse: in the second week, if any, experts advise eating the same menu as the first, following the diet from the last day to the first.
Also, nutritionists recommend following a protein diet for no more than 14 days, after which you need to take a break for half a year. Only after that can you resume the course.
Pros and Cons of a Protein Diet
In addition to the usual goal of "reducing weight", a protein diet has other beneficial effects for the body. Namely:
- Improve skin condition. Protein is essential in the body. Thanks to him, your muscles are strong and the skin does not sag. By increasing the protein content in your daily diet, you will ensure your skin looks beautiful.
- Calorie content. Proteins contain almost 2 times less calories than fats. And given the fact that the body needs much more time and energy to process fats, the weight loss process is simply inevitable.
- Toxin removal. Protein helps to remove excess fluid from the body and with it toxins.
- Lack of feeling of hunger. Due to the characteristics of the body and the long assimilation of proteins, the feeling of hunger comes after a long period of time. And since the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger throughout the day.
There are some downsides to a protein diet. Most of them are based on contraindications for certain groups of people. But they cannot be fully attributed to the minuses, because having contraindications to the diet - it makes no sense to sit on it. And if, however, they sat down, then what's the point of complaining?
Thus, the disadvantages of the diet include:
- Constipation. This is a common problem in people on a protein diet. The solution to this problem is the use of large amounts of water or kefir. If it doesn't help, then using a laxative
- Decomposition products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the use of water in the necessary quantities.
- Bad breath
- Diet duration. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to go on a protein diet for more than a month. If you're only dieting as a means of keeping in shape and aren't trying to shed extra pounds, this restriction doesn't apply to you.
This is where the diet cons end. Everything else already belongs to the category of contraindications and should be taken first of all, even before dieting.
protein diet rules
The characteristics of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- every meal is protein combined with other foods,
- all foods must be prepared without fat, your fat rate per day is 30 gr. , That's 1 - 2 tbsp. I. oils like salad dressing
- until 2 pm, it is allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4 - 6 tbsp. I. ,
- you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimal portion) - cucumber, tomato, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- of fruit, give preference to citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (1 - 2 per day),
- drink lots of water (1-2 liters a day),
- you need to eat 4 to 6 times a day, approximately every 3 hours,
- as seasonings, use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic,
- do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet,
- follow the table of protein content in the products,
- the duration of the diet is not more than 2 weeks.
Diet on a protein diet
You need to eat at least 5 times a day, while the last time you can buy food is 3 hours before the lights go out, and breakfast can't start until 30 minutes after waking up. As for the distribution of nutritional components, before lunch you should consume a small amount of carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oatmeal. Also, before lunch, you can eat some fruit. You can consume up to 40 grams of fat a day, which is enough for your body.
How to cook meals with a protein diet
For 7 days, 14 or for a month, the menu, the number of grams per serving, with a protein diet, are not very different.
The first, second and third are invariable components of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The difference is only in the preparation and time to eat.
Soup is the first item on the menu. The base of the soup is a protein broth: fish, meat, poultry. Vegetable supplement of your choice, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are prohibited due to their high carbohydrate content. The lack of noodles and potatoes in the soup will not reduce the flavor of the vegetable soup with protein broth. Any liquid food contributes to weight loss.
For second courses, there are many more options for products to satisfy hunger and at the same time lose weight. Any recipes for dishes consist of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is what to replace the accompaniments? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates and therefore not suitable for any diet. Replace carb side dishes with vegetable dishes. Bake, cook, stew, for every housewife. Just be careful with the seasonings.
Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that are not advisable can be lost in the composition. Using a variety of foods in a diet, the violation of nutrition and the feeling of hunger are not noticeable.
Protein diet menu options
Each day's menu consists of five meals, including enough protein foods to keep the body from feeling hungry. The diet is quite varied, as it consists of the simplest and easiest dishes to prepare.
