Diet is one of the simplest and most common weight loss options. In order to lose weight due to an event, and the extra pounds disappear for a long time, women and men resort to food restrictions. But nutritionists warn that some diets can seriously harm the body. And then instead of a beautiful and slender figure we will get a referral for a doctor.
How to lose weight safely? Using a protein diet is easy! You don’t have to exhaust yourself by constantly refusing to eat and feel hungry all the time. Protein food, which forms the basis of this diet, is quite satisfactory. At the same time, it gives the body the energy it needs and the person does not feel sluggish or depressed.
In addition, this is a completely safe way to lose weight - you will not be deficient in vitamins and lose muscle mass.
Characteristics of a protein diet
As the name suggests, the core of a protein diet is protein foods. This is not only meat and milk, but also eggs, legumes, nuts. Protein should make up more than half of your daily diet. In that case, you should not exclude fats and carbohydrates, but limit them as much as possible.
Other principles of protein diet:
- simple "fast" carbohydrates should be completely removed from the menu;
- it is desirable to use mainly natural vegetable fats;
- in order not to disturb the digestive process, fiber-rich vegetables should remain in the diet;
- during the day you must eat partially, breaking the daily norm into 5-6 meals;
- with an abundance of protein foods, you have to do sports or physical activity every day - walk a lot, go to the gym or the gym, etc.
How does it work? The main source of energy for our body are carbohydrates obtained from food. When there are not enough of them, our body regenerates in a new way of working, burning glycogen stored in the form of subcutaneous fat. The body consumes its own energy reserves.
After seven days the effect will be noticeable - 4-5 pounds of excess will disappear. At the same time, muscle mass will remain the same due to the fact that there are enough protein products in the menu to "build" and rebuild muscle. The greatest effect will appear in three weeks - the extra pounds will disappear and the beautiful muscle relief will become clearly visible.
Rules of protein diet
The protein diet is structured so that our daily menu consists mainly of protein. But when compiling a diet for each day or for the whole week, you must follow certain rules:
- Monitor the quality of your products. Canned foods, smoked meats, semi-finished products are also banned during dieting, although they can be attributed to protein. Fast food and other similar foods contain not only fast carbohydrates, but also rich in animal fats, harmful additives.
- Give preference to lean meat and fish. These include birds, rabbits, ocean and sea fish. It is better to temporarily wean fatty pork and beef, as well as offal. Meat rich in lipids takes longer to digest and increases stress on the digestive tract and kidneys.
- Limit spices, preservatives, etc. With an abundance of protein foods, the kidneys are exposed to more stress than usual. Excess salt, spices and flavor enhancers retain fluid and create additional difficulties for the excretory system.
As with other diets, remember to drink plenty of fluids and monitor your condition. If it starts to get worse, you should immediately cancel your protein diet and see a doctor.
Allowed products
What can you eat while on a protein diet? The list of allowed products includes:
- Meat. It is recommended to eat chicken, turkey, rabbit fillets, lean beef, veal.
- Fish. Only unsalted and non-smoked fish, steamed or in the oven without additional fat, is suitable.
- Eggs. These can be both chicken and quail eggs. They can be cooked, eaten raw or made with a steamed omelette.
- Milk and fermented milk products. These include unsweetened yogurts, sour cream and low-fat cottage cheese.
- Vegetables. Green vegetables rich in fiber are allowed: for example, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage. They can be eaten raw, cooked, stewed and baked.
- Fruits. Although this type of food usually contains a lot of carbohydrates, you can include some citrus fruits in the menu to avoid vitamin deficiency.
- Cereals. Cereals and grains are banned, but you still can’t do without them. It is recommended to add a little buckwheat or oatmeal as a side dish.
- Tea. You can drink herbal tea or green tea without sugar. The rest of the liquid should be clean water. Only one cup of coffee per day is allowed.
Forbidden food
The protein diet prescribes the maximum restriction of carbohydrates, therefore on the list of forbidden foods:
- Bread and pastries. Any flour is forbidden. It is allowed to eat a slice of rye bread with bran or similar yeast-free dough products several times a week.
- So what. Even if they are of good quality and made from durum wheat, such foods should be completely removed from the menu during the diet.
- Sweet. Sugar should not be consumed in any form, not even added to a drink. Not only cakes and pastries, but also other products that may contain them, such as ready-made sauces for shops, are prohibited.
- Vegetables rich in starch. First of all, these are potatoes, radishes, corn, celery, pumpkin. You can also add carrots and beets to this.
- Sweet fruit. Bananas, pears, melons should be excluded from the diet. Figs, dates and mangoes are also banned.
- Alcohol. Alcohol is completely excluded at once for several reasons. First, alcohol contains almost pure carbohydrates and is very caloric. Second, it severely dehydrates, burdening the liver and kidneys.
Also, during a protein diet you need to completely abandon fast food, sweet soda, fried, smoked or spicy foods.
How to switch to a protein diet
In order to make the transition to a protein diet as pleasant as possible and give the maximum effect of weight loss, you need to gradually switch to a diet. It is worth starting to gradually give up carbohydrates for 2-3 weeks, limiting sweet and starchy foods. This is especially true for those who love sweets. If you abruptly exclude them from the menu, there is a high risk of failure.
1-2 days before starting a protein diet, you need to smoothly exclude other foods, switching to a planned diet. During the restriction, you definitely need to control your condition. This applies not only to weight, but also to well-being. Even with mild discomfort, pay attention to the condition of your urine and stools.
