The problem of excess weight is one of the most urgent in the world, every year this issue becomes more and more pressing. A sedentary lifestyle, love of television and computers, poor quality food and chemical food additives negatively affect people's physical fitness. Doctors have long sounded the alarm, trying to draw attention to the global problem of obesity. This, of course, does not concern you and me, but it is also not worth starting the situation, especially since summer and vacation are coming soon.
In the article we will talk about the weight loss system of Pierre Ducant, a French nutritionist who revolutionized the world of dietetics and who proposed a completely new method of losing weight, based not on reducing the number of calories, but on the composition and properties of food that enters the body.
What is the Ducan Diet
Pierre Dukan is a French physician and nutritionist who has been studying the effects of foods on the human body for over forty years. Having studied the eating behavior of people, he was able to discover the secret of achieving an ideal weight without fasting and severe restrictions on food. Pierre Ducan has written 19 books, but the bestseller "I Don't Know How to Lose Weight" brought him the greatest fame, thanks to which more than 15 million people were able to lose weight.
The Pierre Ducan diet is designed for people who are unable to starve themselves, its motto is "Eat as much as you want and lose weight. "Pierre Dukan first took up nutritional issues when one of his clients needed help fighting obesity. After the doctor proposed his developments, the patient lost 3 kilograms in five days, and in the next three days he lost another 1. 5 kg - this marked the beginning of Ducan's career as a nutritionist.
The system is based on the principles of a protein diet, which allows you to start the process of burning fat deposits and thereby get rid of excess weight without harming muscle tissue. A sharp decrease in the number of consumed carbohydrates and fats contributes to effective weight loss and "drying" the figure. Please note that this technique can be called a nutritional system rather than a diet, because it is divided into four main stages, after passing which you can completely change your eating habits and learn how to eat in such a way as to maintain an ideal weight.
When a large amount of protein enters the body, metabolism accelerates, toxins and toxins are removed, hunger and constant nervousness disappear. However, a prolonged absence of the right fats and carbohydrates in the diet can lead to poor health and the occurrence of serious diseases, therefore, it is necessary to adhere to a protein diet clearly according to the scheme, listening to all the recommendations and following the rules.
The main difference between the Ducan diet and other methods is that it does not impose any restrictions on the amount of food consumed, you do not have to count every bite eaten and suffer from hunger. The system ensures that the weight remains within the normal range even after the end of the diet.
The advantage of the Ducan Diet is that it is highly effective and not hungry. The disadvantage of all methods of losing weight is usually standard: poor balance of the diet, so you need to strictly adhere to the diet plan and listen to your feelings, if you feel uncomfortable, then you may need to choose another option for losing weight.
Diet Plan
Dr. Ducan's Diet is the first to use a structured approach and a four-step weight loss system. The first two stages are aimed at effective weight loss, and the rest are aimed at consolidating the obtained result and stabilizing the weight. In the course of losing weight, one must be guided by a list of 100 permitted foods that can be eaten at different stages of the diet: 72 pure protein products - fish, meat, seafood, vegetable proteins, low-fat dairy products and 28 types of vegetables. Oat bran is an important part of the system, so do not neglect them.
At the "Attack" stage, it is allowed to consume 72 products from the first group, at the "Alternation" (or "Cruise") stage - another 28 vegetables are introduced into the diet. During the consolidation of the result, the body gets used to a new dietary regime, and a pure protein Thursday allows you to adjust weight in order to avoid sudden fluctuations and loss of shape.
At the last, fourth stage, you can eat any food, but adhere to the following rules:
- Observe a protein day once a week when pure protein food is consumed
- Move at least 20 minutes a day and refuse the lift
- Eat three tablespoons of bran every day
In addition to nutrition, Dr. Ducan pays great attention to physical activity. Try to walk every day, as well as work out in the gym, ride a bike, swim or dance. The main thing is to move more, because physical activity helps burn calories, turns body fat into a source of useful energy and helps to maintain muscle tone.
Before starting the diet, calculate your correct weight, on which further nutrition depends on Dukan.
