Protein diets are very popular among world show business stars, athletes and ordinary people.This is an effective weight loss technique that allows you to quickly lose weight without harm or stress to 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.
The main features of the protein diet
You need to start the 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 be more than 15% of the daily diet.
- This menu is allowed to include vegetables and fruits that make the diet more varied and balanced.
- Physical activity is required.
- Food should be divided up to 6 times a day, serving size not exceeding 200 grams.
This nutrition system allows you to lose 4-5 kg in a week without feeling hungry.Protein penetrates 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 the 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 the varied diet, you don't have to eat only one type of product, and the high nutritional value eliminates 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 form a beautiful and chiseled figure.
Contraindications for protein diet
Ideally, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor to identify contraindications.This is a pretty serious power system that people shouldn't use:
- minors and the elderly;
- pregnant and lactating women;
- diabetics;
- with kidney and liver disease;
- with cancer;
- with increased levels of blood clotting;
- under high physical and emotional stress.
You should not start a diet during illness or when you feel unwell.
When adhering to a protein diet, you need to take a vitamin complex.This is necessary to prevent hair loss, deterioration of nails and teeth.
Protein norm
The average person needs 0.8 grams.Protein per kilogram of 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 kilogram of weight.It is not the current, but the planned 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 example.Planned weight - 70 kg.You need to take from 84 to 112 grams per day.squirrel.The menu is being compiled:
- BEEF - 200 gr.(37.8 g of protein);
- Eggs - 2 pcs.(12.7 g of protein);
- Cottage cheese - 200 gr.(33.4 g of protein).
It turned out to be 83.9 g.squirrel.Furthermore, other foods are taken into account, which increases the amount of protein consumed.
To make the correct calculations, buy a kitchen scale and weigh each fresh product.
Pros and cons of a protein diet
A protein diet, like any specific nutritional system, has its pros and cons.When planning to lose weight with the help of protein, you need to take them into account.
The benefits include:
- Different foods.You don't have to eat just one product.The list of allowed dishes is quite extensive.
- There is no hunger.Protein relieves hunger for a long time.This allows you to lose weight without experiencing the debilitating urge to eat something.
- Strengthens the immune system.Protein increases the body's resistance and increases physical strength.
- Rapid weight loss.After completing the diet, if you do not return to the 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 from this diet.
- Suitable for athletes.Thanks to the presence of a large amount of protein in the diet, muscle mass is actively built.As a bonus for losing weight, athletes increase endurance and form a beautiful relief on the body.
But there are also downsides 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 clotting.
- Calcium is washed away, and problems with bones and teeth may appear.
- An unpleasant odor appears from the body and mouth due to the increase in ketone bodies in the body.
You need to approach the protein diet wisely, making sure to take vitamin complexes to make up for nutrient deficiencies.This method of losing weight is only suitable for healthy people who do not have chronic or acute diseases.
Another disadvantage of the protein diet is the complete rejection of sweet and fatty foods.And if you can't do without sweets and cakes, then such a nutritional system will cause nervous stress.It is worth choosing a different diet where carbohydrates are allowed in small quantities.
Protein diet rules for weight loss
For a protein diet for weight loss to help you lose weight, follow some important rules:
- Put the main emphasis on protein.These are meat and dairy products.You are allowed to add a side dish to the main meal 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 half of the day, as a side dish.Choose foods with low calorie content, excluding semolina and millet.
- Vegetables can also be used as a side dish, but potatoes and other types of starch are strictly prohibited.You can eat cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers.
- Fruits are 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 need 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 used should be increased by 1.5 times.Drink at least 2 liters of fluid every day.
- Ideally, you should avoid salt.You can add dried herbs, garlic and soy sauce to your food as seasoning.
If during the diet you feel dizzy, your health and sleep deteriorate significantly, 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 allowed on a protein diet.These include:
- Meat.Lean beef, chicken, veal, rabbit, and turkey are allowed.Fatty pigs and goats are strictly prohibited.
- Fermented milk products.The daily diet should include low-fat cottage cheese, natural yogurt, and kefir.
- Eggs.Be sure to eat chicken or quail.They can be soft, scrambled eggs or omelets.It is recommended to consume 2 chickens or 4 eggs per day.
- Fish.Another source of protein is lean fish.Cook by steaming, in the oven or simmering without adding oil.
- Green vegetables.Fiber is necessary for complete digestion of food and improvement of well-being.Give preference to tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and zucchini.Vegetables can be eaten fresh, boiled, baked or boiled.
