Many people are dissatisfied with their weight. Quickly this can also affect the psyche and self-confidence. The persons concerned wish most gladly that the kilos would disappear as by magic. Numerous parliamentary allowance promise exactly that: many Pounds in very short time lose.
The egg diet also advertises this promise. It was made famous by the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This is to have lost with the help of the egg diet within only 2 weeks up to 9 kilograms in weight.
In the following we want to give you some important background knowledge about the egg diet, so that any doubts you may have can be cleared up or justified. We have also listed some tips and tricks on how you can achieve maximum success in the fight against kilos with the egg diet, and also generally with eggs as part of your diet.
The most important in a nutshell
- In a two-week egg diet, at least 5 to 6 eggs are eaten daily, which brings you to about 30 eggs in a week.
- Eggs contain many proteins as well as vitamins, essential amino acids and minerals. They are therefore, despite their low calorie count, a healthy alternative to carbohydrate-rich products.
- The recommended diet duration of 2 weeks should not be exceeded. Otherwise, in the long run, it can lead to deficiency symptoms.
Also interesting
Definition: What is an egg diet?
The egg diet belongs to the so-called mono diets. These are slimming diets that focus primarily on one particular foodstuff.
As the name suggests, the egg diet is mainly eggs eaten. On average, between 6 and 10 eggs per day end up on your plate during this phase.
Various nutritional plans for the two-week egg diet can be found free of charge on various Internet websites.
Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady of Great Britain, was the one who made the egg diet famous. Shortly before she took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1979, she is said to have lost 9 kilos in just 2 weeks on this diet.
Background: What you should know about the egg diet
The egg diet is one of the crash diets available in bulk. These are started by many people because they are promised to lose a lot of weight in a short time.
But before you start with the egg diet yourself, it is worthwhile to deal with the most important background and facts of this diet.
How does the egg diet work?
In addition to the main ingredient egg, the meals are supplemented with salad, fruit, lean meat, fish and vegetables. In addition, it should be ensured that one drinks a lot at the same time. Preferably calorie-free drinks such as unsweetened tea or water.
Due to the fact that in the egg diet very few carbohydrates are consumed, and the body no longer has sugar as an energy source, it begins to produce so-called ketones.
Ketones are a kind of substitute carbohydrates which ensure that certain organs can continue to be supplied with energy.
In order to produce ketones, the body must use its own fat deposits, which causes weight loss. Besides the protein is to help with the satiating. The high protein content of this diet prevents muscle breakdown.
To find out more about the egg diet, we have linked you to the following video:
What is allowed and what is not allowed on the egg diet?
In addition to eggs, you may eat fruits and vegetables. In addition, lean meat and fish, some fats (including olive and coconut oil), some dairy products (z. B. low-fat yogurt) and herbs.
They should be calorie-free drinks such as water, unsweetened tea or unsweetened coffee.
Not allowed in the egg diet are sugar, carbohydrate-rich foods such as bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, and butter and margarine.
There is also talk of abstaining from alcohol. However, Margaret Thatcher herself is said to have drunk a glass of whiskey when having meat for dinner.
Why are eggs good for weight loss?
Since eggs keep you full longer, they also protect you from cravings ( 1 ) . One takes thereby likewise fewer calories to itself.
Eggs also boost the metabolism ( 2 ) . Compared to the conversion of fats and carbohydrates, the body consumes more energy for the conversion of dietary proteins, which are contained in eggs, into the body’s own proteins. More energy means more calories burned.
In addition, eggs are easy to prepare and cheap.
How long should you do the egg diet?
You should not follow this diet for a longer period of time, because you only eat a few calories per day. It is therefore really only meant to lose a few kilos quickly.
If you follow the diet for more than two weeks, you may experience deficiencies. These can have a negative effect on the body and on health.
After the diet one should in any case maintain a healthy diet and generally a healthy lifestyle. It is then also important to eat a higher number of calories again.
How many eggs should you eat per day / week?
For a long time there was a theory that eggs would have a bad effect on cholesterol ( 3 ) . An average chicken egg (approx. 53 grams) contains about 200 – 230 milligrams of cholesterol. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends about 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. The DGE also advocates eating 2-3 eggs per week.
The nutritionist and diabetologist Dr. Matthias Riedl sees it differently. On the portal Fitbook he commented that the consumption of eggs is not important for cholesterol levels ( 4 ) . He believes that the consumption of eggs has a different effect on each individual cholesterol level and that therefore there is no general risk.
The best thing to do is to have your cholesterol levels checked by a doctor and see if there are certain risk factors.
A quantity of 28 eggs per week is in the long run however in no case healthy.
How healthy is the egg diet?
Eggs are full of vitamins, essential amino acids, minerals and of course get a lot of protein. In addition, eggs contain healthy unsaturated fatty acids, which can even protect against cardiovascular disease ( 6 ) . Nevertheless, it is clearly not recommended to follow the egg diet for longer than two weeks.
During the diet one takes only about 800 – 1.000 calories, which is well below the recommended daily allowance. In addition, this diet slows down our metabolism: our body gets used to the energy deficit, which means that we have to lower our energy intake even more in order not to gain weight again.
Such a large amount of eggs per week can also be very challenging for digestion.
As a study already showed, eggs are in principle helpful to lose weight ( 7 ) . The egg diet itself is good in the short term if you want to lose a few kilos quickly. It avenges itself then however usually fast again with the Jo Jo effect, if one falls back into its old Essens patterns.
What side effects can the egg diet have?
Among the positive side effects is of course the high weight loss in a very short time. In addition, the high content of proteins preserves muscle mass and can thus contribute to muscle building.
However, the egg diet is not completely harmless to health. The high intake of protein can negatively affect the kidneys and metabolism ( 8 ) . Due to a low percentage of fiber, it can also cause problems with digestion and flatulence. The calorie deficit can be reflected in mood swings ( 9 ) .
If one carries out the egg diet longer than, as given, two weeks, it can come besides to deficiency symptoms.
As already mentioned, this crash diet also has as a side effect that after the diet, as soon as one falls back into his normal patterns, a yo-yo effect is not quite unlikely.
Can vegetarians do the egg diet as well?
At first glance, the egg diet may also seem rather unsuitable for vegetarians, because in addition to eggs on the menu is a lot of meat and fish. However, people on a vegetarian diet can also simply omit these two products as needed. However, this creates an even greater calorie deficit.
Eggs in a vegetarian diet also have their advantages, especially if you want to lose weight.
Vegetarians as well as vegans can still generally follow alternative diets that resemble the pattern of the egg diet. The egg diet is based on the low carb principle, which vegans and vegetarians can also try with their own means.
What are the differences in diets: Men and women?
While women are stress eaters, men are gluttons.
Already by nature men have more muscle mass than women. They also burn more energy than their female counterparts when resting alone. The composition of fat and fat cells also looks different in men. Fat is initially deposited viscerally around the organs, which is why it is visually inconspicuous from the outside.
Also by a different metabolism men can lose generally faster and also clearly more weight than women. In addition, they are usually better able to maintain the new weight. For women, however, the yo-yo effect often occurs. Especially shortly before the monthly cycle women often get cravings, which interrupt the diet plan.
In summary, this means:
| Man | Lots of muscle mass, burn more energy at rest, fat is put on visceral, better metabolism |
| Ms | As much fat as possible is accumulated, fat deposits are visible from the outside, frequent yo-yo effect, cravings during the cycle |
Is the egg diet good for bodybuilders?
Eggs are a very good protein supplier and also contain valuable sulfur-containing amino acids, as well as vitamins and minerals in addition to proteins.
An egg diet is very good for burning fat, which is why eggs are already part of the normal diet of a bodybuilder. Eggs also promote muscle growth ( 11 ) .
In the field of bodybuilding there is already a similar diet: the steak and eggs diet. Here you eat a certain amount of steak and eggs twice a day. Once a week there is an additional cheat day, where you can eat whatever you want. Also with this Diat it should be made certain that exclusively calorie-free beverages are taken to itself.
The egg diet: The best tips& Tricks for maximum success
In order to be able to achieve a maximum success with the egg diet, one can orient oneself at further behavior patterns.
Below, we have listed some tips and tricks for you in the context of the egg diet, which can support you in a smooth passage.
The best time of day to eat eggs
Eggs are basically good at any time of day. Eggs are also integrated into each of the three main meals in the egg diet.
In order to continue to properly incorporate eggs into your diet even after the egg diet, or even without the egg diet, we have summarized the benefits of the food for the respective time of day for you here.
| In the morning | Eggs in the morning are particularly good for replenishing the body’s energy stores. In addition, you can protect yourself from morning hunger pangs by having eggs in your breakfast. Eggs contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, which keep you full for a long time. If you don’t feel like a boiled egg, scrambled egg or fried egg, you can easily incorporate your breakfast egg into pancakes, for example. |
| At noon | Since eggs are well digestible in moderation, they can also be wonderfully incorporated into lunch and can thus prevent a subsequent midday slump. In addition, eggs provide us with sufficient energy and strength for the afternoon. |
| Evening | Eggs for dinner are a great alternative to high carbohydrate meals such as pasta. Egg whites in the evening also boost fat burning during the nighttime rest period. In addition, eggs provide a better and longer sleep. Egg whites stimulate the production of melatonin in the body and thus prepare us for sleep. |
As can be seen, eggs have their advantages at any time of the day.
In general, however, eggs are also particularly effective after a workout. They provide muscles with important amino acids, helping to build muscle without putting on weight ( 12 ) .
The yolk of a chicken egg is composed of about 50% water, 30% fat and 15% proteins. The egg white, on the other hand, is already 90% water. This means that only 10% are proteins. However, since an egg is made up of more protein than yolk, the protein values are balanced again in the end.
Preparation methods of eggs and their advantages / disadvantages
Eggs can be incorporated into many different dishes. But you can also prepare them in their original form. Below we have summarized the three most common variants and their advantages and disadvantages.
Boiled egg
For a boiled egg, the preparation is crucial for digestibility. Soft-boiled eggs are more digestible than hard-boiled eggs. The reason for this is that hard-boiled eggs have a firm structure in both the egg white and the yolk due to the effect of the heat.
Here is a brief summary of the most common cooking times for eggs:
- 4 minutes: Egg white is coagulated, yolk is still quite liquid
- 5 minutes: Egg white is firm, yolk still has a soft core
- 7 minutes: Egg white is firm, yolk is firm but still creamy in the middle
- 10 minutes: Yolks and whites are hard and firm to the touch
If you boil an egg for more than 10 minutes, iron is released in the yolk, which combines with the hydrogen sulfide that is present in the egg white to form iron sulfide. The blue-green colored egg is not harmful, but equally unappetizing.
- High vitamin A content
- Few calories
- Can be prepared as desired
- Cooking too long releases iron
- Low vitamin E content
The vitamin A content in a cooked egg is relatively high at 275 micrograms per 100 grams. However, the vitamin E content is lower.
With about 140 calories, a boiled egg is best for diet purposes and keeps you full for a long time.
Scrambled eggs
In contrast to a boiled egg, the vitamin A content of a scrambled egg may be somewhat low at about 229 micrograms per 100 grams. However, its vitamin E content is much higher than that of a boiled egg.
- High Vitamin E content
- Few calories
- Keeps you full for a long time
- Low vitamin A content
- Is often served with bacon and thus becomes unhealthy
A scrambled egg has an average of about 150 calories. It is therefore still very healthy and serves as a good alternative to high-carbohydrate meals.
A scrambled egg keeps you full just as long. Mostly, however, this is because it is often served with bacon. A healthier alternative would be scrambled eggs Fosterin style. Here, instead of bacon, mushrooms are used.
Fried egg
A fried egg also has fewer calories than a wheat roll, averaging about 170 calories per 100 grams. However, the increase in calories is usually due to the fact that in this type the egg is fried in sunflower oil, other cooking oils or butter.
A fried egg also has a higher vitamin E content than a boiled egg. The reason for this, however, is also the oil in which it is fried. The vitamin A content of a fried egg is slightly lower than that of a boiled egg, at about 260 micograms per 100 grams.
- Comparatively few calories
- High vitamin E content
- Alternatively fry in water to save calories
- Alternative preparation methods
- Increasing calories by frying in fat
- Low vitamin A content
Alternatively, you can simply fry your fried egg in water, which will quickly save you a few calories.
If you don’t have a frying pan available, then you can also prepare a fried egg in the oven, for example in a muffin tin, or in the microwave without much trouble.
Egg diet in combination with sports
As with any other diet, or even a normal healthy diet, exercise contributes to maximum success and weight loss. It is generally true that if you want to consume more calories, you have to exercise a lot.
Due to the high protein intake of eggs, the egg diet prevents the loss of muscle mass.
During the diet it makes sense to carry out short, but intensive training sessions. To continue building muscle mass, strength training, for example, is beneficial. But also so-called interval training can be tried as an alternative.
However, it is generally known that the diet has more effect on the body than sports ( 13 ) . First and foremost, a healthy diet is important. However, daily exercise contributes wonderfully to weight loss.
Healthy recipes with egg
The egg diet consists of 1-2 eggs every morning, a grapefruit and either black coffee or tea to drink.
The other meals in a day can look like this, for example:
Lunch: 2 eggs, one grapefruit
Dinner: 2 eggs, grapefruit, salad, 1 piece of toast, coffee
In order to be able to continue to prepare healthy meals after the diet, you can now find a lot of healthy recipes on the Internet and in numerous cookbooks, which contain eggs.
Eggs can be used as the main ingredient of a dish, such as an omelet, an egg casserole, a frittata, a poached egg or in an egg salad.
Eggs can also be added to a dish as a healthy side ingredient. For example, egg muffins can be prepared quite easily, which also follow the low carb principle and are also popular with children. Eggs can also be easily added to healthy pancakes.
If you want to cook healthy with eggs, then it is important to make sure that the other ingredients are not completely unhealthy.
Conclusion
While reading this article, you must have noticed how many positive properties eggs have. Due to their high protein content, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals, they are a real all-rounder. Eggs can make an enormous contribution to weight loss, especially if you include them in healthy meals several times a week and also do sports.
The egg diet is in principle for the most part harmless to health, as long as you do not exceed the recommended amount of 2 weeks. Otherwise, deficiency symptoms can quickly develop. However, since the egg diet is one of the numerous crash diets available, it is only suitable for losing a few pounds in the short term.
Once you fall back into your normal eating patterns, the yo-yo effect can kick in. In order to lose weight and live healthy in the long run, it makes more sense to change one’s diet completely and to include eggs as one of many nutritious ingredients and products.
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