Don’t we all hope that there was some way that we can lose weight and that too fast? If you have tried to lose weight in the past, chances are that you may or may not have been successful in doing so. This is where the Ideal Protein Diet comes into play.
Created by Dr. Tran Tien Chanh and Olivier Benloulou, the Ideal Protein Diet was used about 20 years ago to provide a safer and easier way for their patients to lose weight.
This blog will talk all about the ideal protein diet, the pros, the cons, and how it works towards decreasing your weight in a much quicker way.
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What is Ideal Protein Diet
There are specific clinics that help you through this 4 phase weight loss protocol. If you are looking for a clinic near you, or want to really dive into the ideal protein diet, check out, www.idealprotein.com
The ideal protein diet is a modified version of a ketogenic diet but a more effective way of burning off fat. Keto diet forces you to replace carbs with fats, putting your body in a state of ketosis (a metabolic state characterized by raised levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues, which is typically pathological in conditions such as diabetes, or maybe the consequence of a diet that is very low in carbohydrates.)
The ideal protein diet takes the approach of temporarily restricting fat intake as well, forcing the body to burn its fat reserves to produce energy throughout the day.
The primary goal of an ideal protein diet is to restrict the intake of carbohydrates to deplete the glucose in your body. It takes about three days for your body to completely exhaust out the glucose, encouraging the burning of fat for fuel.
The Ideal Protein Diet works on 4 phases:
Phase 1
The average loss of weight for men with the help of ideal protein diet is 5 to 7 pounds per week and 3 to 5 pounds a week for females.
In phase one, you take three ideal protein meals a day and one self-prepared meal which comprises of low carb and fat, full of fresh vegetables and a protein of your choice.
You continue in this phase until you reach 70 to 80 percent of your weight loss goal.
Phase 2-4
- In phase 2, you decrease the ideal protein meals and increase the number of self-prepared meals. These self-prepared meals will now be raised to two a day, and the ideal protein meals will be decreased to two.
The self-prepared meals need to follow the same composition as mentioned in phase 1, keeping carbs and fat as minimum as possible. - In phase 3 that you start to slowly introduce carbs back into your diet and decrease ideal protein meals to one and regular meals to two.
- In phase 4 you return to normal eating and maintain your weight loss by eating better and making healthier food choices.
Benefits of an Ideal Protein Diet
There are a number of benefits associated with the ideal protein diet apart from quickly losing weight. There are a number of benefits associated with the ideal protein diet.
Help in losing weight
Since the ideal protein diet is a modified ketogenic diet, studies suggest that it is a good way of losing weight.
There are a number of studies that suggest that keto diets are a great way of losing weight and has proven to be better than a low-fat diet. It is also considered a more significant success since it makes it easier for people to maintain their weight once they have lost it.
Here’s another proper guide if you’re looking to lose weight.
Easy to follow
The ideal protein diet is heaven for a busy person since most of its meals are premade except for dinner. Purchasing pre-made meals means that you consume less time in planning, shopping, and cooking, freeing time for you in a busy schedule.
All in all, the ideal protein diet has the lowest amount of prep work when compared to any other kind of diet.
Improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar
Since you are losing fat, you are automatically at less of a risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome than someone that is overweight.
Studies also suggest that ketogenic diets improve your insulin sensitivity by 75% which is also a significant push towards preventing type 2 diabetes.
Prevents heart diseases
Studies suggest,
“Obese people who followed a ketogenic diet experienced a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, visceral fat, fasting blood sugars, blood insulin levels, and blood triglyceride levels”
This means that people that have tried ketogenic diets or its modified version (ideal protein diet) improve the two risk factors of heart diseases – total, bad LDL cholesterol.
Drawbacks
There are a number of drawbacks that are associated with this diet, and it has met with a lot of criticism over the years. Some of the drawbacks include:
- Costly – A partner clinic could charge you $320 to $450
- Highly Processed – Since they are pre-packaged meals, it means that they are highly reprocessed
- Very Restrictive – In the starting phase, you are bound to minimum options
- Limited outside North America – only 3,500 clinics in the world, the majority of which are in North America
- Side Effects – The drop in calories could cause nausea, headaches, constipation, hair loss and irregular menstrual cycle
What to Eat
During phase 1, you are only allowed one self-made meal a day. During this meal, it is advised to intake any form of protein, whether that be fish, chicken, beef or any other kind of meat.
With lunch and dinner, you are allowed to consume selected vegetables such as Asparagus, rhubarb, sauerkraut, zucchini, chicory, alfalfa, kale, and many other options.
Once you reach phase 3 and 4, you can start reintroducing carbs into your diet. It is advised to consume complex carbs such as whole grain bread and sugar-free cereal, fruits, dairy products, and margarine and oils.
The ideal protein diet is quite restrictive and only allows certain foods along with its premade meals.
Key Takeaway
The ideal protein diet has its pros and cons but so does every other diet under the sun; it is just a matter of your goals and how hard you are willing to go to reach them.
The ideal protein diet is a modified version of the keto diet, and although it has a lot of barriers, the ideal protein diet can be a great option if you are looking to lose weight.
Is the Ideal Protein Diet too harsh? Why not try a different diet instead!
