Developed by a French doctor, the Dukan diet is one of the best weight loss plans out there. Helps achieve optimal body weight and maintain it in the future. The system includes four stages, 2 of which are aimed at losing weight, and the other two are aimed at consolidating results.
The Dukan Diet
The Dukan Diet was developed by physician Pierre Dukan. It is a balanced diet that allows you not to gain extra pounds again after the weight loss regime is over. The nutritionist claims that each person has his own supply of cells that contribute to the accumulation of fat. For those who have more of them, it is more difficult to lose extra pounds. Therefore, in the Dukan diet, a calculation is made based on the individual characteristics of the body of each person.
A feature of the weight loss scheme is the unique diet. You can eat the specified food in unlimited quantities until full.
The principle of the weight loss scheme is that initially the diet is carried out only with the help of protein foods. Its quantity is not limited. This is due to the fact that the process of digestion and assimilation will require more energy than the processing of fats and carbohydrates. Thus, the body will use the received calories without processing the food into subcutaneous fat. Then vegetables, which are rich in fiber and vitamins, are introduced into the menu. The result is then consolidated.
The results can be seen already in the first days after the start of the diet. The extra pounds disappear quickly enough. The weight loss method does not pose a threat to the body. Muscle mass is preserved, the condition of the skin, nail plates and hair line improves. Thanks to the detailed description of the weight loss system, the result can be easily fixed for many years. The technique does not require counting calories.
However, excess protein can cause excessive stress on the kidneys, blood vessels and liver. This can lead to high cholesterol levels. Insufficient fiber intake can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract and microflora disorders. You should follow the diet under the supervision of a doctor. It is contraindicated in people suffering from kidney failure, prone to heart disease, hypertension and disorders of the reproductive system.
Principles and phases
The Dukan Diet has four phases. A woman must overcome:
- stage attack;
- stage alternation;
- stage Consolidation;
- Stabilization of the stage.
The period required for each stage depends on the weight to be lost. Thus, the minimum number of days for the Attack stage is 2 days. It can last up to 10 days at most. The alternating stage takes from 15 to 330 days. The consolidation stage requires 50 to 500 days. Terms are calculated individually.
The weight loss method requires compliance with a number of rules. They can vary depending on the stage a woman is going through. Common characteristics of all weight loss periods are:
- It is useless to reduce the caloric content of the daily menu. Going back to your previous diet will also bring back those extra pounds. Therefore, the daily menu should be such that a person cannot accumulate body fat and constantly consolidate the result of weight loss.
- Limiting the products and their quantity does not lead to a result. Monodiets are not effective as a crash is bound to occur. The Dukan Diet offers a varied diet. There is no food limit. You must eat until you are full.
- It is recommended to get rid of all forbidden foods in the kitchen before starting a diet. Otherwise, they can become a temptation.
- Oat bran is one of the main components of the Dukan diet. Their presence in the daily diet is a guarantee of a good result. They help to lose weight, provide quick satiety and help cleanse the stomach of toxins. Bran will help reduce the overall calorie content of the diet.
- It is important to maintain physical activity. The weight loss scheme does not include constant training in the gym. However, walking and regular exercise at home will only help to lose weight. Abdominal exercises and squats will do. The load should be increased gradually.
- Sugar, French fries, bananas, cherries, grapes and alcoholic beverages are prohibited at all stages of the diet.
- You should drink at least 2 liters of drinking water per day.
Attack stage
The attack stage is the first stage of weight loss on the Dukan diet. Doctors consider it the most dangerous to health. The author of the diet agrees with this opinion and gives clear recommendations for compliance with the weight loss regime. They must follow relentlessly.
First of all, you need to determine the amount of excess weight. To do this, you can use the free calculator. It can be found on the official Dukan website. The calculation process consists of completing a questionnaire. When all the data is entered, a letter with the relevant information will be sent to the mail indicated during the action. Averaged data can also be obtained independently. So, if a woman's height is 164 cm, her optimal weight is 54 kg.
The attack phase can only be observed for the recommended period. It is believed that with its help a person will immediately be able to achieve the desired weight. However, this is impossible and dangerous. During the attack phase, you can lose up to 6 kg. In this case, the duration of menstruation can vary depending on the excess weight that a woman has. The duration of the attack phase will be:
- 1-3 days if the amount of excess kg according to the calculator is less than 5.
- 3-5 days if overweight is 5-10.
- 5-7 days if overweight exceeds 10 kg.
It is strictly forbidden to observe the Attack phase for more than 9 days. A woman should understand that the attack phase is not intended to get rid of excess weight as soon as possible, but to start the mechanisms of fat breakdown in the body. You need to control your condition. It is necessary to remember the danger of the method. According to the diet, only animal proteins are allowed. This increases the load on the kidneys, which can provoke dehydration. This is what the rapid weight loss during the stage is based on. The attack stage has a motivating effect, showing that the weight can be reduced.
