The protein diet is very popular among the world's show business stars, athletes and ordinary people.This is an effective weight loss technique that allows you to lose weight quickly without harming or stressing the body.But you need to lose weight according to the rules, so that instead of a beautiful figure, you do not end up with health problems.
Main features of a protein diet
You need to start a diet by studying its main principles.These include:
- The basis of nutrition is protein.It should make up at least 60% of the daily diet.
- The amount of fat and carbohydrates is reduced to a minimum.Ideally, they should not make up more than 15% of the daily diet.
- The menu must contain vegetables and fruit, which make the diet more varied and balanced.
- Physical activity is required.
- Meals should be divided up to 6 times a day, the serving size does not exceed 200 grams.
This nutrition system allows you to lose 4-5 kg in a week without feeling hungry.Proteins saturate the body with important substances, but you cannot eat according to this system for a long time.The maximum period is 21 days.The optimal period for the diet is 14 days.
Who is a protein diet suitable for?
A protein diet is ideal for those who want to lose weight quickly and without stress on the body.Thanks to a varied diet, you don't have to eat only one type of product, and the high nutritional value of meat removes the feeling of hunger for a long time.
For athletes and people who lead an active lifestyle, a protein diet helps them lose weight and gain muscle mass.Weight is lost by losing fat, not muscle.This helps to form a beautiful, sculpted figure.
Contraindications for a protein diet
Ideally, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor to identify contraindications.This is a pretty serious power system that should not be used by people:
- minors and the elderly;
- pregnant and lactating women;
- diabetics;
- with kidney and liver diseases;
- with cancer;
- with an increased level of blood coagulation;
- under high physical and emotional stress.
You should not start a diet during illness or when you feel unwell.
When you adhere to a protein diet, you must take vitamin complexes.This is necessary to prevent hair loss, deterioration of nails and teeth.
Protein norm
The average person needs 0.8 grams.protein per kg weight.For weight loss, this norm is doubled.If you follow a protein diet, you should consume from 1.2 to 1.6 grams per day.protein per kg weight.It is not the current, but the planned body weight that is taken into account.
To calculate how much protein is included in a prepared dish, you need to know its composition and the amount of protein in each ingredient.
For examplePlanned weight – 70 kg.You must consume from 84 to 112 grams per day.squirrel.The menu is being compiled:
- beef - 200 g (37.8 g protein);
- eggs – 2 pcs.(12.7 g protein);
- cottage cheese - 200 g (33.4 g protein).
It turns out 83.9 g. squirrel.In addition, other foods are taken into account, increasing the total amount of protein eaten.
To make the correct calculation, buy a kitchen scale and weigh each product fresh.
Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet
A protein diet, like any specialized nutritional system, has its advantages and disadvantages.When you plan to lose weight with the help of proteins, you need to take them into account.
The benefits include:
- Varied food.You don't have to eat just one product.The list of permitted dishes is quite wide.
- No hunger.Proteins relieve hunger for a longer period of time.This allows you to lose weight without suffering from a debilitating urge to eat something.
- Strengthening the immune system.Proteins increase the body's endurance and increase physical strength.
- Rapid weight loss.After completing the diet, if you do not return to your previous table, but eat healthy food, the lost kilograms will not return.
- Weight loss due to fat deposits.The body draws energy from fat, not muscle.Therefore, muscle mass does not suffer on this diet.
- Ideal for athletes.Thanks to the presence of a large amount of protein in the diet, muscle mass is actively built up.As a bonus for losing weight, the athlete increases the body's endurance and forms a beautiful relief on the body.
But there are also disadvantages to a protein diet.These include:
- It is possible to reduce mental abilities by limiting the amount of carbohydrates in the diet.
- There is a risk of blood clots due to increased blood density and coagulation.
- Calcium is washed out and problems with bones and teeth can occur.
- An unpleasant smell arises from the body and mouth due to an increase in ketone substances in the body.
You need to approach the protein diet wisely and make sure to take vitamin complexes to compensate for the lack of nutrients.This method of losing weight is only suitable for absolutely healthy people who do not have chronic or acute diseases.
Another disadvantage of a protein diet is a complete rejection of sweet and fatty foods.And if you cannot do without sweets and cakes, such a nutritional system will cause nervous stress.It is worth choosing a different diet where carbohydrates are allowed in small quantities.
Rules for a protein diet for weight loss
In order for a protein diet for weight loss to help you lose weight, you must follow several important rules:
- Focus on proteins.It is meat and dairy products.It is allowed to add a side dish to the main course once a day.
- Limit the amount of fat you consume.Their daily amount should not exceed 30 grams.
- Cereals are allowed, but only in the first half of the day, as a side dish.Choose low-calorie foods, except for semolina and millet.
- Vegetables can also be used as a side dish, but potatoes and other starchy types are completely prohibited.You can eat cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers.
- Fruit is allowed, but not sweet.Give preference to oranges and green apples.
- The last meal should be 2-3 hours before bedtime.
- During the diet, you will have to give up alcohol and sweets.
- On a protein diet, a lot of liquid is removed from the body, so the daily amount of water consumed should be increased by 1.5 times.Drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day.
- Ideally, you should avoid salt.You can add dried herbs, garlic and soy sauce to your food as seasonings.
If during the diet you feel dizzy, your health and sleep deteriorate sharply, then you need to add more complex carbohydrates to your diet.
Allowed foods for a protein diet
When creating a menu, consider the list of foods that are allowed on a protein diet.These include:
- Meat.Lean cuts of beef, chicken, veal, rabbit and turkey are allowed.Fatty pork and lamb are completely prohibited.
- Fermented milk products.The daily diet should include low-fat cottage cheese, natural yogurt and kefir.
- Egg.Be sure to eat chicken or quail eggs.They can be soft-boiled, scrambled eggs or an omelette.It is recommended to consume 2 chickens or 4 quail eggs per day.
- Fish.Another source of protein is lean fish.Cook it by steaming, in the oven or simmering without adding oil.
- Green vegetables.Fiber is necessary for complete digestion of food and improved well-being.Give preference to tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and zucchini.Vegetables can be eaten fresh, stewed, baked or boiled.
- Cereal.High protein diets involve avoiding all types of grains.But they are still needed as a source of carbohydrates.You can prepare buckwheat, peas or oatmeal.
- Fruits.Nutritionists recommend eating citrus fruits on a protein diet.But be careful with them - high acidity irritates the stomach lining and can cause gastritis.
For drinks, give preference to herbal infusions and green tea.A small amount of coffee is allowed - no more than 1 cup per day.The majority of the liquid should come with plain water.
Prohibited foods for a protein diet
The list of prohibited foods on a protein diet is much wider.This is due to the fact that the nutritional system involves the rejection of most food groups.So this list includes:
- Bakery products are completely excluded.A few times a week you can eat 1 piece of rye bread.
- Assert.
- Sweet and flour dishes.This includes all foods that contain sugar.You can't even sweeten drinks.
- Alcohol.Some protein diets allow you to drink a glass of dry red wine a day.But it is still better to give up alcohol in any quantity.
- Starchy vegetables.Avoid radishes and potatoes.Despite their nutritional value, they increase weight.
- Sweet fruits.Bananas, pears, melons are prohibited.
- Fast food products.Fast food must be excluded from the diet.
- Carbonated drinks.
Giving up your favorite food is only difficult for the first week.Then you will get used to eating right and maintain this habit after the diet ends.
How to organize protein nutrition
To prevent your new diet from harming your health, stick to the plan:
- Preparation for a diet.Over 2-3 weeks, gradually begin to give up sweets if you have a great love for them.Replace sugar with dried fruit, reduce the amount of sweetener in drinks.
- Smooth entry into the diet.You should switch to a protein diet without problems and give up other foods within 1-2 days.
- The diet itself.Be sure to monitor your health and control your weight.
