Dukan diet promises a sure shot opportunity for weight loss in overweight people. Know how it works, in this article.
The Dukan diet was first launched in France about 10 years ago. Well-known nutritionist Dr. Pierre Dukan devised this diet plan for weight loss. Ever since, this diet plan has garnered rave reviews, with the likes of Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez amongst its followers. Even recently, this diet was in the news as it was speculated that Kate Middleton followed this diet to lose weight before her royal wedding. The Dukan diet is divided into four main phases, which are elaborated in this article. So, let us find out all about this diet plan in this article.
Dukan Diet for Weight Loss
The Dukan diet for weight loss relies on high protein, low calorie foods for achieving rapid weight loss. While rapid weight loss is the motive behind this diet, the weight that you lose does not come back to you. Generally, it has been found that crash diets that allow you to lose weight quickly also pile up the lost pounds at the same rate. The Dukan diet supposedly keeps the lost pounds away for life. It works through 4 phases, over a period of several months, depending upon your weight loss goal. The 4 phases of the Dukan diet are explained below.
Attack Phase
This phase is characterized by rapid weight loss. Dieters can expect to lose a whopping 7 pounds in the first phase itself. However, the condition is that dieters are allowed to eat only lean protein foods, minus any carbs, fats etc. Fish, eggs, poultry, lean beef, pork and low/no fat dairy products form the core of this phase. Dieters can notice the difference after 4th day itself. During this period, dieters are prevented from eating vegetables, fruits or any carbohydrate rich foods. As a result, they may face constipation problems due to the lack of fiber. Fiber content can be added to the diet in the form of oat bran, which becomes a part of your diet for the rest of the program. The attack phase may last for 1 to 10 days, depending upon the desired weight loss goal.
Cruise Phase
The Cruise phase is one in which lean proteins and non starchy vegetables are alternated. You can choose from any of the 28 recommended vegetables for this phase. During this phase, you are supposed to eat only lean proteins on one day and lean proteins + non starchy vegetables on the other day. Some dieters also choose to divide their week between these two diet forms by repeating one diet on subsequent days. Meaning, you can have lean proteins on 3 consecutive days, followed by a diet of lean proteins + non starchy vegetables on the other day.
Consolidation Phase
The Consolidation phase is a somewhat relaxed phase of the diet, in which dieters are pretty much allowed to eat normal meals. However, portion size matters a great deal during this phase. Thus, dieters can choose to eat unlimited lean proteins and non starchy vegetables, but only a small amount of starchy vegetables and 1 serving of low sugar fruit. Besides, they can also eat 1 slice of whole grain bread, and a portion of hard cheese. Dieters are encouraged to take a 20 minute walk during this phase.
Stabilization Phase
During the stabilization phase, dieters can continue to go on the same diet as the previous phase. However, during this phase they must stick to an all-protein diet on one day of the week. Incidentally, this phase continues for life for the dieter.
Dukan Diet Problems
Although Dukan diet reviews are mostly positive, there are certainly some issues with this diet form. Firstly, a high protein diet may make you feel constipated all the time. This problem can be alleviated by taking oat bran. Besides, bad breath, fatigue are some other undesirable effects of this diet form. Some experts believe that the rapid weight loss during the first phase may not be healthy. High protein intake for a prolonged period may also contribute to some liver and kidney problems.
Thus, one must consider all the pros and cons of the Dukan diet before starting it. You can look for other healthier diet forms which focus equally on exercises. This way your chances of losing weight in a healthy way are more.
