Protein-carbohydrate alternation (BUCH diet) - we get rid of fat, not muscle and water. Diet rotation

Protein-carbohydrate alternation (butch) for weight loss is one of the most popular diets among women and men of all ages. This popularity of the diet is explained by the wide list of permitted products, the ease of preparation of dishes and its high efficiency. Butch is suitable for those who do not want to exhaust the body with hunger strikes and prefer to eat as healthy as possible.

A detailed description of the butch diet will help you understand why the body loses extra pounds. Together with food we receive proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Proteins serve as the material necessary for muscle function and maintenance of bone tissue, and the body receives energy from fats and carbohydrates.

If you sharply reduce the amount of carbohydrates and fats you eat, glycogen, which is found in muscle tissue and the liver, is used as a consumable resource. But these reserves quickly come to an end, and then the splitting process begins subcutaneous fat. These processes occur in the body on protein days.

If they drag on, your metabolism will be affected and your metabolism will slow down. To prevent this from happening, you need to load the body with healthy ones, i.e. slow, low carbohydrates, and then reintroduce protein into the diet.

This is the principle of butch, schematically it looks like this:

• The cycle consists of 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, and 1 mixed day - in sequential order. Thus, the full cycle of a classic butch will take three days;
• After completing one boot cycle, a new one starts immediately.

Alternation must be continued until the desired effect is achieved.

Pros and cons of the diet

Protein-carbohydrate alternation has many positive aspects:

• The body does not suffer from an acute lack of proteins, fats and carbohydrates; these substances are present in the diet;
• The diet assumes that it eliminates the feeling of hunger. This allows you to avoid breakdowns and stick to the regime for several weeks without any problems;
• There is no need to prepare complex dishes. All recipes are very easy to prepare;
• Metabolism is not slowed down, as happens with strict express diets. Butch acts on the body as a kind of shock and when the right approach It may even speed up your metabolism.

In addition, after finishing the diet, the habit of eating simple and healthy dishes will remain.

The disadvantages include the following:

• Loss of adipose tissue occurs smoothly. If you need to lose 4-5 kg ​​in the shortest possible time, you should look for other ways;
• On protein days, fatigue and lack of energy may occur;
• The diet is not suitable for people whose weight exceeds 100 kg. Large amounts of protein will negatively affect their kidney function. With such a high weight, it is best to start losing weight with a balanced diet with a slight calorie deficit.

Before deciding to butch, you need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons and think through the menu in advance.

Sample menu for the week

Below is a butch menu diet for a week. The protein day starts on Monday, Tuesday will be a carbohydrate day, and Wednesday will be a mixed day. Thus, the seven-day menu includes two full cycles of butch, and another protein day. If you follow these rules, the next week will begin with a carbohydrate day.

Day	Eating	Sample menu
Monday	Breakfast	Omelet of 3 whites, 1 yolk and skim milk, cooked in the oven without oil
	Lunch	2 boiled squid carcasses
	Dinner	Chicken fillet fried in a dry frying pan, cucumber and tomato salad with wine vinegar and lemon juice
	Afternoon snack	Cottage cheese sprinkled with vanilla
	Dinner	Baked cod, fresh herbs
Tuesday	Breakfast	Steamed oat flakes with raisins and honey
	Lunch	Grapefruit
	Dinner	Whole grain pasta, mix of Chinese cabbage and carrots, seasoned with lime juice
	Afternoon snack	Banana
	Dinner	Skim cheese
Wednesday	Breakfast	Oatmeal with water, 1 hard-boiled chicken protein
	Lunch	Steam omelette with 2 whites
	Dinner	Jacket potatoes, baked turkey fillet, vegetable salad
	Afternoon snack	Green apple
	Dinner	Steamed navaga cutlets with stewed vegetables
Thursday	Breakfast	Egg white and tomato omelette
	Lunch	Kefir 1% fat
	Dinner	Chicken breast cooked with tomatoes in the oven or on the grill, boiled Brussels sprouts, cucumber
	Afternoon snack	Cabbage salad with 1 tsp. olive oil
	Dinner	Steamed turkey fillet and zucchini cutlets
Friday	Breakfast	Loose buckwheat with skim milk
	Lunch	2 whole grain breads with low-fat cheese
	Dinner	Brown rice, pollock fillet cutlets, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs
	Afternoon snack	Banana
	Dinner	Pumpkin stewed in milk and cottage cheese casserole
Saturday	Breakfast	Barley porridge on water, rye bread sandwich with feta cheese
	Lunch	2 egg white omelette with green beans
	Dinner	Potatoes stewed with turkey and green beans
	Afternoon snack	Cottage cheese 5% fat with cinnamon
	Dinner	Squid carcasses in sour cream
Sunday	Breakfast	Boiled buckwheat without salt with milk
	Lunch	Orange and pear
	Dinner	Stewed blue whiting fillet, bulgur, bell pepper, cucumber and spinach salad with spices without oil
	Afternoon snack	Ayran
	Dinner	Whole grain pasta with seafood in low-fat cream.

It is a four-day cycle. There should be two protein days in a row, and only then come carbohydrate and mixed days. This scheme is a more stringent and extreme version of the diet, but weight loss is faster. Which of these two options to choose, everyone must decide for themselves, based on their own well-being. It is very important to feel as comfortable as possible.

There is also a butch diet according to the method of Chris Powell, an American fitness trainer. IN in this case the cycle consists of 7 days. Days 1, 3 and 5 are protein days, 2, 4 and 6 are carbohydrate days and 7 is a mixed day.

Whatever method is preferred, two principles must be observed:

• The total calorie content of the daily diet should be in the range of 1300-1500 calories;
• The volume of each dish should not exceed 200-250 grams, for example: 200 grams of chicken breast and 250 grams of vegetable salad.

