The Dukan Diet, having been hugely popular in its native France for many years, is finally global. And that is for the benefit of anyone who takes on its recommendations with dedication.
Why do we say this? Because the Dukan Diet works. Not only does it work, it just makes plain sense. And just to top it all off, if you approach it in the right frame of mind, it doesn’t have to be that difficult.
What is the Dukan Diet?
The diet has in fact been in existence for some 30 years. It was originally developed by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French nutritionist and dietitian. His book, The Dukan Diet, is a bestseller in France.
Let’s get straight into the nuts and bolts. The diet is made up of four stages.
Stage 1 – The ‘Attack’ Phase
This phase can last from 1 to 10 days, and requires extremely strict control of your food-type intake. You are allowed to pick from a list of just 72 foods which are protein or fat-free dairy only. That sounds extremely restrictive (and it is) – but you are allowed to eat as much of the chosen foods as you can stomach. This is intended to be a short term launchpad that knocks anywhere from 2lbs – 14lbs off your weight.
Stage 2 – The ‘Cruise’ Phase
In this phase, the requirements are relaxed slightly. You are now able to choose from a list of 28 vegetables, but you will cycle in and out of protein-only days.
Stage 3 – The ‘Consolidation’ Phase
At this point, ‘normal’ foods are slowly reintroduced to your diet, and you are allowed two ‘splurge’ meals a week where you can go all out with the fatty foods and chocolate.
Stage 4 – The ‘Stabilization’ Phase
This stage is intended to be lifelong. You are now allowed to eat as you wish. There is just one proviso – you still have one protein-only day per week – for the rest of your life.
Does It Work?
This diet can’t not fail. Each stage is finely honed to achieve a specific aim. And when you get to the stabilization phase, exercising a modicum of willpower just once a week keeps you on the straight and narrow. If you find your weight creeping up, then you can just ‘reset’ your weight with a short burst of the cruise phase.
There are various concerns about how healthy the diet is, but from my (purely non-professional standpoint), that doesn’t make a great deal of sense to me. The human body is extremely resilient, and I don’t see how a temporary (albeit restrictive) diet can have a permanent impact.
The best thing is that you don’t have to doom yourself to a life of boring eating. The concept is that you ‘set’ your body at the correct weight, then eat as you wish (with exception to the protein day). Once your weight is set, you should be good to go. In my opinion, the logic of it is unbeatable.
You owe it to yourself to try this diet. It could be a game changer for you.