5 essential principles of the Ducan diet + the opinion of doctors

When a woman has made a firm decision to lose weight and starts searching the Internet for the best diet that gives almost immediate results, then it's hard to stop her. Especially after reading the praises in favor of one method or another. Today we will find out what the Ducan diet is, how effective it is, dispel myths and familiarize yourself with the criticisms.

The Ducan diet: all the important nuances

The Dukan diet is based on the use of protein-rich foods and contributes to weight loss from one and a half to fifty kilograms. Tempting? Obviously!

But how safe is it for health? Let's find out.

Identity of the author

French general practitioner Pierre Dukan, whose diet once excited millions of overweight people, has been developing it for twenty years.

In the mid-seventies of the last century, obesity was being combated through a diet that included low-carbohydrate foods. Dukan, on the other hand, has invented a new technique consisting of four phases - attack, alternation, consolidation and stabilization - which allow not only to lose weight, but also to maintain weight in a constant state.

Since then, Ducan has undertaken the study of protein-rich foods and their effects on the human body. Twenty years later, he wrote the book I Can't Lose Weight, which has sold over ten million worldwide. From that moment began the most beautiful hour of the former neurologist.

After the opinion polls conducted, it was found that 35% of people who lost weight according to the Ducan method returned the lost kilograms within a year. 80% regained their previous weight within four years.

Basic principles

• Approved products.Losing weight is allowed to eat foods rich in animal and vegetable proteins, which are easily absorbed by the body and contribute to weight loss.
• Movement.Physical activity is essential: morning exercises, gym or at least walking on rough terrain. Or you can clean the apartment every day by moving vigorously with a rag. Here, as they say, everyone chooses how to increase their activity: fitness or weeding in the garden.
• Water!Don't forget to drink one and a half to two liters of clean water a day.
• Bran.They are essential as a source of fiber, which contributes to proper digestive processes.
• Calculator.Before starting a diet, you need to calculate your Dukan weight to know how many days you need to dedicate to one or the other phase.

Opinion of doctors on diet

If you completely exclude carbohydrates from your diet or significantly reduce their amount, the body, willy-nilly, will start taking in the missing energy, breaking down the fat. But first it will consume all the glycogen stores stored in the liver and only then will it come to the fat reserves on the hips and hips.

Glycogen is an energy reserve, thanks to which the body can quickly replenish the lack of glucose. Its amount in the liver in an adult is 100-120 g.

If you empty your glycogen stores, ketosis will begin: the breakdown of fat with the formation of large numbers of ketone cells (acetone). A high concentration of glucose and acetone bodies in the blood can lead to an acid-base imbalance towards an increase in acid. Long-term disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism ultimately leads to diabetic ketoacidotic coma.

Those interested in the Ducan diet should know that a positive result without compromising health will only be if the pancreas is able to produce enough insulin, which lowers the concentration of glucose in the blood.

Low-carbohydrate diets are particularly dangerous for people who have metabolic disorders and may not even know it, as these disorders do not manifest themselves with the usual diet. As a result, acidosis can develop, which is manifested by frequent headaches, chronic fatigue, arrhythmias or heart palpitations, constant drowsiness and weakness.

Phase 1. Attack

This is the hardest and most difficult time. It usually does not exceed seven days; the Ducan calculator will show you a more precise figure.

Rules

At this time, it is necessary to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the diet and increase the use of protein products. The body is saturated with protein, rebuilds metabolism and quickly destroys body fat.

Start each morning with a tablespoon of oat bran. During the day, you can eat any food from the allowed list and in unlimited quantities. They must be baked in the oven, boiled or steamed. Don't forget water, as most drinks are banned, it's almost the only source of liquid.

The body begins to rebuild, so you shouldn't fully devote yourself to sports, it's better to just walk or just exercise.

Estimated weight loss - 2-5 kg.