- Stop the diet.Complete the diet smoothly and gradually increase the amount of food consumed.
It is good if the timing of the diet falls on a holiday, which reduces the temptation to eat lunch with sandwiches or refuse a full breakfast.
Buy groceries in advance by making a menu.When you go to the store, you risk buying a product from the prohibited list.
Make sure you do sports.You can join a gym or opt for home aerobics.Yoga and running do.Physical activity should be at least 3 times a week.But remember that if you have not played sports before, you should not overload your body.Start with light exercises and gradually increase the load.
Duration of the protein diet
The maximum duration of a protein diet is 14 days.During this time it is possible to lose up to 15 kg.After a 3-month break, you can repeat it to improve the result.
The optimal period is 10 days.During this time you can lose up to 10 kg.The result depends on the individual characteristics of the organism.The more you weigh, the more active your weight loss.
The minimum period is 7 days.It allows you to lose up to 8 kg.This period is suitable for those who find it difficult to give up their favorite foods.
Sample menu for one week for weight loss
An approximate menu of a protein diet for weight loss for a week will help you decide on your diet.Take the indicated dishes as a basis, but adjust them yourself, taking into account the lists of prohibited and permitted foods.
| day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| 1 | Bone meal, green tea | Beef stew with buckwheat | Boiled fish |
| 2 | Low-fat cottage cheese | Boiled chicken breast, cucumber and tomato salad | Scrambled eggs, green tea |
| 3 | Oatmeal on water | Stewed veal with zucchini | Baked salmon with lemon and herbs |
| 4 | Curd cheesecakes | Rabbit in creme fraiche sauce, brown rice | Steamed Ground Turkey Chops |
| 5 | Toast with cheese | Fish soup with rice | Beef tenderloin baked with soy sauce |
| 6 | Low-fat cottage cheese, apple | Stewing veal, carrots, cabbage and zucchini | Caesar salad |
| 7 | Buckwheat porridge | Chicken soup with meatballs | Fish stew |
What to eat as snacks:
- boiled eggs;
- kefir;
- natural yogurt;
- apples, grapefruit;
- east;
- cottage cheese pancakes and stew;
- vegetable salad.
Every day you should have 3 full meals and 2-3 snacks.Before going to bed, 2-3 hours before bedtime, you can drink a glass of kefir, tea or eat natural yogurt.The food should be as light as possible so as not to feel uncomfortable due to indigestion and a full stomach.
If you play sports, take additional protein shakes.Choose foods that are free of sugar and additives.This cocktail will relieve the feeling of hunger and will not cause weight gain.
Go off the protein diet
To ensure that the lost kilograms do not return after finishing the diet, you must return to your usual table correctly.Add 1-2 products to your diet daily, leaving sugar, pasta and potatoes at the end.Start with vegetables and fruits, increase the amount of side dishes.Be sure to include grains as a source of carbohydrates.
Nutritionists say that the withdrawal period from a diet is twice as long as the duration of the diet itself.If you followed the protein diet for 10 days, complete it in 20 days.
To maintain your results, follow a healthy diet.Avoid unhealthy, fatty, fried food.And then the weight will go away, your figure will become slimmer, and as a pleasant bonus you will receive good health and beauty.
Mistakes with a high protein diet
Many people are prevented from reaching their goals by quite common mistakes.These include:
- Quickly give up carbohydrates and fats in favor of proteins.Remember that the protein diet is serious, so you can't suddenly "enter" it by giving up your usual diet for a day.
- Complete rejection of carbohydrates.The diet should contain vegetables, fruit and cereals in small quantities.Otherwise, poor health and stress cannot be avoided.
- Lack of physical activity.Without sports, you cannot achieve a beautiful figure.But the appearance of stretch marks and loose skin is worth waiting for.
- Hunger.Plan your diet so you don't feel hungry.Otherwise, the body will enter a phase of extreme energy conservation and begin to store fat.
Transition to the new system seamlessly and monitor your well-being.And then in a week you will lose weight without stressing the body.