It is very important what will be spent during the day. Losing weight will go faster if you combine a diet with moderate exercise. On the day of the training, you need to eat protein for dinner.

How to prepare dishes?

All dishes should be prepared as simply as possible. You cannot fry food in a frying pan in a large amount of oil. Meat and fish dishes You can bake them in the oven in foil without oil, or cook them on the grill. Frying is allowed only in a dry, hot frying pan; for this it is convenient to use dishes with a non-stick coating.

An important element of vegetables is fiber; it helps the intestines function, so when preparing salads, they do not need to be peeled, just washed well.

When cooking pasta, you need to carefully monitor the time. Slightly undercooked pasta does not increase insulin levels as much, which helps maintain a feeling of fullness, and takes longer to digest.

What you can and can’t eat at BUCH

Here's what you can eat on protein days:

• Meat: chicken breast, turkey fillet, veal, rabbit, lean beef;
• Fish and seafood: cod, haddock, navaga, pollock, blue whiting, mullet, shrimp, squid carcasses, octopus tentacles;
• Low-fat kefir, cottage cheese, cheese, milk.

You can also eat chicken eggs and vegetables that do not contain starch: cabbage and Chinese cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, sorrel, spinach.

What to eat on carbohydrate days:

• Cereals: buckwheat, barley grits, couscous, bulgur, oatmeal, brown rice, millet;
• Pasta made from durum wheat, whole grain pasta;
• Fruits: green apples, unsweetened pears, limited quantities of bananas, citrus fruits, kiwi;
• Black, Borodino bread and whole grain bread.

On mixed days, you need to combine products from both lists.

In order for the body to function normally, this is especially true for maintaining regular menstrual cycle in women, he needs a certain amount of fat. Although butch suggests their significant reduction, the diet should contain vegetable oil, preferably olive oil. They can be used to season vegetable salads.

What products are prohibited:

• Bakery products made from wheat flour;
• Confectionery: cookies, preserves, jam, cakes, chocolate, pastries, marshmallows, marshmallows, and all other sweets;
• Dairy products: sweet yoghurts and curds, heavy cream;
• Meat and fish products: sausages of any kind, lard, fatty pork and fatty parts of beef, duck, goose, semi-finished products, fatty fish, smoked fish, canned fish.

Also prohibited are alcoholic beverages, sweet compotes and packaged juices.

Dish recipes

When using a butch menu for every day, thought out in advance, it greatly simplifies life. The more varied the diet, the easier the diet will be. Here are some tasty and healthy recipes allowed dishes.

Rabbit meat stewed with vegetables

Rabbit meat refers to dietary meat. It strengthens the walls of blood vessels and saturates the body with B vitamins. The recipe is suitable for a carbohydrate or mixed day.

To prepare the dish you will need 0.5 kg of meat, lemon, 1 carrot, bell pepper, onion and olive oil.

The baking dish should be greased from the inside with a thin layer of oil. Place the cut carcass in it and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Then pour 200 ml hot water with lemon juice and add spices to taste. Rosemary goes well with rabbit, allspice, Bay leaf. Chop the onions, carrots and peppers and add to the meat. Leave in the oven to simmer until done, another 40-50 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.

Sea salad

A high protein salad is great to start your butch cycle. To prepare it you need to take equal parts squid carcasses and shrimp, 2 chicken eggs, 1 fresh cucumber.

Boil the cleaned squid in boiling water for 2 minutes, cook the shrimp for 3-4 minutes, and hard-boil the eggs. For the salad you only need protein.

Cut the squid carcasses into rings, combine with shrimp, add chopped shrimp and cucumber, add a little salt, and dress the salad with a mixture of wine vinegar and lemon juice.

Vegetable soup with chicken

This is the first dish, suitable for any day of the cycle. You will need chicken breast, onions, broccoli, spinach, bell pepper.

Cut the breast into pieces and boil in salted water. Chop the vegetables, sauté in a small amount of olive oil, and add to the broth. Add spices to taste, cook for a few more minutes.

Steamed fish cutlets

To prepare, you need to take fillets of any lean fish, 1 egg, onions, zucchini, salt, spices. The fillet must be twisted in a meat grinder, the onion and zucchini finely chopped, or also passed through a meat grinder. Mix everything well, beat into the minced meat a raw egg, add salt and spices to taste. If the minced meat is too dense, you can pour a little milk into it.

Form cutlets, place them in a steamer, cooking time – 20-25 minutes. These cutlets can also be baked in the oven by greasing the baking dish with vegetable or olive oil.

Cottage cheese casserole

This a good option for breakfast on a mixed day. To prepare the casserole, you need to take low-fat cottage cheese or 5% fat and 2 chicken eggs.

Grind the cottage cheese well, break the eggs, separate the whites from the yolks. All you need is whites. Mix with cottage cheese, the mass should be of a homogeneous consistency. Place in a greased baking dish and place in the oven for 25 minutes. The casserole can be eaten either hot or cooled. If desired, you can add 1 tsp to it. sweetener, or raisins. The raisins must first be soaked in boiling water.

All butch recipes take a little time. After completing the diet, you can diversify them a little and include them in your daily menu.

Contraindications

Any diet has its own list of contraindications. It is not recommended to adhere to protein-carbohydrate alternation:

• Pregnant and breastfeeding women;
• Teenagers and older people;
• In the presence of disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• For: pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, renal failure;
• For liver diseases: cirrhosis, hepatitis;
• If you have the following diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: cholecystitis, gastritis, stomach ulcer or duodenum, biliary dyskinesia;
• For benign or malignant tumors.

The extensive list of contraindications is explained by the fact that with a sudden change in diet, chronic diseases can worsen.

