Dukan Diet

 Here is another craze that’s emerging from Europe: the Dukan Diet by Dr. Pierre Dukan that has become a phenomenal success in France. It is said that there are over 1.5 million members of this diet in France alone with more joining in its international programs in other countries around the world.

There are many celebrities and prominent figures using the Dukan Diet (also known as the Paris Diet) including Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez.

Now, after 10 years of being solely used in Europe,anyone can get this book in various book stores and on Amazon.

People report varying degrees of success on this diet, with some claiming a loss of 10 lbs or so in a short time.

The 4 Phases of the Dukan Diet

The Dukan Diet has 4 phases that you need to go through in order to shed the most weight possible and to keep it off for a long time afterwards. In all the phases, the diet is high in protein and low in carbs. This high protein approach is something that a lot of plans advocate (the EODD diet is an example of one such plan) so this is not a novel approach.

However, the transition between one phase to the next may make the Dukan Diet easier for you to handle and stick to for as long as you need to get to your target weight. For instance, you begin with an all protein phase but soon enrich this limited diet with fruit, vegetables, bread, potatoes, and even some alcohol. However, the focus on protein remains.

Note: You can eat a spoonful of bran oats on each day of the diet. However, I doubt if this is going to satisfy any carb lovers.

Attack Phase The diet begins with the attack phase, a short 1-10 days phase in which you need to kickstart your weight loss in a fast way. The attack phase is an all protein phase.  You’re only allowed to eat fish, eggs, steak, fat free dairy products and so on. The length of this phase depends on how much weight you need to lose overall. For instance for a weight loss of 7-8 lbs a single day should prove enough. For 20 lbs or so, 3-4 days will do nicely. After you finish with the attack phase you can move on to the next phase…

Cruise Phase On the cruise phase you introduce vegetables to the diet and alternate between protein only days to protein + veggies days. During this phase you may lose about 2 pounds a week. It is also a much easier phase to handle than the attack phase as you get more food choices and can satisfy your taste buds a bit more. You should stick to this phase until you reach to your target weight.

Consolidation Phase

On this phase the focus is on getting you back to eating more normally while making sure you maintain your new and reduced weight. This is actually the biggest challenge a person can phase: maintain the weight once you’ve lost it. This phase of the Dukan Diet is for that.

On the consolidation phase you introduce more foods into your diet such as fruit, bread, pasta. You’re also allowed two free meals each week which may include fattening foods as well as dietary ones. However, the focus is still on protein.

Stabilization Phase

The fourth and final phase of the diet is the Stabilization phase which can, in theory be continued for life. On this phase you need to eat a full protein day each week while the rest of the days have more freedom. Dr. Dukan recommends making Thursdays your protein only days.

Dukan Diet Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Has a lot of positive testimonials.
• Affordable and simple to follow.
• Protein can help you feel full and produce a short metabolism boost.
• Does allow freedom in later stages of the diet.

Cons:

• May be too restrictive for some people in the early stages.
• Does not place enough focus on physical exercise

In Conclusion

The Dukan Diet does have merit and it does include steps to help the average person change his/her eating routine to that of the diet. However, there is no denying that this is a restrictive diet in many respects, especially in the early stages.

If you can get by the two initial phases, you should do quite well on this diet plan.

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