{"id":353,"date":"2020-10-14T07:14:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T07:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marshallbrain.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=353"},"modified":"2020-10-14T07:14:06","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T07:14:06","slug":"dukan0","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marshallbrain.com\/dukan0","title":{"rendered":"How the Dukan Diet works – The French diet that is supposed to end the obesity epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Marshall Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you looking for a diet that will take off the pounds and keep them off? People in France seem to have this figured out \u2013 the French are significantly<\/a> less obese than Americans. Why is that? The following article offers a possible explanation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer could lie in their diet. Not the olive oil and red wine Mediterranean diet so popular on the Continent, but a striking weight-loss programme that has been taking the country by storm.<\/p>

When eminent French nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan introduced his Dukan Diet there ten years ago, the book rushed to the top of the French best-seller list and spawned an underground dieting revolution of 200 websites, forums and blogs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The article then goes on, in three parts, to describe the Dukan Diet (or as it is known in France, R\u00e9gime Dukan):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The ultimate diet:The French have kept it a secret for years. Now the protein rich Dukan Diet is coming to Britain<\/a><\/li>
  2. The Dukan Diet: Put your fat cells on a revolutionary weight-loss plan<\/a><\/li>
  3. The Dukan Diet: Want to stay slim for ever? Eat whatever you want \u2013 except on Thursdays<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Like any diet, this French protein diet sounds too good to be true: \u201cIt acknowledges the innate pleasure to be had from eating and, incredibly, promises efficient weight loss while eating unlimited quantities of real food.\u201d It sounds like pie-in-the-sky. Yet I have found that this diet really does work<\/strong>. I have lost more than 50 pounds on this diet and have a day-by-day diary to show you how it happened \u2013 you can see before and after photos here<\/a>). If you would like to consider it, here is a summary of how this diet works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    – Phase 1<\/strong>: Also known as the Attack phase. You eat low-fat protein only. And drink a lot of water (coffee, tea and diet sodas or OK too but they have to be zero calories and zero fat).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your protein is likely to come in the form of meat (low-fat beef, chicken, turkey, fish), but there are also dairy possibilities (e.g. zero-fat yogurt and cottage cheese, etc) and vegetarian\/vegan options (e.g. eggs, tofu, seitan). You can season your protein with anything that is zero fat and zero carbs, like salt, vinegar, onions, mustard, normal spices (oregano, basil, pepper, etc.) and so on. You also add some oat bran (1.5 tablespoons per day) to the mix and a 20-minute walk every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the attack phase, the only thing that will passing your lips is the protein, the oat bran and the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unlike the Atkins diet, the goal is low-fat meat. The article claims that in the first 5 days of eating nothing-but-protein, you could lose between 7 and 10 pounds. See the second article above for details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (OK \u2013 I actually tried a five-day attack phase myself to see what would happen, and I lost 6.6 pounds. Click here<\/a> if you want to see how it went.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    – Phase 2<\/strong>: Also known as the cruise phase. You have days of nothing-but-protein alternated with days of nothing-but-protein-and-vegetables. Salad is included as a vegetable. You continue the oat bran (2 tablespoons per day), the water and the walking (which increases to 30 minutes a day, briskly). You can see why the Dukan diet is also known as the French protein diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You get to pick how you mix the nothing-but-protein days with days of nothing-but-protein-and-vegetables. Some of the mixes you will read about are 5 days of protein only alternated with 4 days of protein and veggies. Or 4\/3. Or you could try other combinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Phase 2 could last for months if you have a lot of weight to lose. How do you know how long you need to be in Phase 2 and when it is time to switch to Phase 3? Also, how do you calculate your correct target weight (which is what marks the end of Phase 2)? You use the calculator on Dukandiet.co.uk<\/a>. One stone equals 14 pounds, by the way. So if you weigh 140 pounds, you weigh 10 stone. If you weigh 142 pounds you weigh 10 stone and 2 pounds. See also: What is your \u201cideal weight\u201d if you want to be healthy?<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What does the menu look like in Phase 2? The vegetables you are allowed to eat are pretty limited, because some things that we consider \u201cvegetables\u201d actually contain a lot of carbs. Things like carrots, peas, corn and potatoes are out, therefore. Green is in. So anything you might normally find in a salad is OK, including: Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions. Also allowed are things like green beans, cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus and celery. You can eat them raw, or steam them, or boil them. Your menu could include soups or stews that combine protein and vegetables. The menu will definitely include salads. This site<\/a> has some recipes for salad dressings, including Vinaigrette Salad Dressing<\/a> and Creamy Salad Dressing<\/a>.\u2013 Week 25<\/a><\/strong> (Success! I lost 1.8 pounds and reached my goal. Includes before and after pictures)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    – Phase 3<\/strong>: Also known as the consolidation phase, this phase starts once you reach your target weight. You don\u2019t lose any weight here \u2013 you just maintain your new weight. The consolidation phase adds a little fruit, bread and cheese to the mix, as well as one \u201ccelebration meal\u201d per week. See article 3 above for details. If you mine through the article you find that a typical menu for the week looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Continue eating protein plus vegetables to your heart\u2019s desire. They are always on the menu.<\/li>
    2. You get one fruit a day, but you are looking for the watery fruits like watermellon, cantelope, apples, etc.<\/li>
    3. You get two slices of whole-grain bread. If you must have butter, make it low-fat. Be stingy with the butter.<\/li>
    4. You get one serving of carbs per week<\/em>. This might be pasta or rice.<\/li>
    5. Your menu expands to include one \u201ccelebration meal\u201d per week<\/em>, where anything goes. But really, if you are losing a significant amount of weight, it has been 6 or 8 months since you had real food. Do you really want to blow it now? I guess if you travel, this meal would allow you to eat one normal restaurant meal a week. As you move to the second half of Phase 3, you get two of these \u201ccelebration meals\u201d per week<\/em>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      If you take a look at the Atkins Diet, you will notice an eerie similarity between the Dukan diet and the Atkins diet. The 4 phases are the same. The emphasis on protein and the lack of carbs is the same. The Dukan diet looks a lot like the Atkins diet minus the fat that the Atkins diet allows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So this all sounds… interesting.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      People have some questions about the downsides, problems and side-effects of the Dukan diet, so let\u2019s go through those:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1) What are the health effects or problems of the Dukan diet? Any side-effects?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      When you look at the health effects of any diet, you have to weigh the tradeoffs. For example, obesity is a big health problem because it can lead to an increased probability of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. If you can lose a lot of weight, those risks generally decline and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As mentioned above, the Dukan diet is similar to the Atkin\u2019s diet, and there has been fairly extensive research on the health effects of the Atkin\u2019s diet.\u00a0This article<\/a>\u00a0summarizes some typical problems that people encounter, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n