The Ducan diet is one of the most advertised weight loss methods. Understanding how the diet works, what the "right" weight is and why eating according to Dukan can be dangerous.
Who is Pierre Ducan
The creator of the popular diet is not a nutritionist, but a therapist. Pierre Dukan was in general practice when an obese patient came to see him in 1970. The man admitted that for the sake of losing weight, he is ready to give up any food except meat. The doctor developed a diet based on lean meats, non-starchy vegetables and a minimal amount of fruits. A prerequisite was the rejection of sugar.
Ducan argued that such a diet is best for natural metabolism: primitive man ate seasonal meat, vegetables and fruits. Sugar in our sense was inaccessible to him and therefore should be abandoned now.
After 30 years of experimentation and observation, Pierre Ducan published the book I Cannot Lose Weight, which became a bestseller in 32 countries. The new method promised the ability to lose 5 kg in one to two weeks, without being limited in the amount of food.
Celebrities who openly appreciated the new method added popularity to Ducan models. Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bündchen used the diet to lose weight after pregnancy and childbirth. Welsh singer Catherine Jenkins claims she is in shape by feeding on the Dukan plan.
In 2012, the French Council of Physicians showed that the nutritionist violated ethical principles by making medicine a commercial enterprise. In 2014, Pierre Ducan was excluded from the register of doctors for advertising and promoting the method.
How diet works
The Ducan diet means a protein diet with a minimum of carbohydrates and fats. The scheme includes 100 products that can be eaten in any volume in the first few weeks.
The method largely reflects the ketogenic diet and other low-carb diet plans, where the body is rebuilding itself to get energy from fat and protein. The high protein content in food helps balance the production of insulin and reduces the production of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. We get full faster and eat less. However, the Ducan diet restricts not only carbohydrates but also fats. The safety and benefits of this approach are not supported by research.
Before switching to a Ducan diet plan, you need to calculate your "correct" weight. This can be done using a special calculator. The calculation is based on data on height, maximum and minimum weight, age, structural features of the body. The calculator was developed by Pierre Dukan, so the result should be scientifically verified and you should consult your doctor.
The Dukan diet is divided into four stages:
- Attacks.
- Alternimi.
- Anchoring.
- Stabilization.
Visible weight loss already begins in the attack phase, which motivates you to continue eating according to the Ducan method. The reason for rapid weight loss is dehydration, as due to lack of carbohydrates, the body loses fluid. However, experts do not confirm the long-term effectiveness of the method and the health benefits of the diet. Let’s understand how diet works and why there are so many contraindications.
Stages of the Ducan diet
The diet consists of four parts, the duration of which depends on the calculated "correct" weight. The first two phases are aimed at weight loss, and the final ones are aimed at consolidating achievements. During the attack, only protein-rich foods are allowed. Then add non-starchy vegetables, limited fat and extra carbs.
The duration of the attack, alternation and reinforcement depends on how many pounds you need to lose to achieve the "right" weight. The final phase, which must be consistently observed, combines the fast phase phase diet and weekly protein days into one attack pattern.
1. Attacks
The phase lasts from two to seven days. If you need to lose 20 kg or more to reach the "right" weight, the phase can last longer. The meal plan includes 68 protein foods and some complementary foods:
- meat: beef, beef, venison and other game, pork, lean and soy bacon, liver, kidney, tongue;
- poultry: chicken fillets and liver, turkey, wild duck, quail, low-fat turkey and chicken sausages;
- fish and seafood: without restrictions, including canned tuna in water;
- vegetarian protein: seitan - vegetable protein, meat substitute made from wheat gluten, vegetarian burgers and soy products, tofu and tempeh;
- 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, sweetener, shirataki noodles and unlimited diet gelatin.
Every day you should devote 20 minutes of physical activity.
2. Alternimi
The period of gradual attainment of the right weight lasts from one month to one year. The diet from the previous stage changes every other day with a softer and expanded menu - 32 types of vegetables are added:
- spinach, kale, lettuce and other green vegetables
- broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts;
- bell pepper;
- mushrooms;
- celery;
- asparagus;
- anginal;
- zucchini;
- tomatoes;
- green beans;
- onions;
- spaghetti with squash and squash;
- turnips;
- cucumber;
- carrots;
- beets.
Allow one teaspoon of olive oil for salad dressing or cooking in the pan and two tablespoons of bran. The duration of physical activity is 30 minutes.
3. Anchoring
The duration of the phase is determined at the rate of ten days for each kilogram lost. The goal is to prevent a return to the initial weight. You can mix any of the products from the first two stages, as well as add a limited amount of fats and carbohydrates:
- fruit: chopped berries or melon (100 g), a medium-sized apple, orange, pear, peach, nectarine, or two kiwi, plum or apricot;
- two slices of whole grain bread a day;
- cheese, 40 g per day;
- starchy foods, 225 g per day: pasta, corn, beans, beans, rice, or potatoes
- meat: roast beef, pork or bacon once or twice a week.
Twice a week you can eat a festive meal: appetizer, main course, glass of wine and dessert. One day a week should be protein (attack pattern). Bran - 2. 5 tablespoons, physical activity - 25 minutes.
4. Stabilization
The last step to help maintain a "correct" weight. There are no strict dietary restrictions, but you should follow some principles:
- products from the fixation phase should be taken as the basis of nutrition;
- keep one protein a week;
- walk at least 20-30 minutes a day;
- drink 1. 5 liters of water and eat at least 30 g of bran per day.
The final step involves following up on your meal plan at all times with a list of 100 foods with few additions.
Menu for the initial stages
attack
- Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese mixed with bran and cinnamon, coffee or tea, water. Skimmed milk and sweeteners can be added to tea and coffee at every meal.
- Lunch: chicken breast in pan, shirataki noodles in soup, diet gelatin, iced tea.
- Dinner: steak and shrimp, diet gelatin, coffee or tea, water.
alternation
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with three eggs, tomato slices, coffee, water.
- Lunch: Fried chicken and salad with French sauce, Greek bran yogurt, iced tea.
- Dinner: roasted salmon fillets, boiled broccoli and cauliflower, diet gelatin, decaffeinated coffee or tea, water.
Anchoring
- Breakfast: an omelette of three eggs with cheese (40 g) and spinach, coffee, water.
- Lunch: a ration of turkey with two slices of whole grain bread, 80 g of cottage cheese mixed with bran and cinnamon, iced tea.
- Dinner: pork in a pan and grilled zucchini, a small apple, decaffeinated coffee, water.
Effectiveness of the Ducan diet
No single diet gives a long-term effect of weight loss and diet can be unhealthy. After a temporary weight loss, people return to their previous state, and sometimes they recover more strongly than before the diet change. A safe and effective way to achieve the desired weight and maintain health and good physical shape is with the help of specialists to choose a suitable lifestyle and diet that can be realistically observed on a regular basis
. . .There are many scientific publications that focus on the effectiveness of high protein and low carbohydrate diets. However, there are few studies qualified under the Dukan method.
In 2015, data from 50 women aged 19-64 were compiled in Poland who followed the Ducan meal plan and consumed about 1, 000 calories per day, including 100 g of protein. Study participants lost 15 kg in 8-10 weeks.
In January, SHBANews & World Report, one of the top three American weekly newspapers on economics, politics and health, published a diet ranking of 23 experts. The Ducan Diet came last on the list, taking 1. 9 points out of 5. Experts rated the effectiveness of the diet at 2. 5 and the health benefits at 2. According to doctors, there is no evidence that weight loss under the Ducan method could belong-term and safe, while the list of products is unreasonably limited, and dietary rules are very complex. One expert openly called the diet "idiotic. "
The diet is effective in the first few weeks. There is no scientific research to support sustained weight loss, and the long-term health effects of diet have not been studied.
The harm of the Ducan diet
The diet is apparently suitable for healthy people over 18 years old. The method is not recommended for chronic gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders, pregnancy, breastfeeding.
The diet has all the disadvantages of low carb diets as well as some specific side effects as many healthy foods are excluded from the meal plan.
Rapid weight loss
The main disadvantage of the Ducan diet, according to British nutrition experts, is that it can be harmful to health:
- Initial weight loss occurs through dehydration;
- The diet is not balanced, so you need to take extra vitamins;
- Keep in mind the daily amount of water and the required ration of oat bran to ensure a minimum of fiber.
Risk of disease
Due to the lack of vitamins and useful trace elements, the diet can provoke:
- osteoporosis;
- problems with the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- hormonal disorders;
- nervous system disorders.
"Ketogripp"
When you change the diet, a painful condition is possible, which is characteristic of the initial stage of diets with a large amount of protein. The reason to feel bad is a change in metabolism, as the body is rebuilding itself to get energy from fats and proteins. Fatigue, increased hunger and thirst, problems with attention and sleep, mood swings, headaches, indigestion and periods of tachycardia can be felt for several days.
Scientists speculate that avoiding this diet could lead to health problems in the future. And because the diet is limited, most people eventually stop eating according to plan - they get bored and do not feel comfortable adhering to a list of 100 foods and rules for their rotation.
The Ducan diet is apparently suitable for most healthy people, but has serious contraindications. Such a diet can provoke diseases of the cardiovascular, digestive and nervous systems, as well as hormonal disorders.
Top Facts About Ducan Diet:
ABOUT
- Ducan method helps to lose weight fast;
- in the first two weeks, you can not count calories and eat allowed foods almost without any restrictions;
- a large amount of protein quenches hunger and helps to eat less;
- diet provides mandatory physical activity.
ANTI-
- rapid weight loss occurs due to dehydration of the body;
- the list of foods is limited, so the body does not get the nutrients it needs. During protein days, there are no vegetables in the diet, in the later stages the amount of carbohydrates is limited;
- dietary fiber content is below the daily norm - 5 g instead of the recommended 25-38 g;
- there is no scientific evidence that such a diet leads to sustained weight loss;
- there is no data on the effects of diet on health in the long run.
Doctor's comment
The Ducan diet is one of the most popular ways to lose weight. And this diet was tried at the right time by most of the patients who come to me for consultation.
A reasonable question arises: why, then, do they need the professional help of a nutritionist-nutritionist? The answer is simple: most of those who lost weight returned to their previous eating habits, that is, to their original weight within a few years. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of most diets that people use to look for details. And the Ducan diet is no exception.
But this is not the most important argument because of which I would not recommend resorting to this diet.
The main disadvantage of this type of nutrition is the lack of macro- and micronutrients for a long time. The lack of vitamins and minerals can be compensated by special biologically active complexes, but this does not replace the natural intake of natural macro- and microelements. Such conditions of deficiency lead to a decrease in immunity, a deterioration in the work of all organs and systems of the body.
The Dukan diet increases the load on the excretory system, the liver, therefore it is categorically contraindicated for people with chronic renal and hepatic insufficiency, for pregnant and lactating women, for those who have impaired protein metabolism, gout, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. And also during the exacerbation of chronic diseases - gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, pyelonephritis.
The Ducan diet is a serious stress for the body, the potential harm from it far outweighs the benefit, and the result is very volatile in the long run.
Follow the principles of optimal nutrition, have adequate physical activity and monitor your sleep and drinking regime. The desired result will not be long in coming, and your health will be in order. "