Protein diet - essence, pros, food and menus

There are many variations of the technique. Any of them contain protein foods with a limited amount of carbohydrates and fats. Proteins are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. The nutrition system will be a great way to lose weight for people who cannot live without meat. Previously it was known as mono-dieting. However, thanks to the development of nutritionists, diet has become the mildest method of normalizing weight.

The correct menu of the protein diet has positive qualities and allows you to lose weight in a short period of time. The main thing is to eat foods that contain protein. After all, they are necessary for normal metabolism. The body is not able to independently accumulate proteins, so they are regularly included in food. With a normal diet, this does not happen, so they are consumed constantly. If this doesn't happen, muscle mass decreases, because the internal organs take protein from it for normal functioning. The body is exhausted and the skin becomes slack.

fish on a protein diet

If you adhere to this nutritional system to lose weight for 14 days, the weight will not disappear due to muscle reduction, but rather to the burning of body fat. Its observance is indicated for those people who are afraid of feeling hungry. Anorexia with this diet cannot occur and muscles do not atrophy. Afterwards, the weight loser's body becomes slim and fit.

For weight loss, the protein diet menu is very effective, and the mechanism of its effect on the body has been fully studied and scientifically proven. The power system starts the following processes:

  • The body does not receive fats and carbohydrates, and has to expend its fat deposits located in the hips, abdomen and buttocks. For women, these places are the most problematic.
  • To assimilate protein, the body needs a lot of energy, which will be replenished by burning subcutaneous fat.
  • Protein foods create heat production that speeds up metabolic processes.

If a person wants to lose weight, a high protein diet will help to do this without harming their health. It is possible to choose the desired duration of the food system and options of favorite dishes.

fish soup with protein diet

Protein Standards

A person needs about 0. 8 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. However, many renowned nutritionists believe that this amount is not enough for the body. Especially for the elderly, for whom it is very important to maintain muscle mass.

Experts advise people of pre-retirement and retirement age to consume at least 1. 3 grams of protein per kilogram of weight.

For a healthy young person, nutritionists recommend eating about 1. 5 grams of protein per pound per day. Thus, an individual weighing 70 kg should eat about 90-120 grams of protein per day.

Diet characteristics

The energy system has some features that should be taken into account by everyone who is losing weight:

  1. Proteins saturate the bodies of people who are constantly working or playing sports. These foods may be suitable for women who are expecting a baby. A simple protein diet menu is characterized by the ingestion of meat, fish and dairy dishes. The nutritional system can be beneficial for people who want to lose weight without harming and stressing the body.
  2. The maximum period of adherence to the diet is 14 days. This period will allow you to normalize your weight without harming your body. Protein weight loss results are characterized by stable performance. To consolidate the result obtained, it is necessary to gradually leave the nutritional system, excluding fatty, fried and sweet foods.
  3. It is recommended to repeat the diet after 6 months at the latest.
  4. Protein-containing foods require important weight-loss recommendations. The work of the excretory system during diet is activated, which can cause complications. Therefore, at this point, it is necessary to observe the drinking regimen and consume non-carbonated water in sufficient quantities.
  5. The total number of calories from food should be around 1200-1400. Its lack can lead to the disruption of the functioning of Organs internal organs and weaken the immune system.
  6. The menu of a protein diet to lose weight of the day gives you the opportunity to taste your favorite dish (in small amounts) and allows you to maintain a stable weight.
vegetable and fish salad on a protein diet

With this food system, the feeling of hunger doesn't have to be lived constantly, the food is unlimited and varied.

turkey rolls with spinach on a protein diet

Who is this diet for?

We already know that a protein diet can influence muscle mass growth, and a lack of carbohydrates forces us to draw energy from fat stores. And soin combination with regular intensive training, the quality of our body improves. , the relief is highlighted.

Most of the time, athletes, professional athletes and people looking to get the most toned body resort to "drying". But boys and girls, having seen enough of the "athletes" in the gym, sometimes don't understand that in everyday life there is no great need for such a diet.

skinny girl after protein diet

A similar diet is suitable for you if you:

  • I want to lose a lot of pounds;
  • Going on vacation to the sea and want to look stunning while you're a little overweight;
  • planning a photo shoot;
  • an athlete and you need to dry off to reduce weight;
  • bodybuilder.

Basically, this ends the list of situations where a protein diet may be needed. But if you think you have other reasons for doing this, please be kind enough to approach your diet wisely.Don't exhaust your body at all and think about all your meals in advance. . .

