The essence of the diet is that every day you should eat mainly protein foods - a lot of fish, meat and low-fat dairy products. All these products are very nutritious, saturate for a long time, so you will not be bothered by the feeling of hunger. But the body deprived of carbohydrates and fats will begin to use its own fat reserves as additional energy.
The role of proteins in the body
Life without protein is impossible. The importance of proteins for the body lies in the fact that they serve as a material for building cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions in the body. Proteins and their role in the body also lies in the fact that they are involved in protecting the body from infections, and also promotes the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our life activity is connected with the continuous consumption and renewal of protein. To balance these processes, protein losses must be replenished daily. It, unlike fats and carbohydrates, does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, that is, you can get protein only with food.
The duration of the protein diet
Typically, protein-type diets are prescribed in detail for one or two weeks. The menu is not very diverse: 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.
Also, nutritionists recommend following a protein diet for no longer than 14 days, after which you need to take a break for half a year. Only after that you can resume the course.
Pros and cons of a protein diet
In addition to the usual goal of "losing weight, " a protein diet has other beneficial effects on the body. Namely:
- Improving the condition of the skin. Protein is fundamental in the body. Thanks to him, your muscles are strong, and the skin does not sag. By increasing the protein content in your daily diet, you will ensure the beautiful appearance of your skin.
- Calorie content. Proteins contain almost 2 times less calories than fats. And given the fact that the body needs much more time and energy to process fats, the process of losing weight is simply inevitable.
- Removal of toxins. Protein contributes to the removal of excess fluids from the body, and with them toxins.
- Lack of feeling of hunger. Due to the characteristics of the body and the long assimilation of proteins, the feeling of hunger comes after a long period of time. And given the fact that the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger throughout the day.
There are few downsides to a protein diet. Most of them rest on contraindications for certain groups of people. But they cannot be fully attributed to the minuses, because having contraindications to the diet - there is no point in sitting on it. And if, nevertheless, they sat down, then what is the point of complaining?
So, the disadvantages of the diet include:
- Constipation. This is a common problem in people on a protein diet. The solution to this problem is the use of large quantities of water or kefir. If it does not help, then the use of a laxative
- Decay products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the use of water in the required quantities.
- Bad breath
- Diet duration. 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 maintaining a figure in good shape and are not trying to lose extra pounds, then this restriction does not apply to you.
This is where the cons of the diet end. Everything else already belongs to the category of contraindications and should be taken first of all even before you go on a diet.
Protein diet rules
Features of the protein diet are in compliance with the following rules:
- every meal is protein combined with other foods,
- all food should be prepared without fats, your fat rate per day is 30 gr. , This is 1 - 2 tbsp. l. oils as salad dressing
- until 2 p. m. it is allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) 4 - 6 tbsp. l. ,
- you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimum share of it) - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
- from fruits, give preference to citrus fruits or unsweetened apples (1 - 2 per day),
- drink plenty of water (1-2 liters per day),
- you need to eat 4 to 6 times a day, approximately every 3 hours,
- as seasonings, use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic,
- do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet,
- follow the table of protein content in products,
- the duration of the diet is not more than 2 weeks.
Diet in a protein diet
You need to eat at least 5 times a day, while the last time you can afford food is 3 hours before lights out, and breakfast can only begin 30 minutes after you wake up. As for the distribution of nutritional components, before lunch you should consume a small amount of carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oatmeal. Also, before lunch, you can eat some fruit. You can consume up to 40 grams of fat per day, which is enough for your body.
How to cook meals with a protein diet
For 7 days, 14 or for a month, the menu, the number of grams per serving, with a protein diet, are not much different.
The first, second and third are an invariable component of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The difference is only in the preparation and time of eating.
Soup is the first item on the menu. The basis of the soup is a protein broth: fish, meat, poultry. Vegetable supplement of your choice, cabbage, eggplant, sweet pepper, beans, eggs.
Potatoes are prohibited due to their high carbohydrate content. The lack of pasta and potatoes in the soup will not reduce the taste of vegetable soup with protein broth. Any liquid food contributes to weight loss.
For second courses, there is much more choice of products to satisfy hunger and at the same time lose weight. Any recipes for dishes consist of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.
The question is what to replace the side dishes? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates and therefore are not suitable for any diet. Replace carbohydrate side dishes 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 composition. Using a variety of foods in a diet, infringement in nutrition and a feeling of hunger are not noticeable.
Protein diet menu options
The menu of each day consists of five meals, including a sufficient amount of protein foods so that the body does not experience hunger. The diet is quite varied, while it consists of the simplest and easiest to prepare dishes.
