Not all people lose weight quickly and easily. Sometimes you have to fight for every pound for weeks or even months. The Ducan Diet was developed for such options. With this system everyone loses weight, regardless of gender and age.
Who is Pierre Ducan?
A French doctor and nutritionist created the diet, which he named after his last name. Pierre Dukan developed the system 30 years ago, but became famous from the author's textbook. In it, the author describes the mechanism in detail, describes the phases. Pierre Dukan himself accepted this system. According to him, thanks to the four stages and the absence of dietary restrictions, absolutely anyone can lose weight.
After the book was published, Pierre gained worldwide fame, visiting many countries and starring in television programs. Famous people tried his way to lose weight, it served as good PR. Similar ketogenic diets based on this system later appeared, but they did not gain such popularity.
Basic principles of nutrition
The French doctor's diet is based on a protein diet with a clear restriction on carbohydrates and fatty foods. However, this does not mean that the diet is monotonous and consists of a monotonous chicken with kefir. On the contrary, Ducan's protein diet is one of the few methods that allows you to consume sweets, various drinks, pastries, but sugar substitutes and other dietary products.
The lack of carbohydrates forces the body to actively break down protein foods and draw energy from its own fat stores.
As a basis, you can use the recipes given in the book, written here, or compose your own dishes from the list of permitted dishes. From the beginning of the diet and after the end of the diet, Dr. Ducan urgently stop taking oat bran. This is the fiber necessary for the body, which cleanses the intestines, accelerates the processing of proteins and brings variety to the menu.
Four phases with description
The system has been in development for a long time. Each phase is an important phase that you must go through from start to finish. You cannot swap or shorten the duration. Only in this case does the Ducan diet give a stable result. Neither in a year nor in ten years will the lost kilograms return.
The main stages of the Ducan diet and their duration:
- Attack. At this stage, you can believe in yourself, because in a few days you can part with 3-7 kg. The Ducan Attack Diet menu is based exclusively on light, low-fat proteins and bran. The maximum duration is 10 days, usually 3 to 7 days.
- Change. In contrast to the attack, this phase is quite long, the duration depends on the initial weight. If there is a lot of it, then the switch can be kept for 5, 7, 9 months. Appropriate vegetables and other foods are added to protein foods. You can find them below. The days of protein and protein with vegetables alternate in the same ratio of 1: 1, 2: 2 or 3: 3.
- Consolidation is also consolidation. The most important stage, without which it will not be possible to maintain the result. The duration is calculated as follows: 1 kg of weight loss lasts 10 days. That is, if 7 kg is dropped, this phase equates to 70 days, a little more but no less is possible.
- Stabilization. This is not even the Ducan Diet stage, but life afterwards. The bottom line is simple: you need to schedule a day in the attack menu once a week and keep using bran. This measure prevents weight gain and allows you to keep yourself in good shape for many years.
Important! The duration of each period (phase) of the Ducan diet depends on personal data. An individual calculation is required.
How Much Can You Lose Weight?
Pierre Ducan's diet does not reveal the exact numbers. Some people manage to lose 5 kg in a month, another person can easily lose every 15 kg. Much depends on strict adherence to the system, the initial parameters. If a person has endocrine disorders, this diet may not work or weight loss may be very slow.
On average, an attack loses 2 to 4–5% of its original body weight. Alternately, it takes up to 2-3 kg per week. At a fixation of 70%, the weight loss stops, sometimes the result fluctuates, the plumb lines are replaced by small bumps.
What determines the result:
- From the takeoff weight. If a person only has 5-10 extra pounds, they definitely won't lose them in a month.
- From the female cycle. There is no need to despair if at some point the weight stops losing. If you are on a diet, there will be a minus on the scales very soon.
- From the work of the digestive tract. Constipation is common in the Ducan Diet. It is necessary to monitor the stool and take action in a timely manner.
The Ducan Diet is not for people who need to shed a few pounds. However, this system becomes an outlet for a person over 20 kg overweight. There are many people who have halved their weight and got rid of 40-60 kg with the help of this system.
Dukan's diet: where should the path to harmony begin?
Dr. Ducan recommends starting your diet by studying his book. Until it is read from start to finish, the system is difficult to understand. Perhaps this was the case until recently. But now there is a lot of structured information that saves time.
Where should I start?
- Decide. The diet is long. Vacation, vacation, nervous experiences, problems shouldn't spoil the way to the goal. It is important to choose the most comfortable time to lose weight.
