Do you want to lose 20 pounds or more quickly? If you haven't tried the Dukan Diet, keep reading this article. Created by a French doctor Pierre Dukan, this diet has created a stir in France over the last decade and was just released outside of France.
The Dukan Diet helps people lose weight quickly because it works to attack the problem with an intense and limited diet in the beginning, gradually working into something that you can maintain for life. In his ten years working with patients, Dr. Dukan found that this worked for people who were obese and those who wanted to drop a few pounds to get to their ideal weight.
The Dukan diet is broken up into four sections or phases: the attack phase, the cruise phase, the consolidation phase and the stabilization phase. The diet isn't easy and requires some discipline but if you do stick with it, you can lose weight quickly. The Dukan Diet isn't a quick fix plan - it's a plan for life. Dukan focuses heavily on maintenance, getting through that critical period where most people gain back any weight they've lost through quick crash diets.
During the attack phase of the diet, you eat only protein. The focus on protein seems like the Atkin's plan. However, in contrast to the Atkin's plan, this isn't fatty protein with butter and as much fat as you like. Fat is to be trimmed off of beef and other meats, skin to be removed from the chicken. The attack phase or first portion of the diet can be done for one to ten days, depending on how much weight you need to lose. To lose more weight quickly, continue this attack first phase of the diet for as long as necessary.
The second phase of the Dukan diet is the cruise phase. You will continue to lose weight during this phase but not at the rate you did in the first phase. You will be alternating your protein-only days with protein and vegetable days. Avoiding starchy vegetables is important - most green vegetables can be eaten without restriction during this period on vegetable days. During the cruise phase of the Dukan diet, you can expect to lose about 2 pounds per week. You stay in this phase alternating protein and protein/vegetable days until you've reached your weight loss goal. If you want to lose weight quickly, stay in the attack phase for a longer time before starting this second phase of the diet. Then, continue the cruise phase until you reach your weight loss goal.
The consolidation phase is the third part of of the Dukan Diet. It is this period that Dr. Dukan says is the critical period where most dieters gain back weight they have lost. During this phase, you can add back in limited amounts of breads, cheese, pasta and other foods you love in moderation. Eat lean protein and vegetables every day. You can add in one serving of fruit per day as well as limited portions of whole grains and dairy. Dukan advises five days of this third phase for every pound of weight you have lost. You don't continue to lose weight in this phase so if you wanted to lose more weight. On the Dukan Diet, it is advised that you do low impact exercise such as a walk for 25 minutes each day.
The fourth phase or stabilization of the Dukan diet is your maintenance plan for life. In this phase, no foods are forbidden but one day each week, you eat only protein. You won't lose weight doing this but it will help you to maintain by balancing out the food during the rest of your week. Similar to the attack phase, during the protein days of the diet, avoid fats and chicken skin and avoid sauces.
Does this diet sound like something you could do? If you could lose 20, 30, 40 pounds or more and maintain it for life, it might be worth it right? Dr. Dukan has many patients thrilled with their weight loss on the Dukan Diet and now that it is available outside of France, more and more people are waking up to the possibility of quick weight loss with long-term results.