Remember the basic rules that must be strictly observed: drink 1. 5-2 liters of water a day, move actively and eat oat bran daily.
Completely exclude fat, oil and mayonnaise from the diet, salads are allowed to be seasoned with lemon juice or soy sauce.
Steamer, grill, bake or boil food, or you can cook in a non-stick pan.
It is advisable to refrain from alcohol, sugar, fried potatoes and fruits with a high sugar content (bananas, cherries, cherries, grapes, figs).
By carefully following all the recommendations, you can lose up to 5 kg. in Week.
During the diet, it is allowed to consume black, green and herbal tea, coffee, cola and pepsi light, low-fat cocoa (1 teaspoon per day), corn starch (1 tablespoon per day), skimmed milk powder (up to 3 tablespoons per day), wheat bran (1 tablespoon), baking powder, gelatin, vanilla and cinnamon, sugar substitutes (except for glucose, fructose and sorbitol).
Attack
So, the first stage - "Attack", lasts from 2 to 10 days (depending on the weight that you would like to lose), the duration is determined using the online calculator, which we have already discussed above, for example, if there is5 extra pounds, then the "Attack" lasts 2 days, 5-10 kg. - 3 days, 10-20 kg. - 5 days. At this stage, the first results of the diet are clearly manifested, weight loss is 2-6 kg. At this time, fats are actively broken down, so dry mouth and a slight odor may appear, but diet advocates argue that this is normal.
During the "Attack", the most severe food restrictions apply, and the menu for each day includes only protein products:
- Lean veal or beef
- Veal kidney and liver
- Skinless Chicken and Turkey
- Beef or veal tongue
- Seafood & Fish
- Low-fat ham (we do not recommend it for consumption, because domestic ham, unlike French, is not made from natural meat, but from ingredients of dubious quality with chemical additives)
- Skimmed milk, kefir and cottage cheese
- Onions, garlic, condiments, vinegar, salt, soy sauce and spices
In the first phase, it is not allowed to eat rabbit meat, pork, duck, goose. Eat 1. 5 tablespoons of oat bran every day. Eggs are allowed in limited quantities (no more than 2 yolks per day, whites - as many as you like), crab sticks - no more than 8 pieces per day.
An example menu during the "Attack" might look like this:
1 day
Breakfast: scrambled eggs (2 eggs and 4 tablespoons skim milk), bran bread and low-fat cottage cheese, coffee or tea
Lunch: Chicken Broth
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: steamed cutlets, bread
Day 2
Breakfast: bran and milk oatmeal
Lunch: ear
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: chicken cutlets, tea or coffee
Day 3
Breakfast: cheesecakes, tea or coffee
Lunch: fish baked with herbs and lemon
Snack: Natural Yogurt with Oat Cake
Dinner: Seafood Cocktail
Late Dinner: Curd
Day 4
Breakfast: light salted red fish with oat cake, tea or coffee
Lunch: chicken breast baked in kefir
Snack: curd
Dinner: Omelet and Roasted Veal
Late Dinner: Kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: bran pancakes with cottage cheese
Lunch: fish, mustard sauce
Snack: Natural Yogurt
Dinner: Curd Casserole
6 day
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, tea or coffee
Lunch: meat soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: salmon fillet baked with mustard
7 day
Breakfast: curd casserole
Lunch: ear with oat bread
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: meat baked with melted cheese
Do not forget that you do not need to limit yourself to the portion size, you can eat as much as you want, and a large selection of products allows you to create a menu for every taste.
On the Internet you can find many interesting recipes for cooking according to the Ducan system, here are a few of them.
Chicken cutlets
Add 1 raw egg and 2 boiled finely chopped eggs, salt, pepper and green onion to the minced chicken (0. 5 kg. ). Fry without oil or steam.
Coffee Cream
Low-fat soft cottage cheese - 400 grams, sugar substitute - 10 measuring spoons, coffee - 2 teaspoons, water - 50 grams. Brew coffee in 50 ml. water (if soluble, then just dissolve), add the sugar substitute and strain into a bowl with soft curd. Beat the mass with a mixer.
Ricotta cookies
1 egg white, low fat ricotta cheese - 2 tbsp. spoons (or regular soft curd), oat bran - 2 tablespoons, sweetener. Mix the ingredients in a bowl, put in the form of cookies in a pan and fry on both sides or bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes. When the cookies are ready, top with the mixture of curd, sweetener and zest (vanilla, cocoa).
Cruise
During the second phase - “Cruise” or “Alternation”, you will achieve the desired result, and the duration of the stage depends on how many kilograms you plan to lose. As the name implies, at this time protein days alternate with protein and vegetable days. If you need to lose weight less than 10 kg. , Then the scheme can vary, for example, 1 day protein and 1 day - vegetables + proteins, 3 days protein and 3 days vegetables + proteins, 5 days protein and 5 days vegetables + proteins. Choose the option that is convenient for you. But if the excess weight is more than 10 kilograms, then alternate 5 protein and 5 protein-vegetable days. Thanks to such a system, metabolism is normalized, toxins, toxins, fat and salts are removed from the body.
At the second stage, you can eat as much as your heart desires, using foods from the list of permitted and adding vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, green beans, radishes, asparagus, cabbage, celery, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, beets, pepper. You cannot eat potatoes, cereals and pasta, peas, corn, beans, lentils, olives, avocados and beans.
It is advisable to limit carrots and beets, because they contain sugar; it is allowed to use tomato paste in small amounts of cooking. Every day you can choose only two products from those that are added, eat products from the first phase without restrictions. Another must: eat two tablespoons of oat bran daily.
The menu at the "Cruise" stage looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: Herb Omelet
Second breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: Tuna salad (tuna, green beans, hard-boiled egg, herbs. Season with lemon juice, yogurt and black pepper)
Snack: Baked Chicken Breast with Vegetable Salad
Dinner: stewed cabbage with herbs and spices, boiled beef tongue with horseradish
Day 2
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Bran Loaves
Lunch: Vegetable Meat Soup
Afternoon snack: bran pancakes with kefir
Dinner: baked chicken breast with herbs and grilled vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes)
Day 3
Breakfast: Ham omelette
Lunch: hodgepodge
Afternoon snack: curd casserole
Dinner: Baked Meat with Vegetable Salad
Day 4
Breakfast: boiled eggs, lightly salted salmon, oat bread
Lunch: Meatball and Bran Soup
Afternoon snack: cheese cakes
Dinner: Chicken Cutlets with Vegetable Salad
Day 5
Breakfast: omelet and yogurt
Lunch: fish soup
Snack: cottage cheese
Dinner: Meatloaf with Baked Vegetables
Anchoring
The “Consolidation” (or “Consolidation”) stage is designed to consolidate the result obtained in the first two phases and gradually return to the daily diet. Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, vegetable oil, fruits are gradually added to the main products. Every day you need to eat 2-3 tablespoons of oat bran and 3 teaspoons of honey. One day a week remains fully protein in order to avoid sudden weight gain. Pierre Dukan recommends protein Thursday, but you can choose the day yourself based on your rhythm of life.
The duration of this stage depends on the amount of weight lost during the "Attack" and "Cruise" phases, calculated by the formula: multiply each lost kilogram by 10 days. For example, if you lost 3 kg, then the "Cruise" should last 30 days, and if 10 kg, then it will take 100 days to consolidate.
Consolidation includes one fruit per day, a slice of low-fat cheese and roasted lamb or pork several times a week, a portion of "starchy foods" and "stomach feast. "Divide the third stage into two equal parts: during the first part you can eat one portion of "starchy foods" (rice-120 gr. , 2-3 baked potatoes, buckwheat or pasta) per week and one "stomach feast" (meal, when you can eat whatever you want within the portion). In the second part, you can eat two servings a week of both.
