The essence of the diet is that every day you need to eat mainly protein foods: a lot of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All these products are very nutritious, they are saturated for a long time, so you will not be bothered by a feeling of hunger. But the body deprived of carbohydrates and fats will begin to use its own fat reserves 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 a material for the construction of cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most of the hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that carry out the most important functions of the organism. Proteins and their role in the body also lies in the fact that they are involved in protecting the body against infections, in addition to promoting the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our vital activity is related to the continuous consumption and renewal of proteins. To balance these processes, protein losses must be replenished daily. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, it does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, that is, you can only get protein from food.
The duration of the protein diet.
Protein-type diets are usually prescribed in detail for one to two weeks. The menu is not very varied: in the second week, if there is one, experts advise eating the same menu as in the first, following the diet from the last day to the first.
Also, nutritionists recommend following a high-protein diet for no more than 14 days, after which you need to take a half-year break. Only after that can you resume the course.
Pros and cons of a protein diet
In addition to the usual goal of "losing weight", a diet rich in protein has other beneficial effects on the body. Namely:
- Improve the condition of the skin. 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 the beautiful appearance of your skin.
- Caloric content. Proteins contain almost 2 times fewer calories than fats. And since the body needs much more time and energy to process fats, the process of losing weight is simply unavoidable.
- Elimination of toxins. Protein contributes to the elimination of excess fluids from the body and, with them, toxins.
- Lack of feeling hungry. Due to the characteristics of the organism 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 few downsides to a high-protein diet. Most of them are based on contraindications for certain groups of people. But they can not be fully attributed to the disadvantages, because having contraindications to the diet does not make sense to sit on it. And if, however, they sat down, what is the use of complaining?
So, the disadvantages of the diet include:
- Constipation. This is a common problem in people following a high-protein diet. The solution to this problem is the use of large amounts of water or kefir. If it doesn't help, then use a laxative.
- Decomposition products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the use of water in the required quantities.
- Bad breath
- duration of the diet. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to follow a high-protein diet for more than one month. If you use the diet only as a means to maintain a fit figure and are not trying to lose extra pounds, then this restriction does not apply to you.
This is where the cons of the diet end. Everything else already belongs to the category of contraindications and should be taken in the first place even before going on a diet.
protein diet rules
The characteristics of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- each meal is protein combined with other foods,
- all foods must be prepared without fat, its rate of fat per day is 30 gr. , this is 1 - 2 tbsp. oils as salad dressing
- until 2 pm it is allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4 - 6 tbsp. me,
- you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimal proportion): cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- of fruits, give preference to citrus fruits or apples without sugar (1 - 2 per day),
- drink a lot of water (1-2 liters per day),
- you need to eat 4-6 times a day, about every 3 hours,
- as condiments, 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 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 afford to eat is 3 hours before lights out, and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after you wake up. Regarding the distribution of nutritional components, before lunch a small amount of carbohydrates should be consumed 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 per 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 an invariable component of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The difference is only in the preparation and the time of eating.
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, sweet pepper, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are prohibited due to their high carbohydrate content. The lack of pasta 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 is much more variety of products to satisfy hunger and lose weight at the same time. Any recipe for dishes consists of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is what to replace the garnishes? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates, and therefore are not suitable for any diet. Replace carbohydrate side dishes with vegetable dishes. Baking, cooking, stewing, for every housewife. Just be careful with the spices.
Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that are not recommended to use can be lost in the composition. Using a variety of foods in a diet, the violation in nutrition and the feeling of hunger are not noticeable.
protein diet menu options
Each day's menu consists of five meals, including a sufficient amount of protein foods so that the body does not experience hunger. The diet is quite varied, while it is made up of the simplest and easiest dishes to prepare.
The diet is designed for a week, with excess weight, 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 up your diet in such a way that your daily calorie content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide them into 5 meals so that the last one is 3-4 hours before bedtime. For a week you can get rid of 5-7 kg.
| Day | food | Today's menu |
| 1 day | Breakfast | 3 protein omelette 1 cup of kefir (low fat) unsweetened tea or coffee |
| late breakfast | 1 cup of kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 grams boiled chicken with spices and herbs | |
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100-150 gramsbaked fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup nonfat kefir |
|
| 2 days | Breakfast | 2 hard boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 whole wheat bread |
| late breakfast | 1 cup of kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 grams steamed meat, tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100 grams canned fish (you can tuna or sardinella), 100-150 gramsfresh 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 gr of chicken breast, 1/3 cup brown rice tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 grams steamed fish, 1 cup of cooked beans 1 cup of 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 whole wheat bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | Baked fish or meat. Fresh vegetable salad - cabbage, tomatoes and red pepper. |
|
| Day 5 | Breakfast | Tomato and lettuce salad dressed with lemon juice |
| late breakfast | 1 cup of kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Broccoli cream with pieces of chicken breast. 1 whole wheat bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Coleslaw and green peas. Baked breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| day 6 | Breakfast | Omelette with 2 eggs and low-fat ham. Tea or coffee, all without sugar. |
| late breakfast | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 grams steamed fish, 1/3 cup of boiled rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 cup of kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Vegetable and meat stew - no more than 200 gr. kefir or yogurt |
|
| day 7 | Breakfast | 150 gramsfat-free cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green Tea |
| late breakfast | a handful of walnuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 cup of buckwheat (it is better not to boil it, but to pour it with boiling water and leave to stand overnight) and the fish or meat of your choice | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g of meat with lemon and herbs in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and the seasonings for meat, marinate the meat for 1 to 4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes. |
Menu number 2 protein diet for a week
Another advantage of a protein diet to lose weight very quickly is that you can make a menu to your liking. There are no strict rules here. The option shown is just an example.
