high protein diet

It is enough to drive “diet for weight loss” into the search engine, as the all-knowing Google will give out dozens of names. Here you have a low-carb, low-calorie, protein, keto diet and a few dozen more “named” programs that promise weight loss. If we analyze the fashion for diets (and this, no doubt, also exists!), Then at different times the pendulum shifts either towards low-calorie, then towards protein food systems. Now, some observant nutritionists say, the era of “hungry” diets is lasting, and many young ladies who want to get rid of their fat sides perceive protein foods as something excessively high-calorie and unworthy of their diet. And how are things really: is it possible to lose weight on a high-protein diet?

What is a high protein diet

There is no hard and fast line between a regular protein diet and a high protein diet (HPA). But, as a rule, if more than 35% of daily calories are protein foods, they talk about a high-protein diet. The usual daily diet of an adult should be 30-35% protein. But why, in fact, are proteins needed and what is their role in the process of burning body fat?

Proteins perform many different functions in our body. Protein food is necessary if only because the quality of muscles, skin, hair, nails, bones, teeth depends on it. With a protein deficiency, these tissues will not be able to grow and regenerate. Without a sufficient amount of protein, the body will not be able to produce the hormones and enzymes necessary for its functioning. In addition, proteins can be called a kind of “delivery service” within the body: these substances help transport oxygen molecules to all cells. And these are just a few items from the huge “track record” of proteins.

It is undesirable to forget that proteins consist of smaller particles – amino acids. The human body needs 22 of them. Nine amino acids are indispensable, our bodies cannot produce them on their own, but must receive them from food. Depending on the amino acid profile, food protein is distinguished by quality. All proteins derived from animal products are called complete, that is, they contain all the amino acids we need. This category includes eggs, dairy products, fish, meat, poultry. Vegetable proteins also provide a person with a large number of amino acids, but not all of the essential ones, so they are “incomplete”. The best sources of vegetable protein are considered to be beans, soybeans, cereals, seeds, nuts. And when it comes to a high-protein diet, it is very important to consider the quality of those proteins.

How proteins affect weight loss

Many studies indicate that increased protein intake can affect appetite, metabolic rate, body weight and body composition (change the ratio of adipose tissue to muscle).

A protein-rich diet effectively suppresses hunger and keeps you feeling full for several hours after a meal. And what is most surprising, the reason is not the high calorie content. Protein, on the one hand, activates the production of hormones in the body that create a feeling of satiety, and on the other hand, it suppresses the production of the so-called hunger hormone. For this reason, protein foods are considered one of the best for suppressing the “brutal appetite.”

In the course of a scientific experiment in which 20 healthy young people took part, the subjects from the first group were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted per day, but at the same time all foods contained 30% protein. The representatives of the second group were offered the same thing, but the food contained only 10% of proteins. As a result, it turned out that young people from the first group ate an average of 440 kilocalories less per day than young men from the second.

Another ability of protein is to speed up metabolism and thereby increase the number of calories burned. Some researchers, referring to their own observations, claim that protein foods can speed up metabolism by 20-35%. That is, people who follow a high-protein nutrition program fill up faster, stay fuller longer, and as a result, they also burn more calories.

But that’s not all the amazing facts about the effect of protein on body weight. It turned out that protein food not only promotes weight loss, but purposefully fights against body fat. Speaking of this, the researchers refer to a 6-month experience in which 65 overweight women took part. As a result, it turned out that the participants in the experiment, consuming more protein, lost more fat, but at the same time retained muscle mass. This “phenomenon” in science is known as a state of ketosis, when the body is reorganized into a special mode and uses fat deposits on the body as an energy source. But to start ketosis, it is important not only to eat a lot of protein, but also to eliminate carbohydrates from the diet.

What else is useful protein during a diet

Losing weight is, as they say, only half the battle. In the fight against extra pounds, it is important not to lose health and preserve beauty. In this case, there is no equal to the nutrition system based on the consumption of a large amount of proteins.

Proteins, as already mentioned, preserve muscle mass. And if you do strength training during a protein diet, you can give relief to the press, arms and legs. If you have to remove a lot of extra pounds, then there is a risk of sagging skin on the arms, legs, stomach. Again, protein foods and moderate exercise will help prevent this. Some unbalanced diets can make bones fragile and weak. Following a high-protein diet, which contains a lot of dairy products, eliminates this risk, and vice versa, improves the structure of bones and teeth.

Protein: how much and when to eat to lose weight

Regarding the daily portion of proteins necessary for effective weight loss, the opinions of the researchers differed. But if we start from the idea that the calorie content of a high-protein diet should consist of more than 35% of protein food, then the following indicators are obtained. With a total calorie diet of 800 kcal / day, you need to eat at least 70 g of protein food. At 1000 kcal / day – 87,5 g, at 1200 kcal – 105 g, at 1500 kcal – 131 g. But these are still, so to speak, “raw” numbers, since the body weight of a person following a high-protein diet is of great importance. According to the norms calculated for bodybuilders, the daily protein intake should be approximately 2-3 g of nutrient per 1 kg of body weight. In some cases, the portion of proteins is increased to 3-4 g / 1 kg, but in this case, the risk of side effects increases significantly, which we will talk about a little later.

One more important note. Following a high-protein diet does not mean that you have to eat a kilogram of fish or meat in one sitting. The human body works in such a way that at one meal it is able to absorb no more than 10-20 g of pure proteins. The rest can be considered thrown to the wind.

Also, for effective fat burning and muscle building, the quality of proteins matters. Most proponents of a high protein diet are in favor of animal proteins, as they are almost completely absorbed by our bodies. But at the same time, there is no reason to eat only chicken, meat and fish throughout the diet. Dairy products, eggs, beans, cereals, soybeans, certain vegetables, nuts and seeds should also be included in the diet as an alternative source of protein.

How to choose products

A high-protein diet is one of those nutritional systems that help “tame” your appetite and satisfy your hunger for a long time. But you should start losing weight according to this program gradually, slowly increasing your protein intake every day.

When choosing foods for a diet, it is important that they contain a minimum of saturated fat. For this reason, it is better to give preference to dietary meats and low-fat dairy products. An almost ideal source of protein for the diet is sea fish and seafood. In addition to a complete protein, they contain omega-3 fatty acids – substances that are incredibly useful for the body.

But if, so to speak, traditional sources of protein are already pretty fed up during a long high-protein diet, you can supplement the menu with alternative products. Take at least spinach. 100 g of this leafy vegetable contains 2,5 g of protein. It is enough to add a handful of this product to soup, scrambled eggs or make a salad out of it to increase the amount of protein in the daily diet by a few grams. About the same amount of the nutrient (2,6 g) is found in 100 g of the exotic guava fruit, and one medium artichoke has more than 4 g of protein. An even better source of protein is peas. In 100 g of fresh green peas, 5 g of protein is placed, in two slices of whole grain bread, experts counted about 10 g of protein, and in 100 g of almonds – all 20 g of a useful nutrient.

The Best Protein Diets

In the ranking of all types of diets for weight loss, protein systems for weight loss are considered one of the most effective and useful. But not all protein diets are equally popular and effective.

One of the most popular is the Atkins nutrition system. As conceived by the author of this nutrition program, 29-30% of protein is provided in the diet. Many take the Atkins program as a basis, but increase the daily amount of proteins so that a total of 35% of the nutrient is obtained. Another popular protein system is the South Beach Diet, invented by American cardiologist Arthur Agatston. She, like the Atkins diet, is based on the consumption of 30% protein food per day. But if desired, the amount of protein is also easy to adjust, in particular by reducing fat.

Weekly high protein diet program

This meal plan calls for approximately 100 grams of protein daily. However, if you wish, you can increase portions of proteins to the daily allowances that are right for you.

Day 1

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 whole grain toast, 1 tablespoon olive oil, pear.

Lunch: avocado and cottage cheese salad, orange.

Dinner: 150-200 g beef steak, zucchini.

Day 2

Breakfast: a cocktail of 1 glass of milk and strawberries.

Lunch: 150 g salmon, apple and leafy greens salad with olive oil and lemon juice.

Dinner: 100-150 g chicken meat, Brussels sprouts.

Day 3

Breakfast: oatmeal with natural yogurt and a handful of chopped nuts.

Lunch: 120 g chicken, avocado and red pepper salad, peach.

Dinner: 150 g veal, brown rice.

Day 4

Breakfast: omelette of 3 eggs and 100 g of cheese with olives, orange.

Lunch: 150 g of veal, stewed vegetables.

Dinner: 120 g halibut, lentils, steamed broccoli.

Day 5

Breakfast: 100 g of cottage cheese with a handful of nuts, apples and cinnamon.

Lunch: 150 g salmon, carrots stewed in olive oil, 2 slices of whole grain bread.

Dinner: steamed chicken cutlets, spaghetti.

Day 6

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, 30 g of cheese, tomatoes, whole grain toast.

Lunch: chicken fillet, black rice, salad of your favorite vegetables.

Dinner: 85 g shrimp / 120 g sea fish, beans stewed with bell peppers and onions.

Day 7

Breakfast: cottage cheese with nuts.

Lunch: Beef steak with stewed vegetables, a slice of whole grain bread.

Dinner: 200 g salmon or other grilled sea fish, stewed spinach.

Following this nutrition system for weight loss, we must not forget the importance of physical activity and daily consumption of at least 2 liters of clean water.

Risks of a high protein diet

Protein, although an indispensable nutrient for the body, but when it is in excess, it becomes very insidious. Take at least bone tissue. The consumption of the allowed amount of protein per day allows you to strengthen the bones, but it is enough to go beyond the “daily allowance” line, as the protein, on the contrary, begins to wash out calcium from the bones, making them brittle. According to some researchers, eating an extremely high protein diet for 2 weeks is enough to cause bone loss. In addition, the abuse of protein foods can cause kidney problems.

For some people, a high-protein diet is not suitable, if only because following this principle of nutrition causes severe headaches and nausea. The same diet is contraindicated in pregnant women, nursing mothers, the elderly and those suffering from kidney or liver disease.

Many people justify their excess weight with genetics. Genetic traits have a definite influence on the type of figure, the tendency to obesity and susceptibility to diets. For this reason, the researchers analyzed the genetic code of representatives of different nationalities on different continents. It turned out that the protein diet for 67% of the world’s population is effective for weight loss. So if you belong to the lovers of protein food and do not have health problems, then you can safely experience the effectiveness of a high-protein diet. Moreover, this nutrition system will not only help to remove excess fat, but also improve muscle condition.