- Study the Ducan Diet, all stages, food lists, develop or find a suitable menu that must be clearly followed.
- Buy all products. You need to pay attention to what will be on the diet tomorrow. Otherwise malfunctions cannot be avoided. When a person is working, on the Ducan Diet, it is recommended that a menu be prepared in advance for each day.
- Take measurements, weigh yourself. Visual assessment of the results is not always satisfactory, especially in the first few weeks after losing weight, and the numbers cannot be fooled.
It is also important for the Ducan diet to purchase kitchen scales that can be used to measure out the bran and other additional ingredients.
Diet rules
The diet is unbalanced, the body needs some substances. In order not to disrupt the work of internal processes, you need to take a vitamin and mineral complex from the beginning. It also helps maintain the skin, hair, nails with a sharp weight loss.
Other diet rules:
- Drink 1. 5 liters of water a day. This rule moves from one diet to another, fluids are necessary for weight loss. Tea, coffee, herbs are allowed, you can add sugar substitutes to them.
- Do not fry food in oil. But you can do it in a dry pan. Most often, dishes are prepared by stewing in the oven.
- You shouldn't get carried away with sugar substitutes, even though the diet allows it. The pack contains the maximum permissible daily dose. Excess can cause nausea, a gastrointestinal problem.
- You need to be careful with homemade dairy products. They are high in fat, which is not suitable for Dukan weight loss. The exception is the return and the cottage cheese after separating the milk.
The portion size is unlimited on the diet. But you don't have to overeat. Protein food is well saturated, 150-200 g is usually enough to satisfy hunger.
Below are tables of menus for five meals, but there can be many more. Protein products do not have to be rationed, and neither does the time of consumption.
"Attack" phase: permitted and prohibited foods
The most difficult phase of the Ducan diet is the attack phase, the menu is strict and consists of the following foods. There are 72 of these plus 30g of oat bran. It is important that only they are included in the composition, not additives and flour. Some people consume a tablespoon of bran which is basically a mistake. Cereal bowls are very light, so be sure to weigh them.
What can be consumed:
- all kinds of low-fat meat and offal;
- all birds except geese and ducks;
- Fish of all kinds, including fatty types, canned food, smoked meat;
- all seafood (scallops, shrimp, squid, and even crab sticks);
- Chicken, duck, and quail eggs, but egg yolks are restricted (no more than one pair per day).
- Dairy products up to 1% fat;
- Ham, sausages, sausages with a fat content of up to 4%;
- Fish canned in its juice;
- Asian noodles, shirataki rice;
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
How can you determine the fat content of sausages? All you have to do is see how much fat is there per 100g of the product. This data is next to the calorie content. If the fat is up to 4 g, then the product is suitable.
Any products not on the list are prohibited. These are cereals, fruits, vegetables, fat milk and meat. The ban includes nuts, sugar, mayonnaise and other purchased sauces, beans, all baked goods and bread.
"Alternation" phase: permitted and prohibited foods
The transition phase of the Dukan diet is often referred to as a cruise because of the floating proteins and mixed days. During this time, all products from the previous phase of the attack are allowed and a wide variety of vegetables will appear.
Additional products (DOPs) to change:
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, squash and all other vegetables except potatoes;
- Mushrooms (fresh, pickled, baked, stewed);
- All kinds of greens
- 1 TBSP. l. Sunflower, olive, milk thistle, or any other type of oil.
Protein products can be used in any combination. Use several species in one bowl at the same time. However, it is not recommended to cook a wide variety of vegetables. 2-3 varieties per day are enough. It is more careful to include pumpkin, beets, and carrots in your diet because they contain starch and have increased sugar content.
Incidentally, in some sources, a green apple is allowed on Monsieur Ducan's diet. This is inaccurate information, there has been no fruit in the doctor's development.
Supplementary Products (DOPs)
Not all approved products are listed above. Dukan's diet differs from other systems in that it has an interesting and varied diet. There are additives to create interesting dishes. They can be used in baked goods, casseroles, main dishes.
What can be used in nutrition:
- up to two tablespoons of tomato paste (not ketchup);
- carbonated drinks 0 calories;
- Soy sauce, various kinds of vinegar;
- Garlic and onions;
- 2 pickles per day;
- Yeast, soda, leavening agents, gelatin, thickeners;
- Lemon juice;
- pickled ginger;
- nori;
- fragrant herbs, natural spices;
- Cocoa up to 12% fat
- Skimmed milk powder.
Particular attention is paid to sugar substitutes. They allow you to cook pastries, cakes, jelly, ice cream and other desserts. There are people who just eat protein with no frills. But for a long time it becomes boring to follow the monotonous menu of the Ducan diet. It is therefore recommended that you take care of purchasing high quality sugar substitutes and baking ingredients right away.
Ducan's Diet: Everyday menu to touch
During the attack, the weight actively begins to disappear, but at the same time the person can experience weakness, mood swings, nervousness and intense thirst. It is very important that the menu of the Ducan diet every day during the attack was as diverse as possible, taking into account the needs of the body and suppressing the desire to consume prohibited carbohydrates.
Serving size doesn't matter, but it's important to keep an eye on the yolks. You cannot use more than two pieces. If necessary, you are allowed to add more protein or meat and fish products to the omelette.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| breakfast | Protein omelette | Coffee, 30 g of low-fat cheese | Lightly salted salmon, boiled egg | Pair of sausages, egg | Seafood mix with soy sauce | Scrambled eggs with sausage | Chicken omelette |
| snack | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea | 30 g of bran, tea |
| dinner | Baked Chicken | Meat cutlets | Braised liver | Cooked meat | Baked Chicken | ear | Grilled fish |
| Afternoon snack | Soft curd | kefir | Natural yoghurt | kefir | Spice Protein Omelette | cottage cheese | A glass of milk |
| dinner | Fish baked with lemon | Protein omelette with crab sticks | Beef ragout | Grilled shrimp with lemon | Fish chops | Baked Chicken | Chicken hearts in kefir |
In the following menu of the Dukan diet, bran is presented as a second afternoon snack every day at the attack. You can use them to make bread, pancakes, muffins, or other dishes with approved ingredients. Below are some interesting recipes.
Menu for each day of the Dukan Diet for the "Alternation" phase
From this moment the real Ducan diet begins, the menu for every day impresses with a variety of dishes. The system allows you to eat like in a restaurant and lose weight at the same time. The change can be carried out according to any scheme, but more often 1: 1 or 2: 2 is used. Getting through more than two protein days is difficult.
| Monday | Tuesday protein day | Wednesday | Thursday, protein day | Friday | Saturday Protein Day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| breakfast | Protein omelette with mushrooms, milk tea | Chicken omelette, coffee | Grilled zucchini, 1-2 eggs, 2 pickles | Soft cheese with garlic, dill | Eggplant omelette, pickled ginger | Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, cocoa |
| snack | Bran with kefir | Bran pancakes with ham | Bran, milk | Bran pancakes, sahzam, cottage cheese | Bran with kefir | Bran baked goods and coffee |
| dinner | Cabbage soup with meat | Beef ragout | Stew with vegetables, meat | Chopped chicken schnitzel in tomatoes | Celery soup with chicken and allowed vegetables | Fish in soy sauce |
| Afternoon snack | Pumpkin puree, a glass of milk | Quark dessert (there's a recipe below) | Carrot salad, cottage cheese | 2 eggs, kefir | Cucumber salad, egg | milk |
| dinner | Boiled fish (you can grill), coleslaw | Chicken schnitzel | Coleslaw, boiled meat | Squid steamed in kefir | Pepper stuffed with meat, herbs | Meat with onions and herbs |
Since the change always requires a pair to replace each other, a calculation for 6 days is given in the table with the menu for each day of the Ducan diet. You can then select the dishes already specified or set your own options and get information from other sources.
Consolidation phase (consolidation, consolidation)
At this point, the person has achieved the ideal or desired weight, but it is impossible to return to a normal diet. The body is still vulnerable, it is important to gradually prepare it for daily eating. The daily diet is based on mixed protein-carbohydrate days and the gradual introduction of bread, cereals, non-sweet fruits and fatty meat. Do not add new 2-3 products per week.
Basic rules of the consolidation phase:
- Oat bran continues to be consumed. They can replace part of the rye and wheat fibers.
- You can have a fraudulent meal once a week. It's called "feast" on a diet. All dishes and products are allowed, including sweet fruits, cakes, ice cream and baked goods. But the size of a serving.
- One day remains protein-rich from the first phase. The author of the diet insists on Thursday, but it is not necessary.
For this phase of the Ducan diet, recipes from the table with a menu for every day are suitable. You can eat soups, vegetable stews, baked meat. You can continue to use sugar substitutes and other additives, limit potatoes, candy, and baked goods. You will not bring any benefit to the figure without a diet.
Diet recipes
Losing weight on this diet is long term, so just eating boiled or steamed meat won't work. Simple recipes are given in the table with the menu for the week for the Ducan Diet. All are easy to prepare, if desired they can be supplemented with sauces, vegetables and spices. But sometimes you have to cook something tasty, much like ordinary people's food. This will help you not succumb to temptation in order to avoid failure.
Dessert from cottage cheese with jelly
Gelatin is approved by the diet, thanks to which you can prepare delicious protein desserts. The amount of sweetener to your liking. Low fat dairy products.
Ingredients:
- 250 g of cottage cheese;
- 100 ml of milk;
- 1 teaspoon gelatin;
- Sugar substitute;
- Vanillin.
Cooking method
- Mix gelatine and half of the milk and let it steep.
- Combine the rest of the milk with the sugar substitute. If it's in tablets, knead it first. Pour in cottage cheese, beat or just grind well, add vanilla.
- Heat the milk with gelatin to dissolve all of the curd pieces. Pour into cottage cheese through a sieve.
- Whisk again, divide into two molds and refrigerate for 5-7 hours. Dessert should solidify.
If instant gelatin is used, it can be mixed with milk and melted after a few minutes.
Bran pancakes
This pancake is a godsend for this diet. It replaces baked goods and goes well with meat, salads, sweet and salty cottage cheese. At the same time, it cooks very quickly in a regular pan. It is this pancake that appears in the menu above for the Ducan Diet for the week. It's often called flatbread.
Ingredients:
- 30 g of bran;
- 1 egg;
- 3 tablespoons of kefir;
- Salt, baking powder.
Cooking method
- Grind bran.
- Beat the egg with kefir, add the bran and a pinch of salt. Optionally, you can introduce a baking soda that is enough at the tip of the knife.
- Make a batter and let it sit for five minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick pan. Bake a few thin pancakes or pour out all the batter, make a flat cake.
If you can't cook pancakes, they're torn, you don't want to turn over, then you can make pancakes out of this batter.
Chicken ham
This ham is a great alternative to sausages and sausages as it is not always possible to find the desired fat content in the store. The dish can be consumed at all stages of the diet.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of chicken breast;
- 15 grams of garlic;
- 15 g of sweet paprika;
- 15 grams of gelatin;
- 12 grams of salt;
- 2 g black pepper.
Cooking method
- Chop the breasts very finely, make cubes from 0. 4 to 0. 4 cm. Put in a bowl.
- Squeeze the garlic and add all the spices, including gelatin. Stir, cover with foil. Leave on for 2-3 hours. If your home is hot, put it in the refrigerator.
- Stir again, place in a sausage-shaped baking bag, twist tightly, tie with a thread, tie the edges together. Make a few punctures in different places.
- Bake the ham for 35 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Take out, let cool and put in the fridge overnight. You can remove the bag in the morning.
It is not necessary to make such a ham from chicken fillet, turkey, lean meat or lean mixture, but in this case the cooking time in the oven may increase.
Contraindications to the Ducan Diet
There is still a lot of controversy surrounding the dangers and safety of this weight loss method. The Dukan Diet has a variety of contraindications. Before adhering, it is important to pass tests and check the functioning of the kidneys. Not every body is able to consume large amounts of protein.
The main contraindications:
- all diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Diabetes mellitus;
- hormonal disorders and diseases of the thyroid gland;
- Violation of metabolic processes in the body;
- Pregnancy, including planning phase, breastfeeding;
- Menopause period.
This diet is only ideal for healthy and young people between the ages of 20 and 35-40. If you have a chronic disease, you need to consult a doctor. But everyone decides for themselves whether to resort to ketogenic diets or not.
Reviews of people who lost weight from the Ducan Diet
- "On Dukan I lost the first 20 kg and then went to PP with calorie counting. This diet was easy for me, but expensive. It is difficult to get high quality meat, good cottage cheese and other products from us, the prices are too high, I could not afford such foods. "
- "This is the only diet that I didn't experience hunger on. I have bulimiaOn Dukan I ate in the morning, ate in the evening, constantly chewed and shed 5 kg in the first week, then the plumb lines were small, so that I lost from 77 to 58 kg in 3 months. Now at the exit. "
- "I lost weight slightly after this system, there were no complaints about the diet or feelings of hunger. But after 2 weeks, acne started appearing on my face and body. Apparently this is how the body responded to such an amount of protein. I didn't immediately associate skin problems and diet, but after another week I had to see a dermatologist as the rashes intensified. The doctor said to stop the diet since after losing the 7kg, 3kg was returned. "