The serving size is about 200-250 gr.
Day one: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + cottage cheese |
| 2 P. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with baked vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | empty plain 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 |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | Vegetables (baked) + veal (veal) |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | kefir |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Fish (baked) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment) |
Day three: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee/tea without sweeteners + a couple of eggs |
| 2 P. p. (2nd breakfast) | Pink grapefruit |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | Baked turkey thigh + -5 tbsp. Integral rice |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled beef |
Day four: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 units, oatmeal, better homemade) |
| 2 P. p. (2nd breakfast) | Kiwi (2 units) |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | chicken with asparagus |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | seafood and vegetables |
Day five: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Omelette with 2 steamed eggs + tea or coffee without sugar |
| 2 P. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | fish with bread |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | 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 |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | Baked tofu with vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | shrimp with asparagus |
Day seven: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or coffee without sugar |
| 2 P. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. m. p. (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir + wholemeal bread |
| 5 p. p. (Dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
The products on the menu can be safely replaced with the equivalents from the table of allowables, and the 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 fluid per day, do not eat forbidden foods.
| breakfasts |
|
| second breakfasts |
|
| Dinners |
|
| afternoon tea |
|
| Dinners |
|
The list of permitted 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 "wander". 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 moderate versions of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. In a rigid weight loss system, you can't really get clear. For a week, and sometimes more, every day you need to eat only boiled eggs, fish and chicken meat.
As you understand, the following recipes are more suitable for saving and more diverse in terms of permissible products. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to improve the taste, which are somewhat outside the nutritional principles of a rigid protein diet.
First food
egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g of spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs,
- 150 ml of milk
- spices,
- Salt,
- sprig of parsley
Boil the meat in 2-2. 5 liters of water until tender with bay leaves, peppercorns and herbs de Provence. Remove the meat and cut into cubes. Put the chopped spinach in the broth and boil until tender. Pour the soup, milk into the blender glass, place the meat and chopped eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.
nourishing fish soup
- 400 g fillet of any white fish,
- 1 red onion
- 400 g of cauliflower,
- lemon juice,
- Pepper,
- 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 saucepan, fill with water and cook until tender. Salt, pepper, before serving, if desired, add lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
Soup with chicken meatballs
- 300 g of minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tablespoon bran,
- vegetable broth (celery or cauliflower with onion),
- 5 stalks of green onions
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely ground onions, form meatballs the size of a small chestnut. Put the meatballs, bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns into the boiling broth, boil until tender. Before serving, garnish the soup with finely chopped green onions.
Results and reviews after a protein diet.
The results before and after the diet are impressive: in just one week you can lose up to 5 kilograms, depending on the initial weight and activity. Since protein foods well saturate the body with energy, it is recommended to combine diet with training for maximum effect.
As for the reviews, they are both 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 were losing weight developed dizziness and weakness. Despite this, all the people who have followed this diet have lost weight.
Contraindications of the protein diet
Before this diet, pass a mandatory medical examination, because 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 its diseases,
- hepatitis and any liver disease,
- during lactation and during pregnancy,
- with kidney dysfunction
- with joint pain or related diseases,
- with colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and a number of other diseases of the digestive system,
- diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
- with a duration of more than 4 weeks.
protein diet options
Many modern diets are based on the principle of protein nutrition. Consider the most popular options.
protein and carbohydrate 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 dietary option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Such a diet is usually used after a purely protein diet to consolidate the result.
Atkins Diet
Also known as the Hollywood diet, which 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.
Protein diet of Dr. Pierre Dukan
The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is exactly the proper nutrition system, which must be followed for the rest of your life. According to modern nutritionists, the best diet for weight loss is one that can be followed comfortably without starving, becoming weak, and obsessing over calorie counting.
protein dietary recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this method of losing weight, we have collected recommendations for you, after which you can minimize the negative consequences for your body and only benefit from the diet:
- First of all, do not overdo the diet. Remember that the 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 follow that diet for more than a month and then take a break for 2-3 months.
- Since the 7-day protein diet for weight loss 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 the stool, observe the water regimen: you need to drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water per 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 to lose weight.
- If you include eggs in your diet, eat no more than 4 eggs per day. This is especially true of egg yolks, which are made up mostly of fat and increase cholesterol levels.
- Proteins in duo with carbohydrates are better absorbed. When eating boiled chicken breast, add some steamed cauliflower to your plate. But it is better to introduce carbohydrates in the middle of the day, at mealtime.
- If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscles grow precisely from a power load.
- To avoid a nutrient deficiency, it is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss.