It is ideal for those who believe in the effectiveness of low-carb diets. The monthly diet developed by American nutritionists actually prescribes eating eggs every day for only half of the period: the rest of the time is spent on consolidating the result of weight loss and controlling the habit of being satisfied with a little.
The 4-week egg diet is a serious test of patience and determination! During this month, the metabolism of the person losing weight will undergo major changes: due to the abundant protein intake, the body will have to use up fat energy reserves and make efforts to process and absorb high dosesof proteins. Thus, the main weight loss will occur in the first two weeks of the diet. However, it is important not to skip the second phase of the monthly nutrition plan, which may not seem very important when good results have already been achieved. If you leave the egg diet wrong for 4 weeks, the rapid return of excess weight is almost guaranteed.
Duration:4 weeks;
Features:strict, you must strictly follow the menu described. Chicken eggs are the main product in the first two weeks of the diet, the next two weeks are aimed at consolidating the results (the menu is mainly low-carb, plant-based with small protein portions);
Outcome:up to minus 25 kg (depending on the initial weight);
Recommended frequency:no more than once a year;
Additional effect:long-term maintenance of diet results due to consumption of fat reserves;
The egg diet is not suitable for 4 weeks:strict vegetarians suffering from kidney and liver disease, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with allergies to eggs and/or citrus fruits.
Before starting an egg diet for a month, you should consult your doctor!
A chicken egg consists of 85% water, 12% protein (ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, lysozyme, ovomucoid, ovomucin). It contains only 0. 3% fat and 0. 7% carbohydrates, as well as a little glucose and many vitamins and microelements, including B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium. That is, to put it in the "fabulous" language, the egg is not simple, but "golden"!
Myths and concerns
Many of you have probably heard at one time the warnings of various therapists and nutritionists that excessive consumption of chicken eggs is fraught with the development of serious diseases - they say that they contain more than enough bad cholesterol, and protein requiresa lot of time to digest. What then, you ask, maybe we're also talking about an egg diet for a month?
Indeed, a similar panic occurred about 20 years ago. Namely: scientists sounded the alarm by adding chicken eggs to the "harmful list" - it was reported that their constant consumption causes an increase in blood cholesterol and the appearance of cholesterol plaques in the arteries.
However, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (apparently very fond of eggs and concerned about their undeservedly tarnished reputation) conducted a large-scale study. In its course, it turned out that the regular consumption of eggs does not affect "bad cholesterol" in any way - its appearance is regulated by other factors.
Their colleagues in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that an egg is one of the healthiest breakfast options. For the same amount of calories consumed, sandwich eaters are at greater risk of becoming obese than egg eaters.
However, when it comes to eggs, you should not relax: one of the 20, 000 or so eggs on sale may be contaminated with active salmonella, a bacterium that causes an acute intestinal infection, especially dangerous for children.
Therefore, when choosing eggs for the 4-week egg diet, avoid those whose shells are damaged, painted or "decorated" with particles of feces or blood. Experts advise to wash even the cleanest eggs after purchase and boiling, so that the yolk and white are completely curdled (about 5 minutes). It is also important to monitor the expiration date of purchased eggs and, after purchasing them, store them in the refrigerator on a separate shelf, away from meat and milk. Eggs should be cut on a special board, which is recommended to be rinsed with boiling water after each use, just like the knife used to cut eggs.
How to "sit on the egg" correctly?
"If there is a honeymoon, why not have an egg month? " American nutritionists thought and, based on the success of the 7-day egg diet, invented the 4-week egg week. Longer duration means better effect. Cases have been recorded when within a month of "sitting on the egg", those who lost weight lost up to 25 kg (with an initial weight of about 100 kg).
What is good for the egg diet and why for 4 weeks? With chicken eggs, you get pure protein without excess fat and fewer unnecessary calories (also due to the fact that, in principle, you eat less - because eggs are completely filling).
In addition, food costs in a diet become transparent and predictable. And one more interesting point: overseas researchers have found that eating the same food regularly really helps you lose weight. This is quite a psychological moment: for example, a nutritionist may recommend eating eggs for dinner every Wednesday and Saturday. Of course, this in itself will not help you lose tens of kilograms, but it will create a certain discipline, to which the body will definitely respond positively. And knowing such a mechanism will definitely not harm those who watch their figure and try to control their weight.
Do you like chicken eggs? The 4 week egg diet is a good way to test how strong this food craving is.
However, not everything is so simple with an egg diet for a month. The main surprise is that it's not all eggy. The main focus is the first two weeks, during which make sure to eat eggs for breakfast and at least one other time a day.
From the third week, the protein component is replaced by other protein-rich foods (fish and beef or poultry), and the menu becomes especially rich in fruits and vegetables. The abundance of fiber helps bowel motility, which is very helpful especially if chicken eggs have a firming effect on your stool.
During the 4-week egg diet, it is important to drink enough fluids (at least 1. 5 liters of pure water per day). As you already know, protein is a complex substance. During its processing, indigestible waste is created, which is very important to be removed from the intestines. Therefore, fibers and juices remain indispensable allies for fans of a protein diet.
Drinking juices and soda on the egg diet is strictly prohibited. You can allow yourself a cup of coffee in the morning without milk or sugar and herbal tea (without dessert).
Monotony is the bane of any strict eating plan. The 4-week egg diet prohibits the consumption of additional fats (although it cannot be called fat-free - eggs, fish and meat contain essential fats, saturated and unsaturated), but you can experiment with the form of serving foods with a conscience ofclean. Vegetables and fruits (as well as meat) can be baked without oil, steamed or boiled. You can also replace hard-boiled eggs with baking, make fat-free scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. The main thing is to make sure that the egg is cooked evenly.
