The protein diet is very popular among world 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 have health problems.
The 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 must represent at least 60% of the daily diet.
- The amount of fats and carbohydrates is reduced to a minimum.Ideally, they should make up no more than 15% of the daily diet.
- The menu is allowed to include vegetables and fruits that make the diet more varied and balanced.
- Physical activity is required.
- Meals should be divided up to 6 times a day, the portion not exceeding 200 grams.
This nutrition system allows you to lose 4 to 5 kg in a week without feeling hungry.Protein saturates the body with important substances, but you cannot eat according to this system for a long time.The maximum deadline is 21 days.The optimal period for the diet is 14 days.
Who is a protein diet 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 do not have to eat only one type of product, and the high nutritional value of meat eliminates the feeling of hunger for a long time.
For athletes and people leading an active lifestyle, a protein diet helps them lose weight and gain muscle mass.Weight is lost by losing fat, not muscle.This helps form a beautiful sculpted figure.
Contraindications to the protein diet
Ideally, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor to identify contraindications.This is a fairly serious electrical system that should not be used by people:
- minors and the elderly;
- pregnant and breastfeeding women;
- diabetics;
- with kidney and liver diseases;
- with cancer;
- with an increased level of blood clotting;
- subjected to high physical and emotional stress.
You should not start a diet during illness or when you do not feel well.
When following a protein diet, you need to take vitamin complexes.This is necessary to prevent hair loss, deterioration of nails and teeth.
Protein standard
An average person needs 0.8 grams.protein per kilogram of weight.For weight loss, this standard doubles.If you are following a protein diet, you should consume between 1.2 and 1.6 grams per day.protein per kilogram of weight.It is not the current weight, but the planned body weight that is taken into account.
To calculate the amount of protein included in a prepared dish, you need to know its composition and the amount of protein in each ingredient.
For example.Expected weight – 70 kg.You should consume 84 to 112 grams per day.squirrel.The menu is currently being developed:
- beef – 200 gr.(37.8 g of protein);
- eggs – 2 pieces.(12.7 g of protein);
- cottage cheese – 200 gr.(33.4 g of protein).
It turns out 83.9 g.squirrel.In addition, other foods are taken into account, which increases the total amount of protein ingested.
To do the right calculation, buy a kitchen scale and weigh each fresh product.
Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet
A protein diet, like any specialized nutritional system, has its advantages and disadvantages.When considering losing weight using protein, you need to take this into account.
Benefits include:
- Varied food.You don't have to eat just one product.The list of permitted dishes is quite broad.
- No hunger.Protein relieves hunger for a long time.This allows you to lose weight without suffering from a debilitating urge to eat something.
- Strengthen the immune system.Protein increases the body's endurance and increases physical strength.
- Rapid weight loss.After completing the diet, if you do not return to your previous table, but eat healthy foods, the lost pounds will not return.
- Weight loss due to fat layer.The body gets its energy from fat, not muscle.Therefore, muscle mass does not suffer from this diet.
- Ideal for athletes.Thanks to the presence of a large amount of protein in the diet, muscle mass actively develops.As a bonus to weight loss, the athlete increases the body's endurance and forms a beautiful relief on the body.
But a protein diet also has disadvantages.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 clotting.
- Calcium is eliminated and bone and dental problems can appear.
- An unpleasant odor appears from the body and mouth due to an increase in ketone bodies in the body.
You need to approach the protein diet wisely, making sure to take vitamin complexes to compensate for the lack of nutrients.This method of weight loss is suitable only for completely healthy people who do not suffer from chronic or acute diseases.
Another disadvantage of a protein diet is the 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, in which carbohydrates are allowed in small quantities.
Rules of a protein diet for weight loss
So that a protein diet for weight loss helps you lose weight, follow several important rules:
- Focus on protein.These are meat and dairy products.You are allowed to add a side dish to the main dish once a day.
- Limit the amount of fat you eat.Their daily amount should not exceed 30 grams.
- Cereals are allowed, but only in the first part of the day, as an accompaniment.Choose low-calorie foods, excluding semolina and millet.
- Vegetables can also be used as a side dish, but potatoes and other starchy foods are completely prohibited.You can eat cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers.
- Fruits are allowed, but not sweet.Favor oranges and green apples.
- The last meal should take place 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
- During the diet, you will have to give up alcohol and sweets.
- With a protein diet, a lot of fluid 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.
Foods allowed for a protein diet
When creating a menu, consider the list of foods allowed on a protein diet.These include:
- Meat.Lean cuts of beef, chicken, veal, rabbit and turkey are permitted.Fatty pork and lamb are completely prohibited.
- Fermented dairy products.The daily diet should include low-fat cottage cheese, natural yogurt and kefir.
- Eggs.Be sure to eat chicken or quail eggs.It could be boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or an omelet.It is recommended to consume 2 chicken eggs or 4 quail eggs per day.
- Fish.Lean fish is another source of protein.Cook it by steaming, baking or simmering without adding oil.