Criticism

The "Attack" phase really allows you to reduce weight by a certain number of kilograms (this indicator is individual for everyone), but this is not done by burning fat, but by dehydration. But losing weight sees the values ​​on the scales change, they are encouraged and continue to aggravate the nutritional imbalance.

The body is affected by the almost complete elimination of carbohydrates from the body. The person begins to feel weakness, fatigue, irritability. Right now, it's best for his family and colleagues to stay away from him - mood swings can ruin the emotional background of the family and team for a long time.

The Chinese with great imagination approached the choice of execution for criminals. The bad guys were punished in a sophisticated enough way to suffer as long as possible before they died. The condemned were fed for a long time with only meat, after which the unfortunate died in severe pain due to the processes of putrefaction in the intestines and poisoning the body with toxins.

Carbohydrates are essential for humans to properly break down proteins and fats. If they do not enter the body, then an obligatory imbalance, metabolic disorders and intoxication await them.

During the "attack" excess proteins quickly begin to excrete water, which greatly increases the kidney load. Moreover, an intelligent organism tries to defend itself and tries by all means to retain the precious liquid within itself. As a result, when changing stages and introducing more benign dietary conditions, many begin to notice edema even after eating a tomato.

One gram of carbohydrate retains 4 ml of liquid, and after carbohydrate deficiency, this figure increases significantly. If a breakdown occurs, and it is inevitable due to energy decline and imbalance, you are unlikely to eat ordinary buckwheat - you will be attracted to sweet, starchy foods. And given the increasing water retention, the figure on the scale will definitely not please.

Allowed products

This step includes 72 protein-rich foods, which you can find on sites that promote this diet. Among them - lean meat, poultry, fish and seafood, low-fat milk and its derivatives, eggs. True, during the day you can eat only two full-fledged eggs with yolk and protein, and if the yolk is excluded, the restrictions are lifted - eat as much as you want.

You will definitely have to say goodbye to:

• coffee and tea;
• salt, mustard and spices;
• vinegar;
• all kinds of vegetables - no herbs, vegetables, fruits and in general a total ban on plant foods;
• oils and fats, both of vegetable and animal origin;
• alcohol and most drinks.

You can only eat protein foods!

Weekly menu

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Chicken eggs cooked in the oven with milk.	Chicken soup. Boiled chicken meat.	Curd casserole.
Tuesday	Steamed cheesecakes.	Lean meat soup, boiled egg.	Baked meat.
Wednesday	Bran pancakes.	Meatball soup.	Boiled chicken breast.
Thursday	Steamed or boiled fish.	Lean Chicken Soup. Boiled liver, kefir.	Chicken cutlets, skim milk.
Friday	Boiled eggs, chicken nuggets, breaded with oat bran.	Salmon ear. Boiled chicken fillet.	Fish cocktail.
Saturday	Shrimp omelette.	Beef steaks.	Baked mackerel, kefir.
Sunday	Grilled chicken breast.	Chicken broth with hard-boiled eggs.	Cottage cheese, skim milk or kefir.

Ducan diet recipes for the attack phase

In order not to reinvent the wheel and not invent what to cook, you can use ready-made recipes according to Dukan.

Minced ribs

You can take any type of lean meat: chicken, turkey, rabbit or beef. It is finely chopped or passed through a meat grinder, a raw egg is added, then it is beaten well and buns are formed.

Each flatbread is dipped in an egg and breaded in oat bran. Prepare the ribs on the grill, in a slow cooker in "Baking" mode or fried in an oil-free Teflon pan.

Chicken soup

Everything is simple here. The chicken breast is boiled until tender, cut into small pieces or ground with a blender and thrown back into the boiling broth. Beat a couple of eggs with a fork and pour them into the broth in a thin stream. The protein soup is ready in minutes.

Phase 2. Alternation or "Cruise"

This is the most important step in Dukan's method of losing weight. In the second stage, the desired indulgence begins. What is that?

Rules

Another 28 are added to the 72 previously allowed products, mainly vegetables. The duration of the period depends on the expected weight loss: a week is allotted for one kilogram.

During this period, there is an alternation of protein and vegetable protein days. The body is already somewhat used to "bullying" and nutritional inaccuracies, so weight loss will not be as active.

If you need to get rid of five kilograms, the alternation mode will be in protein day, vegetable protein day. From 5 to 10 kg - 2/2 or 3/3 scheme. And over ten kilograms - 5/5.

And if in the first phase it was possible to eat an unlimited number of protein products, then the vegetable portions are regulated here.

Statistics say that at this stage, an average person loses no more than 400-500g of weight per week. This means that the diet is far from fast and effective as it is "heralded" by interested parties.

Criticism

So what do we have at this stage? Not 72 products, but 100! It's just a belly feast!

The weight loss period is quite long, you need to adhere to a special program - alternating days of protein and vegetable protein until the weight reaches the desired figure. If you need to lose a dozen kilograms, in three months you may not take yourself to the grave. But it's scary to think what harm are done to those who need to get rid of 30-40-50 kg!

Allowed products

During this period raw, boiled, baked or steamed vegetables are allowed.You can diversify your diet with some dry wine (no more than 100g), low-fat cheese, mustard, low-fat lactic acid products and also:

• tomatoes and cucumbers;
• carrots;
• cabbage;
• beetroot;
• green beans;
• zucchini;
• mushrooms;
• radishes;
• eggplant;
• asparagus;
• red pepper.

But don't forget that frying or adding oil is strictly prohibited. And no one canceled the obligatory bran, at this stage their daily intake increases to two tablespoons.

The following foods are prohibited:

• starchy - potatoes, avocado, legumes, artichokes, corn;
• any cereal;
• industrial sauces - mayonnaise, ketchup and others;
• sweets and pastries;
• fat.

Weekly menu

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	An omelette made with chicken eggs and skimmed milk. Fresh grated carrots.	Vegetable soup. Beef steak.	Baked meat. Fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs.
Tuesday	Hard-boiled eggs. Fresh vegetables.	Mushroom soup. Vegetable stew with pieces of chicken breast.	Baked mackerel marinated with mustard.
Wednesday	Curd. Boiled egg. Kefir or low-fat milk.	Vegetable and meatball soup. Steamed fish cakes with aromatic herbs.	Chicken breast.
Thursday	Chicken cutlets. Fresh vegetables.	Chicken broth with eggs and herbs. Lean boiled meat.	Cheesecake or curd casserole.
Friday	Low-fat yogurt. Omelette with vegetables.	Fish soup. Boiled salmon.	Grilled chicken breast with vegetables. Kefir.
Saturday	Cucumber and tomato salad. Fried eggs.	Cauliflower or broccoli soup. Turkey cutlets.	Zucchini fritters. Baked fish.
Sunday	Curd casserole. Low fat milk.	Thick soup of vegetable puree. Steamed cutlets with vegetables.	Hake fillet stewed in milk.

Ducan diet recipes for alternating phases

In this phase, the culinary possibilities expand considerably and Ducan's recipes are more numerous and varied.

Snack of zucchini and chicken with ricotta

The chicken fillet is finely chopped or passed through a meat grinder. To the minced meat, spices, onions and garlic are added.

The courgettes are cut into circles, the central part is cut out to create a depression in which the minced meat, the tomato ring, the ricotta are placed and sprinkled with black pepper.

The appetizer is baked in the oven for half an hour.

Stuffed champignons

• In large champignons, the thighs are carefully separated, finely chopped and stewed in their own juice until tender.
• Chicken fillet is boiled, chopped and combined with stewed mushrooms.
• The resulting mass is filled with low-fat natural yogurt and put into mushroom capsules.
• The stuffed mushrooms are baked in a well heated oven for 40 minutes at 180 ° C.
• Before serving, the champignons are decorated with finely chopped herbs.

