Protein diet - essence, benefits, food and menus

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

The right protein diet menu has positive qualities and allows you to lose weight in a short time. The main thing is to eat foods that contain protein. After all, they are necessary for a normal metabolism. The body is not able to independently accumulate proteins in the body, so they are regularly included in food. With a normal diet, this does not happen, so they are constantly consumed. If this does not happen, muscle mass decreases, as internal organs draw protein from it for normal function. Exhaustion of the body occurs and the skin becomes saggy.

protein diet fish

If you adhere to this nutritional system to lose weight for 14 days, the weight will not go away due to muscle reduction, but due to the burning of body fat. Its observance is suitable for people who are afraid of being hungry. Anorexia with such a diet cannot occur, and the muscles do not atrophy. After it, the weight loss body becomes slim and fit.

To lose weight, 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 fat or carbohydrates, and it must spend its fatty deposits located on the hips, abdomen and buttocks. For women, these places are the most problematic.
  • To assimilate proteins, the body needs a lot of energy, which will be replenished by burning subcutaneous fat.
  • Protein foods create heat production which speeds up metabolic processes.

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

fish soup on a protein diet

Protein standards

A person needs about 0. 8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. However, many well-known 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 early retirement and retirement age to consume at least 1. 3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

For a healthy young man, nutritionists recommend eating around 1. 5 grams of protein per kilogram per day. Thus, an individual weighing 70 kg should eat around 90 to 120 grams of protein per day.

Diet characteristics

The diet system has some features that should be taken into account by anyone losing weight:

  1. Protein saturates the body of people who work or play sports all the time. These foods may be suitable for women who are expecting a baby. A simple protein diet menu is characterized by the consumption of meat, fish and dairy dishes. The nutritional system can be beneficial for people who want to lose weight without harming or stressing the body.
  2. The maximum period of membership in the plan is 14 days. This period will allow you to normalize the weight without harming the body. The results of protein weight loss are characterized by stable performance. To consolidate the obtained result, it is necessary to gradually exit the nutritional system, excluding fatty, fried and sweet foods.
  3. It is recommended to repeat the diet no more often than after 6 months.
  4. Foods containing protein require important weight loss recommendations. The work of the excretory system during the diet is activated, which can lead to complications. Therefore, at this stage it is necessary to observe the drinking regime and consume non-carbonated water in sufficient quantity.
  5. The total number of calories from food should be around 1200-1400. Their lack can lead to disruption of the functioning of internal organs and weaken the immune system.
  6. The menu of a protein diet for weight loss for the day gives you the opportunity to savor the taste of your favorite dish (in small quantities) and allows you to maintain a stable weight.
vegetable and fish salad on a protein diet

With this food system, the feeling of hunger does not have to be constantly felt, the diet is unlimited and varied.

spinach turkey rolls on a protein diet

Who is this diet for?

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

Most often, athletes, professional athletes, and people looking to achieve the most toned body resort to "drying". But guys and girls, having seen enough "jocks" in the gym, sometimes do not understand that in everyday life it is not really necessary to follow such a diet.

slim girl after protein diet

A similar diet is right for you if you:

  • want to lose a lot of pounds;
  • Going on vacation by the sea and wanting to look gorgeous, while you are slightly overweight;
  • schedule a photo shoot;
  • an athlete and you need to dry yourself off to lose weight;
  • bodybuilder.

Basically, that ends the list of situations in which a protein diet may be necessary. But if you feel that you have other reasons to sit on it, we ask that you please approach your diet wisely.Never exhaust your body and think about all your meals in advance. . .

Recommended and prohibited foods

The daily protein diet menu is extensive and includes a list of some dishes that can be included in the diet at that time. Recommended products include:

  • Chicken and turkey meat, beef, offal. For a diet, food must be boiled or simmered. Most often, skinless chicken is used. It is well absorbed and its preparation does not pose any problem.
  • Lean fish. It contains the right amount of protein and trace elements, which are important for the normal functioning of the body.
  • Cottage cheese and dairy products. The casein present in their composition will require efforts from the body to digest it. As a result, a lot of calories are wasted.
  • Buckwheat and oatmeal, bread (rye, dark, whole grain).
  • Boiled eggs. The proteins they contain are easy to digest and nutritious.
  • Vegetables containing a minimum of starch (cucumbers, cabbage, celery).
  • Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits), sour apples.
  • Canned tuna food. They contain a large amount of protein and a minimal fat composition.

Particular attention should be paid to the drinking regimen. You can include herbal teas, freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, purified water.

chicken salad on a 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. First of all, you need to exclude sweets. Even fruit can spoil the result, not to mention cakes, cookies and pastries.
  2. Fried, fatty foods and pasta should be completely excluded from the menu.
  3. Carbonated drinks, compotes and juices are also not recommended during the diet period.
  4. Vegetables containing a lot of starch (potatoes, legumes, peas).

The refusal of 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 program

The power supply system must be implemented as follows:

  • It is better to divide the menu of each day into several receptions (5-6). In the morning on an empty stomach, drink a glass of purified water. Take 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 is important to have the right combination of dishes. This will achieve a positive result. The feeding system will relieve 10 kg of excess weight in 2 weeks. To do this, you must strictly follow all the recommendations.

exercising on a protein diet

How to get out of this diet

Your body is used to receiving certain substances every day. You don't have to throw yourself into cakes and buns on the very first day you end the diet.You must go gradually, while trying to maintain the habit of not eating fast carbohydrates.

Slowly introduce grains, more vegetables and dairy products with a high percentage of fat in your diet. You can treat yourself to dark chocolate, previously prohibited fruits - bananas, persimmon, apricots, as well as dried fruits.

To note!The process of exiting the diet can take 3-5 days, so there is no need to rush. It is important to give the body time to rebuild itself and not immediately load it with a large number of new nutrients.

Diet for 7 days

The week-long food system is designed in such a way that during the period of observance a person does not experience a feeling of hunger. The dishes are easy to prepare. The protein diet menu for weight loss for a week includes:

  • Breakfast. Cottage cheese (160 g), tea (green or with herbs), half an orange.
  • Having dinner. Chicken breast (170 g), wholemeal bread.
  • Afternoon tea. A glass of low fat yogurt.
  • Having dinner. Steamed fish (200 g), vegetable salad (170 g).
foods for the 7-day protein diet

On 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 calorie content.

The vegetables are lightly cooked and cooked in stews and soups. They can be used as snacks throughout the day. It is best to consume non-starchy vegetables.

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

What animal products does a protein diet include?

A protein diet should include the following animal products:

  1. Lean white meat (chicken breast, turkey meat, lean parts of other varieties of meat). The product should be consumed without the skin. Chicken breast is particularly useful. There are only 300 calories in a 200 gram serving and up to 50 grams of protein.
  2. Seafood, including varieties of fish, rich in omega essential acids (tuna, salmon). 150 g of tuna contain 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 made up almost entirely of protein. In addition, egg white contains antioxidants that are important for the body, which protect the human body from aging.
high protein foods

Diet menu for 10 days

The dishes indicated in the table, losing weight, distribute and alternate independently throughout the meal.

The recommended protein diet menu for 10 days is shown in the table below.

Day Breakfast Having dinner Afternoon tea Having dinner
1st day Unsweetened herbal tea Chicken breast, cabbage compote, green apples Low fat kefir Steamed fish, salad
2nd day Sugar-free herbal tea, wholemeal bread Ukha, not containing potatoes, coleslaw Fat free kefir, grapefruit Low calorie cottage cheese
3rd day Unsweetened tea Boiled beef, raw vegetables Kefir, orange Beet and cabbage salad
4th day Green tea without sugar, rye bread croutons Lean fish simmered with vegetables Tofu cheese, apple hard-boiled eggs, grated carrots
5th day Natural coffee without sugar Boiled beef, cabbage and carrot salad Skimmed milk Fat Free Cottage Cheese
6th day Sugar free tea Beef broth, beet salad Kefir, grapefruit Boiled chicken, tomatoes
7th day Tea, rye crackers Fish with vegetables, wholemeal bread Tofu cheese, apple Vegetable salad
8th day Natural coffee without sugar Boiled chicken fillet, croutons Kefir or baked fermented milk, citrus fruits Carrot salad, soft-boiled eggs
9th day Unsweetened drink Ukha without potatoes, raw vegetables Low-fat cheese Vegetable salad
10th day Sugar free tea Skinless chicken, tomato salad Apples Boiled lean fish

The menu of a protein diet for weight loss for 10 days is varied. Portions should be taken in moderation so as not to overeat and leave the table with a slight feeling of fullness.

Menu for 2 weeks

It is the most sustainable nutritional system that provides an efficient and stable result. Following it for 14 days will not cause a person any inconvenience or unpleasant feeling.

Recommendations for a protein diet (menu for 14 days):

Day Breakfast Having dinner Having dinner
1st day Unsweetened black coffee 2 hard-boiled eggs, cabbage compote, a glass of tomato juice Baked, fried or steamed fish
2nd day Coffee without sugar, rye croutons Boiled fish, vegetable salad Boiled beef (250 g), a glass of kefir
3rd day Coffee without sugar, rye croutons Sautéed zucchini in oil, green apples 2 hard-boiled eggs, coleslaw, boiled beef (200 g)
4th day Black coffee without sugar Salad of 3 boiled carrots, hard cheese (15 g) Fruits or berries other than grapes and bananas
5th day Fresh grated carrots Boiled, baked or steamed fish, a glass of tomato juice Fruits or berries, excluding grapes and bananas
6th day Black coffee without sugar Boiled chicken, vegetable salad 2 hard-boiled eggs, grated fresh carrots
7th day Unsweetened tea (green or herbal) Boiled veal or beef (250 g), fresh fruit Dinner one of the days, except the 3

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

Be sure to observe the drinking regimen. You can use green tea and herbs, water. It is totally forbidden to drink alcoholic drinks, so as not to stress the liver.

protein-rich quinoa salmon

The first meal contains only liquid in the form of tea or coffee. During the meal, do not overeat, it is better to stop it with a slight feeling of hunger.

Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet

Anyone 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 intensive sports, which is difficult with other effective and rapid methods of losing weight.
  2. The diet is practically not accompanied by a feeling of hunger, since the time of 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 firmer, 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 to improve the functioning of the intestines.
  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 lightning fast, and it allows you to maintain a stable weight after leaving it.
fish dish on a protein diet

If you stick to the protein diet to lose weight for a longer period of time, negative consequences may arise:

  • The use of protein for a long time 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 the minimum amount of carbohydrates in the diet.
  • The increased irritability is due to the lack of fat in the diet - the main building material of nerve cells.
  • Problems with blood clotting, blood clots.
  • Protein nutrition can lead to disruption of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract.
  • It is not recommended to eat this way for people 60 years of age or older.
  • Bad breath caused by eating too much protein.

Before you start to lose weight, it is better to consult a specialist so as not to harm the body.

Why protein is so important for the body

It's from protein:

  • human bones, muscles, skin, hair are formed. They are constantly renewing themselves, they need a new supply of protein;
  • Hormones "chemical messengers" are synthesized, which help various bodily systems to function harmoniously;
  • enzymes are also synthesized from proteins involved in countless metabolic processes;

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

the importance of protein for weight loss

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

Foods of animal origin (including eggs, milk) are the best source of protein. It contains the 9 essential amino acids in optimal proportions. In addition, animal feed is well absorbed (90-95%). In plant foods, everything is less balanced.

If you limit the diet to carrots, grains, potatoes, and cabbage, the body will start to lack protein. To avoid this, people on a vegan diet should eat plenty of plant-based foods on a regular basis, including a variety of legumes, whole grains, nuts, and cereals.

Contraindications

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

The bodies begin to function in an improved mode. If everything is not in order with them, then chronic diseases can worsen, this 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;
  • while expecting a baby and while breastfeeding;
  • gallstones;
  • pathology of the heart and blood vessels;
  • citrus allergy;
  • pathology of the digestive tract;
  • Diabetes;
  • adolescence.

Any contraindication is a signal to stop for people who have chosen this diet. Only after the elimination of contraindications will it be possible to lose weight using this food system.

Nutritional principles

The average duration of the diet is 5 days, in some cases the doctor may recommend to follow the therapeutic diet for up to 10 days, but not more. You cannot stick to the diet longer than this period, because due to a lack of protein, muscle tissue begins to quickly contract.

You need to keep a daily calorie count

Instead of protein foods, you need to start eating plant-based foods. With a protein-free diet, the daily carbohydrate intake is 350 g, and fat - 80 g. The calorie content of the daily menu does not exceed 2200 kcal. If during the diet period a person adheres to bed rest and strictly limits physical activity, the calorie content can be reduced to 2000 kcal.

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

Helpful tips to enhance the effect

Nutritionists suggest how to lose weight on a protein diet without harm or harm to health. Simply following a diet may not be enough to achieve effective results. It is necessary to use the principles of healthy eating, which are effective in the future:

  • It is best to have a medical examination before starting the diet.
  • You must obtain permission from a doctor to comply with such a nutritional system.
  • You should take multivitamins throughout the diet.
  • In the event of vertigo attacks, it is necessary to increase the intake of carbohydrates and fats in the body. It is allowed to add oatmeal to the morning menu.
  • It is best to refuse a protein diet if you are feeling less well.
  • During the period of weight loss, you should not take any medication.
  • The diet should be discussed with a specialist.
  • You must eat strictly on time.
  • Calorie counting: consume more than you consume.
  • It is better to have dinner 2-3 hours before bedtime.
  • Menu items should not be boiled, simmered or steamed.
  • Food formats: drinks (200 mg), other dishes (150 g) and fruit (100 g).
  • Limit the amount of salt you eat.
  • You should sleep at least 8 hours a day.
  • You should give up bad habits.
  • Give up strength sports and cardio training. Your best bet is to swim, do fitness, aerobics, or Pilates.
high protein 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 feel hungry and tired. Compliance with all recommendations improves health. Despite many positive qualities, the diet has certain contraindications that should be taken into account before starting to comply with it.

What foods are better not to eat

Remove from the diet:

  • Foods rich in saturated and transgenic fats. The former are particularly abundant in red meats (pork, lamb), the latter are abundant in margarine;
  • canned and processed meats with excess 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 "run out" very quickly, causing a feeling of hunger;
  • you should refuse foods fried in oil. It is too high in calories;
  • do not use mayonnaise. You can replace it with soy sauce, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and even the most common kefir;
  • you will have to give up milk, butter, high-fat varieties of cheese.

It is also important not to limit yourself to individual products. The more different the foods, the better. Due to the variety, the diet becomes more balanced and includes all the macro and microelements necessary for the organism.