What is The Dukan Plan?

I have been asked by many people to explain what The Dukan Diet is all about - isn't it like Atkins because you can't have carbs? The answer is no!

Unlike the Dukan Diet, Atkins not only allows, but even encourages dieters to eat as much fat as they want. The Dukan Diet does not include the option to eat as much fat as you like, in fact you are discouraged from eating any fat at all if possible.



So here is a little information...

What is the Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet originated in France when Dr. Pierre Dukan tried his friend, who was a meat eater, on a high protein diet to lose weight. This diet was so successful for his friend that he fine tuned it, making it the diet we now know as the Dukan Diet.

Particularly in the beginning this is a high protein diet with an emphasis placed on pure protein days, not just throughout the diet, but after the consolidation stage once a week for life!

How Does the Dukan diet work?

The great thing about the Dukan diet is that it is not a FAD in terms of special equipment, out of the ordinary eating requirements or starvation.

On the contrary, its main focus and ultimate goal is to achieve a healthy weight through a well balanced diet, the only long lasting approach to take.

So then, what makes the Dukan diet special?

It is not so much the food that makes the Dukan diet so successful, but the way it solidifies healthy eating habits into the minds of dieters. At the end of the day healthy eating is the way to lose weight properly and the only “diet” to truly stand the test of time.

Does the Dukan Diet Really Work?

How does the Dukan diet achieve this rewiring of the brain? It utilizes a number of phases which gradually introduce the foods that will ultimately result in a healthy diet. This is a diet made up of good core foods and much less of the bad foods. Sounds pretty simple right, nothing new?

The key to the Dukan diet is the way in which the phases work to introduce eating in a manner that the body and mind are able to adapt, bypassing a lot of the struggles that dieters usually face when dieting.

I have personally found that by initially cutting out carbs and sugars this has withdrawn the temptation and after only a week most of the desire to have chocolate or a crumpet has decreased immensely - where as on other diets these would have been allowed in small amounts the urge to have a bit more was still there.

Should I want something sweet after dinner a small fat free/low fat yoghurt or fromage frais kills that need or even a glass of diet coke or tonic water.

Yes, I am still on the diet coke and coffee for now as they are allowed but I am slowly cutting down... A few vices at a time... and now I move on the 2nd Phase... I love vegetables, but I don't think I have never been so excited to eat them!

So what are the stages? Well they are outlined below - the length of each stage is dependant on how much you have to loose - you can work this out free on the official Dukan website (they do offer a support service for a fee, but you DON'T have to sign up!)

For me as I have a lot to loose - Stage 1 lasted 7 days, Stage 2 should last 334 days to get to the ideal weight the website has helped work out. From there Stage 3 will begin just in time for Christmas (what better present than being a good weight/dress size & being allowed to have a small amount of "celebration" foods...

I like that term "celebration foods" it seems a better and more positive way of looking at indulgent foods other diets would deem to by "sins" or "naughty"...


Dukan Plan Stages:

Dukan Diet Attack Phase - 1st Phase

The first phase is called the Attack Phase made up of pure protein days. This means that for 2-7 days, a dieter will eat as much as they want from a range of protein-rich foods.

This phase kick starts some serious and rapid weight loss with 7 pounds lost inside a week not unusual.

Proteins are filling and low calorie compared to many other foods.

Dukan Diet Cruise Phase - 2nd Phase

In the second phase dieters introduce unlimited amounts of vegetables with their lean meats and fish.

This happens alternatively with days that are pure protein days. Proteins one day, followed by proteins and vegetables the next day and so forth.

Dukan Diet Consolitation Phase - 3rd Phase

The third phase adds fruit, cheese and starchy foods and celebration meals.

The celebration meals include foods that you would not expect on a diet such as cake etc.

In this phase these types of foods are actually encouraged as they are seen as very important components of a long lasting healthy diet.

Sticking with the Consolidation phase for 5 days for every 1 pound lost so far during the Dukan diet cements the new way of eating into the mind of the dieter.

The goal of this phase is to avoid the pitfalls associated with rebound dieting.

Dukan Diet Stabilization Phase - 4th Phase

So now that the weight has stabilized how do we maintain it? The Dukan diet subscribes to the one pure protein day each week.

What does this mean? It means exactly what it says. All it asks of the dieter is that once a week, pure protein is eaten. No vegetables, fruit, starches, diary, just protein.



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