How to lose weight with protein foods: protein diet rules, menu, products

First, let's try to understand what a protein diet is and what its characteristics are. First of all, it is worth saying that this diet is based on a large consumption of protein foods: eggs, seafood, meat, fish, dairy products, various legumes and cereals. It is worth minimizing the consumption of fats and especially carbohydrates.

Many people think soprotein dietquite difficult, but this is not so. A huge advantage is saturation with food, almost without restrictions. Now let's find out which foods you should eat in large quantities, because they will be your main diet.

What should you eat on a protein diet?

1. Dairy products
2. Meat and fish
3. Low-fat sour milk and cottage cheese
4. Legumes
5. Vegetables
6. Seafood

Foods that should not be eaten on a protein diet:

1. Fast food
2. Sweet high-calorie fruits
3. Baking and desserts.
4. potatoes
5. Full fat dairy products
6. Fatty meat.

Why should you choose a protein diet for weight loss?

Proteins are the building material for our body, they contain a huge amount of vitamins, macro- and microelements. The problem for many people trying to lose weight is the constant crashes due to hunger. On a protein diet, you'll have enough energy and won't be constantly thinking about food. In addition, you will not exhaust your body, it will look attractive, because the muscle tissue will practically not be damaged. This is a great option for those who ultimately want to get a toned figure.

How does the protein diet work?

The point is that thedigestionand the body uses a huge amount of energy to digest protein foods. In order to digest a lean chicken breast or egg white, your body must use its own reserves, which are fat. It is at these moments that a powerful process of losing weight begins. To achieve maximum results, it is worth adding at least minimal physical exercise.

No one tells you what to do all daydisappear into the gym, but a half-hour circuit training at home will help to enhance the effect of the protein diet.

Significant benefits of a protein diet. First of all, there is a wide selection of products that are available in many stores. You will not feel a constant feeling of hunger, and you will be satisfied with the food every time and enjoy it. Agree, even a lean piece of meat, cooked quite tasty, looks much more appetizing than the freshest lettuce leaves or green apple. There is a huge selection of recipes that are suitable for people who eat protein foods.

Many note the significant advantage of a protein diet over others; over time, you may even get used to this diet and the diet may become your way of life. Once you've lost a certain amount of weight, you can gradually add back your favorite foods without gaining weight. But it is always worth remembering that proteins should remain the main products of your diet.

Cons of a protein diet. Of course, every method of losing weight has its disadvantages, but the protein diet has small disadvantages. The first and most important thing is that the products that you have to eat quite often are not cheap. Seafood will cost you more than a muffin or pie you can buy on the way to work. In addition, you will have to spend a lot more time preparing food. It won't be easy for those with a sweet tooth, because the protein diet includes almost no desserts, except for dried fruits and fruits with a low fructose content.

You will need to carry containers with you that will last you all day, especially if you spend a lot of time at work or school. A protein diet includes eating at least 5 times a day.

The basic principles of the protein diet:

1. Avoid high-calorie foods. It is necessary to exclude alcoholic beverages, fast food, baked goods, sweets, dried fruits can be an analogue. Sweeteners should also not be present in your diet. Any food that ends up on your plate should be low in carbohydrates. Remember that even a small amount of sweetener in a cup of coffee can trigger a strong appetite, leading to overeating.
2. Drink more water. This applies to pure water, not to various drinks in the form of coffee, tea or juices. When on a protein diet, you should drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Carry a small bottle with you and fill it constantly so you don't forget to take a few sips even if you're not at home or at a restaurant.
3. Minimize fat intake. If your diet contains fatty types of cheese, fatty cottage cheese, nuts or butter, consume them before lunch, so the body will use up energy on time and excess calories will not be stored as fat. Protein foods go well with cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli and low-glucose fruits.
4. Exercise stress. In any case, you will need to supplement your protein diet with exercise. Thus, you will achieve the desired result faster, you will speed up your metabolism, improve the absorption of protein foods and you will be able to burn more calories than you take in, and this is the secret of healthy weight loss.

Who should carefully consider choosing a protein diet?

First of all, those who suffer fromdiseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as from kidney failure. A protein diet is undesirable for the elderly, since the body has to process a fairly large amount of protein food, and if there are holes with the heart or blood vessels, the idea should be abandoned completely.

Sometimes when he is illiterateusing a protein dietblood clotting may change and as a result there is a risk of blood clots. So get blood tests done beforehand and play it safe so your weight loss doesn't turn into health problems for you.

Protein diet for weight loss

The time of sun, relaxation, flowing clothes and bikinis is behind us. The beautiful ladies have already managed to relax a little and even treat themselves to something very tasty and no less "very" caloric. Undoubtedly, small joys make everyday life brighter and more positive. The main thing is to tell yourself to stop in time! Otherwisecase the appearance of excess weight very quickly and, as the experience of losing weight shows, will bring uncertainty, negativity and problems into your life for a long time.

