The Dukan diet is well known in Lebanon. It was created by a French physician, Pierre Dukan, to help those aiming for stubborn fat loss. The diet is considered one of the best and healthiest ways to lose weight. With so many weight loss diet that emerged in the last decade, it becomes difficult for anyone to choose the right one. This diet is not about eating less or starving but eating as much of the approved foods to stay healthy while losing weight. Here is how Dukan diet works and how to get started with it.
How does the Dukan diet works?
The diet mainly includes high protein foods while eliminating carbohydrates from your meals. This is important because carbs tend to convert into simple sugar in a faster way and too much of it may make you gain tremendous weight. On the other hand, proteins are highly required by the body and is assimilated slowly to provide you with constant energy throughout the day. Moreover, proteins provide lesser calories than the carbohydrates do in the equal quantity of food consumed. Proteins not only increases your satiety but also prevents you from eating less.
The diet is structured in four phases and promises a considerable weight loss in as fast as a week and continues until you reach your goals. Since it is more than just a diet and brings in positive lifestyle changes, it helps you to keep the weight off for a lifetime. Usually, most weight loss diets may help you in losing weight to some extent but the weight tends to return after some time, but with the Dukan Diet, you can rest assured of putting it off for longer. It works in the following phases to shed excess fat.
1. Attack Phase
This phase involves consuming foods with no carbohydrates. It helps in boosting fat loss in your body and helps you lose weight in a fast way. You can choose from a variety of high protein foods to consume in breakfast, lunch and dinner. This phase usually lasts for 7-10 days.
2. Cruise Phase
Just after the attack phase, the dieters are allowed to choose from a variety of approved carbohydrate foods, most of which are in the form of vegetables. Your food will still be composed of a great part of proteins that was allowed in the attack phase. This phase extends until the dieter reaches the weight loss goals.
3. Consolidation Phase
Once the dieter has lost the excess weight, they can come under the consolidation phase of the diet. This will help in reintroducing foods that were restricted in the first two phases. These includes fruits and diary with some restrictions. Dieters are also allowed to eat their favorite food twice a week during this phase.
4. Stabilization Phase
The fourth and the last phase helps the dieter to keep the weight off. This is particularly important to reap the benefits of the diet. This phase starts as you understand that introducing carbs no longer make you gain weight and you may return back to your previous but healthy eating schedule.
Since the diet includes high protein foods, it is essential to drink lots of water. Proteins when digested, produces uric acid which should be flushed out of the body to avoid any complication. Long-term consumption of high protein diet can be harmful to many as it adds a lot of pressure over the kidneys to flush out the uric acid produced. The diet may not be suitable for those having impaired functioning of the kidneys.
How to get started with the Dukan diet
The Dukan Diet is easy to start with as it does not need special recipes or food to follow. A list of pre-approved food for each phase will help you to choose from a wide variety of high proteins and low carbohydrate meals. There is probably no need to eat the same foods over and over again. A Dukan Diet Book would be of great help to know the variety of foods you can consume in each phase with easy recipes.
Once you have a grocery list for the diet, prepare your pantry and remove all the unwanted fats and high carbohydrate foods. In this way, you will not get tempted with fattening foods. Decide a start date and find a dieting pal so that you stay motivated. It is best to talk with your doctor before starting the Dukan Diet, especially if you have any health complication.
