The Dukan Diet Explained

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Today I’m going to be highlighting a diet that is fairly new to the US although it’s been around for quite some time.  I didn’t know much about it before, but after reading about it and researching it, I’m tempted to give it a try myself.

The Dukan Diet is the brainchild of French doctor, Dr. Pierre Dukan, MD, who has over 35 years of experience in clinical nutrition. Around a decade ago, Dr. Dukan revealed his proposed eating plan, and it took the world by storm. While in theory, it’s quite simple, the execution is a little more complex.

The Dukan Diet has 4 phases…2 to help you lose weight and 2 to help you keep it off forever.  The Dukan Diet claims to put you in a position where you can eat anything you like for the rest of your life after you pass through the initial phases. Many people, including some well known celebrities, swear by it, and use it to maintain their perfect figures. It’s rumored that Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, used the Dukan diet before her wedding to Prince William.

Phase One – The Attack Phase

During this phase you are restricted to eating only lean meat.  The reason for this is simple: Protein is the hardest of all the food groups to process internally and thus yields the smallest number of calories processed and digested, relative to the amount consumed. Doing this you will force your system to work harder to digest its food.  It will also speed up your metabolism drastically.

Phase Two – The Cruise Phase

During the cruise phase, a number of additional foods – mostly vegetables – are allowed. While these are a little easier to digest, your body will still not be able to extract much in terms of caloric intake and will still need to work hard, metabolically speaking.

Phase Three – The Consolidation Phase

During the consolidation phase, more foods are added to the list of allowed foods. While some of these foods are easier to digest and absorb, your body’s metabolism has at this point been sped up so much that the other foods don’t really pose a problem in terms of weight gain.

Phase Four – The Stabilization Phase

During the stabilization phase, you can eat whatever you like.  You’re probably thinking “What’s the catch?” and there is a catch.  Each week you have to revert back to lean meat for one full day to try to keep the consumption of rich foods within moderate limits.  Keeping up this pattern will keep your metabolism running at peak level and will allow your body to cruise through the challenges thrown its way during the other days of the week.

Theoretically, this diet is brutally effective. The Dukan Diet Success Stories are quite compelling.

On the negative side, however, you will have to watch out for possible constipation – especially during the first week when you don’t consume any fiber.  You can help combat this issue by drinking as much water as possible.

Boredom can also be an issue on this diet since your diet is quite restricted during the initial phases.

Lastly, this diet can become quite expensive since you eat so much meat all the time…especially if you have a healthy appetite!

Have you tried The Dukan Diet?  Leave a comment!  I’d love to hear about your experience (and whether you recommend trying it).

Not sure this is the diet plan for you?  Check out other diet plans in my Explanations of Popular Diet Plans series.