If you are unsure of your abilities, plan your first attempt at weight loss diet while you are on vacation. This way, there will be less temptation to eat something forbidden with colleagues or friends.
It is best to compile a menu in advance, go for groceries. Try to keep the refrigerator free of excess food that could outweigh your efforts. The main condition is that a protein diet should be accompanied by physical activity. Even if you don’t play sports, it’s worth starting to exercise, run, ride a bike every day, or at least every other day.
Duration of protein diet
The minimum period for which a protein diet is designed is 7 days. It is considered optimal if you adhere to this diet for 10-14 days. During this time, you can lose up to 8-15 pounds of excess and achieve a noticeable result. Such a period is good in cases when you need to lose weight, for example, for some kind of celebration and impress guests with a slender figure.
The maximum duration of a protein diet is 21 days. Prolonging this period is not safe for health. This is true for those who play sports and want to "dry out" for competition. In all other cases, you should not give up a balanced diet and favorite foods for almost a month.
How often can you use a protein diet? In this way, it is recommended to lose weight at most once every three months. Give your body a chance to recover and normalize its metabolism before you shake it again.
Getting out of the diet
Proper exit from the protein diet will help to avoid excessive stress on the intestines and digestion as well as on the excretory system. The basic rule is that the output should take twice as long as the diet itself. For example, if you have adhered to the ten-day limit, it will take twenty to gradually return to the diet.
You need to ingest carbohydrates and other foods gradually and very smoothly. Start with vegetables and fruits, adding them a little to the menu. Cereals, pasta, sugar and potatoes should be introduced last and smoothly, gradually increasing not only the variety of carbohydrate foods, but also their amount.
To maintain the results achieved, give up bad habits:
- limit the use of sweet and starchy foods, especially pastries, cakes, carbonated beverages;
- give up fast food and semi-finished products - use products of not the best quality, spiced with preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers;
- bake food in the oven or steam it, avoiding fried, greasy, spicy foods;
- maintain a high level of physical activity - this not only contributes to weight loss, but also helps to combat stress;
- control alcohol consumption - regular gatherings with a can of beer in the evening will have a sad effect not only on your figure, but also on the condition of your hair, skin and the whole body as a whole.
Protein diet: advantages and disadvantages
Protein diet is popular because of its effectiveness - it can help you achieve tangible weight loss. However, it suits many people. Among the advantages of this method:
- various products are used - you do not have to give up everything in a row, you can eat delicious;
- lack of a constant feeling of hunger - you should eat fractionally every 2-3 hours;
- rapid weight loss - the result appears almost immediately and can be stored for a long time;
- weight loss due to your own fat - body reserves are consumed without harm to health;
- suitable for athletes and those who actively exercise - physical activity is a prerequisite for a protein diet.
Despite many advantages, this method of weight loss has several disadvantages. An imbalance in diet that can lead to leaching of calcium from the bones is usually cited as the most serious. In addition, other disadvantages may occur:
- decreased cognitive ability and concentration due to lack of carbohydrates;
- increased risk of thrombosis and similar diseases due to increased blood clotting;
- bad breath, the cause of which lies in the high levels of ketones that are constantly present in the body.
Contraindications
Like all effective weight loss methods, protein diet has contraindications. Best of all, before you start switching to a protein menu, consult a doctor with whom you are regularly monitored. This diet is not suitable:
- pregnant and lactating women;
- the elderly and young children;
- all who have been diagnosed with cancer;
- persons with chronic disorders of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract;
- those suffering from diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
In addition, you should not start losing weight during periods of increased physical or emotional stress. This includes not only final exams, but also a rush at work or a sharp change in climate.
You cannot go on a diet if you have acute respiratory or infectious diseases, as well as during the period of taking any medications. You must first fully recover from the disease and take the necessary medication, and only then begin to lose weight.
During a protein diet you can take vitamins as well as complexes with macro and micronutrients.
Common mistakes
A protein diet is a proven procedure. If the weight stubbornly refuses to go away, you've most likely made one or more common mistakes:
- Refusal of physical activity. It is best if you do sports and exercise every day. But stress-free restrictions won’t work, so start walking and doing simple exercises in the morning. You can even do aerobics or fitness at home.
- Complete rejection of carbohydrates. Vegetables, fruits and grains should be limited as much as possible, but there is no way you can refuse them. Fiber-rich foods should stay on the menu for the gut to function properly. In addition, carbohydrates are a source of energy needed for the brain to work.
- Fast transition to protein foods. A gradual transition to such a diet is extremely important - you cannot abruptly remove all carbohydrates and fats. Otherwise, the body will experience stress, to which it will react not only to poor health and depressed mood, but also to subsequent weight gain.
Also, remember not to starve or overeat. Even satiety during the day is important for satiety and lack of hunger and helps maintain normal bowel and liver strain.
Conclusion
In addition to a protein diet, the menu mainly consists of foods rich in protein: meat, fish, dairy products, eggs. This diet does not help you lose weight due to fatigue. To make up for the lack of energy, the body begins to burn its own fat. In this case, muscle mass can even increase - a sufficient amount of protein ensures muscle recovery and growth.
A protein diet is not only suitable for weight loss, but also for creating a beautiful body relief. Despite the fact that the technique is suitable for many people, it has contraindications. You can’t ignore them - it can lead to sad consequences.
Therefore, the most important thing is not to harm your body. Approach your diet audit carefully and consciously. Don’t force yourself, and also don’t try to lose a few pounds during difficult life periods. If for some reason you are under a lot of stress, anxiety or you have to take medication, postpone diet therapy for a while.