During protein-carbohydrate alternation, the following side effects may occur:

• Digestive problems, constipation. Intestinal function is naturally slowed down due to the large volume of protein. To prevent this, you need to eat more non-starchy vegetables that are high in fiber, and drink at least 1 liter clean water in a day;
• Increased fatigue, headaches. This is a common occurrence with carbohydrate deficiency. Walking can help you cope with headaches. fresh air. It is necessary to give the body more oxygen. If you can’t go for a walk, you need to ventilate the room well.

The diet is especially difficult for those who are used to eating a lot of sweets. When cutting fast carbohydrates, a person’s mood can easily deteriorate and irritability increase. However, sweets are prohibited even on carbohydrate days. The maximum permissible dose of glucose is contained in 1 tsp. honey - you can add it to oatmeal.

The famous protein-carbohydrate alternation is a diet for the most advanced. Actually, it’s difficult to call such a food regimen a diet: rather, it’s special system nutrition.

Principles of protein-carbohydrate alternation

The basis of the BEACH diet is alternating high-protein and high-carbohydrate days. The contrast between the intake of proteins and carbohydrates into the body swings metabolic processes and ensures high result diets. The higher this contrast, the more significant weight loss the arrows on the bathroom scale will show every day.

On protein days, carbohydrate foods are completely excluded from the diet: bread, pasta, fruits. A small amount of carbohydrates is allowed due to their natural content in protein foods. However, you cannot mindlessly eat meat alone. Excessive amounts of protein overload the kidneys and can cause serious harm to health.

The protein-carbohydrate alternation diet consists of alternating four-day cycles:

The first day is protein;

The second day is protein;

The third day is carbohydrate;

The fourth day is mixed.

This is one completed cycle. From the fifth day it should be repeated. How many such cycles you will have to do depends only on how many kilograms you want to lose weight. Well, how much willpower is enough, of course!

Calculation scheme for BUCH

Exists simple circuit calculation, which must be used. Protein-carbohydrate alternation is a precise diet, compliance with all its requirements is mandatory.

For a protein day, the amount of protein should be three grams per kilogram of desired weight. Let's say a girl plans to weigh 59 kg. Multiply this figure by three - we get 177 grams of protein. This is the daily norm. Protein standards, not the weight of protein foods, such as chicken breast! To find out how much of this allowed amount is contained in a piece of white chicken meat, you need to find out its composition. There are 21 grams of protein per hundred grams of breast.

All that remains is to get the required amount of protein. Is it necessary to do this? Necessarily. The fact is that if the protein norm is less, the body will begin to consume muscle along with fat. This is not the result you should strive for. The secret of the popularity of protein-carbohydrate alternation is precisely that this regimen allows you to lose fat while completely maintaining muscle mass.

Now all that remains is to calculate the allowable amount of carbohydrates. For a protein day, the norm is 20-25 grams, no more. Perfect option, if this figure can be reduced. Fat is also under control: permissible value– still the same 25 grams.

After two protein days comes a carbohydrate day. The amount of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight is four, maximum five grams. For girls actively involved in fitness, this norm is five to six grams per kilogram of desired weight.

On the mixed, fourth day of the cycle, the intake rates of protein, carbohydrates and fat are as follows:

Protein – two grams (maximum three);

Carbohydrates – two grams (maximum three);

Fats – 30 grams for the whole day (maximum forty grams).

Important notes on BUCH

The question of the number of calories during protein-carbohydrate alternation is relevant. Do we need to count them? Need to. For protein days, the calorie corridor will be from 800 to 1100 kcal per day. On carbohydrate days, the number of calories will increase, and here it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of your body.

When increasing the amount of carbohydrates to the norm, you cannot exceed your individual calorie peak. For some it is 1200 kcal per day, for others it is 2000 kcal. Much depends on whether there is physical activity these days. But in any case, reducing daily caloric intake below 1100 kcal is unacceptable, otherwise metabolic processes will slow down and weight loss will stop.

Most often, weight comes off well after protein days. The fact is that squirrels actively drive water. Swelling goes away, weight decreases.

The effectiveness of the BUCH diet is also explained by the fact that you have to not only count BZHU (proteins-fats-carbohydrates), but also calculate the daily calorie content. And if you strictly follow all the principles of the cyclic regime, it will tend to decrease.

If you are too lazy to count calories, you can take it as a basis method of visual portion assessment. It is important to follow the regime of fractional five meals a day. The portion should be no larger than the palm of your hand.

On carb days Whole grain porridge and plenty of greens are preferred. Servings of bread or cereal are a great substitute for fruit. It’s great if you can accompany every meal with green vegetables or herbs.

Fruits are not allowed on protein days. Vegetables are permissible only to the extent that they do not overlap total allowed carbohydrates. The maximum you can allow yourself on protein days is a medium cucumber or lettuce leaf.

During the first few days you will have to read the labels on the products very carefully. So, kefir, for example, which is generally considered a protein food, contains almost as much carbohydrates as proteins. Moreover, sometimes the amount of carbohydrates per gram is greater than the amount of protein! Therefore, it is better to leave kefir and milk for mixed days. If you really want dairy products in the first two days of the cycle, their quantity should not be more than one hundred grams per day. Cheese is also not allowed on protein days, as it contains a lot of fat.

In order not to harm your health, a mandatory condition for following a diet of protein-carbohydrate alternation is physical exercise. You don't have to go to the gym, just getting at least active exercise a day is enough. Walk, swim, start general cleaning or repair, twist the hoop. Anything to help the kidneys remove excess urea.

Drinking water during protein days is a must. You need at least one and a half liters of clean still water.

Products for the BUTCH diet

Choosing a diet is quite simple. However, we must remember that frequent meals are one of the basic principles of the system. The body can absorb no more than forty grams of protein in one meal. This figure should definitely be taken into account when creating a menu for protein days. In addition, fractional meals speed up metabolism.

