I first heard about Dukan Diet when it was announced in entertainment news that celebrities like JLo and Gisele Bundchen’s post baby body all returned to normal (both didn’t seem like they had babies at all) due to this diet. Add to the list of this diet’s clientele is Kate Middleton, which reportedly was introduced by her mum Carol.
Losing weight to look good and achieve great health are not just a celebrity’s job. It is your job too and you have the right for it.
Dukan Diet was introduced by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan 10 years ago, which was initially meant for obese people. The diet plan centers on high-protein foods and water. This diet plan undergoes 4 stages namely attack phase, cruise, consolidation and stabilization phase.
There is no calorie counting or food portioning but just diet stages to keep you occupied and fixed to this diet.
Attack – Dr. Dukan, being familiar with all the fad diets invented, knew that dieters would want to see results within a few days. It is also in these first few days that they feel most motivated. With that in mind, Dukan diet’s attack phase involves protein foods. You are to strictly eat protein foods among the 67 choices for quick weight loss results.
Food choices can range from low-fat meat like beef, chicken, fish. On top of these protein foods, you are also asked to eat oat-bran (1 tbsp) and take as much water (preferably 3 liters of water) as you can to relieve you of possible constipation (because of fiber). There are no limits as to how much you can eat as long as you eat whenever you feel hungry. This diet can last 2-7 days, depending on your weight loss goal.
Cruise – You are still to eat protein foods during this stage but you can now eat your usual protein foods along with 28 vegetables. Veggies like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and others. You need to use the diet calculator on the site to know how long you should be in this stage.
Consolidation – First two stages deal with weight loss and the last 2 stages deal with helping you maintain your ideal weight. Dr. Dukan knew that you cannot hope to enjoy life again without you ever tasting your favorite pizza again. In this stage, you are given 2 celebration meals (that is 2 servings of pasta or any of your favorite carbohydrates per week) and the rest would have to be your basic protein and veggies. You may also eat fruits.
The time frame for this stage depends on how much weight you’ve lost during the first two stages. As a general rule, if you’ve lost 1 pound, you have to be in this stage for 5 days. So if you’ve lost 40 pounds, you need to be in this stage for 200 days.
Stabilization – This may also be called monitored freedom stage as you can go back to eating whatever you like so long as you incorporate make sure to incorporate 1 protein day a week. It is also advisable to mark your calendar for Thursday to be your protein-foods-only day. French, for some reason, make it a habit to have Thursday their protein day. 3 tablespoons of oat bran every day is also part of the guidelines.
When you’ve stuck with a diet to a T, you wouldn’t really be able to dislodge yourself from that healthy living lifestyle easily, because at the start of the diet program, you’ve already made a conscious decision to be consistent about it. So when you reach this stage, the guidelines may even already be embedded to your heart that the word dieting does not mean the same anymore.
It’s really your perception of diet that breaks the diet. Instead of saying you’re on a diet, why not think and say that you just want to be kind to your body and eat healthy?
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