The Dukan Diet Overview:
When it comes to weight loss, there is nothing more attracting to the ear when you hear lose tens of pounds in the first month. The Dukan diet does just that, it offers rapid fat loss promises and backs it by science and real people trying it, the diet’s plan is split into four phases and the basic principle revolves around making sure that carbohydrates are as low as possible while maintaining a good level of protein and fats.
This diet is very similar to the keto diet, but it does not give clear percentages on every single person. The process of depleting carbohydrates in the reserves of the body is thought to highly encourage the fat burning process, and that is the basic principle; when you deplete your reserves of carbohydrates, you have to use energy anyways, so the body reverts back to the fats that are in the body to use them as fuel. It claims a 10-pound weight loss in the first week that you will never gain back and a gradual 2-3 pounds a week on a consistent basis.
However, the main thing with the Dukan diet is not in the depletion of carbohydrates, it is to completely stay away from them. This diet has also been inspired by Dr. Pierre Dukan after he was left with very little options with an overweight individual who wanted to lose weight but refused to take meat off his diet. Dr. Dukan was then forced to follow with the diet that included just that. It had great results with a rapid fat loss in very little time, and after the fame that it gained over the years from the 1970s, Dr. Dukan decided to publish a book telling all about the Dukan diet.
The diet does not offer many numbers to follow and it emphasizes weight loss through protein since it is the best macronutrient, it fills the stomach up and it takes time to digest. In addition to that, protein is the most valuable macronutrient, it is crucial to consume adequate amounts of it daily since it does the job of building, healing, supporting the immune system, and even helping with hormone levels as testosterone has been linked to higher protein lower carbohydrates diet in many studies. This diet takes into account the importance of protein and disregards carbohydrates in a four-phase planning:
Attack phase: lasting between 2-10 days, the attack phase restricts carbohydrates completely; this is in order to deplete the already existing glycogen in the body and burn extreme amounts of fat. You can eat all the protein you want from meats, organs meats even, poultry, bacon, and anything that has higher protein low carb content such as tofu in addition to one and a half tablespoons of oat bran.
Cruise phase: This is going to include a little more vegetables that he listed in the book and slowly add more dairy in. But the concept is still there, you are eating a lot of protein and very little carb with days you can eat all protein no carbs at all. This adds the oat bran content to 2 tablespoons. The fat loss rate now should be 2-4 pounds per week.
Consolidation phase: This phase introduces slowly more carbohydrates from fruits. You can even have some whole wheat bread and cheese with some cheat meal days that you can eat more of those, but everything is still under supervision and restriction. At this point, it still should be a high protein low carb diet and it lasts anywhere from 100 days to even 200 days.
Permanent Stabilization phase: This is the lifelong phase where you are on your own, this phase allows you to introduce carbohydrates back into your diet, and it calls for a must have one day of pure protein no carbs per week. Now carbohydrates are even a must. After learning about the phases, you should now be able to monitor your weight on your own.
Foods to eat on the Dukan diet:
When it comes to food choices on this diet, the important thing is to think of macronutrient rather than specific foods. For instance, on the first phase, carbohydrates of any kinds are eliminated, including vegetables. But on the last phase, even though you will be taking in vegetables and fruits, you’ll still think of them as carbohydrates.
Meats and dairy:
Recommended: Grass-fed organic red meat, chicken, lamb meat, pork, bacon, organ meat, wild caught salmon, tuna, cod, carp, tilapia, sardines, etc.
Occasionally: Chicken nuggets, etc.
Grains and starches
NOTE: Grains, starches, and seeds are highly restricted in the Dukan diet as they contain a higher carbohydrate amount that can hold back your progress and throw you out of ketosis. It is only until the last phases that you are allowed to consume more than one and a half tablespoons of oat bran per one day.
Eggs
Recommended: All eggs are highly recommended in this diet as they contain no carbohydrate amounts.
Fruits
NOTE: Fruits are forbidden in this diet until the third phase.
Vegetables
NOTE: vegetables are forbidden in this diet until the third phase.
Nuts and seeds
NOTE: Nuts are highly welcomed in this diet as long as they do not surpass 10g of carbohydrates. Opt for nuts and seeds that have a high level of mono-saturated fats and nuts that have a high protein content.
Oils, fats, sauces, and sweeteners
Recommended: olive oil, coconut oil, stevia, etc.
Never: maple syrup, ketchup, barbeque sauces, etc.
Beverages
Recommended: unsweetened tea and coffee, zero sugar diet sodas, spring water, sparkling water, etc.
Never: sugary coffee, sodas, juices, alcohol, etc.
Sample Dukan one day diet:
The sample for the attack phase:
Breakfast:
Sparkling water
4 whole eggs
Olive oil for cooking
One and a half tablespoons of oat bran
Lunch:
Steak with onion and mushroom
No sugar ketchup
Dinner:
Salmon and sardines with lemon juice on top
The sample for the Consolidation phase:
Breakfast:
Orange juice
3 eggs with 25 of cheese
Whole wheat toast
Lunch:
Green salad
Chicken breast
Strawberry and banana smoothie
Dinner:
Grass-fed beef steak
Asparagus
Snacks:
Nuts
Tips to help you with your dukan diet:
The most important tip that you can hear is that you have to stay away from carbohydrates as much as you can in the attack phase and gradually increase them later in the following phases.
Train at least three times per week, doing resistance training will utilize the type 2 and type 3 of your muscles which will force the muscle to use the glycogen stores; this will make the attack phase much more efficient since you are helping your body burn fat too.
When shopping, always opt for the highest grade of meat possible, this will ensure that even though you are consuming too many meats, you are still getting high-quality nutrition.
Consider taking a multivitamin to make up for the lack of vegetable consumption in your diet.
Dukan diet Summary:
This diet offers a lot of great advantages to anyone who uses it, its principle is very clear and it offers great benefits such as the rapid fat-loss. The idea of losing 10 pounds in less than two weeks in very appealing to most of us and this concept is quite useful for supercharging your fat loss and then use other diets for long-term benefit.
This diet can also be very dangerous to the body since the vegetable, fruit and grain consumption is prohibited, the body is likely going to suffer a major lack in certain food groups that are essential to the body like most vitamins and minerals.
It is important to discuss this with your doctor before so you know what might be getting yourself into. Otherwise, this diet’s concept is a very interesting one and it might be worth a try.