It is easy to get confused in the modern variety of diets, but protein diets stand out on the list. The Dukan diet is a prominent representative of protein diet systems, which involve the intake of enough food, but in a different ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates.
The basics of dieting
Dukan's diet is known in many countries. The effectiveness of this approach has been proven by numerous studies and applications. However, nutritionist Pierre Ducan himself claims that he did not develop a diet, but a balanced diet so that the body would not feel hunger and stress.
Weight loss occurs because the body burns subcutaneous fat and carbohydrate reserves, while the stomach is not empty, but digests protein foods.
A good competitor here will be the Lesenka diet, the essence of which is to go through different levels of nutrition every day. Different products, different approach in 5 days do not get bored.
Those who want to reduce their forms with the help of the Dukan diet should get acquainted with the basic principles:
- Lead an active lifestyle, move a lot, run or walk. Perform daily walks in the fresh air, lasting 30-40 minutes. Weight loss diets are unreasonable, the body must perform physical activity, because fat is burned in the muscles.
- Drink plenty of water (not juice, compote or drink, but still water). During a protein diet, the body expels the accumulated fluid, and its daily compensation is the number one task for weight loss.
- Strictly adhere to the diet and diet phase. If you personally adjust your diet or do not follow the regimen, then you should not hope for an effective result.
- Eliminate foods that contain light carbohydrates from your diet. It is allowed to use complex and indigestible carbohydrates in the form of cereals, soft foods.
- Oatmeal should be an essential ingredient in your daily diet. They prevent constipation during the diet and give the body the right portion of carbohydrates.
The main stages of the diet
The Dukan diet is not only based on following a certain diet, but on dividing the entire flow of the diet into phases that correspond to your diet and product list. There are four phases in total:
- Attack.
- alternation
- Anchoring
- Stabilization
It is worth considering each phase separately.
Attack phase
This is the first stage of the diet, it includes eating only protein foods. The duration of the phase lasts on average 7 days, but the interval can be from 3 to 9 days. The choice of the duration of the first phase is made individually and depends on the amount of extra pounds and the health condition of the loser.
An additional 30 kg of weight or more suggests a maximum phase duration of up to 9-10 days, with an excess of 20 kg - 7 days, and with a small excess weight of up to 20 kg - 3-5 days. During this period, there is maximum weight loss, which is associated with limiting the intake of carbohydrates and fats.
Recommendations: the attack phase accepts the consumption of protein products of animal origin: meat, fish, seafood and dairy products. You can use them in unlimited but reasonable quantities and in any form (fried, boiled, steamed).
As for the accompanying additives, their list includes: oat bran (their daily use is mandatory), mustard, salt, onion, spices, tomato paste, crab sticks (no more than 8 pieces per day), lemon, olive oil. Diet drinks, fat-free kefir, tea and coffee are allowed.
Meat should not be greasy, pork, lamb, rabbit, duck, goose are excluded. If the bird is present in the diet, then it should be consumed without skin. The restriction applies to vegetables and fruits.
During this period, the body experiences stress, there is a restructuring of internal metabolic processes. For some, this period may become critical: dizziness, weakness, loss of consciousness, and other symptoms indicate that it is worth moving on to the next stage.
Alternating or "cruising" phase
The essence of this phase is the introduction of additional foods (vegetables, fruits) in the diet, but not continuously, but selectively in a certain interval. Intervals should be equal to each other: for a day, for two days or more, it all depends on the amount of extra pounds before the diet. If its value did not exceed 10 kg, then the interval can be minimal (1x1, 2x2), and if its value was greater than 10 kg, then the maximum interval is 5x5.
The duration of the second phase is determined individually, as well as the first. The interval is from one to two months, the duration directly depends on the amount of weight lost during the first phase. The bigger it is, the longer the second phase should last.
In the second phase, the diet should be more varied, so you can add the following foods:
- all products from the first phase;
- starch-free vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, asparagus, cabbage, mushrooms);
- unsweetened fruit;
- skimmed milk and cheese;
- bread.
You can add fruits and vegetables only on those days whose menu corresponds to the second phase. That is, 5 days protein menu from the first phase, the next five days protein-vegetable menu from the second phase. Moreover, you can't mix second phase products with each other, you can only choose two ingredients a day and use them.
Among the banned vegetables and fruits are: potatoes, corn, legumes, bananas, cherries, avocados, grapes.
If in the first phase there was a deterioration of health, then in the second phase the condition should be stabilized, health improved and metabolic processes restored.
"Repair" phase
The third phase helps to consolidate the results, its duration also depends on the number of "lost" kilograms. For every kilogram of weight lost, there are ten days of the third phase. The diet during this period is even more similar to the usual one and should not cause discomfort in losing weight.
In addition to the products from the first and second phase, the diet includes the following:
- starchy vegetables (potatoes, legumes, corn);
- pasta;
- cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal).
At this stage, it is allowed to interrupt the diet twice a week, but at the expense of one meal. For example, you can eat your favorite carb meal for breakfast, but skip lunch or dinner instead.
An important rule at this stage is the daily consumption of any fruit, with the exception of bananas, grapes and cherries. They have a lot of sugar, which is quickly converted into subcutaneous fat.
Stabilization phase
This phase is final and, in fact, a postulate for later life after the diet. Its rules are simple and following them will allow you to always stay in shape, without resorting to diets:
- drink plenty of water every day (at least 1, 5 liters);
- lead an active lifestyle;
- agree once a week on a protein menu that meets the requirements of the first phase;
- daily consumption of oat bran.
