Protein day for weight loss: menu, recipes, benefits, harm and contraindications

A protein fasting day is an effective and safe way to improve your body. Such days improve your health, help improve metabolism and help cleanse the body, allowing you to consolidate the results obtained after losing weight.

By improving the functioning of the body, you can lose from half to a kilogram of excess weight per day.

CALCULATORS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT

In this case, mainly harmful substances are removed and fat is burned, and not simply ridding the body of water, as happens during other one-day diets.

Benefits and harms

High protein content has an impact on the organs and performance of our body, and this effect can be both positive and negative.
Benefit

• With rapid weight loss, the muscles do not disappear anywhere, giving the figure an attractive relief;
• the protein diet contains a sufficient proportion of nutrients and substances so that the body does not feel their deficiency;
• protein diet shows good results;
• wide variety of products;
• a protein day is ideal for combination with high physical activity, without having a negative effect on the mental state;
• the condition of the skin, teeth, nails and hair improves.

Harm

• The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases;
• for women, a protein day can be fraught with dysfunction of the reproductive system;
• a high concentration of protein puts a strong strain on the liver and kidneys;
• Digestive problems may occur due to lack of fiber;
• the necessary balance of BJU is disrupted, which has a bad effect on the intestinal microflora;
• Animal protein increases cholesterol levels.

What's the use

The benefit of this unloading is that it is very tasty and also healthy. There are a huge number of different recipes with which you can prepare a delicious lunch or breakfast. Protein gives strength, improves brain function and performance.

Protein foods contain many useful elements and vitamins necessary to maintain the body in tone and preserve youth. Thanks to protein fasting days, you can get rid of toxins and normalize the body's metabolic processes.

In one protein day, you can lose up to 700 g, this happens due to fat burning. The main advantage is frequent meals, but there is a limit of 600 g.

Rules

In order for protein weight loss to produce results immediately, you should follow certain recommendations:

• consume products only from the permitted list;
• include acceptable carbohydrates and fats at a certain time, when they are not stored in extra pounds;
• eat every day at exactly the same time;
• protein portions should be no more than 150 grams, but you need to eat them often;
• have snacks as often as possible;
• maintain a drinking regime (at least 1.5 liters of still water daily);
• try to reduce the amount of salt in dishes to a minimum;
• supplement the protein day with physical activity;
• try to include more plant protein in your diet than animal protein.

You can spend protein days no more than once a year. Only in this case they pass without harm to health. The maximum duration is 2 weeks. A short-term diet usually lasts 3-4 days, it also leads to weight loss in a minimum period.

You should pay attention to the correct way out of protein weight loss in order to consolidate the result and not create a stressful situation for the body. Habitual food must be introduced gradually - first add healthy carbohydrates (cereals, pasta, whole grain bread), then vegetables and fruits, and lastly add fermented milk products. You still need to stick to smaller meals and drink more water.

After a breakdown, there is no need to despair, but you can return to the diet menu again, taking into account all the recommendations.

Reviews about protein fasting day

The protein fasting day is varied and satisfying compared to carbohydrate fasting (vegetables and fruits). However, as reviews show, some people experience an increased feeling of hunger in the evening, irritability, weakness and aggressiveness, which leads to breakdowns and overeating throughout the next week. The higher a person’s motive, the easier the unloading is tolerable. In reality, you can lose 200-250 g of fat per day, and the rest is gained from water. Very often, protein unloading is prescribed to pregnant women with excessive weight gain.

• “... There was a big weight gain during my second pregnancy and I was prescribed fasting days with chicken, and the second one on kefir and cottage cheese. The gynecologist said that these particular ones are not contraindicated during pregnancy. The doctor scared me that if I don’t lose weight, I’ll have to go to the hospital. I can’t eat tasteless and unsalted chicken all day. Every time I break down in the evening, because my mood changes and my body requires carbohydrates. I usually eat banana and kefir with cookies. Nevertheless, 1 kg is lost per day, of course due to water. At the control weigh-in they told me to continue unloading once a week.”
• “... The weight gain over 2 weeks was 1 kg 600 g. This weight gain indicates fluid retention. They prescribed an unloading - 500-600 g of boiled chicken or the same amount of cottage cheese. Drink juice from cranberries or lingonberries. You can't drink chicken broth, just eat white meat. I didn’t salt the chicken, nor did I salt the vegetables. I took cucumbers, Chinese cabbage, iceberg lettuce and arugula. I didn’t want to eat, but I had a headache, and in the afternoon I really wanted something sweet, so I ate (slowly dissolved) a piece of dark chocolate. In general, it is well tolerated and effective. My result is minus 700 g. Next time I’ll do a turkey fast with vegetables - I like it better.”
• “... In the last stages they were often put on unloading. At first I went crazy. I tried apple juice, but I couldn’t stand it until lunch—they made me want to eat, so I started combining it with kefir and cottage cheese. The next day I also ate everything. I can tolerate protein fasting (cottage cheese, kefir, milk, chicken) relatively easily. When I weighed myself, the doctor praised me - the weight was 1 kg. Of course, more water was lost, but it still became easier to walk and the swelling decreased. I started doing unloads every week. I diversified my diet a little and added fruits (dried fruits) or herbs and vegetables to the cottage cheese. It was tastier and more varied this way. For lunch I could eat a cucumber and tomato salad with butter, but without salt. The weight loss was also normal.”

Contraindications

Protein days rich in amino acids and protein are not always beneficial. They promote weight loss if there are no listed contraindications:

• protein nutrition significantly reduces the level of calcium in the body, which can be critical for older people;
• high protein content in food negatively affects people suffering from kidney and liver diseases;
• Those who have serious problems with the stomach and intestines should not follow such a diet.

White Protein Day

There is a “White Protein Day”, a day of pure protein, which allows you to overcome stagnant weight and continue to lose extra pounds. A “white protein day” is a fairly simple change to a regular protein day where instead of eating foods that are allowed, you eat very high protein foods such as low-fat dairy, white fish, chicken, turkey, and egg whites along with your regular servings. oat bran. You do not consume other foods and increase the time of your daily physical activity from 20-30 minutes to 60. Protein fasting days will help activate metabolic processes. If you choose meat as a protein product, your body will receive enough protein and iron. Cheese and curd fasting days will provide the body with calcium. Kefir will reduce the severity of allergic manifestations and activate digestion. But despite all the advantages, protein fasting days, and especially meat ones, are contraindicated for people with problems of the cardiovascular system and liver and kidney diseases.

What can you eat?

Products for preparing dishes for protein weight loss should be taken from the recommended list:

• lean meat: beef, rabbit, veal;
• lean poultry: chicken, turkey;
• low-fat fish: pink salmon, chum salmon, cod, hake, pollock, blue whiting, pike, flounder;
• seafood: squid, shrimp, mussels, octopus;
• vegetables: except potatoes, beets;
• fruits are predominantly sour: kiwi, orange, lemon, grapefruit, apples, pineapples;
• mushrooms;
• legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans;
• dairy products with a low fat content: sour cream, kefir, fermented baked milk, milk, cottage cheese, bifidok, cheese, yogurt - they also should not contain sugar or foreign additives;
• eggs;
• unsweetened teas (green, black, herbal), coffee, still water.

Rules

Unloading should be carried out no more than once every seven days; frequent use can lead to loss of strength and heavy load on the kidneys. With a large amount of protein, ketone bodies appear, leading to bad breath. The daily menu must include foods containing only protein. When unloading, it is important to avoid physical activity. Equally important is the day of unloading. The best time to start the week is Monday or Tuesday, when the body is not yet tired of work.

On a protein day you need to eat 5 times, but in small portions. Later, you should stick to this eating routine, at least at first, as it helps speed up your metabolism and at the same time improves your overall well-being.

Protein products consumed on a fasting day:

• Meat fillet (chicken, turkey, beef);
• Low-fat varieties of fish (pike perch, hake, perch, bream, cod, crucian carp);
• Eggs;
• Fermented milk products (cottage cheese, kefir, whey, fermented baked milk);
• Mushrooms, beans, beans, nuts, buckwheat;
• Vegetables, herbs (raw);
• Tea, coffee, compotes (sugar should be avoided);
• Mineral, still water.

Recipes

Recipes balanced in the amount of protein can form the basis of a menu and contribute to effective protein weight loss.

Chicken breast with orange

Remove the skin from the chicken fillet, rub with garlic, marinate for 30 minutes in honey with the addition of cumin and curry. Place on parchment paper, top with orange slices and grate cheese. Bake for 40 minutes at 160º C.

Omelette

Break 4 eggs into a bowl, add 100 ml of milk. Add chopped parsley and grated cheese there. Beat with a spoon or mixer. Pour into a heated frying pan.

Beans with egg

Pour green beans into a heated frying pan and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Pour in 2 raw eggs in a thin stream, stirring the beans constantly. Pepper and salt. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

Fish cutlets

Pass the pollock fillet through a meat grinder. Add half a finely chopped onion and a raw egg. Form cutlets, cook in a frying pan or bake in the oven. Serve with mustard, basil and natural yogurt sauce.

Menu options for every day

Many diets are based on the principles of losing weight on protein foods. Vivid examples are the Dukan and Malysheva diets. When compiling a menu for protein days, you can be guided by the proposed options.

On balls

When carrying out this type of fasting day, you cannot limit your diet to eggs alone. The best option is considered to be a supplement in the form of apples or grapefruit.

• Eggs should only be eaten boiled; salting or adding sauce to them is prohibited. You cannot fry, make omelettes or drink raw eggs.
• The daily quantity of eggs is 3 pieces, the same number of apples (or 2 grapefruits) is required.
• The specified diet should be evenly divided throughout the day, not forgetting to drink 2 liters of water.

On a chicken

The advantages of the chicken diet include satiety, variety of dishes and accessibility. The most gentle option is a combination of chicken and vegetables. The latter can be eaten raw or cooked; the most preferred in addition to poultry are zucchini, bell peppers, herbs, beets, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes.

• The total amount of chicken meat is 1 kg. It is divided into 4-5 equal parts, which will make up each new meal.
• The chicken can be boiled or baked. In any case, the skin must be removed.
• The amount of salt is reduced to a minimum, oil is eliminated completely. When baking, it is recommended to use parchment.
• It is allowed to use spices, but remember that they whet the appetite.
• A variation of the chicken fasting day consists only of eating poultry. In this case, take the breast, boil it, do not salt it.
• You can prepare broth - a liter of chicken soup is also divided into 5 meals and supplemented with a large amount of liquid (herbal decoction, tea, water).
• It is allowed to replace chicken with turkey.

On fish

Fish fasting days are quite easily tolerated, excluding the feeling of hunger. In addition to losing weight, this diet option is beneficial for hypertensive patients and people suffering from atherosclerosis. It features a large variety of dishes available for consumption.

• You can only eat low-calorie, low-fat fish (mostly white varieties) - pike, flounder, hake, perch, pollock, blue whiting, crucian carp, herring, pike perch, cod, trout.
• The amount of salt in foods should be kept to a minimum.
• Fish can be boiled and baked.
• The total daily amount of fish is 1 kg. It is divided into 5 equal portions.

On meat

A meat fasting diet strengthens muscles, allowing you to lose fat mass. At the same time, the condition of the hair and skin does not suffer at all - they receive the necessary amount of nutrients.

• For meat fasting days, it is allowed to eat only lean meat (poultry, beef, rabbit, veal).
• Total quantity - 0.4 kg.
• Vegetables (0.3 kg) are also used as a supplement, from which it is preferable to prepare stews.
• Meat can be boiled, stewed or baked without adding salt or oil.
• The total amount of meat is divided into 5 equal portions. They need to be eaten throughout the day; vegetables are allowed only for lunch and dinner.
• Last meal no later than 19:00.

On cheese

Cheese days can be diluted with vegetables and a small amount of cottage cheese or kefir if hunger becomes difficult to control.

• For fasting days, only cheeses with a low fat content are suitable. These include tofu, chechil, mozzarella, ricotta and feta.
• The total amount of cheese product is 300 grams, divided into equal pieces, which are eaten throughout the day.

Protein and vegetable menu for 7 days

Protein-fruit menu for 3 days

To lose weight with the help of fruits and proteins, you need to give preference to low-calorie citrus fruits and not include bananas, grapes and plums in your diet.

Protein-fat days

The specificity of protein days supplemented with fatty foods is that weight loss occurs due to a lack of carbohydrates - incoming fats are spent on energy production, and subcutaneous fats are broken down.

During such weight loss, it is recommended to maintain a nutritional balance in terms of protein and fat: 2.5 grams of fat per 1 gram of protein.

You can diversify your diet these days by:

• fatty meat (pork, lamb),
• fattier fish (cod, mackerel, trout, salmon, tuna),
• various offal (kidneys, liver, stomachs, hearts).

Protein-carbohydrate alternation

Alternating protein and carbohydrate days is very effective for losing weight. Usually they are arranged every other day and are supplemented by a mixed day, but the duration of the cycle can increase.

2 days fast, 2 days protein

More rigorous weight loss involves the inclusion of fasting days. This diet follows the following scheme: 2 fast days - 2 protein days - 2 vegetable days. The first two days you need to limit yourself to 2 liters of kefir and a glass of tomato juice. The menu for protein days can be completed with dishes from the examples given, and vegetable days should contain the appropriate products, fresh or boiled.

1000 calorie menu

You can lose weight quickly if you significantly reduce the number of calories you consume. The presented menu is designed for 1000 kcal per day.

Curd fasting day

Weight loss may be limited to one day. Unloading in this case is based on the consumption of one product, supplemented with other acceptable components, but in small quantities. Cottage cheese is the most suitable protein ingredient to provide a complete protein relief.

For pregnant

Pregnant women are not recommended to lose weight on protein alone. It must be supplemented with a small amount of fiber (represented by cereals and vegetable components) and healthy fats. But a large share should still come from protein. Protein days as part of a well-structured diet help control weight without feeling hungry.

Sample menu for the day

You can control your water balance with clean, still water; you can also drink herbal teas and unsweetened compote of fresh berries or dried fruits.

Features of the method

Protein fasting days are based on eating only protein foods during the day. You should not eat any carbohydrates during the fasting period: even vegetables, which consist of slow and healthy carbohydrates.

The main goal of the diet is to rid the body of edema, fluid retained inside the tissues, and speed up metabolic processes.

In one or two days of unloading, it is possible to lose up to 3 kg of extra pounds: it all depends on the initial weight of the slimming person. To enhance the effect, you will have to temporarily give up not only cereals, fruits and vegetables.

It is better to exclude salt and sugar too, and you will have to live a day without coffee, strong tea and alcohol.

The benefits and harms of unloading on proteins

The great advantage of protein is that it is a valuable composition for the body. Protein consists almost entirely of amino acids, and without them, normal growth and renewal of body cells and strong muscles are impossible.

Scientists have found that protein contains 20 amino acids, and 10 of them are not synthesized by the body on its own, that is, they can only be obtained from food.

Why are proteins valuable to humans?

• saturates well;
• prevent spikes in blood sugar;
• soften hormonal storms during pregnancy, menopause, puberty;
• serve as a prevention of thyroid diseases.

Interesting! Protein for breakfast for a person losing weight is the ideal start to the day. And all because it provides everything you need, and at the same time starts the processes of breaking down adipose tissue. Even the advertised and super-healthy oatmeal for breakfast is not recommended for weight loss, but scrambled eggs or chicken steak are welcome.

The disadvantages of a protein fasting day include the fact that high-quality protein products are not cheap. Plus, proteins do not contain carbohydrates - the main suppliers of living energy and vitamins.

Prolonged nutrition with proteins is dangerous for the deterioration of hair and nails.

Without carbohydrates, a person gets tired quickly, sleeps poorly and suffers from mood swings. That is why nutritionists urge not to delay the protein diet, unloading on it no more than once a week.

What can you eat

The amount of protein is calculated using a simple formula: per 1 kg of weight you need 1 g of protein. A woman weighing 75 kg needs to eat 75 g of protein per day.

Considering that 100 g of chicken breast contains only 20 g of protein, on the fasting day you are allowed to eat a large fillet steak weighing 300 g or 2 medium chicken legs.

What foods are acceptable for protein unloading:

• chicken breast and chicken legs without fat and skin;
• cottage cheese from 0 to 2% fat;
• veal and beef;
• eggs;
• turkey;
• squid and shrimp;
• sea ​​and river fish with white meat (pollock, pike perch, haddock, cod, blue whiting);
• tuna;
• any seafood (mussels, scallops, sea cucumbers);
• fermented milk products with reduced fat content.

Among plant proteins, nutritionists favor lentils, beans, peas, and chickpeas. True, their consumption threatens increased gas formation in the stomach, so it is better not to have a mono-diet on these products. It is better to use them in your regular diet, periodically replacing meat.

Attention! Since salt and sugar are excluded, food can be seasoned with lemon juice and herbs - parsley, basil, dill or ready-made spices without a flavor enhancer and salt.

Effectiveness for weight loss

Protein is very satiating. This diet is very easy to tolerate, because there is practically no feeling of hunger. It helps remove excess fluid from the body: the fat cell, freed from moisture, shrinks, decreases in size, and the person looks much slimmer.

Protein products trigger weight loss processes by forcing the body to draw energy from stored “strategic reserves.”

And finally, protein itself takes quite a long time to digest, which costs additional calories. The main thing is to organize your diet wisely and make your diet balanced.

Be sure to check out:

Meat fasting: features of a fasting day on chicken breast or broth 8 best options for fasting days on cottage cheese Secrets of fasting days for pregnant women Rules and expert advice on how to organize a fasting day on porridge

results

The effect of protein days is manifested primarily in immediate weight loss. A distinctive feature is that the muscle definition is preserved, they are outlined due to the reduction of fat mass. Combining a protein diet with exercise gives even more impressive results.

How much excess weight is lost?

According to reviews from those losing weight, a strict diet based on protein alone promotes rapid weight loss - up to 9 kg per month. More gentle options also give positive results - up to 5 kg per month.

Recommendations for fasting days on meat

A fasting day on meat is recommended, first of all, for those who cannot imagine their day without rich broth, a sandwich with sausage, a cutlet or a steak. Convinced “meat eaters” often avoid fasting days precisely because of the lack of meat component in the diet.

In addition, this cleansing method is suitable:

1. When other options for one-day fasting are accompanied by a feeling of severe hunger, lethargy, dizziness, and loss of performance. A day on meat is filling and well tolerated.
2. If during a long diet the weight “rose”, despite strict dietary restrictions. This usually happens a month after starting the diet. A meat fasting day is something that will “shake up” a slowed metabolism and make the kilograms fall off faster.
3. After heavy feasts, to get rid of the feeling of heaviness, give the body rest, gain a surge of strength and vigor.
4. Before a celebration, vacation, and in other cases when you want to lose a kilogram or two.
5. To remove excess water from the body, remove swelling, improve intestinal function.