When following a weight loss regimen, you should drink plenty of water. It is recommended to consume at least 1. 5-3 liters of liquid per day. It is also recommended to eat oat bran. You should consume 1. 5 tablespoons of the product per day. He drinks a lot of water. Eating bran with liquid can be used as a snack or as a replacement for one of your meals.
Losing weight with the Dukan diet begins with protein, due to the fact that the author of the scheme believes that this product is the optimal food for people. The body has known it since ancient times. At the same time, fast food and sweets are alien to the human body. Proteins are the hardest foods to digest. To digest them, the body spends a large amount of energy. This leads to the fact that converting the received calories into fat tissue is almost impossible. It is only important to ensure that the body receives pure protein. In this case, the fat content should be minimal.
Contraindications for compliance
The Dukan Diet is not for everyone. It is recommended to abandon the weight loss method if there are:
- heart disease;
- diabetes;
- kidney and liver pathology;
- gastritis, pancreatitis or cholecystitis.
What foods can you eat?
If a person likes to eat dishes with seafood, fish, meat, eggs and cottage cheese, the attack phase will be a delicious phase of the diet. At this stage it is allowed to use:
- Seafood. These can be crabs, shrimps, rapana, clams, squid and crabs.
- meat. It is recommended to give preference to lean pork, ham, fresh veal, rabbit meat, lean veal.
- eggs. Dr. Dukan recommends eating chicken and quail eggs.
- a bird. You can eat quail, chicken, guinea fowl or turkey.
- Fish. It is allowed to cook dishes from mackerel, perch, navaga, salmon, halibut, trout, cod, salmon or carp.
- Milk and milk products. You can add kefir, soy cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese and milk to the daily menu. All products must be fat-free. The use of soft processed cheese is allowed.
- offal. A woman can eat tongues, chicken hearts, kidneys, beef liver.
- Vegetables. Pumpkin, tomatoes, lettuce, asparagus, all kinds of cabbage, squash, celery, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, onions, beets and zucchini are available for consumption.
You can cook food in any way. Restrictions apply only to frying with vegetable oil. Food is recommended to be steamed, grilled or in the oven. You need to give up sugar. Dr. Dukan recommends using sweeteners. All beverages are permitted. You can even drink soda. However, it is worth giving preference to sugar-free drinks. Soda is recommended to be consumed with a light marking.
However, other doctors are a little suspicious of such a recommendation. They recommend being careful with soda and sweeteners. Classic sugar is harmful to the figure and health. No studies have been conducted on sweeteners. However, this product is a concentrate. Its use can lead to disruption of the functioning of internal organs. Therefore, it is better to refuse to use the product. Similar rules apply to soda. In such drinks there are always additives that can be harmful.
You don't need to eat fresh food. Dr. Dukan allows the use of dietary supplements. However, they must be natural. It is recommended to give preference to:
- ginger and cinnamon;
- vinegar and lemon;
- onion and garlic;
- turmeric and cumin;
- mustard and gelatin;
- balsamic sauce.
Some products are allowed for consumption, but in limited quantities. So per day you can eat no more than 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, 2 egg yolks and 8 natural crab sticks. Some products are prohibited. It:
- greasy food;
- potatoes and lamb;
- pasta and any legumes;
- sugar and all sweets;
- sauces and mayonnaise.
sample menu
To lose weight with the Dukan diet, you need to walk at least 20 minutes every day and exercise. In addition, it is worth eating bran. If a woman does not tolerate them, you can use 1. 5 tablespoons of buckwheat. The volume is indicated in dry form. Replacement must be done carefully. The fact is that bran and buckwheat differ in nutritional properties and are absorbed by the body in different ways.
If the permissible rate in products is exceeded, stagnation may occur. Cooking buckwheat is at your discretion. It can be boiled in water, milk or steamed. You should drink 2 liters of fluid per day. Coffee and tea are included in this volume. The list of products that can be consumed on a given day is strictly defined. Passing the attack stage, it is recommended to strictly follow the developed menu.