The application of the above recommendations will lead to the success of all those who want to overcome excess weight, and most importantly, to stay at the achieved level or exceed it.
Approved products
You can summarize the list of allowed foods on the Dukan diet:
- meat (beef, veal, pigeon, chicken, quail);
- eggs (chicken, quail, preferably without yolks);
- non-fat dairy and sour-milk products (milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese, yoghurt, cheese);
- seafood in any form and in any quantity;
- crab sticks;
- river and sea fish;
- oat bran;
- vegetables that do not contain or contain a small amount of starch;
- unsweetened fruit;
- various sugar-free drinks, tea coffee;
- spices, condiments, toppings.
In addition to the developed diet plan, nutritionist Dukan also published a cookbook with recipes. The dishes in Dukan's cookbook include only foods from the list of allowed diets, which greatly facilitates the whole process of losing weight and coming up with new dishes.
Among the simplest and most popular dishes are the following:
- "Crab Salad". To prepare it, you will need: half a Chinese cabbage, 4 crab sticks, 4 tablespoons of canned corn. Finely chop the cabbage and crab sticks, mash the cabbage and add salt. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour the salad with lemon juice and homemade lean mayonnaise.
- "Fish meatballs with fresh cheese. " For cooking you will need: 0. 2 kg of fish (salmon), 0. 4 kg of low-fat fresh cheese, 1 chicken egg, 4 tablespoons of oatmeal. Preparation: mix cottage cheese with egg, add small diced skinless fish. Add spices and seasonings to taste. From the resulting mixture, form balls and roll them in oatmeal, put in a pot or grill and fry over low heat. Do not use oil for frying, do everything in a dry pan.
- Yogurt dessert. During the diet, you can treat yourself to dessert, for which you will need: 0. 2 kg of low-fat natural yogurt, chicken eggs - 2 pieces, 50 g of cornstarch. Put all the ingredients in a bowl except the eggs. It is necessary to divide them into proteins and yolks: send the yolks immediately into the finished mixture, and whisk the proteins with a whisk until they become creamy and also add to the mixture. Dessert can be sweetened by substituting sugar, as well as adding flavorings and salt. Pour the resulting mixture into a baking dish and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- "Beef with eggplant. " For two portions, you will need: 0. 3 kg of beef cut into small cubes, 1 eggplant, 2 tomatoes, 0. 150 kg of mushrooms (champignons), 1 clove of garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Preparation: Cut the eggplants into rings or cubes and pour water over them for 30 minutes (bitterness should come out of them). Drain the eggplant water and pat them dry on a paper towel. Cut the tomato into slices and the mushrooms into slices and put them together with the eggplant in the sherpa. Add garlic and parsley, add water and cook for 30 minutes. Take a deeper dish for the oven, put some vegetables on the bottom, then salt and pepper the meat, and the rest of the vegetables on top. Send in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
It is not necessary to use recipes from Dukan's book at all, you can also design your own menu of allowed products that correspond to the diet phase.
How much can you lose a pound
Before we talk about the estimated number of kilograms, it is worth clarifying the factors that affect them:
- the presence of physical activity and its severity: if you do not do sports or at least walk, then you should not talk about a good result;
- lack of sufficient water in the diet: water contributes to weight loss, especially with a protein diet;
- amount of extra pounds: nutritionists say that the higher the indicator of excess weight, the more pounds a person who loses weight can lose;
- the duration of the diet and its individual stages.
The average indicator of weight loss can be considered 5-15 kg. Moreover, each phase has its own changes and weight loss. The first phase of the diet is the most important, because it contributes to the maximum speed of weight loss. The next second phase is marked by small losses, and the third and fourth completely consolidate the result.
Dukan Diet Reviews
First review
"I've heard of the Dukan diet many times, but I didn't dare try it. Somehow scary, a lot of people talk about lower back pain, weakness and weakness. Maybe I'll look for an alternative to this diet. "
Second review
"My husband's sister often visits France. There this diet is just a brand, even in supermarkets there are special shelves for products that suit this diet. She tried this weight loss method herself. The result is 10 kg in 2 months. I will not stop.
I am currently on another diet, but in a month I will go on the Dukan diet to stay in shape until the season.
Third review
"Girls, don't try this diet! I was careless and sat on it until the end. A week later I felt the ground go under my feet, it was dark in my eyes, it creaked in my ears. Pain in my lower back orin the kidneys, I don’t know where, but it’s very scary and dangerous.
I went to the hospital, where the nurse said I was not the first with such a diagnosis. Before you try this diet on yourself, you need to undergo an examination and consult a doctor. A protein diet is very dangerous for the kidneys and can cause tissue damage, so don’t experiment on yourself. "
fourth review
"I have experienced this diet many times. Thank God I have not noticed any side effects. Maybe because the first phase did not last that long (5 days), but in the second phase I did not change the days of protein and protein-vegetable menu, I ate protein and vegetables everyI was satisfied with the results (-8 kg) This diet could be used more often, but it is very expensive, especially in winter.
Fifth review
I recently watched a TV show and there the endocrinologist told me that you can't do without carbohydrates and glucose. Our brain feeds on them, and if they stop entering the body, then the brain first starves and then dies. I don't know if that's it. True or not, I can say anything on TV, but I thought, what if the negative reviews on the Internet are not without reason, and you can actually harm your health?