List of some foods for protein days(plus the amount of protein per hundred grams of weight):

Chicken breast – 21;

Pollock, cod, hake, pangasius - from 16 to 18;

Shrimp, mussels, squid, other seafood – 18;

Natural canned tuna – from 21 to 23№;

Egg – 7;

One egg white – 3;

Low-fat cottage cheese (up to 2%) – 18.

Carbohydrate days should not be taken as permission to indulge in bread, cake, candy, chocolate, and sweet fruits. These are all simple carbohydrates, which have a very, very high glycemic index. If, after two practically carbohydrate-free days, you start eating all of the foods listed, your blood sugar will rise very strongly. As a result, all carbohydrates will be converted into fat. All that fat reserve that was burned on protein days will return. You won't be able to lose weight.

That is why For a carbohydrate day you need complex carbohydrates:

Whole grain cereals (buckwheat, rice, eggs, legumes, oatmeal, pearl barley, millet, lentils);

Pasta, but only from durum wheat;

Whole wheat bread;

Non-starchy vegetables (cucumbers, all types of cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, onions, radishes, spinach). If not fresh vegetables, you can use store-bought frozen food, but without potatoes;

A little fermented milk products(ryazhenka, bifidok, kefir, natural unsweetened yogurt). You can consume whole milk, but be extremely careful – it contains a lot of simple carbohydrates and protein;

Unsweetened fruits are acceptable, sweet ones are not. You can eat one (maximum two) servings in the morning. Apples, tangerines, and grapefruits are allowed.

Options for nutritional plans based on the protein-carbohydrate alternation system

The four-day cycle is the classic “two plus two” pattern. However, she is not the only one. There are a lot of scheme options:

• three protein days - two days of carbohydrate loading;
• two protein days – one carbohydrate (excluding mixed days);
• five days on protein foods – three days on carbohydrates;
• three days of pure protein - one day high-carbohydrate, one day mixed;
• three protein days – one carbohydrate;
• the equilibrium option is two plus two plus two.

The choice of a specific nutrition plan depends only on individual preferences. The main thing is to give the body a shake-up, alternating the intake of protein and long-term carbohydrates and not exceeding the calorie intake. What is good about the classic scheme? It is easier to tolerate.

And yet you should not do more than three protein days - this has practically no effect on the result. There is no need to give up a mixed day. One day is not enough for the body to restore glycogen in the muscles. After a full two-day recovery on carbohydrate foods, the levels of protein days will be better.

Sports activities on the BUC diet are mandatory. Wherein It is better to do aerobic exercise on protein days (minimal amount carbohydrates causes fat to burn more strongly), and strength – on a carbohydrate or mixed day.

Menu of protein-carbohydrate alternation for four days

Protein day

Breakfast: omelet with seafood.

Second breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese.

Lunch: boiled or baked chicken breast without oil with herbs or cucumber.

Afternoon snack: low-fat cottage cheese.

Dinner: boiled or baked fish or seafood salad.

Before bed: a little cottage cheese.

Carbohydrate day

Breakfast: steamed oatmeal with an apple.

Second breakfast: sugar-free oat muesli with kefir and apple.

Lunch: 150 grams of boiled rice, buckwheat, pasta and a slice of lean meat, fish, chicken. Salad of fresh or stewed vegetables.

Afternoon snack: fresh vegetables, kefir, five to six unsalted nuts.

Dinner: a portion of fresh or stewed vegetables with baked fish or boiled chicken.

Before bed: kefir.

Mixed day

Breakfast: oatmeal on water with an apple, boiled eggs, tea or coffee with milk.

Second breakfast: a portion of unsweetened fruit.

Lunch: fresh vegetable salad or a serving of stewed vegetables. Boiled or baked meat, chicken, fish with a side dish of cereal or pasta.

Afternoon snack: Greek salad or cottage cheese with nuts and dried fruits.

Dinner: casserole with vegetables or salad of vegetables and seafood.

Before bed: kefir.

Having mastered the principles of calculating BZHU, you can create a menu yourself, focusing on your taste preferences. It's quite simple, especially if you calculate the amount of proteins and carbohydrates per serving of your favorite dish.

The duration of the diet depends on the initial weight.

You can lose eight kilograms in two weeks excess weight.

A huge advantage of protein-carbohydrate alternation is that the diet is very easily tolerated, balanced, and has no contraindications.

You won’t have to starve, which means the effect will be achieved in any case.

It is most effective to lose weight within one to two months, and then take a six-month break. After five to six months, you can return to the BUTCH diet and set about creating your ideal figure with renewed vigor.

Alternation of carbohydrate foods is main principle The BUTCH diet of American nutritionist Jason Hunter, which began to be practiced relatively recently. Initially, diets of this kind were prescribed for professional athletes who needed to either maintain it, reduce the percentage of muscle mass, or, on the contrary, increase it.

Such manipulations with one’s own body were carried out only under the supervision of qualified doctors, nutritionists and trainers. Due to its effectiveness and safety, BCH diets quickly spread among the population, leading healthy image life, only in simplified versions. In this article we present as much as possible detailed description BUTCH diet with recipes for a week.

Most weight loss methods give good results due to the loss of muscle mass and water, while excess fat reserves remain intact and continue to “live” quietly. Diets with reduced calorie intake quickly produce visible results, but if slim figure If you want to keep it forever, you will have to take a slower route.

BUTCH is a weight loss system based on protein-carbohydrate alternation. It is this that will allow you to achieve your obviously set goals, without stress and harm to the body. The BUCH system is effective and efficient - it does not promote meager meals with a menu totaling 700 calories per day. It is based on the idea of ​​getting as close as possible to balanced diet and not cause harm to health.

