The Dukan Diet
1. For those who have not done the Dukan Diet or heard of it what is it all about?
The Dukan Diet is a simple, accessible, natural, 4-phase structure, which provides long-term, sustainable weight loss. The first two stages are programmed to help you lose weight. They are based on 100 natural foods, 72 protein rich foods and 28 vegetables that you may eat as much as you want of, making it possible to lose weight without hunger. The final two stages are created to help you to maintain your new weight. The latter two stages of the diet are what make it so unique and are the root of the diet’s success. The very final stage, isn’t a diet as such, rather a list of simple, un-negotiable rules which must be followed for life.
2. The questions on every dieters mind of course is how quickly can you lose weight on this plan?
Weight loss is a personal journey, every body responds and reacts differently, but the benefit of the Attack phase is that it works very quickly and efficiently – most Dukan Dieters will see a dramatic weight loss in just 2-3 days. As a guide average weight loss is as follows:
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Weight Loss* |
Women |
Men |
|
For 3 kg / 6.5 lbs
|
3 days Attack Phase 10 days Cruse Phase 30 days Consolidation
|
2 days Attack Phase 8 days Cruse Phase 30 days Consolidation
|
|
For 5 kg / 11 lbs
|
4 days Attack Phase 21 days Cruse Phase 50 days Consolidation
|
3 days Attack Phase 15 days Cruse Phase 50 days Consolidation
|
|
For 10 kg / 22lbs
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5 days Attack Phase 8 weeks Cruse Phase 100 days Consolidation
|
4 days Attack Phase 6 weeks Cruse Phase 100 days Consolidation
|
*Average weight loss table for both men and women
To create your personal weight loss plan check out our free online True Weight calculator at the Dukan Diet website.
3. The plan does sound very familiar to Atkins, so how does it differ from this?
The only common factor found between the Dukan Diet and Atkins is that they both agree that protein-rich diets are the key to weight loss, but that is where the similarity ends. Atkins allowed unlimited fats, which can be dangerous - the Dukan Diet does not. Atkins also didn’t have a plan in place to maintain the weight loss, meaning once dieters stopped following the Atkins rules, the weight was immediately regained.
The Dukan Diet however provides a very clear 4 stage structure – 2 to lose the weight and 2 to maintain the weight for the rest of your life. With the Dukan Diet, as soon as a person has reached their True Weight, they are taken care of immediately and they go into the third phase. This phase is crucially important for avoiding the rebound effect that comes from the body managing its resources economically. This phase includes ALL the foods you need to be in good health and enjoy eating but it cuts out foods that have no nutritional value whatsoever and only provide pleasure from addiction. This phase lasts 5 days for every pound lost and provides you with a system to follow once the actual weight-loss diet is over. Once this phase comes to an end, you can start the fourth phase, permanent stabilisation and the purpose of this phase is to prevent you from regaining any of the weight you have just lost by following three minimal measures namely Protein Thursdays, 20 minutes walking and giving up lifts and escalators and 3 tablespoonfuls of oat bran.
By this point, without even intending to, the person using the diet will have changed their relationship with food. If someone has put on weight, this has to be because they have eaten food containing too many carbs and too much fat. By losing weight with the Dukan Diet, they will have developed the habit of eating high-protein foods and vegetables. Once they go back to eating what they want, such habits are not lost entirely and even though any food may now be eaten, they will still eat a little more proteins and vegetables and supported by the 3 stabilization measures, 50 % of dieters after 3 years manage to keep their weight stabilised.
4. What are the benefits of choosing this diet over any other?
It genuinely works! If followed through all 4 stages you will see immediate results that will last a lifetime.
While other diets focus solely on losing weight and calorie-counting, which can be confusing, the Dukan diet is simple in that dieters can eat as much as they want of pre-allocated foods and provides a structure for sustained weight loss guaranteeing the maintenance of the goal weight.
Followers of the Dukan diet are able to eat as much as they like from a list of allowed foods, which means the frustration of hunger, one of the most common causes for a diet failing, is eliminated. Furthermore, Dukan online coaching ensures that each diet is personalised and tailored towards the individual.
