Dukan diet’s key principles are based on the elimination of carbohydrate-rich foods and introduction of as many proteins as possible. Dukan has developed his method, which, when strictly followed, prevents the occurrence of the yo-yo effect.
Unlike in other diets, following the Dukan Diet your entire life is not tantamount to resigning from everything you like. It is enough (in the Stabilization phase) to eat the recommended products (protein-rich foods) for just one day a week. The diet is divided into four stages, also called phases, all to be followed to ensure that quick, easy and often spectacular weight loss occur and maintain.
Pierre Dukan also highlights that every phase plays an important role in shaping the psyche of an obese person. You should also remember that although you can eat as much as you like on a protein diet, it is recommended to develop a habit of starting to eat even before getting hungry. Firstly, it will help NOT getting the maximum calorific value of the meal. Secondly, it will result in being much less tempted to have any prohibited bites just out of compulsive fit of hunger.
Dukan Diet Explained
At this point I would like to make a digression on something…
In a moment I will attempt to describe all of the four phases of the dukan diet. I believe that what I write here is enough to start diet by yourself, but if you feel you could use some more detailed info note that there’s an ebook on dukan diet that provides much more detailed info (see the sidebar on the right or click here to get more information on the ebook).
Now, back to the point. Dukan Diet consists of 4 phases. They are as follows:
Phase I – The Attack Phase
(also known as Protein Phase or Shock Phase)
During this phase you can eat any quantity of products from specific groups, designated by Dukan. These include:
- Lean meat: lean cuts of turkey, chicken or other permitted types of meat, beef (no entrecote), veal, horse (except for flank steak) – meat can be grilled, cooked or roasted in the oven (do not use additional oil or any other fatty substance)
- Offal: beef and veal liver, tongues – do not eat greasy parts of offal though.
- Fish: generally all fish – sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon, bream, perch, merlan, yard, trout, sole, cod, hake and other white and lean fish, smoked fish, canned fish (only in brine).
- Poultry: except duck and goose. The best choice is chicken and turkey (lean parts, no skin)
- Eggs: unlimited (if your cholesterol level is OK). Organic eggs recommended.
- Seafood: prawns, crabs, oysters – shellfish and crustaceans. Generally everything.
- Non-fat / skimmed dairy products: yoghurt, cheese, cottage cheese, buttermilk, sour milk, quark, fromage fraise and skim milk.
To enrich the flavour of your meals you can use garlic, parsley, onion, thyme and other spices. You should not overdo salt – it retains water in your body. During this phase, you are not allowed to use sugar, but you can sweeten coffee or tea with a sweetener. You can eat as much and as often as you like. It is recommended to supplement the diet with 1,5 – 2 tablespoons of oat bran daily.
It is forbidden to eat anything outside of the list – sweets, fruit, fat dairy products, potatoes or pasta. It is also forbidden to drink fruit juices, but you must drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day – it is necessary for good filtration of kidneys, which are a bit strained by increased amounts of proteins in your system.
Phase I lasts for approximately 5 days, although its duration depends on the degree of obesity – the more obese you are, the longer the attack phase should last.
Further reading on Phase I:
Dukan Diet Phase I: How long does it take?
Attack Phase Memento Printable Sheet
Dukan Diet Safe Food List: Pt. I Meat and Offal. Printable Sheet.
Dukan Diet eBook: The Secret of Celebrities
Phase II – Cruise Phase
Phase II introduces vegetables into your menu. You will be taking turns in having “protein-only days” and days in which the protein-rich foods can (and should) be combined with vegetables. Dukan suggests several ways to combine these two types of menu.
Protein diet may be used in the following systems:
1 on 1 (one day with vegetables, one without ‘em) – recommended for people who find it difficult to settle for monotonous protein diet,
7 on 7 or 5 on 5. For people who want to slow down the process of weight loss,
The cycle 2 on 5 is recommended, in which two days are the protein-only days, and the rest – vegetable ones.
You can read more about the Phase II scenarios and recommendations here:
Dukan Diet Phase II: Weight Loss
Not all vegetables are allowed. You should reject those which contain a large amount of carbohydrates (potatoes, legumes, rice, and artichoke). You can eat: tomatoes, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers, carrots, beetroots, radishes, cabbage, celery, chicory. Mushrooms are also allowed.
The second phase lasts until the dieter reaches his or her desired weight. On average, it is assumed that one week of dieting stands for 1 kg or 2.2 pounds loss. In practice, this is an individual matter and duration of Phase II may differ for each person.
Phase III – Consolidation Phase
It begins at the moment of reaching your dream weight and lasts for 10 days per kilogram lost (or 5 days for every pound). At this stage, you adapt your body (and, what’s even more important – your mind), to include new products in your diet without strict nutritional regime, but with the knowledge that we will have to pay for “binge eating”.
At this stage in addition to all of the products introduced in earlier phases, you can eat: whole grain bread (not more than two slices a day), potatoes, cheese, pasta, rice (not more than twice a week). Two times a week we are allowed to have a sumptuous dinner with red wine, but at the cost of the next day menu being downgraded to the Phase I food selection.
This adaptation provides not only the space for our body to learn again how to digest carbohydrates, but it also allows you to get rid of the habit of compulsive eating and form the “counter-habit” of self-control and punishment (with protein-only day).
Further reading:
Dukan Diet Phase III: Condolidation before final Stabilization, What Can I Eat
Phase IV – The Definitive Stabilization Phase
After the completion of Phase III we are entering the final stage. The rules are simple – for the whole week you can eat what you want, and once a week you have to eat proteins only (such as in phase I). It is recommended to choose one day in a week, which will be your fixed day for proteins. Dukan advises Thursday, but it may well be any day of the week. Having a fixed day is important; it allows transforming a habit into a ritual, which is hard to break – thereby increases the chances that the diet will be maintained. Another important element of Phase IV of the diet is to consume three tablespoons of oat bran a day.
Of course, even during the final phase you should avoid sugar (do not sugar coffee or tea – you can use sweeteners instead, especially those of natural origin like stevia or xylitol, more on sweeters in dukan diet here) and eating sweets is not advised ever.
Further reading:
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