Metabolism does not suffer during the diet, so BEACH can be freely followed for a month or more.

Thanks to balanced menu the person will not experience physical or psychological discomfort. The main thing is not to lose motivation, and for this you need to regularly monitor the process of losing weight: weighing yourself, taking photographs, taking measurements - in this way the effectiveness of the diet will be clearly visible.

You won’t see weight loss if you practice protein-carbohydrate alternation thoughtlessly. Here it is important to decide on the BEAM strategy and strictly adhere to it. Exist various options diets, the most popular are:

1. 2/1, where two and one are carbohydrates, after which the cycle repeats again;
2. 2/1/1 is the easiest and most gentle example of BUCH. For a couple of days the body receives only proteins, then a day of carbohydrates and the final day of the cycle is mixed, when moderate consumption of carbohydrates continues in combination with a smaller amount of protein;
3. 5/2 is an option for those who have been on medication for a long time. proper nutrition and it won’t be stressful for him to eat only protein foods with a small amount of non-starchy vegetables for 5 days. But the next two days there will be a powerful stimulation of the body with carbohydrates.

During protein days, the body exhausts all glycogen, so to obtain energy and maintain tone, it begins to “feed” on fat reserves. It is impossible to completely exclude carbohydrate days; if this is done, stress and “failure” are inevitable.

After the first two days of following the BEACH menu, a person loses up to one kilogram. By the end of the first cycle, the weight returns, but it is not fat, but water that binds carbohydrates. The days of the second cycle will already become familiar to the body, and water will not be retained. On average, weight should decrease by 3-4 kilograms per month. More sudden weight loss Due to a strict menu and cuts, KBZHU is fraught with exhaustion, stretch marks, sagging skin and breakdowns.

You can achieve your goals faster if you exercise in parallel with your diet. Physical activity days should fall on carbohydrate days.

For those who can’t switch to a healthy diet with moderate portions, BUCH will teach you to look at food as a source of energy, and not a hobby and a necessary pleasure. After just a week of the diet, the bangs adapt to the restrictions and feel great.

Products

The ideal time to experiment with your own weight is the cold season. Summer is the season of fresh vegetables and fruits, and diets limit them, especially on protein days, which is a big temptation.

On protein days you are allowed:

• Meat: chicken, rabbit, lean pork and beef, veal, turkey;
• , with yolk you can only have one egg per day;
• Fish: hake, pollock, blue whiting, halibut, trout, tuna, mackerel, pink salmon;
• Products of marine origin: squid, mussels, rapana, shrimp, octopus;
• : low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt without pieces of fruit and sugar, milk, feta cheese and yogurt.

During carbohydrate days you can:

• Cereals: egg, rice, millet, oatmeal, pearl barley;
• Rye and bran bread, wholemeal pasta;
• Non-starchy vegetables: cucumbers, zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower and White cabbage, pepper, onion;
• Fruits and berries with low: apples, oranges, apricots, plums, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, lingonberries, blackberries;
• A wide variety of greens: onions, cilantro, parsley, dill, arugula.

The menu should include only slow carbohydrates. Products such as cakes, buns, chocolates, candies, chips, yoghurts with various fillings and semi-finished products must be excluded.

Menu for the week

The diet of protein-carbohydrate alternation is quite simple. There will be no need to run around supermarkets for half a day, looking for overseas delicacies, and then stand at the stove for the same amount of time. Also, BUCH does not require a special menu. Products and recipes for dishes made from them can be any, the main thing is to fit into the calculated range of amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Here a useful table of sugar content in products will come to the rescue. There are plenty of such “cheat sheets” on the Internet. You just need to download the photo to your smartphone or print it so that the table is always before your eyes.

For every kilogram of desired weight you have:

• On protein days: 3-4 grams of protein and 0.5-1 grams of carbohydrates;
• On carbohydrate days: 5-6 grams of carbohydrates;
• B: 2-3 grams of protein and carbohydrates.

For example, a 150-pound man should consume 4*65=260 grams of protein early in his cycle and 6*65=390 grams of carbohydrates during low-protein days. For a comfortable state, you should consume a minimum amount of fat (30 grams). Their presence in the diet will make your skin smooth, hair thick, and nails strong.

Monday and Tuesday protein days:

• Breakfast: cottage cheese with low-fat yogurt or an omelette made from 1 whole egg and two whites;
• Afternoon snack: same as the first meal;
• Lunch: beef goulash or pork steak with vegetable salad;
• Snack: 1 boiled egg or a glass of low-fat kefir;
• Dinner: sea bream baked with lemon and aromatic herbs or grilled chicken fillet with fresh cucumber.

The environment includes high carbohydrate foods:

• Breakfast: muesli or oatmeal with apple and cashew nuts;
• Afternoon snack: tea with whole grain bun;
• Lunch: vegetable stew;
• Snack: favorite fruit or berries;
• Dinner: durum wheat pasta, salad with leafy vegetables.

Thursday suggests moderate nutrition:

• Breakfast: cheesecakes with whole grain flour or a couple of sandwiches with;
• Afternoon snack: two-egg omelette and cucumber;
• Lunch: with meat broth;
• Snack: fruit salad with low-fat yogurt or boiled;
• Dinner: steamed rabbit meat or boiled shrimp.

Friday and Saturday are low carb again:

• Breakfast: omelet with grated cheese;
• Afternoon snack: unsweetened cottage cheese topped with yogurt;
• Lunch: a piece of turkey baked in the oven;
• Snack: a glass of kefir and a handful of nuts;
• Dinner: beef stew or any baked sea fish.

On Sunday, the body is “loaded” with carbohydrates:

• Breakfast: with figs or toast with whole grain bread with a slice of feta cheese;
• Afternoon snack: grilled vegetables;
• Lunch: potato soufflé with onions;
• Snack: half a green apple;
• Dinner: rice casserole or.

