The best protein diets for weight loss in a week

Proteins are an essential element of the normal functioning of the body, they are responsible for the synthesis of hormones and enzymes responsible for metabolism, and are considered the main building blocks of new cells. Many diets limit the consumption of protein foods, so a person begins to experience health problems. However, protein diets for fast weight loss are not like that because they rely on such products.

The role of protein in the body

Protein is considered to be a very important nutrient in the human body. During the digestive process, they are converted into amino acids, which are needed for normal muscle growth, maintaining a healthy condition and an active life. If they are present in small amounts in the human body, it indicates changes in hormone levels, chronic fatigue, or liver problems. Protein is especially needed by people who associate their lives with sports activities, as it is a key material for creating beautiful terrain.

General principles of nutrition

When following a protein diet for weight loss, you should eat in portions every 3 hours, eating in small portions to avoid feeling hungry. The diet should include foods high in protein, including: fish, tofu cheese, dairy products, seafood, and so on. If the menu contains carbohydrate products, they are allowed only with a low glycemic index.

Cooking rules

When following a protein diet, you should follow these cooking rules:

1. Use only handmade sauces to make salads. It is recommended to replace the mayonnaise with soy sauce and to use kefir for the vegetable sauce.
2. When preparing a vegetable stew, it is important to add spices to it, it is recommended to use: ground ginger, oregano and curry. Selected spices should be added in small amounts, as they should be included in the dish only to accentuate the taste of the vegetables.
3. In the production of meat products, it is recommended to use the following spices as an additive: bay leaf, garlic, sweet peas.
4. It is recommended that fruits be green in the diet.
5. Use as beverages: tea, coffee, freshly squeezed juice, fruit drinks and fruit drinks.

Duration

The duration of a protein diet should not exceed two weeks, ideally it is recommended to follow such a diet for 1 week to 10 days. This recommendation is made to avoid liver overload. The break must be at least 4 months. A 10-day protein diet is the most popular choice.

Pros and cons

Advantages:

• the high efficiency of such a diet allows to lose up to 10 kilograms, and in the case of obesity - much more;
• low compliance period;
• there will be no great desire to eat anything during the diet, unlike other diets;
• the result obtained after the diet remains for a long time;
• diet insists on engaging in certain physical activities, such as: fitness, various exercises at home, visiting the gym;
• the diet will be varied;
• you can choose the recipes for the dishes you eat yourself.

The disadvantages of a high-protein diet for weight loss are:

• such a diet places a heavy strain on the internal organs, especially when affecting the kidneys, due to the high intake of protein products;
• high protein intake upsets the balance of minerals and vitamins necessary for the body;
• adherence to a diet can lead to digestive disorders;
• there is a risk that the body's water balance may be disturbed;
• such a diet can exacerbate chronic diseases and increase blood pressure.

Contraindications

Contraindications include:

• musculoskeletal disorders;
• lactation period;
• gastrointestinal disorders;
• any kidney problems;
• liver disease;
• the period of childbirth;
• cardiovascular disorders.

Options

There are various protein weight loss diets developed by various professionals.

Protein-carbohydrates

The difficulty with losing weight with a protein and carbohydrate diet is that limiting food calories does not burn fat but muscle tissue.

This diet consists of 3 stages:

1. Protein cycle. This usually takes 2 to 3 days. Due to the loss of glycogen due to lack of carbohydrates in the diet, the body gradually begins to burn adipose tissue. It works like a day of fasting.
2. Carbohydrate cycle. It takes 1 to 2 days, during which time the human body replenishes its main source of energy - carbohydrates.
3. Mixed cycle. Within 24 hours, a person will eat in moderation, with both protein and carbohydrates on the menu.

Atkins

Following this diet, the diet of fish and meat contains a balanced amount of vegetables and fruits, the consumption of carbohydrates is reduced, and the amount of fat and protein is unlimited. You can lose 3 to 5 pounds in the first 14 days.

Dukanas

The diet, developed by nutritionist Ducan, focuses on minimizing carbohydrates, contains only protein in the diet, and includes bran in the diet to improve digestion. The technique is divided into 4 stages, each with an individual length. The diet is quite effective, and after 5 days you may notice weight loss of 3-5 pounds.

