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 harm or stress to the body.But you have to lose weight according to the rules, so that you don't have health problems instead of a beautiful figure.
The main characteristics of a protein diet
You need to start the diet by studying its main principles.This includes:
- Proteins are the basis of nutrition.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.
- It is allowed to include vegetables and fruits on the menu, which make the diet more varied and balanced.
- Physical activity is required.
- Meals should be divided up to 6 times a day, the portion size not exceeding 200 grams.
This diet 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 stressing 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 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 protein diet
Ideally, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor to determine contraindications.This is a rather serious power system that should not be used by persons:
- minors and elderly persons;
- pregnant and nursing women;
- diabetics;
- with kidney and liver diseases;
- with cancer;
- with an increased degree of blood clotting;
- under great physical and emotional stress.
You should not start a diet during an illness or when you are not feeling well.
When you follow a protein diet, you must take vitamin complexes.This is necessary to prevent hair loss, decay of nails and teeth.
Protein norm
The average person needs 0.8 grams.of protein per kilogram of weight.For weight loss, this norm is doubled.If you follow a protein diet, you need to consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams per day.of protein per kilogram of 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 example.Planned weight – 70 kg.It is necessary to consume from 84 to 112 grams per day.squirrel.The menu consists of:
- beef - 200 gr.(37.8 g of protein);
- eggs - 2 pcs.(12.7 g of protein);
- fresh 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 consumed.
To make the correct calculation, buy a kitchen scale and weigh each product fresh.
Advantages and disadvantages of protein diet
The protein diet, like any specialized nutritional system, has its advantages and disadvantages.When you plan to lose weight with the help of protein, you need to take them into account.
Benefits include:
- A variety of food.You don't have to eat just one product.The list of allowed dishes is quite wide.
- No hunger.Protein alleviates hunger for a longer period of time.This allows you to lose weight without suffering from the debilitating urge to eat something.
- Strengthening the immune system.Proteins increase the endurance of the body and increase physical strength.
- Rapid weight loss.After finishing 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 on this diet.
- Ideal 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, the athlete increases the endurance of the body and forms a nice relief on the body.
But the protein diet also has disadvantages.This includes:
- 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 can occur.
- An unpleasant odor appears from the body and from the mouth due to the increase of ketone bodies in the body.
You have to approach the protein diet wisely, making sure you take vitamin complexes to compensate for the lack of nutrients.This weight loss method is suitable only for absolutely 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 diet will cause nervous stress.It is worth choosing another diet in which carbohydrates are allowed in small amounts.
Protein diet rules for weight loss
In order for a protein diet for weight loss to help you lose weight, follow a few important rules:
- Put the main emphasis on protein.It is about meat and dairy products.It is allowed to add a side dish to the main dish 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 foods with a low calorie content, excluding 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 a day.
- Ideally, you should avoid salt.You can add dried herbs, garlic and soy sauce to food as seasonings.
If during the diet you feel dizzy, your health and sleep suddenly deteriorate, 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.This includes:
- 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.
- Eggs.Be sure to eat chicken or quail eggs.They can be soft-boiled, scrambled or omelette.It is recommended to consume 2 chicken or 4 quail eggs per day.
- A fish.Another source of protein is lean fish.Cook it in steam, in the oven or on low heat without adding oil.
- Green vegetables.Fiber is essential for complete digestion of food and improving well-being.Give preference to tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage and zucchini.Vegetables can be eaten fresh, stewed, roasted or boiled.
- Cereals.A high-protein diet includes avoiding all types of grains.But they are still necessary as a source of carbohydrates.You can cook buckwheat, peas or oatmeal.
- Fruit.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.Most of the liquid should go 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 diet system implies the rejection of most food groups.So this list includes:
- Bakery products are completely excluded.You can eat 1 piece of rye bread a couple of times a week.
- Pasta.
- 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 add weight.
- Sweet fruit.Bananas, pears, melons are prohibited.
- Fast food products.You will have to exclude fast food from your diet.
- Carbonated drinks.
Giving up your favorite food is difficult only in the first weeks.Then you will get used to eating right and keep this habit after the diet is over.
How to organize a protein diet
To prevent your new diet from harming your health, stick to the plan:
- Diet preparation.Over the course of 2-3 weeks, gradually start giving up sweets if you really like them.Replace sugar with dried fruit, reduce the amount of sweeteners in drinks.
- Easy entry into the diet.You must smoothly transition 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.
- Child abandonment.Complete the diet smoothly, gradually increasing the amount of food consumed.
It is good if the time the child falls on vacation, which reduces the temptation to have lunch with sandwiches or refuse a full breakfast.
Shop for groceries in advance by making a menu.When you go to the store, you risk buying a product from the prohibited list.
Be sure to do sports.You can join a gym or opt for home aerobics.Yoga and running will come in handy.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 the 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 food.
Sample menu for a 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 listed dishes as a basis, but adjust them yourself, taking into account the lists of prohibited and permitted foods.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| 1 | Omelet with cheese, green tea | Beef stew with buckwheat | Boiled fish |
| 2 | Fresh low-fat cheese | Salad of boiled chicken breast, cucumbers and tomatoes | Scrambled eggs, green tea |
| 3 | Oatmeal on the water | Stewed veal with zucchini | Baked salmon with lemon and herbs |
| 4 | Curd cheesecakes | Rabbit in cream sauce, brown rice | Steamed ground turkey cutlets |
| 5 | Toast with cheese | Fish stew with rice | Roast beef with soy sauce |
| 6 | Low-fat cottage cheese, apple | Veal, carrot, cabbage and zucchini stew | Caesar salad |
| 7 | Buckwheat porridge | Chicken soup with meatballs | Casserole with fish |
What to eat as a snack:
- boiled eggs;
- kefir;
- natural yogurt;
- apples, 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 sleep, you can drink a glass of kefir, tea or eat natural yogurt.Food should be as light as possible so that you don't feel bad because of indigestion and a full stomach.
If you play sports, take extra protein shakes.Choose foods without sugar and additives.This cocktail will relieve the feeling of hunger and will not cause weight gain.
Get off the protein diet
To ensure that the lost pounds do not return after the end of the diet, you must properly return to your usual table.Add 1-2 products to your daily diet, and leave sugar, pasta and potatoes for last.Start with vegetables and fruits, increasing the amount 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 duration of the diet itself.If you followed the protein diet for 10 days, then you should finish it in 20 days.
To maintain your results, follow a healthy diet.Avoid unhealthy, fatty, fried foods.And then the weight will disappear, your figure will become slim, and as a pleasant bonus you will get good health and beauty.
High protein diet mistakes
Many people are prevented from achieving their goals by fairly common mistakes.This includes:
- Quickly give up carbohydrates and fats in favor of proteins.Remember that the protein diet is serious, so you can't suddenly "get into" it by giving up your usual diet for a day.
- Complete rejection of carbohydrates.The diet should contain vegetables, fruits and grains in small quantities.Otherwise, ill health and stress cannot be avoided.
- Lack of physical activity.You cannot achieve a beautiful figure without sports.But the appearance of stretch marks and sagging skin is worth waiting for.
- Starvation.Plan your diet so that you don't feel hungry.Otherwise, the body will go into a phase of extreme energy saving and start storing fat.
Easily switch to the new system and track your status.And then in a week you will lose weight without stressing your body.