Important! The menu should be designed so that there is no overeating or starvation. It is recommended to eat 4-5 times a day in small portions, but if someone is comfortable eating 3 times a day, that’s also good. At least two hours should pass from the last meal to bedtime.

Throughout all days of the diet, be sure to adhere to the drinking regime. In addition to natural juices and teas, you should drink at least 1.5-2 liters of pure still water every day.

If you follow a cyclical diet, the body receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals and does not experience a deficiency of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Instead of using any of the mono-diets for immediate weight loss, it is better to “sit” on BEACH for a month. This way you will be able to reach the planned number on the scales slowly, but with the confidence that it will not increase back with geometric progression.

Recipes for protein days

Canned tuna salad

Take the jar canned beans and tuna, add to them 5 chopped celery stalks and 50 grams of rye crackers. Mix everything. The dressing here can be lemon juice with mustard or canned tuna fish.

Chicken cutlets

To make chicken, you need to mince or chop 400 grams chicken fillet(whatever you like best). Add finely grated zucchini, one egg, salt, dill and garlic to taste to the minced meat. Fry in a frying pan greased with olive oil until golden brown.

Syrniki

Mix 200 grams of 2% cottage cheese, one egg, a spoon corn starch and to taste. Form cakes from the resulting mass. Press them in a non-stick frying pan greased with coconut oil until golden brown.

Chocolate cupcakes

For chocolate muffins you will need 200 grams of cottage cheese, 100 grams of bran, a tablespoon of cocoa and a few raisins for sweetening. Mix all the products, put them in silicone molds and microwave for 10-15 minutes.

Carbohydrate Recipes

Buckwheat pancakes

You will need buckwheat flour, egg white, kefir, stevia and a pinch of soda. Mix the ingredients by eye until the consistency of thick sour cream and, placing a spoon on a hot non-stick frying pan, fry the pancakes on both sides.

The main goal of the protein-carbohydrate alternation diet (PCA) is to burn fat while maximizing the preservation of muscle mass. This diet is often used by athletes for cutting, although it was not originally intended for them. The protein-carbohydrate alternation diet is based on changing the amount of carbohydrates for effective weight loss and consumption required quantity protein to preserve muscle.

Diet scheme protein-carbohydrate alternation

This diet is divided into segments of 4 days; the first two days you should eat very few carbohydrates, no more than 0.5 g per 1 kg of weight, but on the contrary, you need to eat a lot of proteins - 3-4 g per 1 kg of weight. The third day is high-carbohydrate, you should eat 5-6 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of weight, but the amount of protein can be reduced to 1-1.5 g per 1 kg of weight. The fourth day is a day with moderate consumption of proteins (2-2.5 g per 1 kg of weight) and carbohydrates (2-3 g per 1 kg of weight).

How does protein-carbohydrate cycling work?

On the first and second days of the four-day cycle with protein-carbohydrate alternation, glycogen reserves in the body are almost completely depleted– it is all consumed by the muscles during this time. But glycogen provides, as a rule, only muscle energy consumption, and the rest of the energy loss (sleep, mental activity, basal metabolism, emotions, etc.) occurs due to the breakdown of fats. By the end of the second day, the body’s resources for using fat as an energy source are coming to an end - after all, fat is quite difficult to convert into energy, and it’s a pity for the body to reduce its reserves to nothing. If you continue the low-carbohydrate period further, the body will begin to work in emergency mode, trying to preserve fats in case of long hunger and breaking down muscle protein for energy, which cannot be allowed. To prevent this from happening, on the third day of the cycle we give the body a large amount of carbohydrates to take a break and replenish glycogen stores in the muscles. Please note that you do not increase your caloric intake on this day - you reduce your protein intake, and the amount of fat you consume is practically reduced to nothing. The total calorie content of the daily diet remains the same. Such a carbohydrate day affects the body in such a way that it leaves the muscles alone, uses fats as an energy resource by inertia, and sends carbohydrates to the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. On the fourth day, the process continues, but you slightly reduce the amount of carbohydrates - The purpose of consuming carbohydrates during a protein-carbohydrate rotation is not to obtain energy from them, but in their conversion by the body into glycogen.

Over a 4-day cycle, you lose 0.5-1 kg (although this happens with a two-day delay, that is, you can observe the results from the first 4 days in the morning on day 6 of the diet). In the first two days, mostly water will disappear. On the third day, the weight will return - this is also mostly due to water. Therefore, you will see a true weight change only on the 6th day.

Pros and cons of protein-carbohydrate alternation

The undoubted advantage of this diet is that it is not hungry. It “spins up” your metabolism, allowing you to quickly lose weight. Even with a reduced calorie diet, the body cannot adapt to it for quite a long time - after all, you are constantly changing the composition of the food. The body burns fat and does not touch muscle mass; on the contrary, with physical activity, muscle mass grows. Protein-carbohydrate alternation does not cause discomfort and does not provoke stress. You can create your own menu of protein-carbohydrate alternation based on caloric content, selection of products, frequency of meals, you can even create your own cycles - for example, a 6-day cycle with 2 days of each phase, a cycle of 2 through 1 and others.

The disadvantages of the diet include the insignificant rate of weight loss compared to classical diets, the risk of gastrointestinal disorders and stomach diseases (especially with increased acidity) because of large quantity squirrel. Also, according to reviews of protein-carbohydrate alternation, it can be difficult to calculate the consumption of proteins and fats during any day of the cycle (for example, if you ate in a cafe or purchased products in a village shop, you will have to estimate their composition “by eye”). However, according to reviews of protein-carbohydrate alternation, with accurate calculations the diet brings quite good results.

Protein-carbohydrate alternation menu

Below is sample menu protein-carbohydrate alternation, which you can take as a basis.

