The essence of the diet is that every day you should eat mainly protein foods - a lot of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All these products are very nutritious, saturated for a long time, so you will not be 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 a material for the construction of cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most of the 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 promote the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our vital activity is linked to the consumption and continuous 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 get protein only with food.
The duration of the protein diet
Typically, protein-type diets are prescribed in detail for one to two weeks. The menu is not very diverse: in the second week, if any, experts recommend eating the same menu as the first, following the diet from the last day to the first.
In addition, nutritionists recommend following a protein diet for no more than 14 days, after which it is necessary to take a break for six months. Only then 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. That means:
- 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 that your skin looks good.
- Calorie content. Protein contains almost 2 times fewer calories than fat. And since the body needs a lot more time and energy to process fat, the weight loss process is simply unavoidable.
- Removal of toxins. Protein contributes to the removal of excess fluids from the body and with them toxins.
- Lack of sense 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 during the day.
There are some downsides to a protein diet. Most of them rest on contraindications for certain groups of people. But they cannot be completely attributed to the disadvantages, 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?
Hence, 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 the use of a laxative
- Decay products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the use of water in the required quantities.
- Halitosis
- Duration of the diet. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to follow a protein diet for more than a month. If you are using the diet only as a means of maintaining a figure in good shape and are not looking to shed extra pounds, 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 must be taken first of all even before going on a diet.
Rules of the protein diet
The features of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- each meal is protein-rich combined with other foods,
- all food should be prepared without fat, your fat percentage per day is 30 gr. , This is 1 - 2 tbsp. L. oils as a salad dressing
- until 14: 00 it is allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4 - 6 tbsp. L. ,
- you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimal share of it) - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- from fruits, give preference to citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (1 - 2 per day),
- drink plenty of water (1-2 liters per day),
- you have to eat 4 to 6 times a day, approximately every 3 hours,
- as condiments, use aromatic 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 does not exceed 2 weeks.
Diet in a protein diet
You have to eat at least 5 times a day, while the last time you can afford food is 3 hours before the lights go out and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after you wake 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 per day, which is enough for your body.
How to cook meals on 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 time of eating.
The soup is the first item on the menu. The basis of the soup is a protein broth: fish, meat, poultry. Vegetable supplement of your choice, cabbage, aubergines, peppers, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are banned due to their high carbohydrate content. The lack of pasta and potatoes in the soup will not reduce the taste of the vegetable soup with protein broth. Any liquid food contributes to weight loss.
For the latter there is much more choice of products to satisfy 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 what to replace the side dishes? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates and therefore are not suitable for any diet. Replace carbohydrate side dishes with vegetable dishes. Bake, bake, stew, for every housewife. Just be careful with the spices.
Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that it is not recommended to use could be lost in the composition. Using a variety of foods in a diet, infringement in nutrition and a feeling of hunger are not obvious.
Protein diet menu options
Each day's menu consists of five meals, including enough protein foods so that the body doesn't feel hungry. The diet is quite varied, while it consists of the simplest and easiest to prepare dishes.
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 eat a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet for one week (7 days)
Compose your diet in such a way that its 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 throw away 5-7 kg.
| Day | meal | Menu of the day |
| 1 day | Breakfast | 3-protein omelette 1 cup kefir (low fat) unsweetened tea or coffee |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. boiled chicken with spices and herbs | |
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100-150 gr. baked fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup of fat-free kefir |
|
| 2 days | Breakfast | 2 hard-boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 wholemeal bread |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup 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 (you can tuna or sardinella), 100-150 gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad, 1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%) |
|
| Three 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 of brown rice tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 fruit, any, excluding bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1 cup of boiled beans 1 cup of kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 4 | Breakfast | 150 gr of fat-free ricotta, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 wholemeal 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 kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | Cream of broccoli with pieces of chicken breast. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Cabbage and pea salad. Baked breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| Day 6 | Breakfast | Omelette of 2 eggs and lean ham. Tea or coffee, all without sugar. |
| Late breakfast | 1 fruit, any, excluding bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1/3 cup of boiled rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (without 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 nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 cup buckwheat (better not boil it, but pour it with boiling water and leave it overnight) and fish or meat of your choice | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g of meat with lemon and aromatic herbs cooked in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and the seasonings 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 a week
Another advantage of a protein diet to lose weight very quickly is that you can create a menu at your discretion. There are no hard and fast rules here. The option shown is just an example.
