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

When a woman is determined to lose weight and start searching the internet for the best diet that gives almost instant results, then it is difficult to stop her. Especially after she read the praise in favor of one method or another. Today we will find out what Dukan's diet is, how effective it is, debunk myths and meet the criticism.

Ducan's diet - all important nuances

Ducan's diet is based on the use of foods high in protein and contributes to weight loss from one and a half to fifty kilograms. Tempting? Of course!

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

Author identity

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

In the mid-1970s, obesity was fought through a diet that included low-carbohydrate foods. Dukan, on the other hand, invented a new technique consisting of four stages - attack, alternation, consolidation and stabilization - which allow not only to lose weight, but also to keep the weight in a constant state.

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

Sociological research has shown that 35% of people who lose weight by the Ducan method regain the lost weight during the year. 80% regained their previous weight within four years.

Basic principles

• Approved products.Weight loss is allowed to eat foods rich in animal and plant proteins, which are easily absorbed by the body and contribute to weight loss.
• Movement.Physical activity is a must - morning exercises, fitness or at least walking on uneven terrain. Well, or you can clean the apartment daily by moving vigorously with a floor cloth. Here, as they say, everyone chooses how to increase their activity - fitness or weeding in the garden.
• Water!Remember 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 you start a diet, you need to calculate the weight of Dukan to know how many days you need to devote to one stage or another.

Doctors' opinion on the diet

If you completely eliminate carbohydrates from your diet or significantly reduce their amount, then the body willingly or unwillingly, but will begin to absorb the missing energy, breaking down fat. But first it will use up all the glycogen stores stored in the liver, and only then will it reach the fat and thigh fat stores.

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

If you deplete your glycogen stores, ketosis will begin - the breakdown of fat with the formation of a large number of ketone cells (acetone). High concentrations of glucose and acetone bodies in the blood can lead to acid-base imbalance to increase the acid. Long-term disruption of carbohydrate metabolism eventually 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 reduces the concentration of glucose in the blood. .

Low carb diets are especially dangerous for people who have metabolic disorders and may not even be aware of them, as these disorders do not occur with a normal diet. As a result, acidosis may develop, which manifests itself with frequent headaches, chronic fatigue, arrhythmias or palpitations, constant drowsiness and weakness.

Stage 1. Attack

This is the most difficult and difficult period. It usually does not exceed seven days; the Ducan calculator will show you a more accurate number.

Rules

At this time, you should completely eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and increase your protein intake. The body is saturated with protein, restores metabolism and quickly destroys body fat.

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

The body begins to recover, so you do not have to do sports completely, it is better to limit yourself to walking or regular gymnastics.

Approximate weight loss - 2-5 kg.

Criticism

The "Attack" stage really allows you to lose weight by a certain number of kilograms (this indicator is individual for everyone), but this does not happen due to fat burning, but through dehydration. But weight loss sees a change in the scales, is encouraged and continues to exacerbate the nutritional imbalance.

The body is hit by the almost complete elimination of carbohydrates from the body. The person begins to feel weakness, fatigue, irritability. At this time, it is better for the family and colleagues to stay away from him - a change of mood can spoil the emotional background in the family and team for a long time.

The Chinese were very imaginative in their choice of execution for criminals. The villains were punished severely enough to suffer as long as possible before they died. The convicts were fed meat for a long time, after which the unfortunate man died in severe pain due to the processes of putrefaction in the intestines and poisoning of the body with toxins.

Carbohydrates are essential for humans to properly break down proteins and fats. If they do not get into the body, then it awaits mandatory imbalance, metabolic disorders and intoxication.

During "Attack", excess protein quickly begins to excrete water, which significantly increases the renal load. In addition, the intelligent organism tries to defend itself and in every way tries to keep the valuable fluid in itself. As a result, when the stages are reversed and better dietary conditions are introduced, many begin to notice swelling even after eating a tomato.

One gram of carbohydrates retains 4 ml of fluid and after starvation of carbohydrates this figure increases significantly. If damage occurs and it is inevitable due to a drop in energy and imbalance, then you are unlikely to eat ordinary buckwheat - you will be attracted to sweet and starchy foods. And given the growing water retention, the figure of the scales will definitely not like.

Authorized products

This step includes 72 products that are rich in protein, you can find them on sites advertising this diet. Among them - lean meat, poultry, fish and seafood, milk and its low-fat derivatives, eggs. It is true that during the day you can eat only two whole eggs with yolk and protein, and if the yolk is turned off, then the restrictions are removed - eat as much as you want.

You will definitely have to say goodbye to:

• coffee and tea;
• salt, mustard and spices;
• vinegar;
• all types of vegetables - without herbs, vegetables, fruits and a general ban on plant foods;
• oils and fats, of both vegetable and animal origin;
• alcohol and most drinks.

You can only eat protein foods!

Weekly menu

Grilled chicken breasts.

