The protein diet is very popular with world show business stars, athletes and ordinary people.This is an effective weight loss technique that allows you to lose weight quickly 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 characteristics of a protein diet
It is necessary to start a diet by studying its fundamental principles.These include:
- The basis of nutrition is proteins.It should make up at least 60% of your daily diet.
- The amount of fats and carbohydrates is reduced to a minimum.Ideally, they should make up no more than 15% of your daily diet.
- In the menu it is allowed to include fruit and vegetables which make the diet more varied and balanced.
- Physical activity is required.
- Meals should be divided up to 6 times a day, the portion does not exceed 200 grams.
This nutritional 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, it is not necessary 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 who lead an active lifestyle, a protein diet helps to lose weight and gain muscle mass.Weight is lost by losing fat, not muscle.This helps form a nice sculpted figure.
Contraindications for a protein diet
Ideally, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor to identify contraindications.This is a rather serious power 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;
- under high physical and emotional stress.
You should not start a diet during an illness or when you are feeling unwell.
When adhering to a protein diet, it is necessary to take vitamin complexes.This is necessary to prevent hair loss, deterioration of nails and teeth.
Protein standard
The average person needs 0.8 grams.protein per kilogram of weight.For weight loss, this norm doubles.If you follow a protein diet, you should consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams per day.protein per kilogram of weight.The current body weight is not taken into account, but the expected one.
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 need to consume 84 to 112 grams per day.squirrel.The menu is under development:
- beef – 200 gr.(37.8 g of protein);
- eggs – 2 pieces (12.7 g of protein);
- ricotta – 200 gr.(33.4 g of protein).
It turns out 83.9 g.squirrel.Additionally, other foods are taken into account, which increases the total amount of protein consumed.
To make the correct calculation, purchase a kitchen scale and weigh each fresh product.
Pros and cons of a protein diet
A protein diet, like any specialized nutritional system, has its pros and cons.When planning to lose weight with the help of protein, you need to take this into account.
Benefits include:
- Various food.You don't have to eat just one product.The list of permitted dishes is quite extensive.
- No hunger.Protein relieves hunger for a long period of time.This allows you to lose weight without suffering from the debilitating desire to eat something.
- Strengthen 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 layer.The body draws 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 is actively developed.As a bonus to weight loss, the athlete increases the body's resistance and forms a beautiful relief on the body.
But there are also disadvantages to the 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 eliminated and bone and tooth problems can occur.
- An unpleasant odor appears from the body and mouth due to the increase in ketone bodies in the body.
It is necessary to approach the protein diet wisely, making sure to take vitamin complexes to compensate for the lack of nutrients.This method of losing weight is suitable only for absolutely 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
For a slimming protein diet that helps you lose weight, follow some important rules:
- Place emphasis on proteins.These are 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 quantity must not exceed 30 grams.
- Cereals are allowed, but only in the first half of the day, as a side dish.Choose low-calorie foods, excluding semolina and millet.
- Vegetables can also be used as a side dish, but potatoes and other types of starch are absolutely forbidden.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.
- 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 fluids a 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, 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 in a protein diet.These include:
- Meat.Lean cuts of beef, chicken, veal, rabbit and turkey are allowed.Fatty pork and lamb are completely banned.
- 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.It can be soft-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or an omelette.It is recommended to consume 2 chicken eggs or 4 quail eggs per day.
- Fish.Another source of protein is lean fish.Steam it, bake it or simmer it without adding oil.
- Green vegetables.Fiber is necessary for complete digestion of food and improved well-being.Give preference to tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and courgettes.Vegetables can be eaten fresh, stewed, baked or boiled.
- Cereals.High-protein diets involve avoiding all types of grains.But they are still needed as a source of carbohydrates.You can cook buckwheat, peas or oatmeal.
- Fruit.Nutritionists recommend eating citrus fruits with 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 per day.Most of the liquid should contain plain water.
Forbidden foods for a protein diet
The list of prohibited foods in a protein diet is much larger.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 couple of 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 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 gain weight.
- Sweet fruits.Bananas, pears, melons are prohibited.
- Fast food products.Fast food will have to be excluded from the diet.
- Carbonated drinks.
Giving up your favorite foods is only difficult for the first week.Then you will get used to eating well and will maintain this habit after completing the diet.
How to organize protein nutrition
To prevent your new diet from harming your health, stick to the plan:
- Preparation for a diet.Over the course of 2-3 weeks, gradually start giving up sweets if you love them very much.Replace sugar with dried fruit, reduce the amount of sweetener in drinks.
- Gradual entry into the diet.It is necessary 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.
- Abandon the diet.Complete the diet smoothly, gradually increasing the amount of food consumed.
It's good if the time of the diet falls on holidays, which reduces the temptation to have lunch with sandwiches or refuse a full breakfast.
Buy your groceries in advance by creating a menu.When you go to the store, you risk purchasing a product from the prohibited list.
Make sure you do sports.You can join a gym or opt for home aerobics.Yoga and running will be fine.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 the 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 3 month break, you can repeat it 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 will be.
The minimum period is 7 days.It allows you to lose up to 8 kg.This period is suitable for those who have difficulty giving 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 adapt them yourself, taking into account the lists of prohibited and permitted foods.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | 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 the water | Stewed veal with courgettes | Baked salmon with lemon and aromatic herbs |
| 4 | Ricotta cheesecakes | Rabbit in sour cream sauce, brown rice | Steamed ground turkey cutlets |
| 5 | Toast with cheese | Fish soup with rice | Baked beef fillet with soy sauce |
| 6 | Low-fat cottage cheese, apple | Veal stew, carrots, cabbage and courgettes | 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;
- pancakes and cottage cheese casserole;
- vegetable salad.
Every day you should eat 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.Food should be as light as possible so as not to feel sick due to indigestion and a full stomach.
If you play sports, take additional protein shakes.Choose foods free of sugar and additives.This cocktail will relieve the feeling of hunger and will not cause weight gain.
Quit the protein diet
To ensure that the lost kilograms do not return after completing the diet, it is necessary to correctly return to the usual table.Add 1-2 products to your diet every day, saving sugar, pasta and potatoes for last.Start with fruits and vegetables, increasing the amount of side dishes.Be sure to include grains as a carbohydrate source.
Nutritionists say that the period of exit from a diet is twice as long as the duration of the diet itself.If you have adhered to the protein diet for 10 days, you need to complete it in 20 days.
To maintain 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 pleasant bonus you will receive good health and beauty.
Mistakes with a high-protein diet
Many people fail to achieve their goals due to quite common mistakes.These include:
- Quickly abandon carbohydrates and fats in favor of proteins.Remember that the protein diet is a serious matter, so you can't suddenly “get into it” by giving up your usual diet in one day.
- Complete rejection 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 sport you can't get a good figure.But it is worth waiting for the appearance of stretch marks and sagging skin.
- 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.
Switch seamlessly to the new system and monitor your well-being.And then in a week you will lose weight without stressing the body.