The portion size is about 200-250 gr.
First day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + ricotta |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with baked vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Blank natural yogurt |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish salad + steamed vegetables |
Second day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + yogurt |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Vegetables (baked) + veal (beef) |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish (baked) 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) | Grape |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Baked turkey leg + -5 tbsp. brown rice |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled veal |
Fourth day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 pieces, oatmeal, best homemade) |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Kiwi (2 pieces) |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Chicken with asparagus |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Seafood and vegetables |
Fifth day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Steamed 2 egg omelette + unsweetened tea or coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Fish with bread |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Riazhenka |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Chicken + raw vegetables |
Sixth day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Ricotta + unsweetened tea or coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Baked tofu with vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Shrimp with asparagus |
Seventh day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snacks
| 1 p. p. (Breakfast) | Ricotta + unsweetened tea or coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 pp (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir + wholemeal bread |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish salad + steamed vegetables |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
The products on the menu can be safely replaced with equivalent ones from the table of those allowed, and the proposed dishes can be replaced with others that are similar 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 fluids a day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| Breakfasts |
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| second breakfasts |
|
| 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 imagination to "wander". Gradual adherence to a protein diet will allow you to gradually and effectively exit 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 the more sparing versions of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. In a rigid weight loss system, you can't really get it straight. 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 diverse in terms of allowed products. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to improve the taste, which are a little off the nutrients of a strict protein diet.
First meal
Egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g of chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g of spinach,
- 2 hard-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 of Provence. Take out the meat and cut it into cubes. Put the chopped spinach in the broth and boil until tender. Pour the soup, milk into the blender bowl, put the minced meat and eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a hard-boiled egg.
Nutritious fish soup
- 400 g fillet of any white fish,
- 1 red onion
- 400 g of cauliflower,
- lemon juice,
- Pepper,
- salt,
- natural yogurt (optional)
Disassemble the cauliflower, peel it, cut it into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Cut the onion into thin half rings. Put everything in a saucepan, fill with water and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt before serving.
Soup with chicken meatballs
- 300 g minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tablespoon bran,
- vegetable broth (celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 stalks of green onions
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix the minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely chopped onions, form meatballs the size of a small chestnut. Put the meatballs, bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns in 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 a week you can lose up to 5 kilograms, depending on the initial weight and activity. Since protein foods saturate the body well 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 the lack of vitamins and trace elements, some of those who lost weight developed dizziness and weakness. Despite this, every person who followed this diet lost weight.
Contraindications to the protein diet
Before this diet, undergo 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 breastfeeding and during pregnancy,
- with renal 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,
- lasting 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 carbohydrates, that is, one day you eat exclusively protein foods, on the other you eat complex carbohydrates. This diet option is considered to be 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, high-calorie fatty foods are also allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.
Protein Diet by Dr. Pierre 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 the one you can follow comfortably without going hungry, without falling out of weakness and without obsessing over calorie counting.
Protein Diet Recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this method of losing weight, we have collected tips for you, according to which you can minimize the negative consequences for your body and benefit only from the diet:
- First, don't overdo your 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 such a diet for more than a month, then take a 2-3 month break.
- Since the 7-day weight loss protein 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 need to drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water per day.
- Do not exceed the daily calorie 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 per day. This is especially true of egg yolk, which consists mostly of fat and raises cholesterol levels.
- Protein in a duet with carbohydrates is better absorbed. When you eat boiled chicken breast, add some steamed cauliflower to the dish. But it's best 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 power.
- To avoid a nutrient deficiency, it is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss.