Protein diet for weight loss: a week -long menu with recipes

protein foods for weight loss

The essence of the diet is that every day you should eat mainly protein foods - lots of fish, meat and low -fat dairy products. All these products are very nutritious, satiating for a long time, so you will not be bothered by hunger. But a body that is deficient in carbohydrates and fats will begin to use its own fat reserves as extra energy.

The role of proteins in the body

protein is good for the body

Life without protein is impossible. The importance of protein for the body lies in the fact that it serves as a material for building cells, tissues and organs, the formation of enzymes, most hormones, hemoglobin and other substances that perform the most important functions in the body. Proteins and their role in the body also lie in the fact that they are involved in protecting the body from infection, and also promote the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Our life activities are related to the constant consumption and renewal of proteins. To compensate for this process, protein loss must be replenished daily. It, unlike fats and carbohydrates, does not accumulate and is not synthesized in the body from other nutrients, that is, you can get protein only with food.

The duration of the protein diet

Typically, a protein type diet is prescribed in detail for a week or two. The menu is not so varied: in the second week, if any, experts advise eating the same menu as in the first, following the diet from the last day to the first.

Also, nutritionists recommend following a protein diet for no more than 14 days, after which you need to rest for half a year. Only then can you resume the course.

The pros and cons of a protein diet

the pros and cons of a protein diet

In addition to the usual goal of "losing weight", a protein diet has other beneficial effects for the body. Namely:

  1. Improves skin condition. Protein is the basis in the body. Thanks to him, your muscles are strong, and the skin does not sag. By adding protein content in your daily diet, you will ensure the beautiful appearance of your skin.
  2. Calorie content. Protein contains almost 2 times fewer calories than fat. And given the fact that the body needs more time and energy to process fat, the process of losing weight is inevitable.
  3. Toxin removal. Proteins contribute to the removal of excess fluid from the body, and with them toxins.
  4. Less hunger. Due to body characteristics and long protein assimilation, hunger comes after a long period of time. And given the fact that the protein diet consists of 4-6 meals, there is no feeling of hunger throughout the day.

There are a few disadvantages to a protein diet. Most of them depend on contraindications for a particular group of people. But they can not be completely attributed to the minuses, because they have contraindications to the diet - there is no point in sitting on it. And if, however, they sit down, then what is the point of complaining?

So, the disadvantages of diet include:

  1. constipation. This is a common problem in people on a protein diet. The solution to this problem is the use of water or kefir in large quantities. If it does not help, then the use of laxatives
  2. Decay products are not removed. The solution to this problem, as in the previous case, is the consumption of water in the required quantity.
  3. Smelly breath
  4. Diet period. Due to its specificity, it is not recommended to undergo a protein diet for more than a month. If you use diet only as a way to keep the figure in good shape and do not try to lose weight, then this restriction does not apply to you.

This is where the ugliness of the diet ends. Everything else already belongs to the category of contraindications and should be taken first before you go on a diet.

Protein diet rules

protein diet rules

The characteristics of a protein diet are adherence to the following rules:

  1. each serving is a protein combined with other foods,
  2. all foods should be prepared without fat, your daily fat content is 30 gr. , This is 1 - 2 tbsp. l. oil as a salad dressing
  3. until 2 pm allowed to eat complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals (rice, buckwheat, oats) 4 - 6 tbsp. l. ,
  4. you can use vegetables that do not contain starch (or with a minimum portion) - cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage and lettuce,
  5. from fruits, give preference to citrus fruits or apples without sugar (1 - 2 a day),
  6. drink plenty of water (1-2 liters a day),
  7. you need to eat 4 to 6 times a day, about every 3 hours,
  8. as a seasoning, use herbs, lemon juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic,
  9. do not drink alcohol and sweets during the diet,
  10. follow the table of protein content in the product,
  11. the duration of the diet does not exceed 2 weeks.

Diet in a protein diet

You need to eat at least 5 times a day, while the last time you can afford to buy food is 3 hours before the lights go out, and breakfast can only start 30 minutes after you wake up. For the distribution of nutritional components, before lunch you need to take some carbohydrates in the form of buckwheat, brown rice or oats. Also, before lunch, you can eat fruit. You can consume up to 40 grams of fat per day, which is enough for your body.

How to cook food with a protein diet

For 7 days, 14 or a month, the menu, the number of grams per serving, with a protein diet, is not much different.

The first, second and third are the unchanging components of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only difference is in the preparation and timing of meals.

Soup is the first item on the menu. The basis of the soup is a protein soup: fish, meat, chicken. Supplement vegetables of your choice, cabbage, eggplant, sweet peppers, beans, eggs.

Potatoes are banned because of their high carbohydrate content. The lack of pasta and potatoes in the soup will not reduce the taste of vegetable soup with protein soup. Any liquid food contributes to weight loss.

For the second course, there are more product options to satisfy hunger and at the same time lose weight. Any recipe for a dish consists of chicken, fish, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, with the addition of vegetables, herbs and spices.

The question is what should replace the side dish? Potatoes, pasta, cereals are saturated with carbohydrates and therefore not suitable for any diet. Replace carbohydrate dishes with vegetable dishes. Bake, cook, boil, for every housewife. Just be careful with spices.

Sugar, sweet syrup and some additives that are not recommended for use may be missing in the composition. Consuming a variety of foods in the diet, violations in nutrition and hunger are not significant.

Protein diet menu options

The daily menu consists of five meals, including a sufficient amount of protein foods so that the body does not go hungry. The diet is quite varied, while it consists of the simplest and easiest to prepare meals.

The diet is designed for a week, with overweight, the number of days can be increased to 14 days (2 weeks is the maximum at which you can go on a protein diet).

Menu №1 protein diet for a week (7 days)

products for protein diet menus

Make your diet in such a way that its daily caloric content does not exceed 1000 kcal. Divide them into 5 servings so that the last is 3-4 hours before bedtime. For a week you can lose 5-7 kg.

Hari eat Menu for the day
1 day Breakfast Omelette of 3 proteins

1 cup kefir (low fat)

tea or coffee without sugar
Breakfast is late 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives)
dinner 100 gr. boiled chicken with spices and herbs
tea time 1 apple or orange
dinner 100-150 gr. grilled fish with herbs and spices.

1 cup nonfat kefir
2 days Breakfast 2 boiled eggs

1 tomato seed

1 whole grain bread
Breakfast is late 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives)
dinner 100 gr. steamed meat,

tomato and pepper salad - 100 gr.
tea time 1 apple or orange
dinner 100 gr. canned fish (you can tuna or sardinella),

100-150 gr. fresh cabbage and cucumber salad,

1 glass of kefir (fat content up to 5%)
3 days Breakfast Oats with a handful of nuts or dried fruit.

Tea or coffee
Breakfast is late Whole grain breads and low -fat cheese sandwiches
dinner 100 gr chicken breast,

1/3 cup brown rice

tomato and pepper salad - 100-150 gr.
tea time 1 fruit, anywhere, except bananas
dinner 100 gr. steamed fish,

1 cup boiled beans

1 cup kefir or yogurt
Day 4 Breakfast 150 gr of lean cottage cheese,

Green tea
Breakfast is late a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr.
dinner Chicken broth with vegetables and chicken breast.

1 whole grain bread
tea time 1 apple or orange
dinner Fish or meat baked in the oven.

Fresh vegetable salad - cabbage, tomatoes and red peppers.
Day 5 Breakfast Tomato salad and salad flavored with lemon juice
Breakfast is late 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives)
dinner Broccoli cream soup with chicken breast slices.

1 whole grain bread
tea time 5 pieces. any dried fruit
dinner Cabbage and green bean salad.

Baked breast with cheese and tomatoes (hard cheese)
Day 6 Breakfast Omelet from 2 eggs and low -fat ham.

Tea or coffee, all without sugar.
Breakfast is late 1 fruit, anywhere, except bananas
dinner 100 gr. steamed fish,

1/3 cup boiled rice. 1 tomato seed
tea time 1 cup kefir or yogurt (no additives)
dinner Boil from vegetables and meat - no more than 200 gr.

Kefir or yogurt
7th day Breakfast 150 gr. lean cottage cheese with dried apricots,

Green tea
Breakfast is late a handful of nuts - no more than 30 gr.
dinner 1/3 cup buckwheat (better not to boil it, but pour it with boiling water and leave overnight) and fish or meat of your choice
tea time 1 orange
dinner 150 g of meat with lemon and herbs baked in the oven. Mix the juice of half a lemon and seasoning for the meat, marinate the meat for 1 to 4 hours. After baking in the oven for 25-30 minutes

Menu number 2 protein diet for a week

protein diet menu

Another advantage of a protein diet for very fast weight loss is that you can create a menu at your discretion. There are no strict rules here. The options shown are just one example.

Serving size is about 200-250 gr.

First day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Coffee / tea without sweeteners + cottage cheese
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Apple
3 p. p. (lunch) Boiled chicken breast with roasted vegetables
4 p. p. (snacks) The original yogurt is empty
5 p. p. (dinner) Steamed fish + vegetable salad

Second day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Coffee / tea without sweeteners + yogurt
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Orange
3 p. p. (lunch) Vegetables (roasted) + beef (beef)
4 p. p. (snacks) Kefir
5 p. p. (dinner) Fish (baked) and vegetables (natural, without heat treatment)

Third day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Coffee / tea without sweeteners + a pair of eggs
2 p. (2nd breakfast) grapefruit
3 p. p. (lunch) Roasted turkey thighs + -5 tbsp. brown rice
4 p. p. (snacks) cottage cheese
5 p. p. (dinner) Cabbage salad + boiled beef

Fourth day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Kefir + biscuits (2 pcs. , Instead of oatmeal, better homemade)
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Kiwi (2 seeds)
3 p. p. (lunch) Chicken with asparagus
4 p. p. (snacks) Fresh juice
5 p. p. (dinner) Seafood and vegetables

Fifth day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Steamed omelet 2 eggs + tea or coffee without sugar
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Apple
3 p. p. (lunch) Fish with bread
4 p. p. (snacks) Ryazhenka
5 p. p. (dinner) Chicken + raw vegetables

Sixth day: Morning, evening, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Cottage cheese + tea or coffee without sugar
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Orange
3 p. p. (lunch) Baked tofu with vegetables
4 p. p. (snacks) Yogurt without additives
5 p. p. (dinner) Shrimp with asparagus

Seventh day: Morning, noon, dinner, snacks

1 page (breakfast) Cottage cheese + tea or coffee without sugar
2 p. (2nd breakfast) Apple
3 p. p. (lunch) Vegetable soup + boiled meat
4 p. p. (snacks) Kefir + whole grain bread
5 p. p. (dinner) Steamed fish + vegetable salad

Protein diet menu for 14 days

Products on the menu can be safely replaced with equivalents from the allowed table, and the proposed dishes can be replaced with similar ones in terms of caloric content and composition. The main thing is to adhere to the rules: eat in fractions 5-6 times a day, drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day, do not eat forbidden foods.

Breakfast
  • 2 omelets
  • 200 g of lean cottage cheese / cottage cheese casserole
  • oatmeal/millet over water
second breakfast
  • apples or pears
  • fruit salad
  • vegetable salad
Dinner
  • cut fish 2 pcs + 100 g boiled beans
  • 200 g of boiled chicken + cereal garnish
  • 200 g of boiled rabbit meat + tomato salad
tea time
  • 100 g of nonfat yogurt
  • grapefruit or pomelo
  • a handful of pine nuts
Dinner
  • 200 g grilled/boiled fish + vegetable garnish
  • 200 g of boiled beef + coleslaw
  • meatballs from chicken fillets + boiled lentils 200 g

The list of permitted products is so diverse that it is not difficult to develop a detailed menu of protein diets for yourself, there is room for the imagination to "wander". Gradual adherence to a protein diet will allow you to gradually and effectively get out of the diet.

Protein Diet Recipes

protein diet recipes

As you know, a protein diet is based on the complete or partial exclusion of carbohydrates from your body. The basis of your diet should be white meat, fish, eggs, dairy products. In a more economical version of such a diet, vegetables and nuts are allowed. In a rigid weight loss system, you can’t really clean it up. For a week, and sometimes more, every day you need to eat only boiled eggs, fish and chicken.

As you understand, the following recipes are more suitable for saving and more diverse in terms of products allowed. They are based on protein products, but some ingredients can be added to enhance the taste, which is somewhat out of the nutritional principles of a rigid protein diet.

First course

Egg cream soup

Ingredients:

  • 400 g of chicken or turkey breast
  • 300-400 g spinach,
  • 2 boiled eggs,
  • 150 ml of milk
  • spices,
  • salt,
  • parsley stalks.

Boil the meat in 2-2. 5 liters of water until soft with bay leaves, pepper and Provence herbs. Remove the meat and cut into cubes. Put chopped spinach in boiling water and boil until soft. Pour the soup, milk into a blender bowl, place the minced meat and eggs and beat until creamy. Serve immediately, garnished with a sprig of parsley and half a boiled egg.

Nutritious fish soup

  • 400 g fillets of any white fish,
  • 1 onion
  • 400 g of cauliflower,
  • lemon juice,
  • lada,
  • salt,
  • real yogurt (optional)

Open the cauliflower, peel, cut into small pieces. Cut the fish into large cubes. Cut the onion into half thin rings. Put everything in a pot, fill with water and cook until tender. Salt, pepper, before serving, if desired, add lemon juice and a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt.

Soup with chicken meatballs

  • 300 g of chopped chicken,
  • 2 squirrels,
  • 1 tablespoon flour,
  • vegetable soup (from celery or cauliflower with onions),
  • 5 stalks of green onions
  • 1 large onion
  • salt and spices.

Mix the minced meat, squirrel, bran and finely ground onion, form a meatball the size of a small chestnut. Put meatballs, bay leaves, 5 black peppercorns into the stew, boil until soft. Before serving, garnish the soup with finely chopped green onions.

Results and reviews after a protein diet

protein diet decisions

The results before and after the diet are impressive - in just a week you can lose up to 5 pounds, depending on weight and initial activity. Since protein foods saturate the body with energy well, it is recommended to combine diet with exercise for maximum effect.

As for the reviews, they are positive and negative. For most people, the diet is not suitable - against the background of lack of vitamins and trace elements, some of those who lose weight experience dizziness and weakness. Even so, everyone who has been on this diet has lost weight.

Contraindications to protein diet

contraindications to protein diet

Before this diet, do a mandatory medical examination, because protein diets are not allowed for everyone and are strictly prohibited:

  • with abnormalities in the work of the heart (with arrhythmias) and any of its diseases,
  • hepatitis and any liver disease,
  • during breastfeeding and during pregnancy,
  • with renal dysfunction
  • with joint pain or related diseases,
  • with colitis, dysbacteriosis, chronic pancreatitis and some other diseases of the digestive system,
  • diet increases the risk of thrombosis and is therefore not recommended in the elderly,
  • with a duration of more than 4 weeks.

Protein Diet Options

protein diet options

Many modern diets are based on the principles of protein nutrition. Consider the most popular options.

Protein-carbohydrate diet

The essence is that protein days alternate with carbohydrate days, that is, on one day you eat protein foods exclusively, on the other you eat complex carbohydrates. These dietary options are considered more balanced and can be followed for more than two weeks. Usually, such a diet is done after a protein diet simply to consolidate the results.

Diet Atkins

Also known as the Hollywood diet, which has become a favorite of many Hollywood stars. The basics of nutrition, compiled by Dr. Atkins, is the consumption of most protein foods, even high -calorie fatty foods are allowed, but carbohydrates are excluded.

Dr. Pierre Dukan's protein diet

The most popular protein diet is the Dukan diet. This is exactly the proper nutrition system, which must be followed throughout your life. According to modern nutritionists, the best diet for weight loss is a diet that you can follow comfortably without experiencing hunger, without falling from weakness, and without being obsessed with calorie counting.

Protein Diet Recommendations

recommendations for a high protein diet

Given the disadvantages of this method of weight loss, we have compiled a recommendation for you, following which you can minimize the negative consequences for your body and only benefit from diet:

  1. First of all, do not overdo it in your diet. Remember that measurement is necessary in everything: do not completely exclude carbohydrates and fats from the diet. If after a week of dieting you decide to continue to lose weight, do not sit on such a diet for more than a month, and then rest 2-3 months.
  2. Since a protein diet for weight loss for 7 days puts a lot of stress on the kidneys, eat more vegetables.
  3. Eat at least 4 small meals a day.
  4. The last meal should be no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
  5. To avoid problems with stool, observe a water regime - you must drink at least 1. 5 liters of clean water per day.
  6. Do not exceed the daily caloric intake of 1500 kcal.
  7. Choose a quality product! Remember that food quality is a very important condition for weight loss.
  8. If you include eggs in your diet, do not eat more than 4 eggs per day. This is especially true for egg yolks, which are mostly made up of fat and increase cholesterol levels.
  9. Protein in a duet with carbohydrates is better absorbed. When eating boiled chicken breasts, put a little steamed cauliflower into your plate. But it is better to introduce carbohydrates at noon, at lunch time.
  10. If your goal is not only to lose weight, but also to gain muscle mass, remember that muscle grows precisely from a power load.
  11. To avoid nutrient deficiencies, it is recommended to drink vitamins during weight loss.