A nutritious and delicious protein diet for weight loss is one of the most popular ways to lose weight. It works quickly and efficiently, and when combined with regular physical activity, you can get rid of three to five pounds of excess fat and tighten muscles in just one week.
Lose weight with a protein diet for weight loss
The main thing is to significantly limit carbohydrate intake for a while, reduce fat intake, and make protein foods the basis of the daily diet. It is the high protein content that is the secret to the long absence of hunger in this diet.
Why does a protein diet work? The answer is simple. In the daily diet, carbohydrates predominate and our body derives energy from them. When carbohydrates from the diet are practically lost, it is the protein that becomes the source of energy. Lack of carbohydrates forces the body to break down subcutaneous fat. Protein actively entrains water, which significantly reduces weight.
Protein foods consume much more energy than light carbohydrate foods. The increase in energy consumption for digestion is once again a plus in the efficiency of the protein diet.
Opponents of the diet claim that high amounts of protein can be harmful to health. Fans are sure: if you follow all the rules and do not exceed the allowed period for the use of the protein diet, then nothing bad will happen to the body, but the weight will actually decrease.
Protein slimming diet, the main rules
In order for weight loss with protein to be as effective as possible and not cause any harm, you should strictly adhere to the basic rules:
- do not use preserves, pickles, marinades, semi-finished products;
- completely abandon all carbohydrate products: flour products, confectionery products, pasta, cereals, starchy and very sweet vegetables and fruits (potatoes, corn, bananas, grapes, figs), dairy productsfatty and sour dairy products (sour cream, cream);
- exclude alcohol and sugary soft drinks;
- in order to reduce the load on the kidneys, which are forced to remove from the body a large amount of the decay products of protein foods, you should strictly adhere to the drinking regime: drink at least one and a half, and preferably two liters of pure non-mineral water without gas each day;
four meals a day is much more effective for weight loss than three meals a day. Therefore, it is worth applying the principles of fractional nutrition during a diet;
The - servings should not exceed 250 to 300 grams;
- At least two hours before bedtime, food should be stopped. It is best to drink the main amount of water before six in the evening;
- To lose weight it is very important not to exceed the amount of protein in 180 grams and to respect an individual calorie corridor. For some, it is enough to reduce the calorie content by one hundred kcal, while others perfectly lose weight, while respecting the usual energy "weight" of daily food. In any case, the calorie content of the daily diet should not exceed 1, 5 thousand kilocalories.
You shouldn't eat more than two eggs a day, otherwise you can raise your cholesterol levels and cause serious illness. The yolk is particularly dangerous, while the amount of egg whites can be increased if desired.
Protein foods are easier to digest with green vegetables. This feature should not be overlooked: in this way you can significantly facilitate the work of the body during the diet.
Important points
What can you eat? Any food with a predominant protein content: meat (choose lean options: beef, veal, rabbit), any fish, eggs, poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), skimmed milk and kefir, plain yogurt. With them, the fibers of raw and cooked vegetables must enter the body. Lettuce, cabbage, radish, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers are ideal for a protein diet.
For cooking meat and vegetables, we recommend that you boil and bake without meat (for example, in a slow cooker or foil). Frying should be avoided: it increases the calorie content and reduces the quality of protein. It would be nice to limit the amount of salt (an additional burden on the kidneys is unnecessary), season food with spices and lemon juice.
No matter how satisfying the results (and the weight loss will go very quickly), under no circumstances should you eat like this for more than a month! You can only repeat the diet after four months so that the body can recover from a protein attack. Unbalanced diet for a long time is very dangerous, so you can not violate the allowed period.
A protein diet is ideal for healthy young adults. It is strictly forbidden to use the protein diet for people with diseases of the kidneys, intestines, liver, blood vessels, as well as pregnant and lactating women, adolescents and people over 60 years old.
Protein diet menus for the week
Diet to lose weight for a week. The suggested menu is approximate. You can vary the diet as you wish, keeping track of its calorie content. Despite the four meals a day, you can introduce a snack before dinner in the form of salad leaves, a glass of kefir, a slice of cheese, or drink a little kefir two hours before bedtime.
Monday
- Breakfast: one hundred grams of cottage cheese with a fat content of not more than 2% (do not add sugar), green tea.
- Second breakfast: 30 grams of cheese, egg (stiff or boiled).
- Lunch: slice of two hundred grams of boiled beef (you can cook veal or other lean meat) with a light salad of finely chopped raw cabbage with a spoonful of canned peas and vegetable oil(150 grams).
- Dinner: a slice of steamed fish with sliced tomato (200 grams of each product).
Tuesday
- Breakfast: boiled egg, salad of all green vegetables with a spoonful of oil (150 grams).
- Second breakfast: a cup of low fat cottage cheese with a spoonful of plain yogurt.
- Lunch: boiled or baked fish with broccoli (the total weight of the dish is 250 grams).
- Dinner: a two hundred gram piece of boiled chicken (preferably a healthy breast), two tomatoes, a slice of cheese.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: spring salad of half a tomato and cucumber in sour cream, one boiled egg.
- Second breakfast: thirty grams of nuts with coffee.
- Lunch: two hundred grams of chicken meat, lettuce.
- Dinner: two hundred grams of beef stew with lentil garnish (one hundred grams of cooked cereal).
Thursday
- Breakfast: an omelet of two eggs, a glass of kefir.
- Second breakfast: one hundred grams of cooked zucchini, 150 grams of cooked or boiled chicken.
- Lunch: beef (200 grams), a tomato.
- Dinner: a cup of low fat cottage cheese.
Friday
- Breakfast: three tablespoons of steamed oatmeal (do not add oil).
- Second breakfast: boiled egg, a slice of cheese.
- Lunch: boiled chicken breast (150 grams) garnished with their beans (one hundred grams).
- Dinner: a serving of lean pork (no more than 200 grams) and a side dish of cooked cabbage.
Saturday
- Breakfast: a serving of boiled turkey with a side of green beans (total weight not exceeding 250 grams).
- Second breakfast: a cup of low fat cottage cheese with a spoonful of honey.
- Lunch: boiled lean meat, light vegetable salad, seasoned with butter or yogurt.
- Dinner: a portion of fish and a side dish of baked zucchini (total weight not exceeding 250 grams).
Sunday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs over two egg water with a juicy tomato.
- Second breakfast: fifty grams of mixed nuts with coffee.
- Lunch: meat or vegetable broth with chopped chicken balls and chopped herbs.
- Dinner: A serving of rabbit meat cooked in a sour cream sauce and herbs.
How to get out of the diet
If you have the desire and the strength, you can continue to lose weight on a protein diet for another three weeks. In this case, once a week (Saturday or Sunday) you can pamper yourself with something forbidden: waffle, candy, cake. This will help prevent breakdown and the carbohydrate "load" will shake the body.
It takes as long to quit the protein diet as it does for restriction. Initially, it is necessary to gradually introduce "correct" carbohydrates into the diet: cereals, wholemeal bread, fruit, a small amount of dried fruit. Be sure to observe split meals and drink a liter and a half of water.
Advantages and disadvantages
The protein diet has its pros and cons. One more certain is the guaranteed weight loss, provided that all the dietary rules are observed. Other benefits include:
- variety in the diet. On mono-diets, it is more difficult to lose weight, because we quickly tire of the same products; The
- diet helps get rid of excess water, which means that it helps make the skin more elastic, get rid of cellulite (special massage is needed);
- allows you to cope with high physical activity;
- can be used not only to lose weight but also to gain muscle mass.
Cons of Protein Weight Loss Program:
- Low amounts of fiber can cause constipation.
- Protein foods are expensive.
- Sweet lovers can suffer from depression.
An unbalanced diet is not healthy. To reduce your risk, you should take a multivitamin complex throughout the week (or month).
Protein Diet Review
Consumption of protein products reduced the percentage of subcutaneous fat, without training or feeling hungry. With a diet low in fat and carbohydrates, it was possible to significantly improve the appearance without going to the gym. We managed to stick to this diet for only 5 days. That is, for almost a week, exclusively protein for breakfast, dinner and lunch, and as a result, the muscles became more expressive and fit.
It is not recommended to follow such a diet for more than a week. Even 5 days is already a lot, it is better to eat exclusively protein for about 3 days, then change the diet as suggested in the Ducan diet.