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Carbohydrate and protein diets: alternations, food list, recipes for a week, results
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025

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The carbohydrate diet is one of the most wonderful ways not only to lose weight quickly, but also to improve your body, fill it with strength and energy, and cleanse it of numerous polluting factors. This diet is different in that it does not require exhausting restrictions on food and calories. With this diet, you can feel quite good, lead your usual lifestyle, and not limit yourself in physical activity. The duration of such a diet is on average from several days to weeks, and during this time you can lose up to 6 kilograms.
Unlike other diets, this diet can have a fairly varied menu. You can eat a new dish every day, and there is no need to exhaust yourself with monotony and tasteless food. It is also a pleasant surprise that this type of diet is allowed even for pregnant women, men, and athletes. Many eat with their families.
The diet includes complex carbohydrate compounds, which have a number of differences from simple ones. They are broken down for quite a long time, saturating with the required substances, energy, providing a feeling of satiety for a long period of time.
Adjustments can be made to suit the individual needs of each person. By including or excluding certain foods, the therapeutic goals can be achieved. Proteins can be added if necessary. What is interesting is that the diet can be used for both weight loss and weight gain, depending on the goal.
Indications
The diet is prescribed primarily for the purpose of losing weight. It allows you to lose weight while remaining active, without depriving yourself of your main source of energy. This effect can be achieved by consuming a large amount of carbohydrates. As paradoxical as it may sound, this same diet is also used for gaining weight. This is explained by the fact that it does not contribute to either gaining or losing weight, but only normalizes the biochemical state in the body. As a result, if you are underweight, you will gain weight, and if you are overweight, you will, on the contrary, start losing extra pounds.
If a person has a constant lack of strength, lack of energy, drowsiness, increased irritability, depression, changeable mood - a carbohydrate diet is also indicated. It is recommended when it is necessary to cleanse the body, with severe slagging, a weakened immune system, with allergic reactions. If a person often suffers from inflammatory and infectious pathologies of the stomach and intestines - such a diet will be the best option.
General information carbohydrate diet
The essence is in the predominance of carbohydrates in food. They provide a high level of energy and nutrients. Thanks to this, metabolic processes return to normal.
This method is not based on counting calories, as is customary in traditional diets, but on counting the amount of carbohydrates (counting "carbograms"). This diet is based on 120-150 carbograms, which are evenly distributed throughout the day. The convenience of counting is that the amount of carbohydrates can be read on the product packaging, and it will coincide with the number of carbograms.
Carbohydrate diet for weight loss
The diet is a great and effective way to combat excess weight. It is quite simple, it is absolutely easy to understand. A month of following all the recommendations of this diet will help you lose weight and get in shape. The weight does not return immediately after the diet is over. Moreover, it is not associated with numerous deprivations, restrictions, does not entail any physical or mental discomfort.
The diet is based on what many others ignore. To lose weight, you do not need to exclude carbohydrates from your diet. You need to choose the right products and learn how to combine them effectively. In order for your weight to return to normal, you need to eat carbohydrates. Their amount should be reasonable. If you look at slender athletes and pay attention to their lifestyle, you will notice that none of them refuse carbohydrates. Athletes are more likely to refuse protein than carbohydrates, since they are the key to our activity and well-being. They provide the body with the necessary energy, but not with spare nutrients. In the metabolic system, carbohydrates are broken down first, which means they do not correlate with excess weight. If they are still deposited, then mainly in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscle tissue. Glycogen is broken down immediately when such a need arises and the risk of fat deposits is also not associated with it.
Protein carbohydrate diet for weight loss
It implies a rational combination of days when protein-based foods are consumed and when you need to eat only carbohydrate foods, which makes it possible to satisfy the body's basic needs for nutrients. You should not think that on protein days you need to completely exclude carbohydrates, and on carbohydrate days - exclude proteins. This indicates the nature of the food that should prevail in the diet: either protein or carbohydrate.
You can prepare quite a variety of dishes. On protein days, eggs, light meat, lean fish, and cheese should predominate. You should also eat fresh cucumbers, greens, nuts, dried fruits, and dairy products.
On carbohydrate days, it is recommended to eat various cereals, in particular, buckwheat, rice, pearl barley, which contain the most optimal set of all the components necessary for normal metabolism. For breakfast, muesli, vegetable and fruit salads, bread are useful. You can snack on green apples.
On any day, you can eat a few slices of dark chocolate, a small amount of honey. You can treat yourself to a glass of dry wine, but you will have to deny yourself sweet dishes or flour products. Liquids are consumed in unlimited quantities. You should refuse sweet dishes. You should also eat as little salt as possible, deny yourself spices, seasonings, sauces.
Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Gain
As surprising as it may sound, there is a diet that allows you to gain weight. This diet is based on the need to alternate carbohydrate products. The diet cannot be called strict. It has no special contraindications, but if a person suffers from heart disease, vascular pathologies, then it is better to postpone it until better times. It is also not recommended for people with impaired endocrine gland function.
The diet involves eating fats, proteins and carbohydrates in a ratio of 15:30:55. It is important to follow some rules: eat fractionally, if possible, about 5-6 times a day. You need to drink clean water in large quantities. You need to ensure that carbohydrates are consumed in the morning, and proteins in the afternoon. Fats are evenly distributed throughout the day.
It takes a little more time – on average 21-28 days. It is better to stick to a 28-day diet, since 28 days is a complete biochemical cycle, during which the body's cells have time to completely renew themselves. This means that new metabolic processes and mechanisms, new habits can be embedded in them. It is also recommended to schedule meal times by the hour and stick to this schedule. By this time, the body can adjust, adapt internal resources. Also, by this time, gastric juice and other enzymes will be produced, which will ensure more effective digestion and better absorption of nutrients.
Carbohydrate diet for men
It has a positive effect not only on women, but also on men. The diet is presented in two forms - light and heavy. With the light form, results can be achieved in about a month, while the hard form works after 1 week.
The mild form includes a fairly wide variety of products. The diet is based on the use of unprocessed cereals, legumes, milk and dairy products. Vegetable and fruit products are also recommended. In particular, cabbage, carrots, beets, and ginger have the most beneficial properties. Of the fruits, preference should be given to oranges, bananas, apples, and pineapples. You need to drink a large amount of clean water. However, the water should not contain gas. A small amount of meat and fish dishes is also allowed.
When following a strict form, its beginning is especially difficult. It is necessary to limit yourself in everything. There is a feeling that there are not enough nutrients in the body. The advantage is that such a diet must be followed for 7 days. This time is enough to normalize your well-being and improve the general condition of the body. If not enough weight has been lost, it is recommended to return to normal nutrition for a week, and then start the diet again.
Carbohydrate diet for women
There are many possible variations. Everything is determined by how many kilograms you need to lose, or, on the contrary, gain. Sometimes several varieties of the same diet can be absolutely different from each other. The only common feature is the use of products containing a large amount of carbohydrates. This ensures a high level of absorption of nutrients, satisfies the basic needs of the body.
The female version of the diet is based on the following main principles:
- you need to eat at least 5 times a day;
- It is recommended to prepare approximately a 100-gram portion of food and a glass of drink at one time;
- you need to have dinner before 7:00 pm;
- You need to drink clean water or weak tea. The total amount of liquid consumed should be at least 1.5-2 liters.
The diet should include not only complex carbohydrates, but also simple ones. This ensures balance and satiety. This also ensures the normalization of metabolism. It is known that with an excess of carbohydrates, excessive accumulation of fats occurs, with a deficiency, protein metabolism is disrupted.
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Carbohydrate diet for athletes
Many athletes prefer this diet because it is considered high-energy and balanced. There is no feeling of lethargy or loss of strength. On the contrary, vigor and endurance develop. In addition, there is no deposition of reserve nutrients. Carbohydrates are broken down quickly enough, forming the necessary amount of nutrients.
It is recommended for kickboxers and bodybuilders to get into shape. Fitness centers and gyms recommend such diets to their clients because they allow them to adjust their weight while maintaining a high level of physical activity and endurance. With this diet, it is easiest to lose fat deposits from the sides, abdomen, and buttocks. As you know, these areas are the most problematic. This is explained by the fact that carbohydrate storage substances are not deposited in these areas. Their main accumulation occurs in liver cells and muscle fibers. Usually, the results are noticeable within a week. Trainers also recommend regular training during the diet. This will tighten muscle tissue and eliminate folds that occur after fat removal. The most intense training is recommended to be done on the 4th-5th day. In addition, with the help of special exercises, it is possible to build muscle in certain areas, create a good relief. This is due to the deposition of storage substances in the muscles.
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Carbohydrate diet for pregnant women
The diet is so balanced that it can be used even by a pregnant woman. In this case, it is aimed at normalizing metabolic processes, reducing intoxication and cleansing the body. It has a positive effect on both the mother's body and the fetus. It is recommended by many gynecologists and obstetricians.
In general, the diet looks something like this: breakfast – first snack – lunch – second snack – dinner.
For breakfast, it is recommended to eat some kind of milk porridge. It can be rice, buckwheat, semolina, pearl barley, barley, and even millet porridge. All of this can be fried with onions or ginger. A piece of cheese, a sandwich with sausage, a hard-boiled egg are suitable as an additive. Many women improvise, preparing oatmeal with the addition of various fruits, flavors. Such porridge can be made sweet, seasoned with butter. It goes well with various jams, preserves, jams. It is better to drink fermented baked milk, kefir, yogurt and any other fermented milk product.
The first snack includes fruits. You can eat as much as you want. Of course, you can't overindulge. Apples, pears, apricots, and melons are good choices.
Vegetable stews and sautés with meat are recommended for lunch. Stewed vegetables are ideal. You can prepare vegetables stuffed with minced meat, rice, or other vegetables. A steamed cutlet or meatball made from lean meats will not hurt. A light soup with broth and various vegetables is useful. It is better to use sour cream as a dressing. You can use carrot or tomato juice.
The second snack should ideally include berries. In summer, it can be any fresh fruit, in winter, frozen fruits are allowed. Cherries, currants, blueberries, and blackberries are useful for pregnant women.
It is recommended to have boiled or stewed fish for dinner, you can have some cheese, curd mass. You can make cottage cheese with the addition of finely chopped berries, or fruit jam. Cottage cheese can be sprinkled with sugar and poured with sour cream. As a drink, compote of dried fruits, fruits is ideal. You can add various spices to the compote, for example, cinnamon, ground ginger, vanilla.
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Daily menu for protein-carbohydrate diet
Below is an approximate list of dishes for each day that can be consumed while following a diet. They can be changed, combined with each other, or replaced with other dishes if you have a lot of imagination for this. The menu is designed based on three meals a day. There should be 2 more snacks in between. For a snack - any amount of fresh vegetables, fruits.
Monday
- Breakfast
2 fried eggs with bacon, or omelette with ham. Can be supplemented with a piece of cheese.
- Dinner
Stewed cabbage with meat, salad with sausage, cheese and sour cream. Or vegetable stew with steamed cutlet, salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Dinner
Cottage cheese with sugar and sour cream, berry jelly. Or a salad of curd mass with added vegetables, fruit compote.
Tuesday
- Breakfast
Oatmeal with added sugar and pieces of fruit. Sandwich with butter and cheese. Or semolina porridge, boiled egg, piece of cheese. You can wash it down with compote or weak tea.
- Dinner
Vegetable and meat sauté + cheese and ham sandwich. Or buckwheat soup + chicken breast and vegetable sandwich. Drink.
- Dinner
Fruit salad with sour cream. Or baked apples with cottage cheese.
Wednesday
- Breakfast
Milk porridge with rice, cottage cheese casserole. Or egg omelette with cheese crust, 2 strips of smoked bacon.
- Dinner
Vegetable soup, 2 toasts with ham and processed cheese. Or mashed potatoes + 2 lean meatballs + eggplant caviar.
- Dinner
Grilled cod with sauce, 2 toasts. Or beef chop + 2 slices of bread, light sauce.
Thursday
- Breakfast
Fried egg on toast + sea fish caviar. Or oatmeal with butter and fruit pieces.
- Dinner
Soup with meatballs, 2 croutons with cheese. Or boiled rice with baked fish. Fresh vegetable salad.
- Dinner
Sandwich with mussels, mashed potatoes with butter, grated carrots. Or milk porridge + banana, and 2 circles of ice cream.
Friday
- Breakfast
Salad with ham and cheese, 2 sandwiches with butter. Or scrambled eggs baked with tomatoes, peppers and onions + 2 sandwiches with sausage or bacon.
- Dinner
Boiled potatoes, fish baked in foil. Pepper and tomato salad. Or stewed potatoes with meat, 2 peppers stuffed with stewed carrots. Radish salad.
- Dinner
A bun or croissant with kefir. Or pasta lasagne with minced meat.
Saturday
- Breakfast
Fried eggs baked with mushrooms + 2 sandwiches with smoked mackerel. Or 2 eggs stuffed with canned fish, with sour cream + 2 toasts with cheese.
- Dinner
Wheat porridge + beet salad, steamed cutlet. Or mashed potatoes + baked chicken leg, fresh cabbage salad.
- Dinner
2 slices of pizza, tea. Or a salad of eggs, fried mushrooms, boiled chicken and sour cream + 2 slices of toast with cheese.
Sunday
- Breakfast
Baguette with smoked sausage and vegetables, tea. Or thoughts with milk, fruit salad with cream.
- Dinner
Buckwheat porridge + stewed beef liver + eggplant caviar. Or boiled potatoes + a few pieces of herring, a piece of caviar or milt, seaweed salad with beans.
- Dinner
Avocado with smoked salmon, shrimp + 2 toasts. Or seafood sauté + bread with salmon butter.
Daily Menu for a Carbohydrate Diet
The carbohydrate diet includes a list of products that must be consumed during the week. The menu for the week is presented.
- Monday – low-fat kefir, porridge, baked potatoes, stewed vegetables.
- Tuesday – fresh vegetable salads, light soup, mashed potatoes, cutlet, light yogurt.
- Wednesday – milk porridge, fruit salad, sandwich, porridge, cutlet, greens.
- Thursday – fish, rice porridge, light soup, fried eggs, fruit salad.
- Friday – casserole, low-fat cottage cheese, porridge, boiled meat, fresh vegetable salad.
- Saturday is a fasting day, during which it is recommended to drink only water in large quantities.
- Sunday – the menu from one of the days is repeated.
Recipes for a carbohydrate diet
Breakfast Recipes
- Smoked carp
- Grilled Sterlet
- Smoked Mackerel Sandwich
- Pollock roe
- Krill meat
- Salad of mussels and squid
- Fried egg
- Toast with fried egg
- Ham and Cheese Sandwich
- Toast with cheese crust
- Oatmeal with berries
- Oatmeal with fruit slices
- Sandwich with butter and cheese
- Fruit salad
- Curd mass
Lunch Recipes
- Mashed potatoes
- Boiled buckwheat
- Boiled rice
- Wheat porridge
- Pearl barley porridge
- Barley porridge
- Corn porridge
- Millet porridge
- Sal from tomatoes and cucumbers
- Radish and Greens Salad
- Sorrel salad with nettle and sour cream
- Eggplant salad
- Beetroot caviar
- Zucchini caviar
- Cabbage and Carrot Salad
- Grated carrot salad
- Radish salad with horseradish
- Cheese and ham salad
- Greek Salad
- Salad of peppers, onions, tomatoes
Dinner Recipes
- Stewed mushrooms
- The vegetables are stewed
- Baked vegetables
- Grilled vegetables
- Vegetable stew with meat
- Boiled fish
- Steamed fish cutlets
- Baked fish
- Smoked fish
- Grilled fish
- Beans in tomato sauce
- Fried mushrooms
- Soup made from cereals/pasta/with meatballs/vegetable/mushroom.
- Dinner Dishes
- Fish salad
- Canned fish salad
- Fish caviar
- Seafood salad
- Bun, croissant
- Pizza
- Lasagna
- Omelette
- Casserole
- Fruit salad
- Salad with cottage cheese and fruits
- Baguette stuffed with sausage, fresh vegetables, herbs
- Baked Potatoes with Stuffing
- Boiled egg
- Shrimps with sauce
- Boiled corn
- Sandwich with sausage/fish/cheese/caviar
- Potato casserole with minced meat
- Blueberry Ice Cream
- Ice cream with cream and grated chocolate
- Ice cream with cottage cheese and fruits
- Yogurt
Benefits
The beneficial properties of the diet are manifested due to the fact that it is able to provide the required number of calories, which act as the main energy resource. As a result of carbohydrate consumption, metabolic processes in the body are normalized, due to which overweight people successfully lose weight, and thin people gain additional weight. Due to the content of fiber and pectin in complex carbohydrates, the body is cleansed of slags and toxins. Weight loss occurs due to the gradual burning of excess fat, as a result, stretch marks do not form, the skin does not sag. With such a diet, physical activity is not excluded, regular training will help tone the muscles.
An undoubted advantage is that the diet is based on the consumption of a large amount of carbohydrates, which are not only a source of energy, but also stimulate the synthesis of serotonin, which is known to be responsible for a positive attitude, prevents depressive states and apathy. Under the influence of this serotonin, resistance to stressful situations and high performance are developed.
What can and what can not?
The diet involves eating a large amount of carbohydrate-containing foods: vegetables, cereals (especially rice), fruits, greens, dairy and fermented milk products. If the diet is carbohydrate-protein, you need to include a large amount of legumes, lean meat, fish. A carbohydrate diet does not mean that you need to completely exclude meat and fish from your diet.
What shouldn't you eat?