Doctors

The basic rule of this diet is to alternate protein and carbohydrate days. This allows you to lose about 7 kilograms of weight in 10 days, and in some cases someone manages to get rid of even 10. You will have to eat 5 times a day, which will make you feel hungry.

Recommendations for following this diet food:

• on a protein day on an empty stomach you will need to drink 1 glass of warm water, and for breakfast to eat a boiled chicken egg and herbs that can be used as: celery, dill or parsley;
• until 3 p. m. , you need to eat cooked chicken without skin, and the meat will need to eat at least 800 grams per day, divided into several dishes;
• you can eat up to 5 kilograms of vegetables in total on a carb day.

What to eat

If you decide to follow a protein diet, you should first read the list of allowed and forbidden foods so that you can continue to create a proper diet.

Protein foods

A protein diet means what you can and can't eat - the list of foods is below:

• seafood;
• lean meat;
• vegetables;
• soft and hard cheeses;
• vegetable oil;
• cereals as a soup additive;
• offal: kidneys, liver, chicken intestines, tongue and others;
• white egg;
• dried fruits;
• low fat dairy products.

How to choose meat

Lean meat is the main protein, so following this diet it should be included in the diet. It is recommended to give priority to the following meat products: duck, chicken, lamb, beef and turkey.

The following types of meat products should be excluded from the diet:

• sausages;
• sausages;
• Canned meat;
• pork;
• smoked meat.

Protein drinks

Drink options:

1. Mix one tablespoon of any nuts with a spoonful of honey and pour the resulting mixture into a glass with 200 grams of kefir.
2. For production you will need to take 130 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon of bran, any fruit and 130 grams of low-fat fermented fried milk.
3. In 250 grams of milk add 2 tablespoons of oatmeal, any fruit, 1 pinch of cinnamon and 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese.
4. 150 grams of kefir will need to mix the following ingredients: 1 tablespoon of cocoa, 1 tablespoon of bran and 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese.

Example of a weekly menu

Protein diet for weight loss in the form of a weekly menu:

Monday

1. Breakfast. Tea or coffee with low-fat cottage cheese 200 grams.
2. Lunch. 1 large orange.
3. Dinner. Brown risk in small amounts with boiled chicken fillet.
4. Snack. Protein drink.
5. Dinner. Boiled fish fillet with vegetable salad.

Tuesday

1. Breakfast. Tea and 2 boiled eggs.
2. Lunch. 1 large apple.
3. Dinner. Fried chicken breast 100 grams with a small piece of rye bread.
4. Snack. A glass of natural yogurt.
5. Dinner. Fried pollock with vegetable salad.

on Wednesday

1. Breakfast. Buckwheat porridge with milk and coffee.
2. Lunch. Bananas.
3. Dinner. Cheese soup with a small piece of black bread.
4. Snack. Protein drink.
5. Dinner. 200 grams of roast lamb with vegetable salad.

Thursday

1. Breakfast. Chicken omelette and unsweetened tea.
2. Lunch. Grapefruit and apple.
3. Dinner. Spinach soup with crispy bread.
4. Snack. Curd cheese without additives.
5. Dinner. 150 grams of grilled fish and fresh vegetables.

Friday

1. Breakfast. 150 grams of low-fat cottage cheese, coffee.
2. Lunch. 2 cheesecakes without sugar.
3. Dinner. Liver in sour cream with vegetable salad.
4. Snack. Curd souffle.
5. Dinner. Two egg omelette, fresh tomatoes.

Saturday

1. Breakfast. A couple of oatmeal cakes and a glass of sour fried milk.
2. Lunch. Apple.
3. Dinner. Vegetable broth, 150 grams of chicken breast, a slice of whole grain bread.
4. Snack. Milk jelly.
5. Dinner. 150 grams of boiled beef with cabbage salad.

Sunday

1. Breakfast. Oatmeal pancakes with tea.
2. Lunch. Two tangerines.
3. Dinner. Chicken cutlets with 200 grams of asparagus.
4. Snack. Protein drink.
5. Dinner. 200 grams of steamed fish, fresh vegetables.