The diet is designed for a week, with excess weight, the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum at which you can be on a protein diet).
Menu №1 protein diet for a week (7 days)
Make up your diet in such a way that its daily calorie content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide them into 5 meals so that the last one is 3-4 hours before bedtime. For a week you can throw off 5-7 kg.
| Day | meal | Menu for the day |
| 1 day | Breakfast | Omelet from 3 proteins 1 cup kefir (low fat) tea or coffee without sugar |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. boiled chicken with spices and herbs | |
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100-150 gr. baked fish with herbs and spices. 1 cup fat-free kefir |
|
| 2 day | Breakfast | 2 hard-boiled eggs 1 tomato 1 whole grain bread |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed meat, tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. canned fish (you can tuna or sardinella), 100-150 gr. salad of fresh cabbage and cucumber, 1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%) |
|
| 3 day | Breakfast | Oatmeal with a handful of nuts or dried fruits. Tea or coffee |
| Late breakfast | Whole grain bread and low fat cheese sandwich | |
| Dinner | 100 gr chicken breast, 1/3 cup brown rice tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr. |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1 cup boiled beans 1 cup kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 4 | Breakfast | 150 gr fat-free cottage cheese, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast. 1 whole grain bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 apple or orange | |
| Dinner | Oven-baked fish or meat. Salad of fresh vegetables - cabbage, tomatoes and red pepper. |
|
| Day 5 | Breakfast | Salad of tomatoes and lettuce seasoned with lemon juice |
| Late breakfast | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Broccoli cream soup with chicken breast pieces. 1 whole grain bread |
|
| afternoon tea | 5 pieces. any dried fruit | |
| Dinner | Cabbage and green pea salad. Breast baked with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese) |
|
| Day 6 | Breakfast | Omelet from 2 eggs and low-fat ham. Tea or coffee, all without sugar. |
| Late breakfast | 1 fruit, any, except bananas | |
| Dinner | 100 gr. steamed fish, 1/3 cup boiled rice. 1 tomato |
|
| afternoon tea | 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives) | |
| Dinner | Stew from vegetables and meat - no more than 200 gr. Kefir or yogurt |
|
| Day 7 | Breakfast | 150 gr. fat-free cottage cheese with dried apricots, Green tea |
| Late breakfast | a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr. | |
| Dinner | 1/3 cup buckwheat (it is better not to boil it, but pour it with boiling water and leave it overnight) and fish or meat of your choice | |
| afternoon tea | 1 orange | |
| Dinner | 150 g of meat with lemon and herbs baked in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and seasonings for meat, marinate the meat for 1 to 4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes |
Menu number 2 protein diet for a week
Another advantage of a protein diet for very quick weight loss is that you can make a menu at your discretion. There are no strict rules here. The option shown is just an example.
Serving size is about 200-250 gr.
Day one: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + cottage cheese |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Boiled chicken breast with baked vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Empty natural yogurt |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steam fish + vegetable salad |
Day two: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + yogurt |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Vegetables (baked) + veal (beef) |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Fish (baked) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment) |
Day three: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Coffee / tea without sweeteners + a couple of eggs |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Grapefruit |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Baked turkey thigh + -5 tbsp. brown rice |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | cottage cheese |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Cabbage salad + boiled veal |
Day four: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Kefir + cookies (2 pcs. , from oatmeal, better homemade) |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Kiwi (2 pcs) |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Chicken with asparagus |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Fresh juice |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Seafood and vegetables |
Day five: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Steamed 2 egg omelet + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Fish with bread |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Ryazhenka |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Chicken + raw vegetables |
Day six: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Orange |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Tofu baked with vegetables |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Yogurt without additives |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Shrimps with asparagus |
Day seven: Morning, afternoon, evening meals, snacks
| 1 p. p. (breakfast) | Cottage cheese + tea or unsweetened coffee |
| 2 p. p. (2nd breakfast) | Apple |
| 3 p. p. (lunch) | Vegetable soup + boiled beef |
| 4 p. p. (snack) | Kefir + whole grain bread |
| 5 p. p. (dinner) | Steam fish + vegetable salad |
Protein diet menu for 14 days
Products on the menu can be safely replaced with equivalent ones from the table of allowed ones, and the proposed dishes can be replaced with similar ones in terms of calorie content and composition. The main thing is to follow the rules: eat fractionally 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day, do not eat prohibited foods.
| Breakfasts |
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| second breakfasts |
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| Dinners |
|
| afternoon tea |
|
| Dinners |
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The list of allowed products is so diverse that it is not difficult to develop a detailed menu of a protein diet for yourself, there is room for imagination to "roam around". Gradual adherence to a protein diet will allow you to gradually and effectively exit the diet.
Protein Diet Recipes
As you know, a protein diet is based on the complete or partial exclusion of carbohydrates from your body. The basis of your diet should be white meat, fish, eggs, dairy products. In more sparing versions of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. In a rigid system of weight loss, you can’t really clear up. For a week, and sometimes more, every day you need to eat only boiled eggs, fish and chicken meat.
As you understand, the following recipes are more suitable for sparing and more diverse in terms of allowed products. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to improve the taste, which are somewhat out of the nutritional principles of a rigid protein diet.
First meal
Egg cream soup
Ingredients:
- 400 g chicken or turkey breast
- 300-400 g spinach,
- 2 boiled eggs,
- 150 ml milk
- spices,
- salt,
- sprig of parsley.
Boil the meat in 2-2. 5 liters of water until tender with bay leaves, peppercorns and Provence herbs. Take out the meat and cut into cubes. Put the chopped spinach into the broth and boil until tender. Pour the soup, milk into the blender bowl, place 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 fillet of any white fish,
- 1 red onion
- 400 g cauliflower,
- lemon juice,
- pepper,
- salt,
- natural yogurt (optional)
Disassemble the cauliflower, peel, cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Chop the onion into thin half rings. Put everything in a saucepan, fill with water and cook until tender. Salt, pepper, before serving, if desired, add lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
Soup with chicken meatballs
- 300 g minced chicken,
- 2 squirrels,
- 1 tbspbran,
- vegetable broth (from celery or cauliflower with onions),
- 5 stalks of green onions
- 1 small onion
- salt and spices.
Mix minced meat, squirrels, bran and finely ground onions, form meatballs the size of a small chestnut. Put the meatballs, bay leaf, 5 black peppercorns into the boiling broth, boil until tender. Before serving, garnish the soup with finely chopped green onions.
Results and reviews after a protein diet
The results before and after the diet are impressive - in just a week you can lose up to 5 kilograms, depending on the initial weight and activity. Since protein foods saturate the body with energy well, it is recommended to combine the diet with training for maximum effect.
As for the reviews, they are both positive and negative. For many, the diet did not fit - against the background of a lack of vitamins and trace elements, some part of those losing weight developed dizziness and weakness. Despite this, every person who has been on this diet has lost weight.
Protein diet contraindications
Before this diet, go through a mandatory medical examination, because the protein diet is not allowed for everyone and is completely prohibited:
- with deviations in the work of the heart (with arrhythmias) and any of its diseases,
- hepatitis and any liver disease,
- during breastfeeding and during pregnancy,
- with kidney dysfunction
- with joint pain or related diseases,
- with colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and a number of other diseases of the digestive system,
- diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
- with a duration of 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
Its essence is that protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, that is, on one day you eat exclusively protein foods, on the other you eat complex carbohydrates. This dietary option is considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Usually, such a diet is resorted to after a purely protein diet to consolidate the result.
Atkins Diet
Also known as the Hollywood diet, which has become a favorite of many Hollywood stars. The basis of nutrition, compiled by Dr. Atkins, is the use of predominantly protein foods, even high-calorie fatty foods are allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.
Protein diet of Dr. Pierre Dukan
The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is exactly the system of proper nutrition, which must be followed for the rest of your life. According to modern nutritionists, the best diet for weight loss is one that you can comfortably follow without suffering from hunger, without falling from weakness, and without obsessing over calorie counts.
Protein Diet Recommendations
Given the disadvantages of this method of losing weight, we have compiled recommendations for you, following which you can minimize the negative consequences for your body and only benefit from the diet:
- First and foremost, don't overdo the diet. Remember that the measure is needed in everything: do not completely exclude carbohydrates and fats from the diet. If after a week of dieting you decide to continue losing weight, do not sit on such a diet for more than a month, and then take a 2-3 month break.
- Since the protein diet for weight loss for 7 days puts a lot of stress on the 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 problems with the stool, observe the water regime - you must drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water per day.
- Do not exceed the daily caloric intake of 1500 kcal.
- Choose quality products! Remember that the quality of food is a very important condition for losing weight.
- If you include eggs in your diet, do not eat more than 4 eggs per day. This is especially true of egg yolk, which consists mainly of fat and increases cholesterol levels.
- Proteins in a duet with carbohydrates are absorbed better. When eating boiled chicken breast, add some steamed cauliflower to your plate. But it is better to introduce carbohydrates in the middle of the day, at lunchtime.
- If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscles grow precisely from a power load.
- In order to avoid a deficiency of nutrients, it is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss.