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

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

Many people think thatprotein dietquite difficult, but it is not. A huge advantage is satiety with food, almost without restrictions. Now let's see which foods you should eat in large quantities, since they will constitute your main diet.

What should you eat on a protein diet?

1. Milkman
2. Meat and fish
3. Low-fat yogurts and cottage cheese
4. Legumes
5. Vegetables
6. Seafood

Foods not to eat on a protein diet:

1. fast food
2. Sweet, high-calorie fruits
3. Pastries and desserts.
4. Potato
5. Full-fat dairy products
6. Fatty meat.

Why choose a protein diet to lose weight?

Proteins are the building material of our body, they contain a huge amount of vitamins, macro and microelements. The problem for many people trying to lose weight is constant breakdowns due to hunger. With a protein diet, you will have enough energy and you will not constantly think about food. You will also 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 have a toned figure.

How does the protein diet work?

The fact is that ondigestionand the body spends a huge amount of energy digesting protein foods. To digest lean chicken breast or egg whites, your body must draw on its own reserves, which are fats. It is at these times that a powerful weight loss process begins. In order to obtain optimal results, at least a minimum of physical exercise should be added.

Nobody talks about what you have to do all daydisappear into the gym, but a half-hour circuit workout at home will help enhance the effect of a protein diet.

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

Many note the significant advantage of a protein diet over others: over time, you can even get used to this diet, and the diet can become your way of life. After losing a certain number of pounds, you can gradually add your favorite foods without gaining weight. But you should never forget that proteins must remain the main products in your diet.

Disadvantages of a protein diet. Of course, every method of losing weight has its drawbacks, but the protein diet has minor drawbacks. 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 roll or pie you can buy on your way to work. You will also have to spend a lot more time preparing meals. It will not be easy for those with a sweet tooth, because a protein diet includes almost no desserts, except for dried fruits and low-fructose fruits.

You'll 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 involves eating at least 5 times a day.

Basic principles of a 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 cause a strong appetite, leading to overeating.
2. Drink more water. This is pure water, not various drinks in the form of coffee, tea or juice. When on a protein diet, you should drink at least 2 liters of water per day. Carry a small bottle with you and refill it constantly so you remember to take a few sips, even if you're not at home or in an establishment.
3. Minimize your fat intake. If your diet contains fatty types of cheese, fatty cottage cheese, nuts or butter, consume them before lunch so that the body spends energy on time and excess calories are not stored in the form offat. 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. This is how you will achieve the desired result faster, speed up your metabolism, improve the absorption of protein foods and be able to burn more calories than you consume, and this is the secret of healthy weight loss.

Who should think carefully before choosing a protein diet?

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

Sometimes when you are illiterateuse a protein dietblood clotting may change and therefore there is a risk of blood clots forming. Therefore, take blood tests in advance and play it safe so that weight loss does not turn into health problems for you.

Protein diet for weight loss

The days of sun, relaxation, flowy clothes and bikinis are behind us. The beautiful ladies have already managed to relax a little and even treat themselves to something very tasty and no less "very" high-calorie. Without a doubt, small joys make everyday life brighter and more positive. The main thing is to tell yourself to stop in time! Otherwise, 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.

What if time was wasted? How to quickly return to normal life at home? Is a protein diet effective on a daily basis?

Does perfect have to be perfect?

Before we talk about diet, let’s see if there is an "ideal weight". It would seem that the answer is absolutely obvious, because the entire fashion and "healthy" lifestyle industry talks to us every day about the need to adhere to certain standards of beauty and, it seems, health. Ideals which were not invented by us and which certainly have nothing to do with the understanding of human nature and the biological mechanisms of our functioning. Despite this, we are motivated in every possible way to achieve certain standards, to show results in the pool, in the gym and in street jogging. The tragedy of the situation is that we do things that are completely good for our bodies, not because they bring satisfaction and benefit, but purely for the sake of conformity. We do not monitor our well-being, we do not follow the signals that the body gives, we measure and weigh our body! And, as a result, we are only making the situation worse.

Everyone was inspired, realized, ready to act, but where to start? And you need to start with your own definition of non-ideal weight. The same, individual for each of us, but causing the same feeling of unpleasantness and dissatisfaction.

What is a non-ideal weight?

Try typing a query into any search engine to determine your ideal weight and you will receive 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 your diet.

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

your weight has a negative impact on your health - your general health has deteriorated, you get tired more quickly, your joints and back bother you for the first time, shortness of breath has appeared, your blood pressure rises periodically, theBowel function leaves much to be desired. to be desired;

weight begins to make unpleasant adjustments in your life. You cannot do your usual activities (anything that requires mobility and physical endurance), you have to limit yourself in your clothes, you feel uncomfortable on public transport or in crowded places, you begin to adjust your life and work plans taking your weight into account.

Remember, if you seriously decide to take care of yourself, start by consulting a nutritionist and endocrinologist. It will be the best thing you can do for yourself. Only specialists in the field of medicine and good nutrition can, together, help you maintain your health and improve your quality of life. Remember the need for constant physical activity in your life.

What is a protein diet

How to adapt your menu to lose those pounds that prevent us from living fully? A high-protein diet can help with this - a diet based on protein-rich foods, as well as significant limitation of carbohydrates and fats. Using this nutrition method, you can lose 14 kg in 3 months.

The basic principle of a protein diet is to eat foods containing proteins that regulate our body's metabolism. In this way, it is possible to avoid the main disadvantage of any diet - a decrease in the intake of protein into the body, which, in turn, leads to rapid depletion of the body (internal organs, not receivingnot enough protein, starts to pull it out of muscle tissue). All this leads to weakness, poor physical health and sagging skin.

Benefits of following a protein diet

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

• maintain a healthy muscular system;
• the ability to combine diet even with serious physical activity;
• the impossibility of developing such a painful complication as anorexia;
• absence of exhausting and stressful feelings of hunger (protein foods are absorbed by the body within 3-4 hours);
• Protein diet dishes contain a large amount of fiber, which ensures the proper functioning of the intestines;
• thanks to a fairly slow and 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, typical of other types of diets;
• flourishing 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 on the health of your body can only be achieved by following the rules of dietary nutrition in combination with physical activity; all organs and their systems must be trained.

Disadvantages and contraindications of a protein diet

When you decide to rebuild your diet in accordance with the principles of a protein diet, remember that there is no ideal diet! Any 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 help but mention the disadvantages of following a protein diet.

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

Prolonged restriction of carbohydrate intake can negatively affect overall performance.

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

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

Protein foods leave behind a large amount of "decomposition products", which leads to an increased load on the kidneys (for their excretion).

Protein diet menu

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

Protein makes up at least 60% of the total diet.

Refusal of constant snacking; for this purpose, preference is given to protein products with a long digestion cycle.

There should be at least 5-6 meals during the day and the interval between them should not exceed 3 hours.

Avoid frying; all dishes must be prepared in the oven, stewed or steamed.

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

Have regular physical activity on the body.

Main products of the protein diet

Chicken, turkey, veal, rabbit

Exceptions: lamb, pork (high fat content)

Low fat fish

(no more than 4% fat)

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

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

Kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard cheeses

Rice, oatmeal, buckwheat

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

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

Olive, flaxseed, sunflower - in strictly limited quantities

Among the products prohibited for consumption, we can identify several main ones:

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

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

Protein diet: list of permitted foods and recommendations

During the protein diet, the following 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 products (cakes, cookies), sugar and sweet fruits;
• baked goods, pasta, 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 bedtime;
• drink at least 1. 5 liters of mineral water without gas and clean water per day;
• all alcohol is prohibited;
• If desired, it is allowed to eat a few citrus fruits or unsweetened apples as a snack.

What are protein diet programs?

Many protein diet programs have been developed. There are both pure protein diets and diets 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 possibility

• Breakfast: 150 grams of beef with wholemeal 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 glass of low-fat yogurt or kefir;
• For dinner: boiled sea fish (200 grams) with vegetable salad seasoned with lemon juice.

Option 2

• Breakfast: 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, tea, coffee;
• Snack: 1 any citrus fruit;
• For lunch: simmered beef with vegetables (150 grams);
• Afternoon snack: 1 cup of low-fat kefir with diet 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 diet cookies;
• For dinner: 150 grams of boiled beef with 150 grams of cabbage salad, seasoned with 1 tbsp. L. olive oil.

Option 4

• Breakfast: 1 glass of low-fat kefir with diet biscuits;
• Snack: 1 unsweetened fruit;
• For lunch: 200 grams of boiled chicken breast, 1 glass 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, 1 apple, tea or coffee;
• Snack: 1 glass of apple juice, 1 diet biscuit;
• For lunch: boiled fish (200 grams) with a piece of wholemeal bread;
• Afternoon snack: 1 glass 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: simmered beans with vegetables;
• Afternoon snack: 1 glass of kefir;
• For dinner: boiled sea fish (200 grams) with fresh vegetable salad.

Option 7

• Breakfast: 1 glass of skimmed milk, 1 diet biscuit;
• Snack: 1 unsweetened apple;
• For lunch: vegetable soup with mushrooms;
• Afternoon snack: 50 grams of low-fat cottage cheese;
• For dinner: boiled beef (150 grams) with fresh salad.

Short-term (quick) protein diet option (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 ban on any, even the most minor, physical activity. At the same time, it is allowed to drink unsweetened herbal teas between meals.

1. breakfast - 1 boiled chicken egg, cooked 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. last meal no later than 6: 00 p. m.

When leaving a short-term protein diet, follow the principle of gradualness, so as not to harm your health: you need to add foods and increase their quantity gradually, over 1-2 weeks. Start by adding cereals and fruits, then add dairy and fermented milk products (watch the fat content of the products).

Unfortunately, no matter how much we would like, it is difficult to call such a diet balanced: during the period of 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 designed for long-term use (from 1 to 3 months).

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

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

And, of course, the use of a diet is absolutely not possible during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If you want to program a menu for a protein diet for a longer period, for example, a month, it is better to contact specialists. They will not only be able to create a diet based on the permitted 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; depending on the menu, it is divided into different stages: attack, cruise, proteo-vegetal, consolidation, stabilization. The very first stage of the attack is the most critical, here is its approximate menu:

• For breakfast: omelette of 2 egg whites with skimmed milk and some herbs.
• Snack: one and a half tablespoons of oatmeal with bran.
• For lunch: 200 grams of boiled veal.
• Snack: boil 200 grams of shrimp or other seafood.
• For dinner: 200 grams of boiled veal or lamb.

results

As a rule, the effect of losing weight with a protein diet becomes noticeable within a week, when the first 4-5 extra pounds have disappeared..The most visible 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 eliminate fat deposits without losing muscle mass. Fortunately, there are enough protein products to restore and "build" muscles.

The greater the initial weight of the person losing weight, the greater the "losses" will be during the diet. For example, if you weigh 100 kg and are obese, you can lose 5 to 10 kg in two weeks. At the same time, the diet is quite varied and will not cause aversion to a specific product, as is the case in mono-diets.

It is believed that the optimal period during which you can follow a protein diet with benefit and without harm to health is 10-14 days. During this time, you can lose 8 to 15 kilos.

The right way to get off a protein diet

Experts advise gradually abandoning any diet. 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 products from your diet.

In addition, you need to continue to adhere to the diet: eat at least 5-6 times a day in small portions, do not eat 2-3 hours before bedtime, drink more water and give up alcoholic beverages.

During the first 2 weeks following a protein diet, physical activity should also be increased. This must be done in order to optimally use the incoming energy and maintain the result.

Contraindications

In order not to harm your health, people suffering from the following diseases are better off giving up a protein diet:

• hepatitis (and other liver diseases);
• arrhythmia (and other cardiac abnormalities);
• kidney dysfunction;
• dysbacteriosis;
• colitis;
• pancreatitis;
• increased thrombus formation;
• joint pain (and all associated conditions).

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