The essence of the diet is that you should eat a lot of protein food every day - a lot of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All of these products are very nutritious, full for a long time, so you won’t bother feeling hungry. However, the lack of carbohydrates and fats in the body will start using its fat stores as extra energy.
The role of protein in the body
Life without protein is impossible. The importance of proteins to the body lies in the fact that they serve as a substance for the construction of cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions of the body. Proteins and their role in the body also lie in the fact that they are involved in protecting the body from infections, as well as promoting the absorption of vitamins and minerals. The activities of our lives are related to the constant consumption and renewal of proteins. To balance these processes, protein loss must be replenished daily. It, unlike fats and carbohydrates, does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, that is, protein can only be obtained with food.
Duration of protein diet
Protein-type diets are usually given for one or two weeks. 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 a maximum of 14 days, after which you should take a half-year break. Only then can you continue the course.
Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet
In addition to the usual goal of "weight loss", a protein diet has other beneficial effects on the body. Namely:
- Improving skin condition. Protein is essential in the body. Thanks to it, your muscles are strong and your skin does not sag. Increasing the amount of protein in your daily diet will ensure a beautiful appearance of your skin.
- Calorie content. Protein has almost 2 times fewer calories than fat. And given that the body needs a lot more time and energy to process fat, the weight loss process is simply inevitable.
- Removal of toxins. Protein helps to remove excess fluid from the body and thus toxins.
- Lack of hunger. Due to the characteristics of the body and the long absorption of protein, the feeling of hunger comes after a long period of time. And given that the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger throughout the day.
A protein diet has several disadvantages. Most of them are based on contraindications for certain groups of people. However, they can not be completely classified as minus, because with the contraindications to the diet - it makes no sense to sit on it. And if they did sit down anyway, what’s the point of complaining?
Thus, the disadvantages of the diet are:
- Constipation. This is a common problem in people who follow a protein diet. The solution to this problem is a large amount of water or kefir. If that doesn’t help, then use laxatives
- Decay products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is to use the right amounts of water.
- bad smell
- Duration of the diet. Due to its specifics, it is not recommended to follow a protein diet for more than a month. If you use the diet only as a means to maintain good shape and are not trying to get rid of extra pounds, this restriction does not apply to you.
This is where the shortcomings of the diet end. Everything else already belongs to the category of contraindications and should be used primarily before following a diet.
Protein Diet Rules
The characteristics of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- each meal is a combination of protein with a different food,
- all food should be prepared without fat, your fat rate per day is 30 gr. It is 1 - 2 tbsp. l. oils as a salad dressing
- until 2 p. m. allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of grains (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4-6 tbsp. l. ,
- you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimum of it) - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- from fruit, give preference to citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (1-2 per day),
- drink plenty of water (1-2 liters per day),
- eat 4-6 times a day, about every 3 hours
- use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic as spices,
- do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet
- follow the table of protein content in the products,
- the duration of the diet does not exceed 2 weeks.
Protein diet
You should eat at least 5 times a day, and the last time you can afford to eat is 3 hours before the light goes out, and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after waking up. As for the distribution of nutrients, you should consume small amounts of carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oatmeal before lunch. You can also eat fruit before lunch. You can consume up to 40 grams of fat per day, which is enough for your body.
How To Cook A Protein Diet
7 days, 14 or a month menu, the number of grams per serving in the protein diet is not much different.
The first, second, and third are an indispensable component of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only difference is the preparation and the meal time.
Soup is the first menu item. The basis of the soup is a protein broth: fish, meat, poultry. Your choice of vegetable supplement, cabbage, eggplant, sweet peppers, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are banned due to their high carbohydrate content. 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 a much wider choice of products to quench hunger and at the same time lose weight. Any recipe for dishes consists of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is, how to change the garnishes? Potatoes, pasta, flakes are saturated with carbohydrates, so they are not suitable for any diet. Replace the carbohydrate garnish with vegetable dishes. Baked, boiled, stewed, for every hostess. Just be careful with spices.
May contain lost sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that are not recommended for use. When consuming a variety of foods during the diet, dietary disturbance and a feeling of hunger are not noticeable.