How to get out

When the 4-week protein diet in the form of a menu is over and the desired result is achieved, it does not mean that you should eat everything the next day. If you do, the weight lost will come back and all previous efforts will be in vain. To prevent this from happening, dietary foods should be phased out gradually.

To consolidate the results, you should get used to tea and coffee without sugar, as well as not eating flour and sweets in large quantities, not eating fatty foods. It is recommended to drink a glass of water and eat oatmeal or low-fat cottage cheese before breakfast. Vegetables can be eaten in any form except fried. Also, do not eat potatoes for the first time after the diet, and gradually include a regular diet in the diet.

Why a diet may not work

Numerous studies have shown that with proper implementation of diet conditions, it undoubtedly yields results in reducing body weight. However, there are cases when the numbers on the scales do not like or do not decrease at all after the end of such a diet.

The reason may lie in several things. First, it can happen with extremely low levels of human physical activity, with quite a lot of food intake. In this case, the energy stored in the food will not be wasted and the kilograms will not be burned in any way.

Second, the cause may be a slow metabolism. Such people should first improve their metabolism and then try to follow a diet again.

And the last factor when there is no desired result may be constipation. Intestinal dysfunction needs to be cured, diet adjusted accordingly, and treated if necessary.

Recipes

For some, the protein menu may seem very limited and monotonous, but in reality they can be used to prepare a wide variety of delicious protein diet dishes.

first

Detailed method of making spinach puree soup:

1. Boil the chicken breast in 0, 5 liters of water until soft.
2. Get the meat without filling the broth.
3. Wait for the meat to cool and cut into pieces.
4. Chop the frozen spinach.
5. Add chopped spinach to the broth, cook for 5 minutes;
6. Pour the chicken into the broth.
7. Pour 1/3 cup milk and whisk with a blender.
8. Add spices to taste, you can use basil or nutmeg.

Cheese soup:

1. Cook the selected meat.
2. Wait for it to cool and cut it into pieces.
3. Pour 50 grams of cheese into the broth and add 3 diced egg whites.
4. Cook for 10 minutes and add pieces of meat.

Second

Liver in sour cream:

1. Separate 500 grams of liver from the veins.
2. Grate the carrots with a large grater.
3. Cut the onion into half rings.
4. Fry the vegetables until golden brown.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
6. Add the green liver and a little water.
7. Simmer until completely cooked, stirring constantly for 15 minutes.

Chicken cutlets:

1. Slide a pound of chicken breast through a meat grinder.
2. The resulting minced meat will need to add 100 grams of grated cheese.
3. Add the raw egg.
4. Add spices.
5. Shape the cutlets by hand.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

desserts

Oatmeal pancakes:

1. Mix half a glass of milk with 4 tablespoons of oatmeal.
2. Put the egg.
3. Salt.
4. Bake in a non-stick pan.

Jelly recipe:

1. Boil 500 ml of milk in a pot.
2. Add 5 chopped strawberries before boiling the milk.
3. Dissolve 2 small tablespoons of fast-acting gelatin in the milk.
4. Mix the contents thoroughly.
5. Pour into molds.
6. Refrigerate until frozen

Feedback

• First review, girl, 25: "A protein diet came in handy for me after finishing breastfeeding. I first found the food option "14-day protein diet with menu" and started to follow it to lose weight. The extra 5 kilograms gained during pregnancy went away in just a week and a half. It was easy to follow the rules, and since I am a huge protein food lover, "You can eat almost anything you like without much effort. "
• Second review, woman, 31: "Adhering I realized that a protein diet is definitely not mine. I endured hard because I’m not a big poultry lover in life. The chicken breast practically released tears to me in the last days of the diet. However, my efforts were justified because I managed to get the desired parameters by the summer.
• Third review, female, 41: "I have a lot of failed experiments with diets that have ruined my health well. But when I met the protein diet, I immediately noticed a difference from the others. This does not require strict food intake restrictions, the main condition being that the basis of the diet is protein. At the same time, the body received enough energy to be able to live normally without major restrictions. And at the end of the diet, I was very happy with the figure on the scales, which became 6 pounds lower, and they didn’t come back even after two years.