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Oven-boiled chicken eggs with milk.	Chicken soup. Boiled chicken.	Casserole with cottage cheese.
Tuesday	Cakes with stewed cheese.	Soup of lean meat, boiled egg.	Roast meat.
Wednesday	Pancakes with bran.	Meatball soup.	Boiled chicken breasts.
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.	Seafood cocktail.
Saturday	Shrimp omelette.	Beef steaks.	Baked mackerel, kefir.
Sunday	Chicken broth with boiled eggs.	Cottage cheese, skim milk or kefir.

Ducan Diet Recipes for the Attack Phase

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

lean minced cutlets

You can take absolutely any lean meat - chicken, turkey, rabbit or beef. It is cut into small pieces or passed through a meat grinder, a raw egg is added and then it is beaten well and flat cakes are formed.

Each loaf is dipped in egg and breaded in oat bran. Prepare the cutlets on the grill, in a slow cooker in "Baking" mode or fried in a Teflon pan without oil.

Chicken Soup

Everything is simple here. Boil the chicken breasts until soft, chop finely or grind with a blender and throw back into the boiling broth. Beat a few eggs with a fork and pour into the broth in a thin stream. After a few minutes, the protein soup is ready.

Step 2. Alternation or "Cruise"

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

Rules

28 more products are added to the previously allowed 72 products, these are mostly vegetables. The length of the period depends on the expected weight loss - one kilogram is allocated one week.

During this period, the protein and protein-vegetable days alternate. The body is already accustomed to some degree to "bullying" and dietary inaccuracies, so weight loss will not be as active.

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

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

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

Criticism

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

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

Authorized products

Raw, cooked, roasted or steamed vegetables are allowed during this period.You can diversify your diet with a little dry wine (not more than 100 g), low-fat cheese, mustard, low-fat lactic acid products, as well as:

• tomatoes and cucumbers;
• carrots;
• cabbage;
• beets;
• green beans;
• zucchini;
• mushrooms;
• radishes;
• aubergines;
• asparagus;
• hot red pepper.

But remember that frying or adding oil is strictly forbidden. And no one canceled the mandatory bran, at this stage their daily intake is increased to two tablespoons.

The following foods are prohibited:

• starch - potatoes, avocados, legumes, artichokes, corn;
• all kinds of cereals;
• industrial sauces - mayonnaise, ketchup and others;
• desserts and pastries;
• fat

Weekly menu

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Omelet made from chicken eggs and skim milk. Grated fresh carrot.	Vegetable soup. Veal steak.	Roast meat. Fresh vegetables - tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs.
Tuesday	Boiled eggs. Fresh vegetables.	Mushroom soup. Vegetable stew with pieces of chicken breast.	Roasted mackerel marinated with mustard.
Wednesday	Cottage cheese. Boiled egg. Kefir or low-fat milk.	Vegetable and meatball soup. Steamed fish cakes with herbs.	Chicken breasts.
Thursday	Chicken cutlets. Fresh vegetables.	Chicken broth with egg and herbs. Lean cooked meat.	Cheesecakes or cottage cheese.
Friday	Low fat yogurt. Omelet with greens.	Fish soup. Boiled salmon.	Grilled chicken breast with vegetables. Kefir.
Saturday	Cucumber and tomato salad. Fried eggs.	Cauliflower or broccoli puree soup. Turkey cutlets.	Zucchini pancakes. Roast fish.
Sunday	Casserole with cottage cheese. Low fat milk.	Thick vegetable puree soup. Steam cutlets with vegetables.	Hake fillet stewed in milk.

Ducan's recipes for a variable stage diet

At this stage, the culinary possibilities are significantly expanded, and Ducan's recipes are more numerous and diverse.

Cottage cheese and chicken zucchini breakfast

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

Cut the zucchini into circles, cut the middle to make a recess in which to put minced meat, ring tomatoes, cottage cheese and sprinkle with black pepper.

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

Stuffed Mushrooms

• In large champignons, the legs are carefully separated, cut into small pieces and stewed in their own juice until soft.
• Chicken fillet is boiled, sliced ​​and combined with stewed mushrooms.
• The resulting mass is filled with natural low-fat yogurt and placed in mushroom caps.
• Stuffed mushrooms are baked in a well-heated oven for 40 minutes at 180 ° C.
• Before serving, garnish the mushrooms with finely chopped herbs.

Step № 3. Consolidation or Consolidation

Lost weight must be retained. This is what the third phase of the diet is aimed at.

Rules

• A number of other products are added to the diet, it is allowed to have a "belly party" with high-calorie meals twice a week. Portion size should not exceed 220 g.
• You will need to eat pure protein food at least once a week. This day is called "protein Thursday" by dieters, but you can choose any other day of the week, but it is desirable that it occurs after the "holiday" excesses.
• Mandatory bran should be eaten every day in 2, 5 tbsp. And do not forget to drink clean water - at least one and a half liters a day.

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

Criticism

If you are still alive and relatively healthy after the first two stages, then we will continue to analyze our fascinating search "How to spoil your health in pursuit of a perfect figure and at the same time make fun of your loved ones"

The theory is that the body will make every effort to regain the lost weight. He longs for this passionately, and you accordingly try to oppose him no less passionately.

Well, what can we say, the body is exhausted, dehydrated, deprived of many useful substances. And now he is given a hundred grams of wholemeal bread a day, a small portion of fruit and a "feast" of a single intake of complex carbohydrates per week, after which you have to arrange a day on an empty stomach on pure protein.

At this stage, when delicious food is allowed, the weight can begin to "jump" like a child's yo-yo toy. The feeling of hunger sharpens sharply, hands are held together to eat forbidden foods or to prolong the "holidays".

Nail, skin and hair problems are starting to bother me again. Weight loss feels weakness, weakness, drowsiness, often chills. In general, once again everything is bad.

Authorized products

At this stage you can enter the diet:

• Fruit, excluding 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.

Of course, the products of the first two phases are preserved.

Weekly menu

Day of the week	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Casserole with cottage cheese. Tea.	Red fish ear. Slice of wholemeal bread. Fruits.	Roast chicken fillet with vegetables. Kefir.
Tuesday	Oatmeal with milk. Boiled egg.	Vegetable soup. Pasta. boiled beef.	Fish cakes. Fresh vegetable salad. Cottage cheese mousse with pieces of fruit.
Wednesday	Omelet with mushrooms and cheese.	Green bean soup. Roast fish.	Beef stew with vegetables. fruit sponge cake.
Thursday (protein day)	Cottage cheese. Boiled eggs.	Chicken broth. Boiled fish.	Meat, chicken or seafood.
Friday	Cheesecakes or cottage cheese.	Borsch. Chicken cutlets.	Mashed potatoes. Fresh vegetable salad.
Saturday	Buckwheat porridge with milk.	Mushroom soup with meatballs. Slice of wholemeal bread. Vegetable risotto.	Vegetable stew. Steam cutlets.
Sunday	Fried eggs. Cheese. Coffee.	Sorrel soup with boiled eggs. Boiled chicken. Fruits.	Vegetable salad. Seafood cocktail. Dried fruit compote.

Ducan's Recipes

Lightly salted salmon salad

Ingredients:

• salmon - 150 g;
• lettuce leaves;
• cherry tomatoes - 5-7 pcs. ;
• green apple - 1 pc. ;
• fresh cucumbers - 2 pcs. ;
• feta cheese - 140 g;
• lemon juice - 3 tbsp;
• sugar - 2 tsp. ;
• wine vinegar - 1 tsp. ;
• red pepper - to taste;
• olive oil;
• chopped St. John's wort or parsley.

All components of the salad are cut into random 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 from Dukan.

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 broth from the red fish fillet and whole onions. The rest of the onion is finely chopped and fried with grated carrots.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes or slices in the usual way. Fish is removed from the broth and crushed.

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

Finely chopped vegetables are poured into a plate before serving.

Step 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 they should be eaten 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. For this purpose, it is recommended to eat a piece of cheese daily, two starchy vegetables, a few slices of wholemeal bread, vegetables, protein products and fruits as a dessert.
• The amount of food should be moderate - more often than not.
• Oily fish should be replaced with other seafood.
• Mandatory physical activity must be maintained. Make it a rule to walk up the stairs, avoiding elevators.
• Try to avoid stress.

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

Criticism

As soon as the desired results are achieved, most losers break down and indulge in "everything bad". They go back to their old diet and start EATING!

Now think, why did you need this torture if you could lose weight in the same year by simply eliminating fast carbs, sausages, fried foods and pickles from your diet? At the same time, one should not limit one hundred products and deprive the body of complex carbohydrates, which it needs so much.

Contraindications

The Ducan 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;
• gallstones.

Do not experiment on yourself for expectant and nursing mothers, although Dukan has developed a special method for pregnant women. Refrain from such "treatment" of obesity in children, adolescents and the elderly.

Pros and cons of the Ducan diet

If you trust the creator of the diet, the advantages of the weight loss method are as follows.

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

Looks like - eat as much as you want and when you want, and lose weight! History! But if you take off your pink glasses and dig deeper, then a harsh reality appears before us in all its glory. Namely.

• Fats are almost completely excluded from the diet and this is fraught with deterioration of the skin and many diseases - atherosclerosis develops, cholesterol metabolism is disrupted, the reproductive system becomes difficult, the general mental state deteriorates asthe nervous system is not working properly.
• The diet is unbalanced, which means that the body does not get enough nutrients and elements.
• Any restriction and refusal of certain foods leads to "shock" for the body, so that a person begins to feel weak, tired, his work decreases.
• According to the diet, you should eat oat bran every day and they are not sold on every corner.

Conclusion

Everyone is a blacksmith of their own happiness and also decides how to manage their body. It can be maintained and nourished both while lying on the couch and while exercising in the gym. Or subject it to extreme stress in the form of popular but quite complex diets, such as the Ducan method.

We do not in any way restrict your freedom and do not try to dissuade you from making decisions. Just love yourself, do not put irreparable experiments on the body and be healthy!