The Dukan diet is in demand by celebrities all over the world. The problem of excess weight today worries every second woman. Stress, a sedentary lifestyle, fast food, lack of physical activity and malnutrition - all this is reflected in the female figure. In search of a solution to this problem, girls resort to losing weight with the help of diets. Not all of them are effective.
One of the most popular proven methods can be called the program of the French nutritionist Dr. Pierre Dukan - the author of the famous book called "I Can't Lose Weight", where you can find everything about losing weight. Adhering to all the rules and recommendations, you can lose weight by 30 kg. For those who have not practiced a diet before, many questions arise, but the most relevant are: "Where to start, how to sit down and what can I eat? ". To answer them, it is necessary to study the essence of the method and all phases of the program.
Reviews of doctors and nutritionists about the Dukan diet are ambiguous. The technique has thousands of fans and followers, but there are always those who oppose and try to refute its effectiveness. To evaluate the results and draw your own conclusions, you need to test the program for yourself, compare the weight before and after losing weight.
General recommendations and basic principles
At the heart of the diet are several important principles that are of great importance for losing weight. Ignoring these rules will reduce the effectiveness of the program. Important to remember:
- Fighting excess weight by temporarily reducing calories is useless. At first, extra pounds will go away, but they will return very quickly. You should change the diet and constantly consolidate the result.
- Despite the fact that the diet is protein, it excludes mono-nutrition. You need to eat enough to not feel hungry.
- Review allowed foods and make a list. Anything not included should be removed from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets to reduce the risk of temptation.
- The foundation of the Dukan Diet is oat bran. They must be present in the diet daily, 1. 5 tbsp. l. product should be taken with a glass of water. Often women are interested in how to replace oat bran? It is advisable not to look for alternatives. Replacement is possible only in case of intolerance to the product. In this case, use buckwheat.
- Go in for sports. Physical activity is extremely important, they not only allow you to burn calories, but also make the body fit, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, the work of the heart muscle, and the brain.
The author of the methodology insists that these principles must be remembered and adhered to, not only when compiling a menu for every day, but also throughout life, it is necessary to cultivate the habit of eating right.
Active start
The program of the famous 72-year-old French nutritionist consists of four stages. The first and most important phase is called "Attack". It is designed for 7 days. Abuse and zeal is not worth it, practicing it for more than a week, you risk your own health. If everything is done correctly, during this time you can get rid of 1 to 6 kg.
In the first week, carefully monitor your well-being. You can only eat proteins, you should also drink a lot. One meal should replace the bran. The danger of this period is that the consumption of such an amount of protein negatively affects the kidneys and leads to dehydration.
If you can't afford delicacies, swap them out for more budget-friendly alternatives. Cooking should be with a minimum amount of salt, and preferably without it at all. Use spices, seasonings, vinegar, mustard, etc. to keep food fresh. Prefer food processing methods such as steaming, baking, and boiling. Sometimes you can eat fried food, but you should cook with olive oil, which should be used in minimal quantities.
Why rotate products
The second phase is called "Alternation" or "Cruise". Its duration is not strictly defined. The theory says that you need to stick to this diet until you reach your ideal weight. Vegetables are added to the diet for proteins. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, fiber, acids.
In phase 2, it is necessary to combine exclusively protein days with protein and vegetable days. You should also increase the daily rate of bran to two tablespoons. Do not forget about the drinking regime. Every day you need to drink up to 2 liters of pure non-carbonated water. If at the first stage weight loss occurred intensively, but at the second stage the weight loss rate will be less, but the result will be of better quality and more stable. In a week, you can lose 1 kg of weight.
There are practically no restrictions on vegetables and herbs. Do not eat only peas, beans, potatoes and corn. These vegetables are high in calories and high in starch. Be sure to include seasonal fruits on your menu. The risk of failure at this stage of the diet is reduced to zero, because the diet becomes much wider, and the recipes are more diverse.
We fix the result
The third phase of the Dukan diet is called "fixing". At this stage, weight does not go away, the goal of losing weight is to fix the achieved result. As a result, the "gone" kilograms will not return as soon as you relax and move away from a strict schedule. At this stage, you can add starch and honey to your menu. Starchy foods such as potatoes should be eaten infrequently, such as once a week. Honey is designed to make up for the lack of sweetness. The allowable rate is 3 teaspoons per day.
At this stage, it is necessary to increase the volume of bran. During the day, you need to eat 3 tablespoons and drink them with plenty of water. "Attack" days should be arranged periodically. Once a week, eat as on the first day of the diet. A feast is allowed twice a week. What is this "feast" for those who are on a diet? This means that a woman in one of the meals can eat anything and in any quantity.
How much you can lose in this phase is hard to say, because each case is individual. The approximate number of days can be calculated by multiplying the number of kilograms gone during the "alternation" stage by 10. For example, if you lost 7 kg, then the duration of the "fixation" will be about 70 days. Now cheese, bread, fruits can appear in the diet, but only in limited quantities.
Changing diet and lifestyle
The fourth phase is "stabilization". Now the diet is not perceived as a restriction in food. Your body has adjusted and is accustomed to the new routine. Continue to eat in the same rhythm for as long as you want to stay slim, attractive and healthy. Dukan recommends eating like this always.
Often women are interested in whether it is possible to introduce nuts into the diet during weight loss, and if so, which ones? Nuts are sources of fats and carbohydrates, however, the author of the method claims that at the stabilization stage, you can sometimes eat nuts, but their amount should not be more than your handful.
A lighter version of the methodology is a new program called the Food Ladder or Second Front. Every day is one step. Every day the list of products allowed for consumption is getting wider. The weight will decrease slowly but steadily and comfortably. In a week, body weight will decrease by only 700 grams. The duration of the diet varies by losing weight. Once you reach your goal, you can stop and continue to follow the rules of proper nutrition.
Anyone who has lost weight thanks to the technique notes its high efficiency. It is available for people starting their journey to beauty and wellness.