- Grains.A high protein diet involves avoiding all types of grains.But they are still necessary as a source of carbohydrates.You can cook buckwheat, beans or oats.
- Fruits.Nutritionists recommend eating citrus fruits on a protein diet.But be careful with them - high acidity has an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa 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 a day.Most of the liquid should be supplemented 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 implies the rejection of most food groups.So, this list includes:
- Bread products are completely excluded.Several times a week you can eat 1 piece of rye bread.
- Pasta.
- Sweet and floury dishes.This includes all foods that contain sugar.You can't even heat 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 carrots and potatoes.Despite their nutritional value, they increase body weight.
- Sweet fruits.Bananas, pears, watermelons are prohibited.
- Fast food products.Fast food should be excluded from the diet.
- Carbonated drinks.
Giving your favorite food is only difficult for the first week.Then you will get used to eating properly and maintain this habit after completing the diet.
How to regulate protein nutrition
To prevent your new diet from damaging your health, stick to the plan:
- Ready 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 fruits, reduce the amount of sweeteners in drinks.
- Smooth entry into the diet.You need to transition to a protein diet smoothly, giving up other foods within 1-2 days.
- The diet itself.Be sure to monitor your health and control your weight.
- Stop dieting.Complete the diet smoothly, gradually increasing the amount of food consumed.
It is good if the time of the diet falls on vacation, which reduces the temptation to have lunch with a sandwich or refuse a full breakfast.
Buy groceries first by making a menu.When you go to the store, you risk buying products from the prohibited list.
Be sure to play sports.You can join a gym or opt for home aerobics.Yoga and running will be done.Physical activity should be at least 3 times a week.But remember that if you haven't played sports before, you can't overload your body.Start with light exercises and gradually increase the load.
Duration of protein diet
The maximum duration of the protein diet is 14 days.During this time, it is possible to lose up to 15 kg.After a break of 3 months, you can repeat it to improve the results.
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 heavier you are, the more active your weight loss will be.
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 a week for weight loss
The budget menu of a protein diet for weight loss for a week will help you determine your diet.Take the dishes shown as a base, but adapt to yourself, taking into account the list of prohibited and permitted foods.
| Day | breakfast | Have lunch | Have dinner |
| 1 | Cheese Omelette, 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 | Beef with zucchini | Baked salmon with lemon and herbs |
| 4 | Curd cheesecake | Rabbit in sour cream sauce, brown rice | Steamed Turkey Slices Steamed |
| 5 | Toast with cheese | Fish soup with rice | Grilled beef tenderloin with soy sauce |
| 6 | Low-fat cottage cheese, apple | Boil beef, carrots, cabbage and zucchini | Caesar salad |
| 7 | Buckwheat porridge | Chicken soup with meatballs | Fish casserole |
What to eat as a snack:
- boiled eggs;
- kefir;
- natural yogurt;
- apple, grapefruit;
- cheese;
- Cottage cheese pancakes and casseroles;
- Vegetable salad.
Every day you should have 3 full meals and 2-3 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 light so as not to feel unwell due to indigestion and a full stomach.
If you play sports, take an extra protein shake.Choose foods that are free of sugar and additives.This cocktail will relieve hunger and will not cause weight gain.
Get off the protein diet
To ensure that the lost kilograms do not return after completing the diet, you need to return to your usual table correctly.Add 1-2 products to your diet every day, leaving sugar, pasta and potatoes for last.Start with vegetables and fruits, increasing the number of side dishes.Be sure to include grains as a source of carbohydrates.
Nutritionists say that the period of exiting the diet is twice as long as the period of the diet itself.If you adhere to a protein diet for 10 days, then you need to complete it in 20 days.
To maintain your results, follow a healthy diet.Avoid unhealthy, fatty, fried food.And then the weight will disappear, 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 achieving their goals by common mistakes.These include:
- Quickly give up carbohydrates and fats in favor of protein.Remember that the protein diet is serious, so you can't suddenly "go in" by skipping your regular diet for a day.
- Complete rejection of carbohydrates.The diet should contain vegetables, fruits and grains in small quantities.Otherwise, poor health and stress are inevitable.
- Lack of physical activity.Without sports, you cannot achieve a beautiful figure.But the appearance of stretch marks and sagging skin is worth waiting for.
- Hunger.Plan your diet so that you don't feel hungry.Otherwise, the body will go into extreme energy conservation and start storing fat.
Transition to a new system smoothly and monitor your well-being.And then in a week you will lose weight without stressing the body.