The essence of the diet is to eat mainly high-protein foods every day - lots of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All of these products are very nutritious, saturated for a long time so you won’t be bothered by hunger. However, the body, deprived of carbohydrates and fats, begins to use its own fat reserves as supplemental energy.
The role of proteins in the body
Life is impossible without protein. The importance of proteins to the body lies in the fact that they serve as substances for the structure of cells, tissues and organs, for the production of enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions of the body. Proteins and their role in the body also play a role in protecting the body from infections and promoting the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our life activity is related to the continuous consumption and renewal of protein. To balance these processes, protein loss must be compensated daily. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, it does not accumulate or be synthesized in the body from other nutrients, meaning you can only get protein from food.
Duration of the protein diet
Protein-type diets are typically prescribed in detail for one or two weeks. The menu is not very varied: in the second week, if any, experts advise eating the same menu as in the first, following the diet from the last day to the first.
In addition, nutrition experts recommend that you keep your protein diet for up to 14 days, followed by a half-year break. Only then can the course be continued.
Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet
The protein diet has other beneficial effects for the body in addition to the usual "weight loss" goal.
- Improving the condition of the skin. Protein is essential in the body. Thanks to him, your muscles are strong and your skin does not sag. By increasing the protein content of your daily diet, you ensure the beautiful appearance of your skin.
- Calorie content. Proteins contain almost 2 times fewer calories than fats. And given that the body needs a lot more time and energy to process fats, the process of losing weight is simply inevitable.
- Removal of toxins. Protein helps to remove excess fluids and thus toxins from the body.
- Lack of hunger. Due to the peculiarities of the body and the long assimilation of proteins, the feeling of hunger occurs after a long time. And given that the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger all day.
The protein diet has few disadvantages. Most of them are based on contraindications for certain groups of people. But these cannot be fully attributed to the minuses because it makes no sense to sit because of the contraindications to the diet. And if they sat down nonetheless, what’s the point of complaining?
So the disadvantages of the diet are:
- Constipation. This is a common problem in people on a protein diet. The solution to the problem is to use large amounts of water or kefir. If it doesn’t help, use a laxative
- Decomposition products are not removed. The solution to the problem, as in the previous case, is to use the required amount of water.
- Bad breath
- Duration of the diet. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to sit on a protein diet for more than a month. If you use the diet only as a means of keeping in good shape and are not trying to lose extra pounds, this restriction does not apply to you.
This is where the disadvantages of the diet end. Everything else already falls into the category of contraindications and should be taken before the diet.
Protein diet rules
The characteristics of the protein diet comply with the following rules:
- protein in every meal in combination with other foods,
- all meals should be prepared without fat, the fat content is 30 gr. , It's 1-2 tablespoons. l. oils as a salad dressing
- Up to 14 hours is allowed to consume complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4-6 tablespoons. l. ,
- you can use starch-free (or minimal) vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- of fruits, prefer citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (every 1-2 days),
- drink plenty of water (1-2 liters per day),
- should be eaten 4-6 times a day, about every 3 hours,
- use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic as a spice,
- do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet,
- follow the table of protein content of the products,
- the duration of the diet is up to 2 weeks.
Diet protein diet
You should eat at least 5 times a day, until the last 3 hours before you turn off the electricity, and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after you wake up. As for the distribution of nutritional ingredients, you should consume small amounts of carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oatmeal before lunch. You can also eat some fruit before lunch. You can consume up to 40 grams of fat per day, which is enough for your body.
How to cook with a protein diet
For 7 days, 14, or a month, the menu is not much different, the number of grams per serving, along with a protein diet.
The first, second, and third are the unchanged ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only difference is in the preparation and the time of the meal.
Soup is the first item on the menu. The soup is based on a protein soup: fish, meat, poultry. Selected herbal supplements, cabbage, eggplant, sweet peppers, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are prohibited due to their high carbohydrate content. The lack of pasta and potatoes in the soup does not reduce the flavor of the protein soup vegetable soup. All liquid foods contribute to weight loss.
The second course has a much wider selection to alleviate hunger and at the same time lose weight. Any food recipe consists of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is, how should the garnishes be replaced? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates and are therefore not suitable for any diet. Replace carbs with vegetable dishes. Bake, cook, stew, for every housewife. Just be careful with the spices.
Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that are not advisable to use may be lost in the preparation. Consumption of various foods in the diet, violation of diet and feeling hungry are not noticeable.
Protein diet menu options
Your daily menu consists of five meals, including the right amount of protein-rich food so your body doesn’t feel hungry. The diet is quite varied, while it consists of the simplest and easiest dishes to prepare.
The diet is designed for one week, with excess weight the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum as long as you can be on a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet for a week (7 days)
Design your diet so that its daily caloric content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide into 5 meals so that the last is 3-4 hours before bedtime. You can drop 5-7 kg for a week.
| Day | meal | Menu for the day |
| One day | Breakfast | Omelet of 3 proteins 1 cup kefir (low fat) tea or coffee without sugar |
| 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. fried fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup nonfat 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. stewed meat, tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. canned fish (can be tuna or sardines), 100-150 gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad 1 glass of kefir (with a maximum fat content of 5%) |
|
| 3 days | Breakfast | Oatmeal with a handful of nuts or dried fruit. Tea or coffee |
| Late breakfast | Whole wheat bread and low fat cheese sandwich | |
| Dinner | 100 g chicken breast, 1/3 cup brown rice tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 fruit of any kind except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1 cup boiled beans 1 cup kefir or yogurt |
|
| 4 days | Breakfast | 150 g fat-free cottage cheese, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of walnuts - up to 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | Chicken soup with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | Oven baked fish or meat. Salad of fresh vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes and red peppers. |
|
| 5 days | Breakfast | Tomato and lettuce salad seasoned with lemon juice |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | Broccoli cream soup with chicken breast pieces. 1 wholemeal bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Cabbage and green pea salad. Breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| 6 days | Breakfast | Omelette with 2 eggs and low-fat ham. Tea or coffee without sugar. |
| Late breakfast | 1 fruit of any kind except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1/3 cup boiled rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (without additives) | |
| Dinner | Stew made of vegetables and meat - not more than 200 gr. Kefir or yogurt |
|
| 7 days | Breakfast | 150 gr. fat-free cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of walnuts - up to 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 cup buckwheat (it is better not to boil, but pour boiling water and let stand overnight) and selected fish or meat | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g baked meat with lemon and herbs. Mix half a lemon juice and meat seasonings, marinate the meat for 1-4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes |
Menu # 2 protein diet for a week
Another advantage of a protein diet for very fast weight loss is that you can create a menu at your own discretion. There are no strict rules here. The option presented is just an example.
The portion size is about 200-250 gr.
First day: Morning, afternoon, evening meal, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweetener + cottage cheese |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | Apple |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with fried vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Empty natural yogurt |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Day 2: Morning, afternoon, dinner, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweetener + yoghurt |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | orange |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Vegetables (roasted) + veal (beef) |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish (fried) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment) |
Third day: morning, afternoon, dinner, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweetener + a couple of eggs |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | Grapefruit |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Roast turkey leg + -5 tbsp. Brown rice |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled veal |
Fourth day: Morning, afternoon, evening meal, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 pieces, made of oatmeal, better homemade) |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | Kiwi (2 pcs) |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Chicken with asparagus |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Seafood and vegetables |
Fifth day: Morning, afternoon, evening meal, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Steamed 2 egg omelette + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | Apple |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Fish with bread |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Ryazhenka |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Chicken + raw vegetables |
Sixth day: Morning, afternoon, evening meal, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | orange |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Fried tofu with vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Shrimp with asparagus |
Seventh day: Morning, afternoon, evening meal, snack
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (Breakfast 2) | Apple |
| 3 hours (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir + wholemeal bread |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steamed fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
The products on the menu can be safely replaced by equivalent ones from the table of permitted ones, and the recommended foods can be replaced by similar ones in terms of their caloric content and composition. The most important thing is to follow the rules: eat 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of fluid a day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| Breakfast |
|
| second breakfast |
|
| Dinners |
|
| afternoon tea |
|
| Dinners |
|
The list of allowed products is so diverse that it’s not hard to make a detailed protein diet menu for yourself, there’s room for the imagination to "walk around. " Gradually adhering to a protein diet will allow you to phase out your diet gradually and effectively.
Protein diet recipes
As you know, a protein diet is based on the complete or partial elimination of carbohydrates from the body. Its diet is based on white meat, fish, eggs, dairy products. Vegetables and nuts are allowed in more frugal versions of such a diet. The rigid system of weight loss cannot really be clarified. For a week, sometimes even longer, you only need to eat boiled eggs, fish and chicken every day.