5. Where can people on this plan seek out advice and support whilst on this?
The dukandiet.co.uk is the number one diet coaching site in the UK, with over one million Britons calculating their True Weight to date. The Dukan diet’s on-line forum is the strongest slimming community on the web, enabling fellow dieters to share tips and provide support for one another. Another unique feature of the Dukan Diet is that members also have access to on-line advice, support and encouragement in real-time by Dukan experts. So if, for example, a dieter has “broken the rules” by eating or drinking something outside the plan, remedial action is offered without criticism or judgement. At scheduled times every week Dr Pierre Dukan is also available for live web chats and Q&As.
6. What are the side effects of this diet?
There are no side effects whatsoever with Dr Dukan’s diet when it is followed properly and with common sense. If you are pregnant, have problems with your kidneys, diabetes or are suffering from any other illness or undergoing any serious medical treatment, you should not follow my diet unless with the support of your GP. There is however a rather impressive list of positive health benefits including reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol and prevention of problems caused by weight gain.
7. There are FOUR stages to the diet, so what can you tell us about these?
The Dukan Diet’s unique four phase structure provides a strong support structure for the dieter to take ownership, follow the diet and stabilise their weight long term:
Phase 1: A brief ATTACK phase with immediate results - lasting from two to seven days whereby you can eat as many of the 100 protein foods as you like.
Phase 2: A CRUISE phase that continues uninterrupted until the true weight is reached. Dieters alternate pure protein days with protein and vegetable days to reach their target weight with an average weight loss of 2lbs per week.
Phase 3: A CONSOLIDATION phase lasting five days for every pound lost. This phase is designed to reintroduce dieters to the ‘pleasure’ of food whilst prevent the rebound effect that occurs after any rapid form of weight loss. You can add cheese, bread, fruits, starchy food and ‘Celebration’ meals.
Phase 4: A STABILISATION phase based on three simple principles to counter-act any mild weight gain:
- Eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran per day
- Regular exercise (min 20 mins walk per day)
- Have a Pure Protein Attack day once a week.
8.Have you been on the plan yourself?
Yes, when I need to, which is usually after Christmas and the New Year or after the summer holidays. In fact, my eating habits fit with the framework for the third phase in my programme, the stabilization phase where in addition to eating proteins and vegetables, I have 2 portions of fruits a day, mostly apples, two slices of whole meal bread in the morning and two oat bran galettes per day, a portion of cheese (tomme de Savoie) and twice a week I have a portion of pasta with tomato sauce and parmesan along with two celebration meals, always on Friday evenings and very often on Monday evenings too. I also go running every morning for 25 minutes. With this diet, I keep my weight stable; I am 1.78 metre and I weigh 74 kilos / 11 stone 9 lbs.
9. What is the best feedback or story you have had of someone who has been on this plan?
In 1998, a young woman came in to see me. She was incredibly unhappy and worryingly obese. Part of the problem was that she was a baker -so constantly surrounded by temptation – but as I worked with her it became clear she was eating for comfort and to fill a void caused by a string of unhappy relationships. She was determined to turn her life around and after just a few weeks of working with her she had lost a great deal of weight. After a few months she had completely metamorphosed, radiating confidence. After a loss of more than 40 kilos, she was a completely different woman and stopped coming to see me. The next time I saw her, was back in my practice, she was holding a very young baby and she said to me: “Doctor, you’ve changed my life. Since gaining back my figure and my confidence, I met a man of quality, I married him and I delivered this little boy. I just wanted to thank you…..may I introduce my son Pierre!”. This was the best compliment I could ever receive, to have a child named after you, is such an honour.
10. How easy is it to stick to?
Incredibly easy! Especially as you guaranteed support at every stage with the Dukan Diet book, recipe book and website. Dukan online coaching provides daily instructions on permitted foods, for each of the different phases, as well as recipes and personalised menus. Followers have access to a dedicated customer support team; offering daily exercise and motivation tips, the Dukan forum; a community for fellow followers, and live webchats with Dr. Dukan himself.
11. What are the most important things to remember if you are going to follow this plan?
For the very best results, all 4 phases of my diet must be followed. I don’t know a single person who has followed all 4 phases and not lost weight and more importantly, kept it off. I guarantee if you follow the Dukan Diet through all four phases you will lose weight and keep it off forever.
Female First Lucy Walton