But what if time is lost? How to quickly return to normal at home? Is the protein diet effective for every day?

Does perfect have to be perfect?

Before talking about a diet, let's find out if there is such a thing as an "ideal weight". It seems that the answer is absolutely obvious, because the whole fashion and "healthy" lifestyle industry tells us every day about the need to meet certain standardsfor beauty and, apparently, health. Ideals that were not invented by us and certainly have nothing to do with understanding human nature and the biological mechanisms of our functioning. However, we are motivated in every possible way to strive for certain standards, to show results in the pool, gym and street jogging. The tragedy of the situation is that we do things that are very suitable for our body, not because they bring satisfaction and benefit, but only for the sake of conformity. We do not monitor our well-being, we do not track the signals that the body gives, we measure and weigh our body! And as a result, we only make the situation worse.

Everyone is inspired, realized, ready for action, but where to start? And you have to start with your own definition of a non-ideal weight. The same, individual for each of us, but causing the same feeling of discomfort and dissatisfaction.

What is a non-ideal weight?

Try typing a query into any search engine to determine your ideal weight, and you'll get links to dozens of calculators and tables. And none of them will take into account:

• your heredity (genetic predisposition);
• presence of chronic diseases;
• the number of fat cells in your body and their ability to store fat;
• metabolism (metabolism) in your body;
• your lifestyle - the presence of stress, sleep and wakefulness, your mobility, the quality and mode of nutrition.

If you put it all together, it becomes clear that each of us has our own individual non-ideal weight. How do you know when it's time to act? If you experience one or more of the following, your weight is far from ideal:

your weight has a negative impact on your health - your general state of health has worsened, you get tired faster, your joints and back are bothering you for the first time, you have shortness of breath, your blood pressure rises periodically, the work of the intestines is very disturbed. be desired;

weight begins to make unpleasant adjustments in your life. You cannot carry out your usual activities (anything that requires mobility and physical endurance), you have to limit yourself in clothing, you feel uncomfortable when you are on public transport or in crowded places, you begin to adjust your life and work plans, such asconsider your weight.

Remember that if you are serious about taking care of yourself, start by visiting a nutritionist and endocrinologist. It will be the best thing you can do for yourself. Only specialists in the field of medicine and proper nutrition, together, can help you maintain your health and improve the quality of your life. Do not forget about the need for constant physical activity in your life.

What is a protein diet?

How can you adjust your diet to shed those pounds that are preventing you from living life to the fullest? A high-protein diet can help with this - a diet based on foods with a high protein content, as well as a significant restriction of carbohydrates and fats. Using this method of nutrition, you can lose 14 kg in 3 months.

The main principle of the protein diet is the intake of foods containing proteins, which regulate the metabolism in our body. In this way, it is possible to avoid the main drawback of any diet - the reduction of protein intake in the body, which in turn leads to rapid exhaustion of the body (internal organs that do not receive enough protein begin to pull them out of the muscle tissue). All this leads to weakness, poor physical health and loose skin.

Benefits of following a protein diet

The advantages that distinguish the protein diet from any other type of diet seem quite significant:

• maintaining a healthy muscular system;
• the ability to combine diet even with serious physical activity;
• the inability to develop such a painful complication as anorexia;
• lack of exhausting, stressful feeling of hunger (protein foods are absorbed by the body within 3-4 hours);
• Meals with a protein diet include a large amount of fiber, which ensures smooth functioning of the intestines;
• due to rather slow, gradual weight loss, without much effort, it is possible to maintain the required weight after leaving the diet;
• good health - complete absence of weakness, dizziness and nausea, which are characteristic of other types of diets;
• blooming appearance, real rejuvenation of the body occurs - the condition of the skin, hair and nails improves.

It is important to remember that the maximum effect for the health of your body can be achieved only by following the rules of dietary nutrition in combination with physical activity, all organs and their systems must be trained.

Cons and contraindications of a protein diet

When you decide to restore your diet in accordance with the principles of the protein diet, remember - there are no perfect diets! Each diet is associated with certain restrictions or exceptions, which means that the load on your body inevitably increases. It is for this reason that we cannot fail to mention the disadvantages of following a protein diet.

The protein diet should be short-term. Long-term intake of protein foods leads to problems with the skeletal system (predominant consumption of proteins leads to the washing of calcium from the bone tissue, which makes the bones very fragile).

Prolonged restriction of carbohydrate intake can negatively affect overall performance.

The nervous system is also attacked, reacting to the lack of sufficient fat in the diet - the main material for the reproduction of nerve cells. The main signs of this condition are increased nervousness and irritability.