Recommended and prohibited foods

The protein diet of the day menu is varied and includes a list of certain dishes that can be included in the diet at this time. Recommended products include:

  • Chicken and turkey meat, beef, offal. For a diet, food needs to be boiled or cooked. Most of the time, skinless chicken is used. It is well absorbed and there are no problems with its preparation.
  • Lean fish. It contains the right amount of proteins and trace elements, which are important for the normal functioning of the body.
  • Cottage cheese and dairy. The casein present in its composition will require the body's efforts to digest. As a result, many calories are lost.
  • Buckwheat and oats, bread (rye, black, whole grain).
  • Boiled eggs. The protein they contain is easily digestible and nutritious.
  • Vegetables that contain a minimal amount of starch (cucumber, cabbage, celery).
  • Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit), sour apples.
  • Canned tuna food. They contain a lot of protein and a minimal fat composition.

Special attention to the drinking regime is required. You can include herbal teas, freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices, purified water.

chicken salad with protein diet

When composing a protein diet menu for a week, it is necessary to limit the content of foods in meals that can easily turn into fat:

  1. Firstly, you need to delete the candies. Even fruits can spoil the result, not to mention cakes, cookies and pastries.
  2. Fried foods, greasy foods and pasta should be completely excluded from the menu.
  3. Soft drinks, jams and juices are also not recommended during the diet period.
  4. Vegetables with a lot of starch (potatoes, legumes, peas).

Refusing such products will allow you to achieve tangible results in a short period of time.

salad with avocado and eggs on a protein diet

diet schedule

The feeding system must be carried out in this way:

  • It is best to divide each day's menu into several receptions (5-6). In the morning, on an empty stomach, drink a glass of purified water. Eat the last meal 3 hours before bedtime.
  • You can eat a small amount of porridge and whole grain bread before lunch. You can eat fruits (apples, oranges).
  • Protein meals are included in the afternoon meal in combination with raw vegetables or salads.

When losing weight on the protein diet menu, it's important to have the right mix of dishes. This will have a positive result. The energy system will relieve 10 kg of excess weight in 2 weeks. To do this, you must strictly follow all recommendations.

exercise with protein diet

How to get off this diet properly

Your body is used to getting certain substances every day. You don't have to worry about cakes and rolls on the first day of your diet.you need to leave gradually, while still trying to maintain the acquired habit of not eating fast carbs.

Slowly introduce cereals, more vegetables and dairy products with a high percentage of fat into your diet. You can buy some dark chocolate, previously prohibited fruits - bananas, persimmons, apricots, as well as dried fruits.

Observation!The process of getting off the diet can take 3-5 days, so there's no need to rush. It's important to give the body time to rebuild and not immediately load it up with a lot of new nutrients.

7 day diet

The food system for a week is planned in such a way that during the observance period the person does not suffer from a feeling of hunger. Dishes are easy to prepare. The protein diet menu for weight loss for a week includes:

  • Breakfast. Cottage cheese (160 g), tea (green or herbal), half an orange.
  • Dinner. Chicken breast (170 g), wholemeal bread.
  • Afternoon snack. A cup of low-fat yogurt.
  • Dinner. Steamed fish (200 g), vegetable salad (170 g).
food for the 7-day protein diet

On all other days, you should continue to eat this way. During the week, the protein diet menu is supplemented with cottage cheese, kefir and hard-boiled eggs. You should also alternate foods, taking into account their caloric content.

Vegetables are lightly cooked and cooked in stews and soups. They can be used as snacks throughout the day. It is better to consume vegetables without starch.

A similar diet can be used for a 14 day diet. In that case, you can get the most effective option.

What animal products does a protein diet include?

A protein-based diet should include the following animal products:

  1. Lean white meat (chicken breast, turkey, lean parts of other meat varieties). The product must be consumed without skin. Chicken breast is especially useful. There are only 300 calories in a 200 gram serving of it, and as much as 50 grams of protein.
  2. Seafood, including fish varieties, rich in essential omega acids (tuna, salmon). 150g of tuna has 200 calories and 40 grams of protein.
  3. Dairy products with a minimum of fat (kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese). 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese contains 25 grams of protein and 200 calories;
  4. Egg white. It is composed almost entirely of proteins. In addition, egg whites contain important antioxidants for the body, which protect the human body from aging.
protein rich foods

Diet menu for 10 days

The dishes indicated in the table, losing weight, are distributed and alternated independently during the entire feeding time.

The recommended 10-day protein diet menu is shown in the table below.