The diet is designed for one week, with overweight, the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum you can be on a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet for a week (7 days)
Make your diet so that your daily caloric content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide them into 5 meals so that the last one is 3-4 hours before bed. For a week, you can lose 5-7 kg.
| Day | snack | Today's menu |
| 1 day | Breakfast | 3 protein omelet 1 cup kefir (low fat) unsweetened tea or coffee |
| late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gchicken cooked with spices and herbs | |
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100-150gr. baked fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup fat-free kefir |
|
| 2 days | Breakfast | 2 boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 wholemeal bread |
| late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gsteamed meat, tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100 gcanned fish (you can tuna or sardinella), 100-150gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad, 1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%) |
|
| 3 days | Breakfast | Oatmeal with a handful of nuts or dried fruit. tea or coffee |
| late breakfast | Wholemeal bread and low-fat cheese sandwich | |
| Dinner | 100 g of chicken breast, 1/3 cup brown rice tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 fruit, any except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gsteamed fish, 1 cup cooked beans 1 cup kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 4 | Breakfast | 150 g fat-free cottage cheese, Green tea |
| late breakfast | a handful of walnuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | Fish or meat in the oven. Fresh vegetable salad - cabbage, tomato and red pepper. |
|
| Day 5 | Breakfast | Tomato and lettuce salad seasoned with lemon juice |
| late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Broccoli cream soup with pieces of chicken breast. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Cabbage and green pea salad. Roast breast with cheese and tomato (hard cheese) |
|
| 6th | Breakfast | Omelet of 2 eggs and lean ham. Tea or coffee, all without sugar. |
| late breakfast | 1 fruit, any except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gsteamed fish, 1/3 cup of cooked rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Vegetable and meat stew - no more than 200 gr. kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 7 | Breakfast | 150 gr. fat-free cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green tea |
| late breakfast | a handful of walnuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 cup buckwheat (best not to boil, but pour over boiling water and leave overnight) and fish or meat of your choice | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g of meat with lemon and herbs roasted in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and meat seasonings, marinate the meat for 1 to 4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes |
Protein diet number 2 on the menu for a week
Another advantage of a protein diet for very fast weight loss is that you can make a menu at your discretion. There are no strict rules here. The option shown is just an example.
The serving size is around 200-250 gr.
First day: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + cottage cheese |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Litter |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with roasted vegetables |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | empty natural yogurt |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Day Two: Morning, Afternoon, Dinner, Snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + yogurt |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Vegetables (roasted) + veal (meat) |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | kefir |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Fish (baked) and vegetables (natural, no heat treatment) |
Third day: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + two eggs |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Grapefruit |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Roasted turkey thigh + -5 tbsp. brown rice |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Coleslaw + boiled veal |
Day four: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 pcs, oatmeal, best homemade) |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Kiwi (2 pieces) |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Chicken With Asparagus |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | fresh juice |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Seafood and vegetables |
Day five: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | 2 eggs steamed omelet + unsweetened tea or coffee |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Litter |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | fish with bread |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | Ryazhenka |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Chicken + raw vegetables |
Sixth day: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or coffee without sugar |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Roasted Tofu with Vegetables |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | Yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Shrimps with asparagus |
Day seven: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. P. (Breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or coffee without sugar |
| 2 p. P. (2nd breakfast) | Litter |
| 15: 00 (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled meat |
| 4 p. P. (lunch) | Kefir + wholemeal bread |
| 5 p. P. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
Menu products can be safely replaced with equivalents from the permissible table, and proposed dishes can be replaced with similar ones in terms of calorie content and composition. The main thing is to follow the rules: eat fractionally 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of liquid a day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| Breakfast |
|
| second breakfast |
|
| dinners |
|
| afternoon tea |
|
| dinners |
|
The list of allowed products is so diverse that it is not difficult to develop a detailed menu of a protein diet for yourself, there is room for the imagination to "roam". Gradual adherence to a protein diet will allow you to gradually and effectively come off the diet.
protein diet recipes
As you know, a protein diet is based on the total or partial exclusion of carbohydrates from your body. The basis of your diet should be white meat, fish, eggs, dairy products. In more economical versions of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. On a rigid weight loss system, you can't really clarify. For a week, and sometimes more, every day you need to eat only boiled eggs, fish and chicken.