A long-term protein diet can disrupt the balance of blood particles - the production of hemoglobin increases sharply.

Protein foods leave behind a large amount of "breakdown products", which leads to an increased load on the kidneys (to excrete them).

Protein diet menu

The protein diet menu should be built on the basis of several principles that guarantee the achievement of the necessary results (for example, weight loss by 10 kg):

Proteins make up at least 60% of the total diet.

Refusal of constant snacks, for this purpose protein products with a long digestion cycle are preferred.

During the day there should be at least 5-6 meals, and the interval between them should not exceed 3 hours.

Avoid frying, all dishes should be prepared by baking, stewing or steaming.

To balance your diet better, you can include some vegetables and fruits in your diet.

Regular physical activity on the body.

Basic products of the protein diet

Chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit

Exceptions: lamb, pork (high in fat)

Low-fat fish

(no more than 4% fat)

Pink salmon, pollock, cod, navaga, perch, pike, grayling

Dairy and fermented milk products no more than 3-5% fat

Kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheeses

Rice, oatmeal, buckwheat

All "green" vegetables, as well as any others in small quantities, 2-3 times a week

Sour fruit drinks and unsweetened homemade compotes and juices (diluted with mineral water 1: 1), herbal teas and their decoctions, unsweetened coffee

Olives, linseed, sunflower - in strictly limited quantities

Among the products prohibited for consumption, several main ones can be identified:

• flour products - pasta, sweets, bread;
• sugar and sugar-containing products and dishes - baked goods, ice cream, chocolate, sweets, ready-made juices, fruit drinks, etc. ;
• any sausages;
• potatoes and dishes containing them;
• alcohol and any products containing alcohol;
• fast food restaurants and industrial semi-finished products.

important! Regardless of which protein diet option you plan to use (short-term or long-term), remember that diet periods cannot be more than once every 6 months.

Protein diet: list of permitted foods and recommendations

During the protein diet are allowed:

• any meat - pork, beef, poultry with minimal fat content;
• seafood, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese;
• raw vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes;
• Lemon juice or olive oil is used as a dressing;
• Oatmeal and buckwheat are allowed 2 times a week.

• sweets - here are all confectionery (cakes, biscuits), sugar and sweet fruits;
• bakery products, pasta products, foods fried in fat;
• cereals, potatoes, butter.

When following a protein diet, you should follow the following recommendations:

• you need to eat 5-6 times a day, the last time no later than 2 hours before going to bed;
• drink at least 1. 5 liters of mineral water without gas or pure water daily;
• all alcohol is prohibited;
• If you wish, it is permissible to eat a few citrus fruits or unsweetened apples for a snack.

What protein diet programs are there?

Many protein diet programs have been developed. There are both purely protein diets and those with different variations: protein-vegetable, protein-fruit, protein-vitamin and others.

Protein diet for a week: menu options

Protein diet options for 7 days

1 variant

• Breakfast: 150 grams of beef with one whole grain bread, a cup of tea or coffee;
• Snack: 1 apple;
• For lunch: boiled chicken breast (150 grams) with vegetable salad (200 grams);
• Afternoon snack: 1 cup of low-fat yogurt or kefir;
• For dinner: boiled sea fish (200 grams) with vegetable salad dressed with lemon juice.

Option 2

• Breakfast: 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, tea, coffee;
• Snack: 1 citrus fruit;
• For lunch: beef stewed with vegetables (150 grams);
• Afternoon snack: 1 cup of low-fat kefir with dietary bread;
• For dinner: 200 grams of boiled lean fish with fresh vegetables.

Option 3

• Breakfast: boiled chicken fillet (200 grams), tea or coffee;
• Snack: 1 apple;
• For lunch: 200 grams of boiled beans with a portion of vegetable salad;
• Afternoon snack: 200 grams of low-fat yogurt with dietary sweets;
• For dinner: 150 g of boiled beef with 150 g of cabbage salad seasoned with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Option 4

• Breakfast: 1 cup of low-fat kefir with dietary biscuits;
• Snack: 1 unsweetened fruit;
• For lunch: 200 grams of boiled chicken breast, 1 cup of apple juice;
• Afternoon snack: 1-2 boiled eggs;
• For dinner: 200 grams of boiled fish, 150 grams of fresh vegetables.

Option 5

• Breakfast: 150 grams of boiled turkey meat, 1 apple, tea or coffee;
• Snack: 1 glass of apple juice, 1 diet cookie;
• For lunch: boiled fish (200 grams) with a piece of whole grain bread;
• Afternoon snack: 1 cup of low-fat kefir;
• For dinner: 150 grams of boiled beef with vegetable salad.