Day Breakfast Dinner Afternoon snack Dinner
1st day unsweetened herbal tea Chicken breast, boiled cabbage, green apples low fat kefir Steamed fish, salad
2nd day Sugar-free herbal tea, whole grain bread Ukha, no potatoes, coleslaw non-fat kefir, grapefruit Low calorie cottage cheese
3rd day sugar free tea cooked meat, raw vegetables kefir, orange Beet and cabbage salad
4th day Sugar-free green tea, rye bread croutons Lean fish cooked with vegetables Tofu cheese, apple boiled eggs, grated carrots
5th day Natural coffee without sugar Boiled meat, coleslaw and carrots Skimmed milk non-fat cottage cheese
6th day sugar free tea Beef broth, beet salad kefir, grapefruit cooked chicken, tomato
7th day Tea, rye crackers Fish and vegetables, wholemeal bread Tofu cheese, apple vegetable salad
8th day Natural coffee without sugar Cooked chicken fillet, croutons Kefir or fermented boiled milk, citrus fruits Carrot salad, boiled eggs
9th day sugar free drink Ukha without potatoes, raw vegetables lean cheese vegetable salad
10th day sugar free tea Skinless chicken, tomato salad Apples Boiled lean fish

The menu of a 10-day weight loss protein diet is diverse. Portions should be consumed in moderation so as not to overeat and leave the table with a slight feeling of satiety.

Menu for 2 weeks

This is the longest lasting nutritional system that offers an effective and stable result. Fulfilling it for 14 days will not bring a person any discomfort and unpleasant sensations.

Recommendations for protein diet (14 days menu):

Day Breakfast Dinner Dinner
1st day Black coffee without sugar 2 hard boiled eggs, boiled cabbage, a glass of tomato juice Roasted, fried or steamed fish
2nd day Sugar-free coffee, rye croutons Boiled fish, vegetable salad Cooked meat (250 g), a glass of kefir
3rd day Sugar-free coffee, rye croutons Zucchini fried in oil, green apples 2 hard boiled eggs, coleslaw, boiled meat (200 g)
4th day Pure coffee without sugar Salad of 3 cooked carrots, hard cheese (15 g) Fruits or berries, except grapes and bananas
5th day grated fresh carrots Fish cooked, roasted or steamed, a glass of tomato juice Fruits or berries, except grapes and bananas
6th day Pure coffee without sugar Cooked chicken, salad with vegetables 2 hard-boiled eggs, grated fresh carrots
7th day Sugar-free tea (green or herbal) Veal or cooked meat (250 g), fresh fruit Dinner on one of the days, except on the 3rd

The second week of the protein diet menu for 14 days assumes the same diet, that is, it repeats the first 7 days.

Be sure to observe the drinking regimen. You can use green tea and herbal water. It is completely forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages, so as not to overload the liver.

salmon with quinoa on a protein diet

The first meal contains only liquid in the form of tea or coffee. During a meal, don't overeat, it's best to stop feeling slightly hungry.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Protein Diet

Anyone who is losing weight can diversify the menu by adding their favorite vegetables or unsweetened fruits. The positive properties of this system include:

  1. The nutritional system allows for intensive sports, which is difficult with other effective and quick weight loss methods.
  2. The diet is practically not accompanied by a feeling of hunger, as the time for the digestion of protein foods is 4 hours.
  3. Body weight is normalized.
  4. The immune system is strengthened.
  5. The body is healed. The skin is stretched, cellulite is reduced and the condition of hair, skin and nails is improved.
  6. The protein diet menu contains a lot of fiber, which helps improve bowel function.
  7. Muscle mass is not depleted due to the presence of protein foods in the diet.
  8. Minimal manifestations of fatigue, lethargy and dizziness, typical of other diets.
  9. The rate of weight loss with this food system is not fast and allows you to maintain a stable weight after leaving it.
fish dish with protein diet

If you follow the protein diet for weight loss for an extended period of time, some negative consequences may occur:

  • Long-term use of proteins leads to the leaching of calcium and other trace elements from the body, which negatively affects the health of the skeletal system.
  • Reduced performance due to minimal amount of carbohydrates in the diet.
  • Increased irritability occurs due to a lack of dietary fat - the main building material for nerve cells.
  • Blood clotting problems, blood clots.
  • Protein nutrition can lead to kidney and gastrointestinal tract disorders.
  • It is not recommended to eat like this for people aged 60 and over.
  • Bad breath caused by eating too much protein.

Before starting to lose weight, it is best to consult a specialist so as not to harm the body.

Why protein is so important to the body

It's protein:

  • human bones, muscles, skin, and hair are formed. They are constantly renewed, need a fresh supply of protein;
  • hormones "chemical messengers" are synthesized, which help various systems in the body to function harmoniously;
  • enzymes are also synthesized from proteins that are involved in numerous metabolic processes;

Protein improves the functioning of the immune system. They also serve as a kind of vehicle in the body. For example, hemoglobin carries oxygen through the blood to cells.

the importance of protein for weight loss

9 amino acids are called essential because the human body does not create them on its own. They come with food or nutritional supplements.

Animal foods (including eggs, milk) are the best source of protein. It contains all 9 essential amino acids in optimal proportions. Furthermore, animal food is well absorbed (90-95%). In vegetable foods, everything is less balanced.

If you limit your diet to just carrots, grains, potatoes, and cabbage, your body will start to lack protein. To avoid this, people on a vegan diet need to eat lots of plant foods, including a variety of vegetables, whole grains, nuts and grains, on a regular basis.

Contraindications

Any nutritional system, including a protein diet, puts a strain on the body. Metabolism speeds up, toxins are removed, fats are burned, and the stomach has to adapt to new conditions and other foods.

The bodies start to work in an improved way. If not everything is in order with them, chronic illnesses can get worse, which should be taken into account when switching to a new menu. A daily protein diet is contraindicated in such cases:

  • diseases of the excretory system;
  • advanced age;
  • when expecting a baby and during lactation;
  • cholelithiasis;
  • pathology of the heart and blood vessels;
  • citrus allergy;
  • digestive tract pathology;
  • diabetes;
  • adolescence.

Any contraindication is a stop sign for people who opted for this diet. Only after eliminating the contraindications will it be possible to lose weight with this food system.

Nutrition principles

The average duration of the diet is 5 days, in some cases the doctor may recommend adherence to the therapeutic diet for up to 10 days, but no longer. You cannot follow the diet any longer than this period, because due to a lack of protein, muscle tissue begins to contract rapidly.

You need to keep a daily calorie count.

Instead of high protein foods, you need to start eating plant-based foods. On a protein-free diet, the daily carbohydrate intake is 350 g and fat - 80 g. The caloric content of the daily menu does not exceed 2, 200 kcal. If, during the diet period, the person adheres to bed rest and strictly limits any physical activity, then the caloric content can be reduced to 2, 000 kcal.

Also, the diet includes a reduction in fluid and salt intake. This is due to the need to prevent the formation of edema, which is one of the symptoms of many kidney diseases. In that case, you need to carefully monitor the amount of potassium in your diet. Basically, patients take large doses of various diuretics that deplete potassium from the body, so the lack of this substance must be compensated for with medication or with the correct selection of products.

Helpful hints to improve the effect

Nutritionists suggest how to lose weight with a protein diet without harming or harming your health. Just following a diet may not be enough to get an effective result. It is necessary to use the principles of healthy eating, which will apply in the future:

  • It is best to have a medical examination before starting the diet.
  • You need to get a doctor's permission to comply with this nutritional system.
  • You should take multivitamins throughout your diet.
  • In case of dizziness, it is necessary to increase the body's intake of carbohydrates and fats. It is allowed to add oatmeal to the morning menu.
  • It's better to refuse a high-protein diet if you feel worse.
  • During the period of weight loss, you should not take any medication.
  • Diet should be discussed with an expert.
  • You need to eat strictly by the hour.
  • Calories must be counted: consume more than you consume.
  • It is best to have dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime.
  • Menu items should only be boiled, steamed or steamed.
  • Plate sizes: drinks (200 mg), other dishes (150 g) and fruit (100 g).
  • Limit the amount of salt you eat.
  • You need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.
  • You must abandon bad habits.
  • Give up strength sports and cardiovascular training. Your best bet is swimming, gymnastics, aerobics or Pilates.
protein-rich slimming salad

A protein diet is an effective nutritional system that allows you to normalize weight and achieve harmony in a short time. Thanks to the variety of dishes, losing weight does not cause hunger and fatigue. Following all recommendations improves health. Despite many positive qualities, the diet has certain contraindications that should be taken into account before starting to follow it.

What foods are better not to eat

Remove from diet:

  • Foods rich in saturated and transgenic fats. The former are especially abundant in red meat (pork, lamb), the latter are abundant in margarine;
  • canned and processed meats with an excess of salt (such as smoked sausages and sausages).
  • the use of simple carbohydrates (the highest quality white bread, sugar, sweets, pastries, chocolate) should also be minimized. They "burn" very quickly, causing a feeling of hunger;
  • you must refuse foods fried in oil. It's very high in calories;
  • do not use mayonnaise. You can substitute soy sauce, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and even the most common kefir;
  • you will have to give up on high-fat milk, butter, and cheese varieties.

It's also important not to limit yourself to individual products. The more different foods the better. Due to the variety, the diet is more balanced, including all the macro and micro elements needed by the body.