Protein diet menu options
The daily menu consists of five meals, including enough protein food to keep the body from feeling hungry. The diet is quite varied and consists of the simplest and easiest to prepare dishes.
The diet is for a week, in case of being overweight, the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum time you can follow a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet per week (7 days)
Make your diet so that your daily calories do not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide them into 5 meals so that the last is 3-4 hours before bedtime. You can lose 5-7 kg per week.
| Day | meal | Daily menu |
| 1 day | Breakfast | Omelet of 3 proteins 1 cup kefir (low fat) tea or coffee without sugar |
| Brunch | 1 glass of kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. boiled chicken with spices and herbs | |
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100-150 gr. fried fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup low-fat kefir |
|
| Day 2 | Breakfast | 2 hard boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 whole grain bread |
| Brunch | 1 glass of kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed meat, tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. canned fish (can tuna or sardine), 100-150 gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad 1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%) |
|
| Day 3 | Breakfast | Oatmeal with a handful of nuts or dried fruit. Tea or coffee |
| Brunch | Whole grain bread and skim 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 gr. steamed fish 1 cup boiled beans 1 cup kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 4 | Breakfast | 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese, Green tea |
| Brunch | handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 whole grain bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | Oven baked fish or meat. Fresh vegetable salad - cabbage, tomatoes and red pepper. |
|
| Day 5 | Breakfast | Tomato and salad salad seasoned with lemon juice |
| Brunch | 1 glass of kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | Broccoli cream soup with chicken breast pieces. 1 whole grain bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pcs. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Cabbage and green pea salad. Roasted breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| Day 6 | Breakfast | Omelet of 2 eggs and lean ham. Tea or coffee - without sugar. |
| Brunch | 1 fruit, any except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish 1/3 cup cooked rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 glass of kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | Stew from vegetables and meat - no more than 200 gr. Kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 7 | Breakfast | 150 gr. low-fat cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green tea |
| Brunch | handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 glass of buckwheat (better not to boil, but pour boiling water and leave overnight) and selected fish or meat | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g of meat with lemon and herbs baked in the oven. Mix half the lemon juice and spices for the meat, marinate the meat for 1-4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes |
Menu number 2 protein diet for the week
Another advantage of a protein diet for very fast weight loss is that you can create your own menu. There are no strict rules here. The option shown is an example only.
Portion size about 200-250 gr.
First day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + curd |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with fried vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Empty natural yogurt |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Second day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + yoghurt |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Vegetables (fried) + veal (beef) |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish (fried) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment) |
Third day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + a couple of eggs |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Grapefruit |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Roast turkey thigh + -5 a. š. Brown rice |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | curd |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled veal |
Fourth day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 pcs. , From oatmeal, better homemade) |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Kiwis (2 pcs. ) |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Chicken with asparagus |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Seafood and vegetables |
Day 5: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Steamed 2 egg omelette + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Fish with bread |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Ryazenka |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Chicken + green vegetables |
Sixth day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Curd + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Tofu fried with vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Shrimps with asparagus |
Seventh day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Curd + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir + whole grain bread |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
The products on the menu can be boldly replaced with equivalent ones from the permitted table, and the dishes on offer can be replaced with similar ones in terms of caloric content and composition. The most important thing to follow the rules: eat partially 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of fluids a day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| Breakfast |
|
| second breakfast |
|
| Dinner |
|
| afternoon tea |
|
| Dinner |
|
The list of allowed products is so diverse that it is not difficult to create a comprehensive menu of a protein diet, there is room for the imagination to "walk. " Gradual adherence to the protein diet will allow you to gradually and effectively leave the diet.
Protein Diet Recipes
As you know, a protein diet is based on the complete or partial removal of carbohydrates from your body. The basis of your diet should be white meat, fish, eggs, dairy products. Vegetables and nuts are allowed in more sustainable versions of this diet. In a rigid weight loss system, you really can’t figure it out. For a week, and sometimes more, only boiled eggs, fish and chicken should be eaten daily.