Protein days (first and second day of the cycle):

• Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese without sugar (you can add vanillin, cinnamon);
• Second breakfast: 1 boiled egg and 1 boiled egg white or an omelette made from an egg and egg white;
• Lunch: boiled chicken breast, baked tuna or boiled shrimp, green vegetables (a couple of cucumbers or a few cabbage leaves, boiled broccoli);
• Afternoon snack: low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt;
• Dinner: boiled chicken breast, kefir 1%.

Carbohydrate day:

• Breakfast: porridge with dried fruits, cereal bread;
• Second breakfast: nuts;
• Lunch: chicken breast with boiled rice or buckwheat or pasta with meatballs;
• Afternoon snack: banana, apple, pear;
• Dinner: mashed potatoes with steamed cutlet, vegetable salad.

Moderate day:

• Breakfast: oatmeal with kefir 1%;
• Second breakfast: tomato and cucumber salad;
• Lunch: baked chicken breast or fish, garnished with brown rice, buckwheat, pasta or potatoes;
• Afternoon snack: a glass of fruit yoghurt;
• Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese with 10% sour cream without sugar.

A source of proteins with minimal fat and carbohydrate content for a diet of protein-carbohydrate alternation can be chicken breast, turkey fillet, low-fat fish (sturgeon, cod, flounder, etc.), seafood, dairy products, soy. The source of carbohydrates on carbohydrate days should be foods containing complex carbohydrates - glycogen will not accumulate in the body if you eat too much sugar. Therefore, choose grains, cereals, nuts, potatoes, legumes, durum wheat pasta, vegetables, fruits and dried fruits.

On all days of the cycle, try not to eat after 19:00, drink no more than 1.5 liters of water on carbohydrate days, and at least 2 liters on protein days.

The effectiveness of protein-carbohydrate alternation

This diet should not be followed for longer than 1 month; if necessary, you can repeat it after 1-1.5 months. If you strictly follow the instructions, according to reviews of protein-carbohydrate alternation, the diet really works - weight is lost in kilograms, maybe not as quickly as you expected, but fat mass is replaced by muscle mass. Therefore, you are guaranteed a loss of volume and the appearance of a beautiful muscle relief.

Effective weight loss can be achieved by monitoring the caloric content of the diet during protein-carbohydrate alternation, while on protein days consume as little fat as possible, but on carbohydrate days you can increase this amount slightly. Protein-carbohydrate alternation will not solve obesity problems, when a person has 10 or more extra pounds, but it is quite suitable for weight correction by 5-6 kg.

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Recently, when getting rid of excess weight, the system of protein-carbohydrate alternation has become popular. The essence of this method of nutrition is to alternately vary the amount of proteins and carbohydrates consumed in order to achieve a gradual, but effective and safe weight loss. As we know, a low-carb diet can lead to muscle loss, mood swings, depression, and problems with physical or mental performance due to lack of strength.

Protein-carbohydrate alternation is a system that makes it easy to get rid of obsessive kilograms of excess weight and maintain the resulting effect for a long time.

Mechanism of diet

What mechanisms are activated when a carbohydrate alternation diet works? If a person does not receive enough carbohydrates, the body begins to produce energy from its own fat reserves. Thus, fat “depots” begin to deplete. But if the body does not receive enough carbohydrates throughout long period time, then he begins to look for other sources to replenish energy. To prevent this from happening, an increase in carbohydrates in the diet is expected on the third day. At the same time, the proportion of proteins in the daily menu is reduced so that the daily calorie content remains within the established limits.

As a result of such short-term effects, the body does not have time to understand what is happening to it. And by inertia it continues to produce energy using its own fat reserves. All this time, glycogen reserves in the liver and muscles continue to increase. It will take several days for glycogen levels to return to normal. Therefore, on the fourth day you need to start consuming carbohydrates (but to a much lesser extent than on the third day).

BUCH diet plan

Days 1 and 2- minimum carbohydrates and maximum protein.
Day 3- minimum protein and maximum carbohydrates.
4 day- an average day, and still try to eat more carbohydrates than protein.

You can eat according to this simple plan for as long as you like - until you reach the cherished number on the scales. Let's look at each day in more detail.

1 day - protein

You need to calculate the amount of protein you need in grams based on the formula: 3 times your desired weight in kilograms. For example, you dream of weighing 50 kilograms. According to our formula, you need 150 grams of protein for the entire day. These are low-fat varieties of meat, fish, poultry, and low-fat fermented milk products.

We completely exclude foods rich in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are only allowed if they are part of protein foods. In total, there should be no more than 20-25 grams per day. Fat - also no more than 25 grams.

Day 2 - protein

Duplicate meals for 1 day. If you are watching your caloric intake, then your daily diet should be 1200 - 1500 kilocalories.

Day 3 - carbohydrate

You need to calculate the amount of carbohydrates you need in grams based on the formula: 4 times your desired weight in kilograms. For example, you dream of weighing 50 kilograms. According to our formula, you need 200 grams of carbohydrates for the entire day. These are fruits, vegetables, cereals, flour. A little chocolate and sweets are allowed, but within the range of 1200-1500 kilocalories.

We reduce the consumption of protein products to a minimum (up to 1.5 grams), but the last meal should be strictly protein (milk, cottage cheese, cheese, kefir). Fat should be approximately 30 grams per day.

Day 4 - normal day (average)

Alternatively, you can eat as on day 3. Or at your own discretion. The main thing is that the calorie content does not exceed 1200 kilocalories.

Approximate menu of the BUC diet for all days

We provide BUC diet recipes in this material We won’t, but there is nothing complicated in dietary cooking. Just look at the menu below and you will understand.

