The Ducan Diet is one of the most promising methods for weight loss. Understanding how a diet works, what a "proper" weight is, and why eating according to Duke can be dangerous.
Who is Pierre Ducan
The creator of a popular diet is not a nutritionist, but a therapist. Pierre Ducan was in general practice in 1970 when an obese patient came to see him. He admitted that he was willing to give up all food except meat to lose weight. The doctor developed a diet based on lean meat, starch-free vegetables and a minimum of fruits. The precondition was to give up sugar.
Duke asserted that such a diet was best for natural metabolism: the first man ate meat, seasonal vegetables and fruits. In our understanding, sugar was not available to him, so it should be discarded now.
After 30 years of experimentation and observation, Pierre Ducan has published a best-selling book, I Can't Lose Weight, in 32 countries. The new method promises to lose 5 kg in a week or two, without limiting the amount of food.
Celebrities who openly praised the new method added popularity to Duke's design. Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bündchen used a diet to lose weight during pregnancy and postpartum. Welsh singer Catherine Jenkins claims to be in shape by eating according to Duke’s plan.
In 2012, the French Council of Physicians found that the nutritionist had turned medicine into a commercial enterprise, violating ethical principles. In 2014, Pierre Ducan was removed from the register of physicians to promote and promote the method.
How the diet works
The Ducan diet refers to a protein diet with minimal carbohydrates and fats. The plan includes 100 foods to eat in any amount in the first weeks.
This method mainly reflects a ketogenic diet and other low-carb diet plans, in which the body is rebuilding itself to receive energy from fat and protein. The high protein content of food helps to balance insulin production and reduces the production of ghrelin, a hunger hormone. We eat faster and eat less. However, the Dukan diet limits not only carbohydrates but also fats. The safety and benefits of this method are not supported by research.
Before moving on to the Ducan meal plan, you need to calculate your "correct" weight. This can be done with the help of a special counter. The calculation is based on data on height, maximum and minimum weight, age, structural features of the body. The calculator was developed by Pierre Ducan, so check the results scientifically and consult your doctor.
The Ducan diet is divided into four stages:
- Attack.
- Exchange.
- Lock up.
- Stabilization.
Weight loss will be followed by fatigue and constant tiredness. The cause of rapid weight loss is dehydration, because the body loses fluid due to lack of carbohydrates. However, experts do not confirm the long-term effectiveness of this method and the health benefits of diet. Let's find out how the diet works and its many contraindications.
Stages of the Dukan diet
The diet consists of four parts, the duration of which depends on the calculated "correct" weight. The first two stages are aimed at weight loss, and the last stages are aimed at consolidating the achievements. Only protein-rich foods are allowed during the attack. Then add starch-free vegetables, limited fats and extra carbs.
The duration of the attack, rotation and strengthening depends on how many kilograms you lose to reach the "right" weight. The final step, which we must always adhere to, is to combine the fixation phase diet and the weekly protein days in an attack pattern.
1. Attack
The stage lasts from two to seven days. If you need to lose 20 kg or more to reach the "right" weight, the phase can take longer. The meal plan includes 68 protein foods and several supplements:
- meat: beef, veal, meat and other fish, pork, lean and soy bacon, liver, kidneys, tongue;
- Poultry: chicken fillet and liver, turkey, wild duck, quail, low-fat turkey and chicken sausage;
- fish and seafood: no restrictions, including canned tuna in water;
- vegetarian proteins: seitan - a vegetable protein, a meat substitute made from wheat gluten, vegetarian burgers and soy products, tofu and tempe;
- 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 a tablespoon of goji berries, sweets, shirataki noodles and unlimited dietary gelatin.
You need to devote 20 minutes a day to physical activity.
2. Exchange
The period of gradual weight gain lasts from one month to one year. The diet of the previous stage is replaced daily with a delicate and extensive menu - 32 types of vegetables are added:
- spinach, cabbage, lettuce and other vegetables
- broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts;
- Bulgarian pepper;
- mushrooms;
- celery;
- asparagus;
- artichoke;
- zucchini;
- a tomato;
- green beans;
- an onion;
- pumpkin and pumpkin spaghetti;
- check;
- cucumber;
- carrots;
- beet
One teaspoon of olive oil is allowed for salads or for baking in a pan and two tablespoons of bran are allowed. Physical activity 30 minutes.
3. Approval
The duration of the stage is determined by ten days per kilogram. The goal is to prevent a return to baseline. You can mix any product from the first two stages and also add a limited number of fats and carbohydrates:
- fruits: berries or chopped melons (100 g), medium apples, oranges, pears, peaches, nectarines or two kiwis, plums or apricots;
- two slices of whole grain bread a day;
- cheese, 40 g per day;
- starchy foods, 225 g per day: pasta, corn, beans, peas, rice or potatoes
- Meat: Roast beef, pork, or ham once or twice a week.
Twice a week you can have a festive meal: snack, main course, a glass of wine and dessert. There should be one day of protein per week (attack pattern). Bran - 2, 5 tablespoons, physical activity - 25 minutes.
4. Stabilization
The last step will help you maintain a "proper" weight. There are no strict dietary restrictions, but you should follow a few principles:
- products from the fixing phase should be taken as the basis of nutrition;
- Keep one protein day per week;
- walk at least 20-30 minutes per day;
- Drink 1, 5 liters of water and eat at least 30 g per day.
The last step is to follow your regular meal plan with a list of 100 foods with the least additives.
Menu for the initial stages
Attack
- Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese and cinnamon, coffee or tea, mixed with water. Skim milk and sweets can be added to any meal with tea and coffee.
- Lunch: chicken breast in a pot, shirataki noodles in soup, dietary gelatin, iced tea.
- Dinner: steak and shrimp, dietary gelatin, coffee or tea, water.
Exchange
- Breakfast: three scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes, coffee, water.
- Lunch: fried chicken and salad with French, Greek bran yogurt, iced tea.
- Dinner: boiled salmon fillets, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, dietary gelatin, decaffeinated coffee or tea, water.
Lock up
- Breakfast: omelet with cheese (40 g) and three eggs with spinach, coffee and water.
- Lunch: a portion of turkey with two slices of bread, cottage cheese mixed with 80 g of cottage cheese and cinnamon, iced tea.
- Dinner: pork and grilled zucchini in a pot, a small apple, decaffeinated coffee, water.
The effectiveness of the Ducan diet
No diet alone gives a long-term weight loss effect and the diet can be harmful. After a temporary weight loss, people return to their previous state, sometimes much stronger than a change in diet. The safest and most effective way to achieve the desired weight and maintain good health and fitness is to choose an appropriate lifestyle and diet that can be realistically monitored with the help of professionals.
. . .There are many scientific studies that focus on the effectiveness of low-protein, low-carbohydrate diets. However, there are few qualified studies on the Ducan method.
In 2015, data were collected from 50 women aged 19-64 in Poland who adhered to the Dukan diet plan and ate about 1, 000 calories per day, including 100 g of protein. The study participants lost 15 kg in 8-10 weeks.
In January, USANews & World Report, one of the top three U. S. economic, political, and health weeks, published a dietary ranking of 23 experts. Dukan's diet topped the list with a score of 1. 9 out of 5. Experts rated the effectiveness of the diet as 2, 5, and 2 health benefits. According to doctors, there is no evidence that the Dukan method of weight loss can be long-term and safe, but the list of products is unreasonably limited and dietary rules are very complicated. One expert openly called the diet "stupid. "
The diet is effective in the first few weeks. There is no scientific study to support sustainable weight loss, and the long-term health effects of diet have not been studied.
Harm of the Dukan diet
The diet is suitable for healthy people over 18 years of age. This method is not recommended for chronic gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Many beneficial foods are excluded from the diet plan because the diet includes all the negative aspects of a low-carb diet, as well as a few specific side effects.
Rapid weight loss
According to British nutritionists, the main drawback of the Dukan diet can be harmful to his health:
- Initial weight loss occurs through dehydration;
- The diet is not balanced, so you need to take extra vitamins;
- Remember to require a daily amount of water and oat bran to provide the least amount of fiber.
Risk of disease
Lack of vitamins and beneficial micronutrients can reflect the diet:
- osteoporosis;
- problems with the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- hormonal disorders;
- disorders of the nervous system.
"Ketogripp"
When you change your diet, you may have a painful condition that is characteristic of the early stages of a high-protein diet. The reason for feeling unwell is a change in metabolism, as the body regenerates itself to receive energy from fats and proteins. Fatigue, increased hunger and thirst, attention and sleep problems, mood swings, headaches, indigestion, and tachycardia may be felt for several days.
Scientists speculate that abandoning this diet could lead to health problems in the future. And because of a limited diet, most people eventually stop eating according to plan - they get stuck, bored and uncomfortable, sticking to a list of 100 foods and their rotation rules.
The Ducan diet is roughly suitable for most healthy people, but has serious contraindications. Such a diet can cause diseases of the cardiovascular, digestive and nervous systems, as well as hormonal disorders.
Basic information about the Ducan diet:
Per
- The Dukan method helps you lose weight fast;
- you will not be able to count calories for the first two weeks and will be able to eat allowed foods with almost no restrictions;
- large amounts of protein help reduce hunger and reduce malnutrition;
- The diet provides mandatory physical activity.
Opposed to
- rapid weight loss is caused by dehydration;
- The list of foods is limited, so the body does not get the nutrients it needs. There are no vegetables in the diet on protein days, and the amount of carbohydrates in the later stages is limited;
- dietary fiber below the daily norm - 5 g instead of the recommended 25-38 g;
- There is no scientific evidence that such a diet leads to sustainable weight loss;
- There are no data on the health effects of diet in the long term.
Doctor's comment
"The Dukan diet is one of the most popular ways to lose weight. And many of the patients who came to me for consultation tried this diet on time.
A reasonable question arises: why do they need professional help from a nutritionist? The answer was simple: most people who lost weight returned to their previous diet, that is, returned to their original weight within a few years. Unfortunately, this is the backbone of most diets where people strive to be slim. And the Duke diet is no exception.
But this is not the most important argument, so I do not recommend resorting to this diet.
The main disadvantage of this type of food is the lack of necessary macro- and micronutrients for a long time. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals can be compensated by special biologically active complexes, but this does not replace the natural intake of macro- and micronutrients. Conditions of this deficiency lead to a decrease in immunity and deterioration of all organs and systems of the body.
Dukan's diet increases the load on the excretory system and liver, so it is contraindicated in people with chronic renal and hepatic insufficiency, pregnant and lactating women, impaired protein metabolism, gout, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Also in the exacerbation of chronic diseases - gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis.
The Ducan diet is a serious stress for the body, its potential harm far outweighs the benefits and the result is very unstable in the long run.
Follow the principles of optimal nutrition, get proper physical activity, and control your sleep and drinking. The results will not last long and your health will improve. "