A balanced protein diet is considered one of the simplest and most effective methods for losing weight. The diet is designed for those who want to lose weight without giving up meat products. The menu of the protein diet consists mainly of protein foods, and the consumption of fats and carbohydrates is reduced to a reasonable minimum. A protein diet for weight loss will help you lose extra pounds without causing much harm to your body, provided you follow all the recommendations below.
Basic principles of a protein diet for weight loss
When a person eats a lot of food that contains carbohydrates, he feeds the body with simple "fuel", and all buns, cakes, pizzas and much more, for the most part, contain simple fats and carbohydrates. The body, recognizing food, uses carbohydrates to maintain a person's strength, in other words, it uses it to produce energy, but the remaining fat (the body) is stored in buckets, as if for a "rainy day". A person has plenty of places where fat could be hidden, for example, the stomach or hips. But do not despair, the bodyIt is enough to eliminate carbohydrates from consumption and feed the body only with proteins, it will immediately start looking for a way out of the current situation and will have to burn its own fats to get energy.
Physical activity will also help you lose weight. A protein diet is a great way to tone and strengthen your muscles (you need a lot of protein for that), and exercise will help you burn excess fat faster.
Advantages and disadvantages of a protein diet for weight loss
Benefits of a protein diet
The main and one of the most important advantages of a protein diet can be considered the fact that after consuming the prescribed amount of protein, a person is deprived of hunger for a long time, and during that time the body continues to work for you. Proteins are considered a complex component of food, the body spends more time and effort on their digestion, so hunger will not bite you in an hour or a few hours. Another advantage of the protein diet, of course, remains the fact that after the end of the diet, a person will not gain all those kilograms that he lost with such difficulty, while maintaining a balanced diet. Weight loss is especially noticeable in people with a large excess of body fat. Losing weight happens quickly enough, preventing you from starting to miss sweets. In addition, a huge number of recipes have appeared on the Internet, which will brighten up the not-so-glamorous dietary routine, but at the same time make it possible to maintain the necessary amount of allowed calories. The main thing is to take the first step, and when you begin to notice an incredible transformation, and the old clothes become big, you will no longer want to return or leave the desired goal.
Disadvantages of a protein diet for weight loss
As with anything else, before starting a protein diet, you should see your doctor and get personal recommendations regarding this step. All protein diets have contraindications - they are disorders in the functioning of the kidneys, liver, heart, pregnancy. Of course, the protein diet is very different from some other mono-diets, in which there is no balance of vitamins and minerals at all. What can we say, at least, about the cheese or kefir and apple diet. If a person decides to follow such a diet, he will not only experience deterioration in the quality of his hair and nails, but will also experience all the charms of irregular/slow digestion and constipation. In the case of a protein diet, of course, it is better to protect the body with vitamin tablets. And the slow intake of energy from the consumed food can cause mild dizziness and weakness. While following the diet, it is recommended to drink more fluids. It promotes good kidney function, which is compromised during a protein diet for weight loss. In addition, elderly people should not go on a protein diet. A large amount of protein and a small amount of fat increase the likelihood of blood clots due to improved blood clotting. That is why the protein diet, like the others, should be approached with caution.
Protein diet products, their preparation
There is no need to be afraid that now you will have to stand idle in the kitchen for days, trying to prepare an entire diet menu according to the recipe. Not all! The diet is very simple and does not require buying papaya or mangosteen every day. The main food for the entire diet period should be food containing protein. This especially includes low-fat fish and meat, as well as protein in large quantities (found in eggs and all types of dairy products). When consuming dairy products, you should not abuse the percentage of fat, it is better to limit yourself to 1-3%. Some diet menus allow you to include grapefruit or orange, but you should not use these citrus fruits excessively, because there may be an increase in the acidity of the stomach, which in turn will lead to negative consequences. All dietary products that are allowed for consumption should be boiled in a double boiler. This device perfectly prepares dishes, not allowing vitamins to "escape" from the product (which can happen during cooking), and saves your time and effort. Multi-layer steamers are designed to process and cook several products at once. The grill will also be your assistant during the protein diet, where you can easily cook without oil and fat.
