The Dukan Diet is one of the most commonly advertised weight loss methods. Understanding how the diet works, what is the "right" weight gain and why eating can be dangerous, according to Dukan.
Who is Pierre Ducana
The creator of the popular diet is not a nutritionist, but a physician. Pierre Ducan was in general practice when an obese patient visited him in 1970. The man admitted that he was willing to give up any food other than meat in order to lose weight. The doctor developed a diet based on a minimum amount of lean meat, non-starchy vegetables and fruits. A prerequisite was the refusal of sugar.
Dukan argued that such a diet is best for natural metabolism: primitive humans ate meat, seasonal vegetables and fruits. Sugar was inaccessible to us in our understanding and should therefore now be abandoned.
After 30 years of experimentation and observation, Pierre Dukan released the book I Can't Lose Weight, which became a bestseller in 32 countries. The new method allowed 5 kg of weight gain in one to two weeks, without limiting itself in food intake. promised to reduce.
Celebrities who openly praised the new method added popularity to Dukan's designs. Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen used the diet to lose weight during pregnancy and after childbirth. Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins has claimed that sheDucan is sized according to plan.
In 2012, the French Council of Physicians indicated that nutritionists violated ethical principles by making the drug a commercial enterprise. In 2014, Pierre Ducan was expelled from the register of doctors for advertising and promoting the method.
how the diet works
The Dukan diet refers to a protein diet with a minimum of carbohydrates and fats. The plan includes 100 products that can be eaten in any quantity in the first weeks.
The method largely mirrors ketogenic diets and other low-carb meal plans, where the body is rebuilding itself to obtain energy from fat and protein. The diet's high protein content helps balance insulin production. and decreases production of the hunger hormone ghrelin. We become satiated more quickly and we eat less. However, the Dukan diet restricts not only carbohydrates but also fats. The safety and benefits of this approach are not supported by research. .
Before proceeding to the Dukan meal plan, you need to calculate your "correct" weight. This can be done using a special calculator. Calculation data on height, maximum and minimum weight, age, structural features of the bodyThe calculator was developed by Pierre Ducan, so the result should be scientifically verified and consult with your doctor.
The Ducan diet is divided into four phases:
- attack.
- repatriation.
- Anchoring.
- stabilization.
Noticeable weight loss begins already in the attack phase, which prompts you to continue eating according to the Dukan method. The reason for rapid weight loss is dehydration, as the body lacks fluids from carbohydrates. However, experts do not confirm the long-term effectiveness of the method and the health benefits of the diet. Let's find out how the diet works and why it has many contraindications.
Phases of the Dukan Diet
The diet consists of four parts, the duration of which depends on the calculated "correct" weight. The first two phases are aimed at losing weight, and the last are aimed at strengthening achievements. During the attack, only high-protein foods are allowed. Then add non-starchy vegetables, limit fats and extra carbohydrates.
Attack duration, reversion and reinforcement depend on how many kilos you need to lose to achieve the "right" weight. The final phase, which must be followed consistently, is the fixing phase in an attack pattern andCombines the diet of weekly protein days.
1. Attack
Phase two lasts seven days. If you need to lose 20 kg or more to get to the "right" weight, the phase can take longer. The meal plan includes 68 protein foods and some extraAre included:
- Meat: beef, veal, venison and other game, pork, lean and soy bacon, liver, kidney, tongue;
- Poultry: chicken fillet and liver, turkey, wild duck, quail, low-fat turkey and chicken sausage;
- Fish and seafood: No restrictions, including tuna canned in water;
- Vegetarian proteins: seitan - vegetable protein, meat substitutes made with wheat gluten, vegetarian burgers and soy products, tofu and tempeh;
- eggs: chicken, quail, duck;
- Low-fat dairy products: milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta - no more than 1 kg per day.
The daily diet should include 1. 5 tablespoons of oat bran and at least 1. 5 liters of water. You can also add one tablespoon of goji berries, sweetener, shirataki noodles and unlimited dietary gelatin.