Sample menu at this stage:
1 day
Breakfast: apple and cinnamon cheesecakes
Second breakfast: yogurt
Lunch: vegetable soup and chicken cutlets with oat bread
Snack: cheesecake
Dinner: grilled fish and vegetables
Day 2
Breakfast: baked chicken, boiled egg and yogurt
Lunch: Vegetable Soup and Grilled Meats
Afternoon snack: cheese cakes
Dinner: baked meat with rice and vegetables
Day 3
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Bran Loaves
Lunch: hodgepodge
Snack: Fruit
Dinner: fish and vegetables, glass of red wine
Day 4
Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with berries
Lunch: Oat bran soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: Chicken Cutlets with Salad
Day 5
Breakfast: cheese cakes and coffee
Lunch: Vegetable Meatball Soup
Snack: Fruit
Dinner: Baked Meat with Grilled Vegetables
Stabilization
The final phase of the Stabilization diet helps you transition to your daily diet so that you don't gain weight later on. By this time, your eating habits will completely change, and you will clearly know which foods you should avoid and which ones to limit.
You can already eat anything, but do not get too carried away with flour and fatty foods, and also include in your menu as much meat and vegetables as possible. In order to maintain the weight gained, follow these rules: eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, stick to protein Thursday, drink a lot of water and exercise or walk a lot. The more you play sports and pay attention to physical activity, the more likely it is that excess weight will never appear again.
Finally, write yourself a couple more recipes for the Ducan nutritional system:
Egg salad
Cut the boiled eggs into cubes, mix with a finely chopped bunch of green onions, add low-calorie sour cream and the salad is ready.
Bread
2 tablespoons of oat bran, 1 tablespoon of wheat bran, 2 eggs, 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of kefir, a can of soft fat-free cottage cheese, 1 bag of baking powder. In one bowl we mix starch, bran and salt everything. In another vessel, mix kefir, eggs and curd. We combine everything and put it in the form. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Hake baked in foil
Marinate the hake fillets in lemon juice, salt, add herbs, spices and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
What other options can you suggest?
The group of protein diets, in addition to the Ducan diet, includes the classic French diet and the paleo diet, which Ducan himself calls a copy of his weight loss strategy.
French Diet
The classic French protein diet is designed for 14 days, at this time you must strictly adhere to the menu, deviating from the established diet is strictly not allowed. The diet is based on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, herbs, fruits and dried rye bread. Bread and pastries, sugar, fruit juices, salt and a variety of pickles, as well as alcohol are banned.
The technique is quite effective and guarantees weight loss of 4-8 kg. However, like most diets, it is poorly balanced, so you should not stick to it for a long time. Another disadvantage of the French diet in a hard diet that not everyone can handle. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the menu often suggests using boiled sausage or ham, and this moment causes perplexing comments on the forums.
However, it should be borne in mind that the diet came to us from France, and the quality of products, in particular ham and sausages, is completely different in our country. If in France ham is made from natural meat, then we cannot boast of this, so we recommend that our readers replace sausage with natural meat.
The 7-day French diet menu looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: black coffee
Lunch: two eggs, lettuce, tomato
Dinner: 100 grams of lean cooked meat, lettuce
Day 2
Breakfast: black coffee, rye crouton
Lunch: a piece of cooked meat (100 grams)
Dinner: Boiled Meat and Lettuce Salad
Day 3
Breakfast: coffee and rye croutons
Lunch: one medium carrot fried in vegetable oil, 1 tomato and a tangerine
Dinner: Salad with cooked meat, lettuce and two boiled eggs
Day 4
Breakfast: the same as the previous days
Lunch: one medium raw carrot, 100 grams of cheese and an egg
Dinner: fruits and kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: one medium raw carrot with fresh juice of one lemon
Lunch: tomato and 100 gr. boiled fish
Dinner: 100 gr. boiled beef
6 day
Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: boiled chicken, green salad
Dinner: Boiled Beef
7 day
Breakfast: Green Tea
Lunch: boiled beef and orange
Dinner: Chicken with Lettuce
The menu of the second week repeats the presented diet or you can create your own menu from the same products only in a different combination. The introduction of new products is not permitted.
Paleo Diet
This diet is also called the "caveman diet", its essence is that you need to eat like our distant ancestors. Before the food revolution, which happened 10, 000 years ago, people ate meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries. Then man invented agriculture and cereals and dairy products began to dominate in the diet. In the modern world, hydrogenated fats and refined sugar, flavor enhancers and dyes have been added to the menu.
Today, 70% of calories a person gets from foods that our ancestors did not even imagine, so the supporters of the "cave diet" suggest returning to their origins and stopping eating "unnatural food for their kind. "Oddly enough, research supports this theory. In 2008, Karolinska University scientists transferred a group of men and women to the Stone Age menu. In three weeks, calorie intake decreased by 35%, blood pressure dropped by 5%, and the risk of blood clots was reduced by 72%.
The main feature of the paleo diet is that you can eat as much as you want, it is enough to follow that all the products repeat the diet of ancient people. Interestingly, this technique does not limit the intake of the right fats and carbohydrates. The diet helps to normalize blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol levels and helps to lose extra pounds due to the large amount of protein and the combination of meat with vegetables and fruits.
The diet is based on all types of lean meat, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits (except dried fruits), vegetables, except for potatoes and corn, nuts. All cereal products should be excluded (they cause inflammatory processes in the body), milk and dairy products (they often contain hormones due to the dishonesty of manufacturers), flour and confectionery products, and fast food.
The paleo diet menu can be not only tasty, but also useful:
Breakfast: for two servings a handful of any frozen berries, 3 handfuls of red currants, 1 teacup of unrefined sugar, a handful of crushed hazelnuts, 2 large pinches of jasmine tea, lemon.
Spread the red currants on a tray and sprinkle with sugar, when the sugar dissolves, transfer everything to a bowl. Put the other frozen berries in a frying pan and put on the fire when they let the juice flow, add jasmine tea, pour lemon juice and stir. Pour the mixture over the red currants, sprinkle with chopped nuts and eat.
Lunch: 4 servings - 4 chicken breasts, 6 turnip tubers, 5 small turnips, 4 peeled rutabaga tubers, 10 small beets. Marinade: A good serving of olive oil, lime juice, 3 chopped chili peppers and 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of coriander, cinnamon, ginger, dry parsley and oregano.
Mix the marinade ingredients and rub the chicken breasts with them. Put the tubers in foil and fields with oil, bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 220 degrees. Grill the breasts for 12 minutes (turn once). If there is not enough salt, then add some cooked food.
Dinner: Mackerel with salad. For 4 servings, you will need 4 mackerel, lime, olive oil. Stir fish with a mixture of mustard and olive oil, fry on each side for 5 minutes. Take a large armful of watercress, cut 4 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 red onion into it and cover with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Serve the fish and salad beautifully and garnish with lime wedges, now you can enjoy a wonderful dinner.
What they say about the Ducan diet
The Dukan diet is very popular, it is actively discussed, groups and blogs on social networks are created, in which recipes, reviews of doctors and those who lose weight about the diet are published.
Among celebrities Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bündchen, Keith Middleton and American culinary expert Gina Keatley are addicted to the Ducan diet. In general, the reviews confirm the effectiveness of the diet and active weight loss, but there are also negative comments, so I would like to note once again that the diet must be adhered to clearly according to the rules, you cannot sit on it for a long time, because an imbalance in the diet leads to a number of diseases.
Often negative reviews are associated with non-compliance with diet rules and amateur performance, so we recommend that you avoid being creative and stick to the plan. The effect of the diet on the body is individual, listen carefully to your feelings and if you feel that the diet is not suitable for you, then choose another option.
There is a myth that the Ducan diet is banned in France and Europe, but in fact it is not true, because the authorities cannot ban the diet. However, the British Association of Dietitians in the United Kingdom (one of the oldest such organizations, founded in 1936) has criticized the Ducan diet many times and for several years in a row called it the worst popular diet.
The negative opinion of nutritionists is based on an imbalance in the diet and insufficient calories. Doctors warn that by sticking to a diet, you will be faced with a lack of vitamins and minerals, poor digestion (limited intake of vegetables and fruits) and a lack of energy (few carbohydrates). If the Ducan Diet is applied by a person who is actively working (it does not matter whether he is engaged in mental or physical labor), then there is a significant risk to health.