You cannot eat raw eggs during the 4-week egg diet.
The benefits of the egg diet
- eggs are a delicious food. Even considering the restrictions on the use of fat in their preparation, there is room for culinary imagination in the egg diet;
- eggs are cooked quickly, which means that the diet will not require special time resources. In the second part of the egg diet for 4 weeks, when eggs cease to be the main dish, foods that are easily cooked are also included;
- the egg diet, like any other protein diet, is suitable for those who do fitness;
- egg proteins and trace elements contained in eggs have a positive effect on skin, hair and nails;
- eggs keep you full for a long time – even with small portions, the 4-week egg diet manages to keep your hunger at bay.
Cons and dangers of the egg diet for 4 weeks
- Despite its relative diversity, the egg diet remains a fad diet, which includes an almost complete rejection of a certain type of macronutrients (in the four-week egg diet, fat and fast carbohydrates become such "default figures")- meaning healthy. and balanced to call such a nutrition plan in its original form is impossible;
- An excess of protein and a lack of carbohydrates can cause various problems and diseases, from migraines to bad breath. If you notice undesirable changes in your condition, stop the diet and consult a doctor.
Egg diet for 4 weeks: detailed menu for the first week and reviews
Breakfast is the same every day this week - 2 hard-boiled eggs + ½ orange or 2 eggs + ½ grapefruit.
Monday
- Lunch: a fruit in any quantity
- Dinner: lean meat (boiled or grilled)
Tuesday
- Lunch: Boiled or grilled skinless chicken
- Dinner: salad with cucumber, tomato, lettuce, bell pepper and carrots, 2 eggs, + 1 toast + 1 grapefruit or orange
Wednesday
- Lunch: any amount of low-fat and slightly salty cheese + 1 piece of toast + tomato
- Dinner: lean meat, boiled or grilled
Thursday
- Lunch: a fruit in any quantity
- Dinner: grilled or boiled lean meat + lettuce
Friday
- Lunch: a boiled vegetable in any quantity (beans, peas, carrots or zucchini) + 2 boiled eggs
- Dinner: boiled or grilled fish + a piece of lettuce + 1 orange or grapefruit
Saturday
- Lunch: an unlimited amount of fruit
- Dinner: boiled or grilled lean meat + lettuce
Sunday
- Lunch: boiled or grilled skinless chicken + any steamed vegetable + tomato + 1 grapefruit or orange
- Dinner: same as lunch
Egg diet: complete menu for the second week
The morning is the same as the morning of the first week.
Further by day of the week:
Monday
- Lunch: boiled or grilled lean meat + lettuce
- Dinner: 2 eggs + lettuce + grapefruit
Tuesday
Same thing with Monday's menu
Wednesday
- Lunch: boiled or grilled lean meat + cucumber salad without sauce and salt
- Dinner: 2 eggs + grapefruit
Thursday
- Lunch: 2 eggs + boiled vegetables + cottage cheese
- Dinner: 2 eggs
Friday
- Lunch: grilled or boiled meat + 2-3 tomatoes
- Dinner: 2 eggs
Saturday
- Lunch: Friday lunch menu + grapefruit
- Dinner: fruit salad (eg apple, pear, tangerine) without dressing
Sunday
- Lunch: boiled chicken without skin + boiled vegetables + 1 grapefruit
- Dinner: same as lunch
Egg diet: full menu for the third week
In the third week, all foods allowed on a given day can be eaten at any time without restrictions on volume and quantity.
Monday:fruit (except banana, grape, mango, fig)
Tuesday:any boiled or steamed vegetables and fresh vegetables in salad form (except potatoes)
Wednesday:combination of foods allowed on Monday and Tuesday
Thursday:boiled or grilled fish + cabbage
Friday:boiled or grilled lean meat or chicken + boiled or steamed vegetables
Saturday and Sunday: one type of fruit each weekend (for example, only apples on Saturday and only pears on Sunday)
Last week's menu - way out of the egg diet
Products allowed on a given day should be distributed throughout the day at your discretion and consumed without reference to a specific time, but strictly respecting the prescribed amount.
- Monday:4 small grilled steaks (75g each) beef or ¼ skinless boiled chicken, 1 tin of tuna in its own juice, 4 cucumbers, 3 tomatoes, 1 toast, 1 grapefruit
- Tuesday:200 grams of boiled meat, 4 cucumbers, 3 tomatoes, 1 toast, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple or pear
- Wednesday:300 grams of boiled vegetables, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 1 spoon of cottage cheese, 1 toast, 1 grapefruit
- Thursday:½ skinless boiled chicken, 1 cucumber, 3 tomatoes, 1 toast, 1 grapefruit
- Friday:3 tomatoes, 10 lettuce leaves, 2 boiled eggs, 1 grapefruit
- Saturday:2 boiled chicken breasts, 1 toast, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 120 g of cottage cheese, grapefruit, 1 glass of kefir
- Sunday:1 can of tuna in its own juice, 200 grams of boiled vegetables, 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes, 1 spoon of cottage cheese, 1 toast, 1 grapefruit
The 4-week egg diet requires strict adherence to the recommendations and does not tolerate violations of the regimen. The result of following this rather long and complex diet will be numbers on a scale pleasing to the eye. An egg diet for 4 weeks allows you to reach your "dream weight" and only you can keep it at the desired level by monitoring your diet and physical activity.