Every day you need to devote 20 minutes of physical activity.
2. Repatriation
The period of gradual achievement of the correct weight ranges from a month to a year. The diet of the previous stage is alternated every other day with a more gentle and expanded menu - 32 types of vegetables are added:
- Spinach, kale, lettuce, and other green vegetables
- Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts;
- Bell peppers;
- Mushrooms;
- parsley;
- asparagus;
- artichokes;
- truffle;
- Tomato;
- green beans;
- Onion;
- Pumpkin and Pumpkin Spaghetti;
- turnip;
- cucumbers;
- Carrot;
- Beetroot
For salad dressing or cooking in a pan allow one teaspoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of bran. The duration of physical activity is 30 minutes.
3. Anchoring
The duration of the phase is determined at the rate of ten days for each kilogram lost. The goal is to prevent a return to the starting weight. You can mix any products from the first two phases, plus a limited amount of fat and carbohydratesCan also mix:
- Fruits: berries or sliced watermelon (100 g), one medium-sized apple, orange, pear, peach, nectarine, or two kiwis, plums or apricots;
- two slices of whole grains a day;
- cottage cheese, 40 grams per day;
- Starchy foods, 225 grams per day: pasta, corn, beans, beans, rice, or potatoes
- Meat: Roast beef, pork, or ham once or twice a week.
Twice a week you can have a festive meal: appetizer, main course, glass of wine and dessert. One day a week should be protein (attack pattern). Bran - 2. 5 tbsp, physical activity - 25 minutes.
4. Stabilization
The last step to help maintain the "right" weight. There are no strict dietary restrictions, but you need to follow several principles:
- the products of the fixing stage should be taken as the basis of nutrition;
- Have protein one day a week;
- walk at least 20-30 minutes a day;
- 1. Drink 5 liters of water and eat at least 30 grams of bran in a day.
The final step involves following your meal plan at all times that includes a little extra on the 100 foods list.
menu for preparatory steps
attack
- Breakfast: Low-fat cottage cheese bran and cinnamon, coffee or tea, mixed with water. Skim milk and sweeteners can be added to tea and coffee at any meal.
- Lunch: chicken breast in a pan, shirataki noodles in broth, dietary gelatin, iced tea.
- Dinner: steak and shrimp, dietary gelatin, coffee or tea, water.
interchange
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs from three eggs, tomato slices, coffee, water.
- Lunch: Salad with fried chicken and French dressing, Greek bran yogurt, iced tea.
- Dinner: baked salmon fillet, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, dietary gelatin, decaffeinated coffee or tea, water.
anchoring
- Breakfast: An omelet of three eggs with cottage cheese (40 g) and spinach, coffee, water.
- Lunch: two slices of whole-grain bread, 80 grams of cottage cheese mixed with bran and cinnamon, one serving of turkey with iced tea.
- Dinner: Pork and grilled zucchini in a pan, a small apple, decaffeinated coffee, water.
Effectiveness of the Ducan Diet
No diet alone provides long-term weight loss effects, and the diet can be unhealthy. After a temporary weight loss, people return to their previous state, and sometimes more than they did before the diet change. A safe and effective way to achieve desired weight and maintain health and good physical shape is to choose a suitable lifestyle and diet with the help of experts that can be observed on a regular basis. Is
. . .There are many scientific publications that focus on the efficacy of high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets. However, there are few worthy studies according to the Dukan method.
In 2015, data were compiled of 50 women aged 19-64 in Poland who followed the Dukan meal plan and consumed about 1, 000 calories per day, including 100 grams of protein. Study participantsLost 15 kg in 8-10 weeks.
In January U. s. News & World Report, one of the top three US weekly on economics, politics and health, has published a diet ranking of 23 experts. Dukan's Diet ranked last on the list, receiving a score of 1. 9 out of 5. Expertsthe efficacy of the diet. 5 and health benefits rated at 2. According to doctors, there is no evidence that losing weight according to the Dukan method can be long-term and safe, while the list of products is unreasonably limited, and the diet regimen is too complex. One expert openly called the diet "foolish".
The diet is effective within the first few weeks. There is no scientific research to support continued weight loss, and the long-term health effects of the diet have not been studied.
Disadvantages of Dukan Diet
The diet is probably suitable for healthy people over the age of 18. The method is not recommended for chronic gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, pregnancy, lactation.
The diet has some specific side effects along with a low-carb diet, as many healthy foods are excluded from the meal plan.
fast weight loss
According to British nutritionists, the main disadvantage of the Dukan diet is that it can be harmful to health:
- Initial weight loss occurs through dehydration;
- the diet is not balanced, so you need to take additional vitamins;
- Keep in mind the daily amount of water and required serving of oat bran to ensure you have at least a bit of fiber.
disease risk
Due to the lack of vitamins and beneficial trace elements, the diet can stimulate:
- osteoporosis;
- problems with the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract;
- diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
- hormonal disorders;
- Nervous system disorders.
"Ketogrip"
When changing diets, a painful condition is possible, which is characteristic of the initial phase of a diet containing large amounts of protein. The reason for feeling unwell is a change in metabolism, as the body rebuilds itself to obtain energy from fat and protein. Symptoms of fatigue, increased appetite and thirst, problems with attention and sleep, mood swings, headache, dyspepsia and tachycardia may be felt for several days.
Scientists estimate that abstaining from this diet could lead to health problems in the future. And because the diet is limited, most people eventually stop eating according to the plan—they follow the 100 Foods List and the Rules of Their Rotation. become bored and uncomfortable.
The Ducan diet is probably suitable for most healthy people, but has serious contraindications. Such a diet can provoke diseases of the heart, digestive and nervous systems, as well as hormonal disorders.
Key facts about the Dukan Diet:
To
- Dukan method helps to lose weight quickly;
- in the first two weeks, you can not count calories and eat allowed foods almost without restrictions;
- a large amount of protein suppresses appetite and helps to eat less;
- The diet provides for mandatory physical activity.
against
- rapid weight loss occurs due to dehydration of the body;
- The list of foods is limited, so the body does not receive the necessary nutrients. On protein days, the diet does not contain vegetables, the amount of carbohydrates in the next phases is limited;
- dietary fiber content is below the daily norm - 5 grams instead of the recommended 25-38 grams;
- There is no scientific evidence that this type of nutrition leads to weight loss;
- There are no data on the effects of diet on health in the long term.
doctor's comment
"The Dukan Diet is one of the most well-known ways to lose weight. And this diet has been tried in due course by most of the patients who come to me for consultations.
A reasonable question arises: why, then, do they need the professional help of a nutritionist-nutritionist? The answer is simple: Most of those who lose weight return to their previous eating habits, which means, within a few years, to their original weight. Unfortunately, this is the flip side of most diets that people resort to in their pursuit of leanness. And the Dukan Diet is no exception.
But this is not the most important argument because of which I would not recommend resorting to this diet.
The main disadvantage of this type of nutrition is the lack of essential macro- and micronutrients for a long time. The deficiency of vitamins and minerals can be compensated by special biologically active complexes, but this is due to the natural intake of natural macro- and microelements. This deficiency condition leads to a decrease in immunity, a deterioration in the work of all organs and systems of the body.
Dukan's diet increases the load on the excretory system, the liver, so it is clearly recommended for people with chronic renal and hepatic insufficiency, for pregnant and lactating women, people with impaired protein metabolism, gout, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Contraindicated from. And also during exacerbations of chronic diseases - gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis.
The Ducan diet is a serious stress for the body, the potential harm from it far outweighs the benefit, and the result is very unstable in the long term.
Follow the principles of optimal nutrition, get enough physical activity, and monitor your sleep and drinking regime. It won't take long to get the results you want and you'll be in good health. "