Protein days

Breakfast: cottage cheese, unsweetened tea
Lunch: omelette
Dinner: steamed fish, cucumber
Afternoon snack: kefir or natural yogurt
Dinner: steamed chicken breast or beef stew
For the night: ryazhenka

Carbohydrate days

Breakfast: muesli (optional - with milk, dried fruits, honey)
Lunch: two apricots or an apple
Dinner: rice, buckwheat or pasta with tomato sauce, vegetable salad, a piece of rye bread
Afternoon snack: fruit
Dinner: salad from leafy vegetables, fried meat or fish, bread
For the night: fermented baked milk or kefir

Protein-carbohydrate days

Breakfast: oatmeal with dried fruits, yogurt
Lunch: apple
Dinner: rice or buckwheat with steamed fish
Afternoon snack: fermented baked milk with honey
Dinner: lentils, stew
For the night: fermented baked milk or drinking yogurt

You can repeat the carbohydrate alternation diet menu in the form of such four-day cycles until you achieve the desired result. If your goal is not to make a “revolution” in weight loss, but to get rid of 5-15 kg, then stick to the program for 2-3 months.

Why is protein-carbohydrate rotation effective?

First of all, limiting carbohydrates on protein days leads to the rapid release of excess fluid and, in combination with training, accelerates fat burning. If the menu is low in calories and physical activity is present, a person will lose weight during protein days.

Balanced and high-carbohydrate days in the BUC diet serve as “prevention against weakness.” Having filled glycogen depots, you will feel a surge of fresh strength, and will not have time to encounter dizziness, ketosis, typical for a protein diet, bad mood and reluctance to do anything.

Recommendations for following a protein-carbohydrate diet

1. It is a misconception that carbohydrates should not be consumed on protein days, as they contribute to a normal mental state and mood. Also, giving up carbohydrates will not allow you to stick to this diet for a long time. You need to understand that it is impossible to strictly divide foods into protein and carbohydrate. For example, many dairy products, in addition to being considered protein, also contain carbohydrates.
2. When losing weight, it is necessary to monitor the number of calories consumed on protein days. In this case, the diet should be composed of low-fat products: for example, cottage cheese (low-fat), tuna, dietary meat or fish. A deficiency of not only carbohydrates, but also fats will lead to the body burning stored reserves, which contributes to the loss of excess weight.
3. It is recommended to carefully plan your diet and calculate your daily protein intake on low-carb days. There is no need to count carbohydrates, since they are excluded for a while, as well as fats, they just need to be kept to a minimum.
4. The amount of protein is determined in this way: take your weight and multiply by 3. This is the daily protein requirement in grams. If the weight is too high, then you can take a reduced figure as a calculation, but you cannot take away more than 10 kg. Based on a certain value, we create a daily diet. To understand how much food you need to include, you can use the table of caloric content of foods with separate calculations of the content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
5. There is no need to do calculations on a carbohydrate day. The main thing is to eat high-carbohydrate foods: for example, various cereals, vegetables, cereals, wheat pasta. To distribute the richness and benefits of a product containing carbohydrates, it is recommended to use a special glycemic index table. In it, the higher the GI index, the less useful product. For a protein-carbohydrate diet, those foods that have the lowest GI index are more suitable.
6. During a balanced (fourth) day, you need to eat carbohydrate foods in the morning, protein foods combined with carbohydrates in the afternoon, and exclusively protein foods in the evening.
7. When exercising, you need to understand that energy expenditure depends on the “heaviness” of the food consumed. There must be a balance between the substances obtained from food and the energy burned.
8. Energy value food intake should be from 1200 kcal to 3500 kcal per day. You need to plan your diet with protein-carbohydrate alternation so that it includes a certain portion (necessary for normal operation body) proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Benefits of a Carbohydrate Rotation Diet

First of all, such a diet allows you to “boost” your metabolism as quickly as possible, and no adaptation to any specific calorie content occurs. In addition, you constantly maintain a fairly high physical tone and can carry out intense physical training from time to time.

Regularly “throwing” carbohydrates into the diet prevents the body from using muscles as fuel, which is extremely important, because excessive loss of muscle mass results in a “asleep” metabolism, as a result of which you seem to stop eating completely and still do not lose weight.

Another advantage of the carbohydrate alternation diet is that it allows you to maintain high mental tone. When you go on a diet and know that you will be deprived of certain foods for two or three months, you are terrified. And it’s a completely different matter when you just plan your menu and eat certain foods on certain days.

And another benefit of the carb cycling diet is that it works! And it works 100%! Below is an approximate nutritional plan for all four days of the microcycle. The selection of products, calorie content, frequency of meals are purely individual and dictated by such circumstances as gender, age, personal preferences, and finally.

Disadvantages of Carbohydrate Rotation

Considering the paucity of information on this topic, there is practically no data on the shortcomings of protein-carbohydrate alternation in the Russian-language network. Let's list the main ones:

• The rate of weight loss is significantly lower compared to the classic weight loss diet. This is due to the fact that the body switches to a highly economical metabolic mode during low-carb days, so during high-carb days most nutrients goes back to fat. Thus, we get something like a “pendulum effect”: fat burning - fat synthesis. Illiterate authors try to deny this, but this position is clearly confirmed in studies measuring the rate of lipid metabolism.
• High risk of developing gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastrointestinal disorders.
• The diet is much more difficult to individually adjust, due to the complex regime. Especially often negative reviews reported by women who are unable to calculate calories adequately. According to statistics, about 30% do not achieve the desired result.
• Despite its high popularity and approval from experts, superiority in effectiveness has not been confirmed in studies.
• Nutritionist Anna Belousova believes that this diet can't work for a long time(more than 30 days), therefore it is of little use in cases of severe obesity, but at the same time it predicts high efficiency when combined with physical activity, although it does not provide sufficient justification.