Phase n. 3. Consolidation or consolidation

The lost weight must be saved. The third phase of the diet is aimed at this.

Rules

• Numerous other products are added to the diet, it is allowed to organize a "belly party" with high-calorie dishes twice a week. The serving size should not exceed 220g.
• At least once a week, you will need to eat pure protein food. This day is called "protein Thursday" by the adherents of the diet, but it is possible to choose any other day of the week, but it is desirable that it occurs after the excesses of "vacation".
• Mandatory bran should be consumed daily for 2, 5 tablespoons. And don't forget to drink clean water - at least one and a half liters a day.

The stage is designed for quite a long time - for every ten days 1 kg is lost during the alternation phase. If in the second phase you have lost 15 kg, the third phase will last 150 days.

Criticism

If you are still alive and relatively healthy after the first two stages, we will continue to analyze our fascinating research "How to ruin your health in search of an ideal figure and at the same time make fun of your loved ones".

The theory says that the body will try to recover the lost kilograms by any means. He longs for it, you, as a result, try to resist no less passionately.

Well, what can I say, the body is exhausted, dehydrated, devoid of many useful substances. And now he is given one hundred grams of wholemeal bread a day, a small portion of fruit and a "feast" of a one-time intake of complex carbohydrates per week, after which it is necessary to organize a fasting day with pure protein.

It is at this stage, when the yummy is allowed, that the weight can begin to "jump" like a child's yo-yo. The feeling of hunger is markedly exacerbated, the hands that take the hands are led to eat forbidden foods or extend the "holidays".

The problems with nails, skin and hair are starting to bother me again. Losing weight causes weakness, weakness, drowsiness, chills often occur. In general, once again everything goes wrong.

Allowed products

At this point, you can enter the diet:

• fruit, with the exception of bananas and grapes (not more than 100 g per day);
• wholemeal bread (literally two slices);
• low-fat cheese;
• Starchy vegetables: legumes, rice, potatoes and corn
• durum wheat pasta;
• a little honey;
• spices.

Obviously the products of the first two phases are preserved.

Weekly menu

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Curd casserole. Tea.	Goldfish ear. A slice of wholemeal bread. Fruit.	Baked chicken fillet with vegetables. Kefir.
Tuesday	Oatmeal with milk. Boiled egg.	Vegetable soup. Pasta. Boiled veal.	Fish cakes. Fresh vegetable salad. Curd mousse with fruit pieces.
Wednesday	Omelette with mushrooms and cheese.	Green bean soup. Baked fish.	Beef stew with vegetables. Sponge cake with berries.
Thursday (protein day)	Curd. Hard-boiled eggs.	Chicken broth. Boiled fish.	Meat, chicken or seafood.
Friday	Cheesecake or curd casserole.	Borsch. Chicken cutlets.	Mashed potatoes. Fresh vegetable salad.
Saturday	Buckwheat milk porridge.	Mushroom soup with meatballs. A slice of wholemeal bread. Risotto with vegetables.	Vegetable stew. Steamed cutlets.
Sunday	Fried eggs. Cheese. Coffee.	Sorrel soup with hard-boiled eggs. Boiled chicken. Fruit.	Vegetable salad. Fish cocktail. Compote of dried fruit.

Ducan recipes

Salad with lightly salted salmon

Ingredients:

• salmon - 150 g;
• lettuce leaves;
• cherry tomatoes - 5-7 pcs. ;
• green apple - 1 pc. ;
• fresh cucumbers - 2 pcs. ;
• Feta - 140 g;
• lemon juice - 3 tablespoons;
• sugar - 2 tsp;
• wine vinegar - 1 tsp;
• red pepper - to taste;
• olive oil;
• chopped coriander or parsley.

All salad components are cut into arbitrary slices, mixed and seasoned with lemon juice. Such a salad can be prepared for a festive table, and your guests will not even suspect that they are eating a dish of Ducan.

Creamy salmon soup

Ingredients:

• salmon fillet - 300 g;
• onions - 2-3 heads;
• low-fat cream - 100 ml;
• potatoes - 2-3 pcs. ;
• medium sized carrots - 1 pc. ;
• vegetables, spices - to taste;
• vegetable oil for frying.

First you need to boil the red fish fillet broth and the whole onion. The rest of the onion is finely chopped and fried together with the grated carrots.

The potatoes are peeled, cut into cubes or slices as usual. A fish is removed from the broth and crushed.

Vegetables, fish and spices are sent to the boiling broth for 20-30 minutes. After the potatoes are cooked, you can add the cream.

Finely chopped vegetables are poured into a dish before serving.

Phase 4. Stabilization

Finally, at this stage, you can eat whatever your heart desires if you follow the mandatory rules.

Rules

• Eat only protein foods once a week.
• The daily portion of bran is not canceled: now you need to eat it in three tablespoons.
• Water consumption should remain unchanged - at least one and a half liters per day.
• The diet should be as balanced as possible. To do this, it is recommended to eat a slice of cheese, two starchy vegetables, a couple of slices of wholemeal bread, vegetables, protein products and fruit every day for dessert.
• Meal size should be moderate, more often than large.
• Fatty fish should be replaced with other seafood.
• Obligatory physical activity must be preserved. Make a rule for climbing stairs, avoiding elevators.
• Try to avoid stress.

You should follow these guidelines throughout your life if you don't want to gain excess weight again.

Criticism

As soon as the desired results have been achieved, most of those who are losing weight break free and indulge in "all bad". They go back to their old diet and start EATING!

Now think, why did you need this torment, if in the same year you could have lost weight simply by removing fast carbohydrates, sausages, fries and pickles from your diet? At the same time, one should not limit oneself to a hundred products and deprive the body of the complex carbohydrates it needs so much.

Contraindications

Dukan's diet is strictly forbidden for people suffering from:

• kidney disease and kidney failure;
• cholecystitis;
• pressure problems;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• stomach ulcer;
• intestinal dyskinesia;
• atherosclerosis;
• stones in the gallbladder.

Do not experiment on yourself for breastfeeding mothers-to-be, although Dukan has developed a special method for pregnant women. Refrain from this "treatment" of obesity in children, adolescents and the elderly.

Pros and cons of the Dukan diet

If you believe the creator of the diet, the advantages of the method of losing weight are as follows.

• For a long time, the weight will remain unchanged after losing weight to the desired values.
• The diet is completely safe and highly effective.
• You can eat permitted foods in any quantity and whenever you want. And considering there are more than a hundred, you can always diversify your menu with delicious dishes.
• The result is evident from the first days.

It would seem - eat as much as you want and when you want, and lose weight! History! But if you take off your rose-tinted glasses and dig deeper, then a harsh reality appears before us in all its glory. That means.

• Fats are almost completely excluded from the diet, and this is fraught with deterioration of the skin condition and many diseases: atherosclerosis develops, cholesterol metabolism is disturbed, the reproductive system is inhibited, the stategeneral mental worsens, as the nervous system is not functioning properly.
• The diet is not balanced, which means that the body is not getting enough nutrients and elements.
• Any restriction and refusal of certain products leads to a "shock" to the body, so a person begins to feel weakness, fatigue, his performance decreases.
• According to the diet, you have to eat oat bran every day and it is not sold in every corner.

Conclusion

Each person is a smith of his own happiness and also decides how to manage his body. He can be cared for and fed either lying on the sofa or while practicing sports in the gym. Or subject it to extreme stress in the form of popular, but rather sophisticated diets, such as the Ducan method.

We do not limit your freedom in any way and we do not try to dissuade you from making decisions. Love yourself, do not do irreparable experiments on the body and be healthy!