It is worth noting that in addition to the listed products that are allowed for consumption, there are also those that are strictly prohibited for all those who strictly adhere to a protein diet for weight loss. For example, all fans of fried potatoes will have to forget about their treat for the entire duration of the diet! It is not recommended to eat potatoes in any form, be it mashed or baked potatoes. All types of cereals and pasta are now prohibited! And don't fall for the sellers' warnings that the durum wheat from which their pasta is made can be eaten every day. This is not true, just like the fact that eating oatmeal in the morning is vital for the good functioning of the stomach, because there are many substitutes for this product to get the body moving properly after sleep. All pastries, of course, also remain a thing of the past, especially rich pastries. The same applies to all types of butter (butter, sunflower).
Duration of the protein diet
Typically, protein diets are prescribed in detail for one to two weeks. The menu is not very diverse, in the second week, if there is one, professionals advise to eat the same menu as in the first week, observing the diet from the last to the first day. Among other things, nutritionists advise adhering to a protein diet for no longer than two weeks, and then it is advisable to take a six-month break, after which you can resume the course.
Daily menu of a protein diet for weight loss
All the menus of protein diets, of which there is a great variety at the moment (and often bear the proud names of the creators of the menus), can be studied and based on them you can make your own. Protein diets include the Cream Diet, the Pierre Dukan Diet, the Egg Diet, the Japanese Weight Loss Diet, the Angel Diet, the English Diet, and the Sports Diet.
The modular version of the diet is especially suitable for those who lose weight who are not used to following a plan created by another person.
It is worth remembering that you have to eat at least four times a day, it may seem difficult for some people who lead an active lifestyle and cannot devote a lot of time to eating. But claims that you can lose weight by eating once a day are a huge misconception. Chinese wisdom says: "Do you want to raise a sumo wrestler? Give him food once a day! "The fact is that throughout the day our body is very tired and hunger will remind itself more often and with new force, which is why there is a risk of gaining weight due toone but very dense snack. In those moments, the person cannot be controlled, and the feeling of satiety does not come immediately, as a result of which the person overeats and gains extra weight. Food should be taken in small portions several times a day. It is necessary to remember that in the morning you should start the diet with a glass of water, after that wait half an hour and only then you can start breakfast. The last meal should be no later than two to three hours before bedtime. After noon, it is allowed to consume protein with a little fiber, i. e. vegetables. It can be a small amount of tomatoes or cabbage, cucumber or zucchini.
To better understand the information, you need to imagine a complete menu for the week.
For breakfast
You can drink any coffee, even with milk, which is even more recommended than the usual black coffee, because the latter increases the acidity in the stomach. Instead of coffee, you can drink any type of tea, of course, all drinks should be consumed without sugar. You can afford a small jar of plain or drinking yogurt, or cottage cheese, or a boiled egg. Once a week you can eat buckwheat or oatmeal on water.
For lunch
After the first meal, especially such a meager one, at first you will want to eat, so after two to three hours you can eat any fruit, except for bananas and peaches, citrus fruits are best. Drink more tea.
For lunch
Lunch can be completely varied, first you can treat yourself to coarse black bread, add two medium tomatoes, one cucumber or a couple of lettuce leaves, one hundred grams of beef/fish/chicken meat. Occasionally - vegetable soup rich in fiber (zucchini, cabbage). You can drink tea.
For afternoon tea
It is allowed to eat apples, just one or two, and drink kefir.
For dinner
You can prepare seafood salad with eggs, naturally, without using mayonnaise. You can eat chicken breast with herbs by wrapping it in foil and baking it in the oven without using oil. Any meat, except pork, with vegetables will be a great dinner and will keep you full for a long time. After dinner, try not to eat anything but kefir.
Protein diet menu for 14 days
The protein diet menu for weight loss in two weeks may look like this.
1 day.Breakfast: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese. Second breakfast: 2 boiled eggs. Lunch: creamy broccoli or zucchini soup baked with 100 g of feta cheese. Afternoon snack: 100 ml of low-fat yogurt. Dinner: 150 g of grilled turkey fillet with cranberry sauce.
Day 2.Breakfast: 100 g omelette. Second breakfast: salad of fresh leafy vegetables with 1 tsp. olive oil. Lunch: okroshka on low-fat kefir with turkey or beef, 150 g of steamed fish. Afternoon snack: 100 ml of kefir. Dinner: 150 g of boiled beef, fresh vegetable salad.
3rd day.Breakfast: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese with sour berries (cranberries, cranberries). Second breakfast: 1 boiled egg. Lunch: 200 g of stuffed peppers, but instead of rice, use vegetables, such as broccoli. Afternoon snack: 100 g of cucumber and cabbage salad with olive oil. Dinner: 150-200 g of beef, baked with garlic.