- Green vegetables.Fiber is necessary for the complete digestion of food and better well-being.Choose tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and zucchini.Vegetables can be eaten fresh, cooked, baked or boiled.
- Cereals.High protein diets involve avoiding all types of grains.But they remain necessary as a source of carbohydrates.You can cook buckwheat, peas or oatmeal.
- Fruits.Nutritionists recommend eating citrus fruits as part of a protein diet.But be careful with them: high acidity has an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa and can cause gastritis.
For drinks, choose herbal teas and green tea.A small amount of coffee is allowed - no more than one cup per day.Most of the liquid should come from clear water.
Prohibited foods for a protein diet
The list of foods prohibited on a protein diet is much broader.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.
- Pasta.
- Sweet and floury dishes.This includes all foods containing sugar.You can't even sweeten the drinks.
- Alcohol.Some protein diets allow you to drink a glass of dry red wine per day.But it is still better to give up alcohol in any quantity.
- Starchy vegetables.Avoid radishes and potatoes.Despite their nutritional value, they make you gain weight.
- Sweet fruits.Bananas, pears and melons are prohibited.
- Fast food products.Fast foods will have to be excluded from the diet.
- Soft drinks.
Giving up your favorite foods is only difficult for the first week.Then you will get used to eating right and will maintain this habit after you finish the diet.
How to organize protein nutrition
To prevent your new diet from harming your health, stick to the plan:
- Preparing for a diet.Over 2-3 weeks, gradually start giving up sweets if you like them a lot.Replace sugar with dried fruits, reduce the amount of sweetener in drinks.
- Smooth entry into the diet.You need to smoothly switch to a protein diet, giving 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 gently, gradually increasing the amount of food consumed.
It is good if the diet time falls on vacation, which reduces the temptation to have lunch with sandwiches or refuse a full breakfast.
Do your shopping in advance by establishing a menu.When you go to the store, you risk purchasing a product on the prohibited list.
Be sure to exercise.You can join a gym or opt for aerobics at home.Yoga and running will do the trick.Physical activity should be at least 3 times a week.But remember that if you have never played sports before, you should not overload your body.Start with light exercises and gradually increase the load.
Duration of protein diet
The maximum duration of a protein diet is 14 days.During this period, it is possible to lose up to 15 kg.After a break of 3 months, you can repeat the operation to improve the result.
The optimal period is 10 days.During this period 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 is.
The minimum deadline 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 a week to lose weight
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 | Cheese omelet, 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 the water | Veal stew with zucchini | Baked Salmon with Lemon and Herbs |
| 4 | Cottage cheese cakes | Rabbit with sour cream, brown rice | Steamed ground turkey cutlets |
| 5 | Cheese toasts | Fish soup with rice | Beef fillet cooked in soy sauce |
| 6 | Low-fat cottage cheese, apple | Veal, carrot, cabbage and zucchini stew | Caesar salad |
| 7 | Buckwheat porridge | Chicken soup with meatballs | Fish casserole |
What to eat as a snack:
- hard-boiled eggs;
- kefir;
- natural yogurt;
- apples, grapefruits;
- cheese;
- cottage cheese pancakes and casseroles;
- vegetable salad.
Every day you should eat 3 full meals and 2 to 3 snacks.Before going to bed, 2-3 hours before going to bed, you can drink a glass of kefir, tea or eat natural yogurt.Food should be as light as possible so as not to feel bad from indigestion and a full stomach.
If you exercise, take extra protein shakes.Choose foods without sugar or additives.This cocktail will relieve the feeling of hunger and will not lead to weight gain.
Exiting the protein diet
To ensure that the lost pounds do not return after completing the diet, you need to return to your usual table correctly.Add 1-2 products to your diet daily, leaving sugar, pasta and potatoes for last.Start with vegetables and fruits, increasing the amount of side dishes.Be sure to include grains as a carbohydrate source.
Nutritionists say that the exit period from a diet is twice as long as the duration of the diet itself.If you have been following a protein diet for 10 days, you should complete it in 20 days.
To maintain your results, follow a healthy diet.Avoid unhealthy, fatty and fried foods.And then the weight will disappear, your figure will become slimmer, and as a bonus you will enjoy good health and beauty.
Mistakes with a high protein diet
Many people are prevented from achieving their goals because of fairly common mistakes.These include:
- Quickly ditch carbohydrates and fats in favor of proteins.Remember that the protein diet is serious, so you cannot suddenly “enter” it by abandoning your usual diet in one day.
- Complete refusal of carbohydrates.The diet should contain vegetables, fruits and cereals in small quantities.Otherwise, poor health and stress cannot be avoided.
- Lack of physical activity.Without sports you cannot have a beautiful figure.But the appearance of stretch marks and sagging skin is worth waiting for.
- Famine.Plan your diet so that you don't feel hungry.Otherwise, the body will enter a phase of extreme energy conservation and begin storing fat.
Switch to the new system smoothly and monitor your well-being.And then in a week you will lose weight without stressing the body.