Option 6

• Breakfast: 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese and tea;
• Snack: 1 grapefruit;
• For lunch: beans stewed with vegetables;
• Afternoon snack: 1 cup of kefir;
• For dinner: boiled sea fish (200 grams) with a salad of fresh vegetables.

Option 7

• Breakfast: 1 cup skim milk, 1 diet cookie;
• Snack: 1 unsweetened apple;
• For lunch: vegetable soup with mushrooms;
• Afternoon snack: 50 grams of low-fat cottage cheese;
• For dinner: boiled veal (150 grams) with a fresh salad.

Option for a short-term (fast) protein diet (3 days)

The main feature of such a "fast" protein diet is the complete absence of snacks, strict adherence to 3 meals a day and the prohibition of any, even the most insignificant physical activity. At the same time, drinking unsweetened herbal teas between meals is allowed.

1. breakfast - 1 boiled chicken egg, prepared in any form (hard-boiled, poached, etc. ), can be replaced with quail eggs, taking into account the calorie content;
2. lunch and dinner - 150-200 grams of low-fat cottage cheese (no more than 3-5% fat) and tea without sweeteners (the use of sugar and honey is unacceptable);
3. fluid consumption - at least 2 liters per day;
4. the last meal no later than 18: 00.

When exiting a short-term protein diet, observe the principle of gradualness, in order not to harm your health, you must add foods and increase their amount gradually, for 1-2 weeks. Start by adding grains and fruits, then add dairy and fermented milk products (watch the fat content of the products).

Unfortunately, as much as we would like to, it is difficult to call such a diet balanced, during a protein diet (especially short-term), the body experiences an acute deficiency of vitamins and minerals. To minimize the possible negative consequences of such restrictions, about a week before the diet, start taking vitamin complexes intended for long-term use (from 1 to 3 months).

When you decide to start a fast protein diet, consider not only your current physical condition, but also the emotional and intellectual stress that may await you during this period. Give up the diet (or shift it in time) if:

• you have recently suffered from a somatic illness;
• you are facing a period of severe physical, intellectual or emotional stress;
• you are over 50 years old;
• you have problems with the liver and/or kidneys, as well as with the cardiovascular system;
• you have had (or currently have) blood clotting disorders (increased risk of thrombosis) and signs of diabetes.

And, of course, the use of any diet is absolutely impossible during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If you want to plan a protein diet menu for a longer period, for example, a month, then it is better to contact specialists. They will not only be able to create a diet based on the permissible calorie content and the list of permitted foods, but will also make it as balanced as possible.

Dukan Diet Menu

The Dukan diet also refers to a type of protein diet, according to the menu it is divided into different stages: attack, cruise, protein-vegetable, consolidation, stabilization. The first stage of the attack is the most critical, here is its approximate menu:

• For breakfast: an omelet of 2 egg whites with low-fat milk and some herbs.
• Snack: one and a half tablespoons of bran oatmeal.
• For lunch: 200 grams of boiled beef.
• Snack: boil 200 grams of shrimp or other seafood.
• For dinner: 200 grams of boiled beef or lamb.

results

The effect of losing weight on a protein diet, as a rule, becomes noticeable within a week, when the first 4-5 extra pounds disappear.The most noticeable result will be after three weeks, when excess weight will disappear even more and muscle relief will become noticeable. After all, a protein diet is designed to get rid of fat deposits without losing muscle mass. Fortunately, there are enough protein products to repair and "build" muscles.

The greater the initial weight of the slimmer, the greater will be the "losses" during the diet. For example, if you weigh 100 kg and suffer from obesity, you can lose 5 - 10 kg in two weeks. At the same time, the dietis quite diverse and will not cause an aversion to a specific product, as happens with monodiets.

It is believed that the optimal period when you can adhere to a protein diet with benefit and without harm to health is 10-14 days. During this time you can lose 8-15 kilograms.

The right way out of a protein diet

Experts advise to come off any diet gradually. The protein nutrition system is no exception. You should not immediately jump on your favorite foods, the consumption of which was prohibited during the program. It is better to completely exclude sugar and flour from your diet.

Furthermore, you should continue to adhere to the regime: eat at least 5-6 times a day in small portions, do not eat 2-3 hours before going to bed, drink more water and give up alcoholic beverages.

During the first 2 weeks after a protein diet, physical activity should also be increased. This must be done in order to make optimal use of the input energy and to preserve the result.

Contraindications

In order not to harm your health, it is better for people suffering from the following diseases to refuse a protein diet:

• hepatitis (and other liver diseases);
• arrhythmia (and other heart abnormalities);
• renal dysfunction;
• dysbacteriosis;
• colitis;
• Pancreatitis;
• increased formation of thrombi;
• joint pain (and all related diseases).

Also, the protein nutrition system is not suitable for the elderly, pregnant and lactating women.