As you can see, the following recipes are more economical and varied in terms of products allowed. They are based on protein products, but certain ingredients can be added to improve the taste that go somewhat out of the nutritional principles of a rigid protein diet.
First meal
Egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g chicken breast or turkey breast
- 300-400 g of spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs,
- 150 ml of milk
- spices,
- salt,
- strands of parsley.
Cook the meat in 2-2. 5 liters of water until soft with bay leaves, pepper and Provencal herbs. The meat is taken out and cut into cubes. Add the chopped spinach to the broth and cook until soft. Pour the soup, milk into the bowl of the blender, add the meat and chopped eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.
Nutritious fish soup
- 400 g of any white fish fillet,
- 1 onion
- 400 g of cauliflower
- lemon juice,
- pepper,
- salt,
- natural yoghurt (optional)
The cauliflower is disassembled, peeled and cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Cut the onion into a thin half ring. Put everything in a pan, fill with water and cook until soft. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt before serving, if necessary.
Chicken soup with meatballs
- 300 g minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tablespoon bran,
- vegetable soup (celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 threads green onions
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix the minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely ground onions to form small chestnut-sized meatballs. Put the meatballs, bay leaf, 5 grains of black pepper in the boiling broth and cook until soft. Before serving, garnish with finely chopped green onions.
Results and reviews of protein after diet
The results before and after the diet are impressive - you can lose up to 5 pounds in just one week, depending on your initial weight and activity. Since protein foods saturate the body well with energy, it is advisable to combine diet with exercise for maximum effect.
As for the opinions, they are both positive and negative. For many, the diet was inappropriate - some diets showed dizziness and weakness due to a lack of vitamins and trace elements. Nevertheless, all the people who followed this diet lost weight.
Contraindications to protein diet
Before this diet, go through a mandatory medical examination, because the protein diet is not allowed for everyone and is completely prohibited:
- heart problems (arrhythmias) and any other illness
- hepatitis and any liver disease
- during breastfeeding and pregnancy,
- with kidney problems
- in case of joint pain or related disease,
- inflammation of the colon, dysbacteriosis, chronic inflammation of the pancreas and many other diseases of the digestive system,
- diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
- For more than 4 weeks.
Protein diet options
Many modern diets are based on the principle of protein nutrition. Consider the most popular options.
Protein carbohydrate diet
The point is that protein days alternate with carb days, meaning you eat only protein-rich foods one day and complex carbs on the other. This dietary option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Usually, such a diet is used after a pure protein diet to consolidate the result.
Atkins diet
It is also known as the Hollywood Diet, which has become a favorite of many Hollywood stars. The diet compiled by Dr. Atkins is based on consuming predominantly protein foods, even high-calorie fatty foods are allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.
Dr. Pierre Dukan's protein diet
The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is exactly the system of proper nutrition that must be followed for the rest of your life. According to modern nutrition experts, the best diet for weight loss that you can follow comfortably without suffering from hunger, not falling out of weakness, and not dealing with calorie counting.
Protein diet recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this weight loss method, we've put together some recommendations to help you minimize the negative effects on your body and benefit from your diet:
- The first and most important thing is not to overdo your diet. Remember that action is needed in everything: do not completely exclude carbohydrates and fats from your diet. If after a week of weight loss you decide to continue losing weight, do not sit on such a diet for more than a month and then take a break for 2-3 months.
- Since the 7-day weight loss protein diet puts a lot of strain 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 stool problems, adhere to the water system - drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water a day.
- Do not exceed a daily caloric intake of 1, 500 kcal.
- Choose quality products! Remember that the quality of food is a very important condition for weight loss.
- If you include eggs in your diet, do not eat more than 4 a day. This is especially true for egg yolk, which is made up mostly of fat and increases cholesterol levels.
- Proteins coupled with carbohydrates are better absorbed. If we are eating cooked chicken breast, put the steamed cauliflower in our plate. But it’s better to introduce carbs in the middle of the day at lunchtime.
- If not only is weight loss your goal, it’s also about increasing muscle mass, keep in mind that muscles grow precisely from exertion.
- It is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss to avoid nutrient deficiencies.