Potatoes are not excluded completely, as they are carbohydrates. But it is better to reduce their consumption to a minimum, as they contain simple carbohydrates, which are less useful than complex ones. Sweet and flour products, alcohol, and carbonated drinks are also excluded. Strong tea and coffee are also excluded.
Contraindications
The diet is not recommended for diabetes, various diseases occurring in an acute form, or an active infectious process. The presence of oncological diseases is a strict contraindication. It is also not recommended for children and the elderly. It can be harmful for some diseases of the heart and blood vessels. In any case, in order to be completely sure that the diet will not harm your health, you must first consult a doctor.
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Possible risks
If you use the diet with a healthy body, it does not carry any risks or dangers. The risk may arise with chronic and acute gastritis - the disease can turn into an ulcerous form, or directly into an ulcer. The presence of diseases of the heart and circulatory system can provoke complications.
Reviews
If you read reviews of the diet from people who have followed it, you can identify both positive and negative reviews. Positive reviews prevail. People are happy to follow this diet and recommend it to others. They are mostly delighted that the diet allows you to lose weight easily and quickly. At the same time, there is no usual feeling of hunger and lack of energy that accompany other diets. With this diet, you can eat without denying yourself a variety of dishes. The food is tasty and nutritious. Even meat is possible: you can treat yourself to a delicious cutlet or a piece of fish baked under the grill or in foil. At the same time, surprisingly, the weight continues to decrease: you can lose up to 89 kg or more.
The big plus is that during this diet you have enough energy, and you don’t have to limit yourself in physical activity. Not only are workouts not prohibited, they are recommended. This allows you to keep your muscles toned. The usual stretch marks that form after losing weight do not appear, since the skin that begins to sag is simultaneously tightened with the help of exercises.
Some people like the diet because it does not exclude meat and fish, while others love it for the wide variety of vegetables. Both note the lightness, increased strength, and improved well-being. Inevitably, the mood also improves. Positive reviews are left even by those who previously could not follow any diet, breaking down on the second or third day. But this diet is usually followed completely and easily, and even repeated after some time. Positive reviews are left by both men and women. Some eat it with their families, this diet has become part of good family traditions. Many are sure that it is with this diet that you can achieve great results not only in the fight against excess weight, but also in your personal and professional life, since it adds strength and self-confidence, increases efficiency, and stress resistance.
The diet is recommended by many nutritionists, as it is balanced and provides the body with all the necessary nutrients and energy. It is also recommended by trainers of elite fitness centers and spas. Many famous athletes and dancers adhere to this diet.
For many business ladies, a diet becomes a lifesaver. Usually, for a woman whose day is scheduled down to the minute, food is not the most important thing. She has to eat in a hurry, between meetings, at a business dinner. Both exquisite restaurant dishes with a lot of spices and sauces and regular fast food are used. Breakfasts often have to be skipped, dinner - as it turns out. This leads to problems with digestion, excess weight. But a carbohydrate diet is something completely different. You can stay in shape all day long, not feel hungry, and not worry about your health and weight. Your productivity increases, you manage to do everything on time, and even have some free time for yourself. In the evening, there is even time to do physical exercises, or to slowly lie in the bath. Instead of coming and going to bed as quickly as possible. Morning rises become easy, the whole day is filled with vigor and freshness.
The diet is so useful that even pregnant women can follow it. It is recommended by many gynecologists and obstetricians. It provides the body with all the nutrients without overloading it. The diet can be adapted to the needs of any body. It can also be used in cases where a person needs to gain weight rather than lose it. In such cases, a special diet is followed.
There are positive reviews from people who have gained weight. Many have managed to gain even 5 kg. As people who are underweight claim, gaining weight is much more difficult than losing it. If with excess weight it is enough to force the body to process excess fat deposits and teach the body to store the right spare substances in the right place, then here the process is much more complicated. Sometimes it is necessary to restructure the entire biochemical cycle, which is very difficult to achieve. People who have been underweight for many years and even decades have managed to gain weight. But there are also cases of failure. Many still have not managed to gain weight.
Those whose expectations were not met give negative feedback. For example, many are disappointed that they managed to lose only 1.5-2 kilograms. Also, many are not suitable for the carbohydrate diet, as it implies fractional meals. The work schedule of many people does not allow them to eat 5-6 times a day. Many cannot afford their last meal before 7 p.m., because they come home later or work the night shift. Many people are skeptical and say that the main thing is to load yourself with things to do and think less about food, then there will be no excess weight. There is even a humorous comment in which people with excess weight are advised to put all their money on a deposit with no possibility of withdrawing it for a long time, and go on unpaid leave, leaving money only for modest food.