Day 4Breakfast: 100 g of boiled chicken breast without skin. Second breakfast: 100 g of grilled fish, one cucumber. Lunch: 150 ml of vegetable soup without potatoes. Afternoon snack: fresh tomato salad seasoned with olive oil. Dinner: 150 g of beef roasted with garlic, 100 g of grilled vegetables.
Day 5Breakfast: 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese. Second breakfast: 1 orange. Lunch: fish soup, 100 g of red pepper salad, lettuce, tomato, seasoned with lemon juice. Afternoon snack: 100 g of low-fat yogurt. Dinner: 150 g of turkey, stewed with cauliflower or broccoli.
6th dayBreakfast: oatmeal with water. Second breakfast: 100 g of sour berries. Lunch: 150 g of grilled fish, 100 g of stewed eggplant. Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt without sugar and additives. Dinner: 150 g of steamed beef, 100 g of tomato and cucumber salad, topped with olive oil.
7th dayBreakfast: 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese. Second breakfast: 1 boiled egg. Lunch: 150 g of grilled chicken without skin, two fresh tomatoes. Afternoon snack: grated carrot with lemon juice. Dinner: 150 g of boiled shrimp, 100 g of green beans.
Day 8Breakfast: millet porridge with water, you can add berries or pieces of fruit. Second breakfast: tuna and tomato salad, seasoned with lemon and olive oil. Lunch: 200 g of steamed fish cutlets, 100 g of any fresh vegetable. Afternoon snack: 125 ml of yogurt to drink without additives. Dinner: 200 g of any grilled fish with vegetables.
9th dayBreakfast: 150 g of low-fat cottage cheese with finely chopped herbs (dill and parsley). Second breakfast: boiled egg with cucumber. Lunch: 200 g of boiled beef, 150 ml of tomato juice. Afternoon snack: 50 g of pine nuts. Dinner: 200 g of steamed fish, green salad.
Day 10Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach. Second breakfast: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese. Lunch: 150 g of boiled turkey, salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. Afternoon snack: 1 grapefruit. Dinner: 200 g beef cutlets, green salad.
11th dayBreakfast: 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese with pickled berries. Second breakfast: 1 boiled egg. Lunch: 150 g of boiled turkey, fresh vegetable salad. Afternoon snack: 75 g of tofu cheese. Dinner: 150 g of baked chicken fillet.
Day 12Breakfast: 2 low-fat yogurts, 1 boiled egg. Second breakfast: fresh vegetable salad with pieces of feta cheese. Lunch: fish soup (without potatoes). Afternoon snack: 100 g of white cabbage salad. Dinner: 150 g of boiled beef, 200 ml of tomato juice.
Day 13Breakfast: buckwheat porridge. Second breakfast: 2 boiled eggs. Lunch: 160 g of any grilled fish, green salad. Afternoon snack: one apple. Dinner: 120 g of stewed veal, cabbage and carrot salad.
Day 14Breakfast: oatmeal. Second breakfast: leaf salad with cheese. Lunch: cauliflower cream soup, grilled chicken breast. Afternoon snack: one boiled egg, a glass of tomato juice. Dinner: 200 g of any grilled seafood, 100 g of steamed green beans.
What can you drink during a protein diet for weight loss?
During the diet, you can drink tea or coffee without sugar, herbal infusions and plain and mineral water. All fruit juices and sweet drinks are excluded from the menu of the protein diet for weight loss. When you are on a protein diet, you can sometimes drink vegetable juices - tomato juice or celery and apple juice. The main thing is that the juice contains a small amount of carbohydrates.
The diet completely excludes any alcoholic beverages in order to reduce the burden on the liver, stomach and kidneys. In addition, alcohol blocks the enzyme pepsin, which breaks down animal proteins in the stomach, and by consuming protein foods and alcohol together, not only will you not lose weight, but you will most likely "get" indigestion.
Prognosis for weight loss on a protein diet
If you follow all the dietary guidelines as well as exercise, the weight will come off pretty quickly. But the reduction occurs differently in people with different proportions of fat. For example, with a height of 170 centimeters and a weight of sixty-five kilograms, a child can easily lose six to ten kilograms in two weeks, depending on the duration and energy consumption of training.
This diet is not suitable for everyone, but if you get a doctor's permission and approach all points correctly, you can provide yourself with a great figure in a short period of time. Moreover, this figure will remain for a long time after the diet.