As you can see, these recipes are more suitable for thrifty and more varied products allowed. They are made from protein products, but to improve the taste, it is possible to add some ingredients that are somewhat out of line with the principles of a strict protein diet.
The first meal
Egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g of chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g of spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs
- 150 ml of milk
- spices,
- salts,
- a branch of parsley.
Boil the meat in 2 to 2. 5 liters of water until softened with bay leaves, pepper peas and Provencal herbs. Remove the meat and cut into cubes. Add the chopped spinach to the broth and cook until soft. Pour the soup, milk into a mixing bowl, add the meat and chopped eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnish with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.
Nutritious fish soup
- 400 g fillets of any white fish
- 1 red onion
- 400 g of cauliflower
- lemon juice
- pepper,
- salts,
- natural yogurt (optional)
Disassemble the cauliflower, peel, cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Cut the onion into thin half - rings. Put everything in a pot, pour water and cook until soft. Salt and pepper, before serving, add lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
Soup with chicken dumplings
- 300 g of minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tablespoon of bran
- vegetable broth (from celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 green onion stalks
- 1 small onion
- salts and spices.
Mix the minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely chopped onions to form small chestnut-sized cutlets. Add cutlets, bay leaf, 5 peas of black pepper to the boiling broth, cook until soft. Garnish with finely chopped green onions before serving the soup.
Results and reviews after a protein diet
The results before and after the diet are impressive - you can lose up to 5 kilograms in just a week, depending on your initial weight and activity. Because protein foods saturate the body well with energy, it is recommended to combine diet with exercise to achieve maximum effect.
As for the feedback, they are positive and negative. Many did not like the diet - lack of vitamins and trace elements caused dizziness and weakness in some slimming people. Nevertheless, everyone who has followed this diet has lost weight.
Contraindications to protein diet
Perform a mandatory medical examination before this diet, as the protein diet is not allowed for everyone and is completely prohibited:
- with abnormalities of the heart (with arrhythmia) and any of its diseases,
- hepatitis and any liver disease
- during breastfeeding and pregnancy,
- with impaired renal function
- suffering from joint pain or related diseases,
- colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and many other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract,
- diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended for use in the elderly,
- lasting more than 4 weeks.
Protein diet options
Many modern diets are based on the principle of a protein diet. Consider the most popular options.
Protein-carbohydrate diet
Its essence is that protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, that is, one day you eat only protein foods, the other - complex carbohydrates. This dietary option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Typically, such a diet is followed 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. Dr. Atkins is based on a high-protein diet, allowing even high-calorie fatty foods, but excluding carbohydrates.
Dr. Pierre Ducan’s protein diet
The most popular protein diet is the Ducan diet. This is the system of proper nutrition that must be followed for the rest of one's life. According to modern nutritionists, the best weight loss diet is one that you can comfortably follow without suffering from hunger, without falling out of weakness, and without thinking about the number of calories.
Protein Diet Recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this method of losing weight, we have made recommendations for you to follow to reduce the negative effects on your body and only benefit from diet:
- First of all, don’t overdo it with diet. Remember that the tool is needed in everything: do not include carbohydrates and fats in your diet at all. If you decide to continue losing weight after a week's diet, do not follow this diet for more than a month, and then take a break for 2-3 months.
- Since a protein diet for weight loss for 7 days causes a lot of stress to the kidneys, eat more vegetables.
- Eat at least 4 times a day in small portions.
- The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
- To avoid faecal problems, follow the water regimen - you should drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water a day.
- Do not exceed a daily caloric intake of 1500 kcal.
- Choose quality products! Remember that food quality is a very important condition for slimming.
- If you have included eggs in your diet, do not eat more than 4 eggs a day. This is especially true of egg yolk, which is made up mostly of fat and raises cholesterol.
- Protein is better absorbed in a carbohydrate duo. When eating boiled chicken breast, place some steamed cauliflower on a plate. However, it is better to enter carbohydrates in the middle of the day, at noon.
- If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscle grows precisely from the load of strength.
- To avoid nutrient deficiencies, it is recommended to drink vitamins during slimming.