| day | breakfast | Dinner | afternoon tea | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Omelet with lean meat, a cup of coffee | Cod soup, bread and bran | Cottage cheese | Roast meat and unsweetened green tea |
| Tuesday | Cottage cheese, bran bread | Soup with meat and quail eggs | Low-fat natural yogurt | Fish stewed in its own juice |
| Wednesday | Omelette, lightly salted fish, a cup of coffee | Beef cutlets without onions, low-fat natural yogurt | A glass of kefir with bran | boiled squid |
| Thursday | Bread with bran and cheese, strong unsweetened tea | Fish soup | Cottage cheese casserole, unsweetened tea | Baked chicken fillet, a glass of kefir |
| Friday | Boiled eggs, a cup of coffee | Fish cutlets without onions, low-fat natural yogurt | Low-fat milk, bread and bran | Stewed beef, unsweetened tea |
| Saturday | Omelet, cup of coffee | Soup with meatballs | Low-fat natural yogurt and oat bran | Stewed clams, unsweetened tea |
| Sunday | Cottage cheese with bran, a cup of coffee | Ukha, low-fat natural yogurt | Cottage cheese casserole, a glass of kefir | Meatballs and low-fat natural yogurt |
Possible results
The first phase of the Dukan diet is essential to start the fat burning process. In one week you can lose weight by 5-7 kg. If you reduce the phase to 72 hours, you can reduce the weight by 2-3 kg. It is important to carefully monitor your condition. If dry mouth, dizziness or other side effects appear, it is worth limiting the duration of the phase or completely interrupting weight loss using the method.
Interlacing stage
The second phase is the main one in losing weight. The duration can be any, but often depends on the amount of extra pounds that need to be lost. It should be followed until the weight is ideal. The main principles of the second stage are the following:
- Vegetables. If during the attack the diet was exclusively protein, now you need to add vegetables. They are rich in fiber. You can add cucumbers and tomatoes, all kinds of cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, asparagus, pumpkin, legumes, spinach and greens. Even fattier cheeses, wine, cream and natural ketchup are added.
- Alternate protein and mixed days. The mixed daily menu includes a combination of protein foods with plant foods. The rotation scheme is selected individually, based on the required weight loss.
- More bran. The amount of bran consumed should be increased. This is especially true for those who suffer from constipation during the diet.
- More liquid. Daily fluid intake should be increased by at least half a liter.
- Increased physical activity. The tour can be extended to an hour or two.
The menu is practically no different from the attack stage, the only difference is the presence of alternation. During mixed days, you can dilute meat and fish dishes with roasted, stewed or fresh vegetables.
Consolidation stage
The third stage is not characterized by rapid weight loss. On average, 400 g of excess is consumed per week. However, the purpose of the stage is to consolidate the result. This will keep the result and will not allow the extra pounds to return. Duration is individual. Stage 3 rules include:
- starch. It is worth adding potatoes, bread, pasta to the diet. However, their use should be moderate.
- Bran. The daily rate of bran should be increased again.
- Honey. At this stage you can add sweetener or honey. Permitted use up to 3 teaspoons at a time.
- Belly holidays. Diet may include discounts. They can be done twice a week, but they do not lose. During these "holidays" you can eat all sorts of foods. However, you should limit yourself to one method.
- Attack. Once a week you should return to the menu from the first phase. This can be any day and any food allowed during the attack phase.
An example weekly menu might look like this:
| day | breakfast | Dinner | afternoon tea | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Cottage cheese with bran, unsweetened tea | Soup with meat, a glass of kefir | Fruits | Baked chicken fillet, vegetables, potatoes |
| Tuesday | Omelet with chicken fillet, a cup of coffee | Fish soup and vegetable salad | Fruit and bran | Cheesecakes, fruit, a cup of coffee |
| Wednesday | Lean meatballs, salad | Meat soup | Fruit with natural yogurt and bran | Vegetable salad with roast meat |
| Thursday | Menu on one of the attacking days | |||
| Friday | Omelet, a glass of kefir | Soup with meatballs, salad | Fruits with bran | Baked fish with vegetables |
| Saturday | Cottage cheese casserole with coffee cup and bran | Fish soup, low-fat natural yogurt | Fruits | Rice with baked mussels in cheese |
| Sunday | Low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs and a cup of coffee | Turkey cutlets, vegetable salad | Berries and fruits, bran | Stew with vegetables, a glass of wine |
Stabilization stage
The stabilization stage is the last. It can be compared to stopping a diet. However, this assumes that one will stick to a healthy diet all the time. The diet can include any products, but they should not be too harmful. It has to be done gradually. Each week you have to organize a different attack day. The bran and drinking regimen remain the same. Physical activity should become regular.
Doctor's opinion
The Dukan diet is varied. Most people cannot easily tolerate carb-free diets. This is due to the fact that you have to give up most of the usual products. By following the Dukan weight loss plan, you can prepare a wide variety of meals. It allows you to effectively reduce your weight, as well as keep it off after the end of the fat burning period. Extra pounds disappear quickly. The method is a variation of a balanced diet. The diet is intended for a long time. This allows you to improve the functions and metabolic processes of the body. If you strictly follow the plan, you can forever shed the hated pounds.
Almost everyone can use the diet if there are no contraindications. They can be various diseases, for example, kidney or cardiovascular system. Also, the diet is not recommended for pregnant women and adolescents. Excess protein is the main cause of liver and vascular diseases. It can also lead to high cholesterol levels. Therefore, before starting a weight loss diet, you should consult your doctor.