As you understand, the following recipes are more suitable for saving and more diversified in terms of allowed products. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to improve the taste, which deviate a little from the nutritional principles of a strict protein diet.
first meal
egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g of spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs,
- 150ml of milk
- spices,
- salt,
- parsley branch.
Boil the meat in 2-2. 5 liters of water until tender with bay leaves, pepper and herbs de Provence. Remove the meat and cut into cubes. Place the chopped spinach in the broth and boil until tender. Pour the soup, milk into the bowl of the blender, put the meat and chopped eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.
nutritious fish soup
- 400 g fillet of any white fish,
- 1 red onion
- 400 g of cauliflower,
- lemon juice,
- chili,
- salt,
- plain yogurt (optional)
Disassemble the cauliflower, peel, cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Chop the onion into thin half rings. Put everything in a pan, fill with water and cook until tender. Salt, pepper, before serving, if desired, add lemon juice and a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
Soup with chicken meatballs
- 300 g of shredded chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 Tablespoon Bran,
- vegetable broth (from celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 green onion stalks
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix the minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely ground onions, form meatballs the size of a small chestnut. Place the meatballs, bay leaf, 5 grains of black pepper in the boiling broth, bring to a boil until tender. Before serving, garnish the soup with chopped chives.
Results and comments after a protein diet
The results before and after the diet are impressive - in just one week you can lose up to 5 kilos, depending on your starting weight and activity. As protein foods saturate the body well with energy, it is recommended to combine diet with training for maximum effect.
As for the evaluations, they are positive and negative. For many, the diet did not fit - against the background of a lack of vitamins and trace elements, some of those who lost weight developed dizziness and weakness. Despite this, all the people who followed this diet lost weight.
Contraindications of the protein diet
Before this diet, go through a mandatory medical examination, as the protein diet is not allowed for everyone and is completely prohibited:
- with deviations in the work of the heart (with arrhythmias) and any of their diseases,
- hepatitis and any liver disease,
- during breastfeeding and during pregnancy,
- with renal dysfunction
- with joint pain or related illnesses,
- with colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and various other diseases of the digestive system,
- diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
- lasting longer than 4 weeks.
Protein Diet Options
Many modern diets are based on the principle of protein nutrition. Consider the most popular options.
protein-carb diet
Its essence is that protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, that is, on one day you eat exclusively protein foods, on the other you eat complex carbohydrates. This food option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Usually, this diet is used after a purely protein diet to consolidate the result.
Atkins diet
Also known as the Hollywood Diet, it has become a favorite of many Hollywood stars. The basis of nutrition, compiled by Dr. Atkins, is the use of predominantly protein foods, even high-calorie fatty foods are allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.
Dr's Protein DietPierre Dukan
The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is exactly the system of proper nutrition, which must be followed for the rest of your life. According to modern nutritionists, the best diet for weight loss is one that you can comfortably follow without starving yourself, without falling down with weakness, and without obsessing over calorie counting.
Protein Diet Recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this weight loss method, we have compiled recommendations for you, after which you can minimize the negative consequences for your body and benefit only from diet:
- First, don't go overboard on the diet. Remember that measure is necessary in everything: do not completely exclude carbohydrates and fats from the diet. If after a week of dieting you decide to continue losing weight, do not go on this diet for more than a month and take a 2-3 month break.
- Since the 7-Day Protein Weight Loss Diet puts a lot of stress on your kidneys, eat more vegetables.
- Eat at least 4 small meals a day.
- The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
- To avoid problems with stool, observe the water regime - you should drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water a day.
- Do not exceed the daily caloric intake of 1500 kcal.
- Choose quality products! Remember that the quality of food is a very important condition for losing weight.
- If you include eggs in your diet, don't eat more than 4 eggs a day. This is especially true for egg yolks, which consist mostly of fat and raise cholesterol levels.
- Proteins in duet with carbohydrates are better absorbed. When eating cooked chicken breast, add some steamed cauliflower to your plate. But it is better to introduce carbohydrates in the middle of the day, at lunchtime.
- If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscles grow precisely from a load of strength.
- To avoid a nutrient deficiency, it is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss.