Diets are one of the easiest and most common weight loss options. To lose weight for some event, and the extra kilos go away for a long time, women and men resort to food restrictions. But nutritionists warn that some diets can seriously damage the body. And then instead of a slim, beautiful figure, we'll get a referral to a doctor.
How to lose weight safely? Using a protein diet is easy! You don't need to burn out with constant refusals to eat and feel hungry all the time. Protein foods, which form the basis of the diet with this diet, are quite satisfying. At the same time, it provides the necessary energy for the body and the person does not feel lazy or depressed.
In addition, this is a completely safe way to lose weight: you will not be vitamin deficient and you will lose muscle mass.
Characteristics of the 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. Proteins should make up more than half of the daily diet. In this case, fats and carbohydrates should not be excluded, but limited as much as possible.
Other principles of a 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 interrupt the digestion process, vegetables rich in fiber must remain in the diet;
- during the day you need to eat fractionally, breaking the daily norm by 5-6 meals;
- With a lot of protein foods, you need to do sports or physical activity every day: walking a lot, going to the gym or gym, etc.
How does it work? The main source of energy in our body are carbohydrates obtained from food. When there are not enough of them, our body rebuilds itself to a new mode of operation, burning stored glycogen in the form of subcutaneous fat. The body uses its own energy reserves.
After seven days, the effect will be noticeable: 4-5 extra pounds will disappear. At the same time, the muscle mass will remain the same due to the fact that there are enough protein products on the menu to "build" and restore the muscles. The greatest effect will appear in three weeks: the excess weight will disappear and the beautiful muscle relief will become clearly visible.
Rules of the protein diet
The protein diet is structured in such a way that our daily menu consists mainly of proteins. But when drawing up a diet for every day or for the whole week, you should be guided by certain rules:
- Control the quality of your products. Preserves, smoked meats, semi-finished products are also prohibited during the diet, although they can be attributed to proteins. Fast food and other similar foods contain not only fast carbohydrates, but also rich in animal fats, harmful additives.
- Give preference to lean meats and fish. This includes birds, rabbits, marine and saltwater fish. It is better to temporarily refuse pork and fatty meat, as well as offal. Meat rich in lipids takes longer to digest and puts more pressure on the digestive tract and kidneys.
- Limit spices, preservatives, etc. With an abundance of protein foods, the kidneys are subject 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 keep track of your condition. If it starts to get worse, you should immediately cancel the protein diet and consult 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 parts of veal, veal.
- Fish. Only unsalted and unsmoked fish is suitable, steamed or baked without additional fat.
- Eggs. It can be both chicken and quail eggs. They can be boiled, eaten raw or prepared with a steam omelette.
- Fermented milk and milk products. These include unsweetened yogurts, sour cream, and low-fat cottage cheese.
- Vegetables. Fiber-rich green vegetables are allowed: for example, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage. They can be eaten raw, boiled, stewed, and baked.
- Fruits. Although this type of food is usually high in carbohydrates, you can include some citrus fruits in the menu to avoid vitamin deficiencies.
- Cereals. Cereals and cereals are prohibited, but you can not do without them yet. It is recommended to add a little buckwheat or oatmeal as a garnish.
- Tea. You can drink herbal tea or unsweetened green tea. The rest of the liquid should be pure water. Only one cup of coffee is allowed per day.
Forbidden food
The protein diet prescribes the maximum restriction of carbohydrates, therefore, in the list of prohibited foods:
- Bread and pastries. All flour is forbidden. It is allowed to eat a slice of rye bread with bran or similar products made from unleavened dough a couple of times a week.
- Pasta. Even if they are of good quality and made from durum wheat, these foods should be completely eliminated from the menu during the diet.
- Candy. Sugar should not be consumed in any form, not even added to beverages. Not only cakes and pastries are prohibited, but also other products that may contain it, for example, ready-made store sauces.
- Vegetables rich in starch. First of all, it concerns potatoes, radishes, corn, celery, pumpkin. You can also add carrots and beets to this.
- Sweet fruits. Bananas, pears, melons should be excluded from the diet. Figs, dates and mangoes are also prohibited.
- Alcohol. Alcohol is completely excluded at once for several reasons. First, alcohol contains almost pure carbohydrates and is very high in calories. Second, it becomes very dehydrated, it burdens the liver and kidneys.
Also, during a protein diet, you should completely abandon fast food, sweet soda, fried, smoked or spicy foods.
How to switch to a protein diet
To make the transition to protein nutrition as comfortable as possible and to get the maximum weight loss effect, you should gradually switch to a diet. It is worth starting to gradually give up carbohydrates in 2-3 weeks, limiting sweet and starchy foods. This is especially true for lovers of sweets. If you abruptly exclude them from the menu, there is a great risk of failure.
1-2 days before the start of the protein diet, you should safely exclude other foods and switch to the planned diet. During restraint, you should definitely monitor your condition. This applies not only to weight, but also to well-being. Even with mild discomfort, pay attention to the state of urine and feces.
If you are unsure of your capabilities, plan your first try at a weight loss diet while on vacation. This way there will be fewer temptations to eat something forbidden with colleagues or friends.
It is best to prepare a menu in advance, go to the store. Try to keep the refrigerator free of excess food that can overwhelm your efforts. The main condition is that the protein diet must be accompanied by physical activity. Even if you do not play sports, it is worth starting to exercise, run, bike every day or at least every other day.
Duration of the 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 extra pounds and get a remarkable result. Such a period is good in cases when you need to lose weight, for example, for some kind of celebration and surprise guests with a slender figure.
The maximum duration of a protein diet is 21 days. Increasing this period is not safe for health. This is true for those who play sports and want to "dry off" for competition. In all other cases, you should not give up a balanced diet and your favorite foods for almost a month.
How often can a protein diet be used? It is recommended to lose weight in this way no more than once every three months. Give your body a chance to recover and normalize its metabolism before stressing it out again.
Get off the diet
The correct exit from the protein diet will help to avoid undue stress on the intestines and digestion, as well as on the excretory system. The basic rule of thumb is that the outing should last twice as long as the diet itself. For example, if you met the limits for ten days, it will take twenty to gradually restore the diet.
You should introduce carbohydrates and other foods gradually and smoothly. Start with vegetables and fruits, adding a little of them to the menu. Cereals, pasta, sugar and potatoes should be introduced last and also gently, gradually increasing not only the variety of carbohydrate foods, but also their quantity.
To maintain the results obtained, give up some bad habits:
- limit the use of sweet and starchy foods, especially baked goods, cakes, carbonated drinks;
- forgo fast food and semi-finished products: they use products that are not of the best quality, seasoned with preservatives, colorings and flavor enhancers;
- bake food in the oven or steamed, avoiding fried, fatty and spicy foods;
- maintain a high level of physical activity; This not only contributes to weight loss, but also helps combat stress;
- Control alcohol consumption: regular meetings with a can of beer in the evening will have a deplorable effect not only on your figure, but also on the condition of your hair, skin and the whole body in general.
Protein diet: pros and cons
The protein diet is popular for its effectiveness - it can help you achieve tangible weight loss. However, it suits a lot of people. Among the advantages of this method:
- a variety of products used - you do not need to give up everything in a row, you can eat deliciously;
- lack of a constant feeling of hunger - you need to eat a fraction every 2-3 hours;
- rapid weight loss - the result appears almost immediately and can be maintained for a long time;
- weight loss due to its own fat - the body's 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 the many advantages, this method of weight loss has several disadvantages. Nutritional imbalances that can lead to calcium leaching from bones are commonly mentioned as the most serious. In addition, other disadvantages may appear:
- decreased cognitive ability and concentration of attention 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 level of ketones that are constantly present in the body.
Contraindications
Like all effective weight loss methods, a protein diet has contraindications. Best of all, before you start switching to a protein menu, see a doctor who is regularly monitored. This diet is not suitable:
- pregnant women and nursing mothers;
- the elderly and young children;
- everyone who has been diagnosed with cancer;
- people with chronic disorders of the kidneys, gastrointestinal tract;
- those with diabetes mellitus and other metabolic disorders.
Also, you shouldn't start losing weight during the period of greatest physical or emotional stress. These include not only final exams, but also a rush to work or a sudden change in the weather.
You can not go on a diet if you have acute or infectious respiratory diseases, as well as during the period of taking medications. First you need to fully recover from an illness and take a course of the necessary drugs, and only then begin to lose weight.
During a protein diet, you can take vitamins, as well as complexes with macro and microelements.
Common mistakes
The protein diet is a proven procedure. If the weight stubbornly doesn't want to go off, chances are you've made one or more common mistakes:
- Refusal of physical activity. It is best if you participate in sports and exercise daily. But without stress, restrictions won't work, so start by walking and doing simple exercises in the morning. Even at home, you can do aerobics or fitness.
- Total rejection of carbohydrates. Vegetables, fruits and cereals should be limited as much as possible, but you cannot refuse them at all. High fiber foods must remain on the menu for the intestines to function properly. In addition, carbohydrates are a source of energy necessary for the functioning of the brain.
- Quick transition to protein foods. The gradual transition to such a diet is extremely important - you cannot abruptly eliminate all carbohydrates and fats. Otherwise, the body will experience stress, to which it will react not only with poor health and depressed mood, but also with the consequent gain of excess weight.
Also remember not to go hungry or overeat. Even satiety throughout the day is important for satiety and lack of hunger, and helps maintain normal tension in the intestines and liver.
Conclution
With a protein diet, the menu consists mainly of protein-rich foods: meat, fish, dairy, eggs. This diet does not help you lose weight due to fatigue. To make up for the energy deficit, 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.
Protein diet is suitable not only for weight loss, but also for the formation of beautiful body relief. Despite the fact that the technique is suitable for many people, it has contraindications. You cannot ignore them, this can have sad consequences.
Therefore, the main thing is not to harm your body. Approach your diet review carefully and consciously. Don't push yourself and don't strain to lose a couple of kilograms during difficult periods in life. If for any reason you are under severe stress, anxiety, or have to take medication, put off diet therapy for a while.