Not all people lose weight quickly and easily. Sometimes you have to fight for every kilogram for weeks or even months. It is for such options that the Ducan diet was created. On this system, everyone loses weight, regardless of gender and age.
Who is Pierre Ducan?
A French doctor and nutritionist created the diet, named it by his last name. Pierre Ducan developed the system 30 years ago, but gained fame after the author's textbook. In it, the author describes the mechanism in detail, describes the phases. Pierre Dukan himself lost weight on this system. According to him, thanks to the four stages and the absence of dietary restrictions, absolutely anyone can lose weight.
After the book was published, Pierre gained worldwide fame, visited many countries, starred in television programs. Famous people tried his way of losing weight, it served as a good PR. Later, similar ketogenic diets appeared on the basis of this system, but they did not receive such popularity.
Basic principles of the diet
The diet from the French doctor is based on protein nutrition with a clear restriction of carbohydrate, fatty foods. But this does not mean that the diet will be monotonous, consisting of a monotonous chicken with kefir. On the contrary, Ducan's protein diet is one of the few methods that allows you to consume sweets, various drinks, pastries, but with sugar substitutes and other dietary products.
The lack of carbohydrates forces the body to actively break down protein foods and draw energy from its own fat reserves.
As a basis, you can use the recipes given in the book, written here, or come up with your own dishes from the allowed list. From the very beginning of the diet and after the end of the diet, Dr. Ducan strongly recommends taking oat bran. This is the fiber necessary for the body, which cleanses the intestines, accelerates the processing of proteins, and brings variety to the menu.
Four phases with description
The system has been under development for a long time. Each phase is an important stage that you need to go through from start to finish. You cannot swap or shorten the duration. Only in this case, the Ducan diet will give a stable result. Neither in a year nor in ten years will the lost kilograms return.
The main stages of the Ducan diet and their duration:
- Attack. This phase allows you to believe in yourself, since in a few days you can part with 3-7 kg. The Ducan Attack Diet menu is built exclusively on light, low-fat proteins and bran. The maximum duration is 10 days, usually from 3 to 7.
- Alternation. Unlike the attack, this stage is quite long, the duration depends on the initial weight. If there is a lot of it, then the alternation can be adhered to for 5, 7, 9 months. Allowed vegetables and other foods are added to protein foods, you can find them below. The days of protein and protein with vegetables alternate in an equal ratio of 1: 1, 2: 2 or 3: 3.
- Consolidation is also consolidation. The most important phase, without which it will not be possible to maintain the result. The duration is calculated as follows: 1 kg of lost weight takes 10 days. That is, if 7 kg is dropped, then this stage will be equal to 70 days, a little more, but not less, is possible.
- Stabilization. This is not even the stage of the Ducan diet, but life after it. The bottom line is simple - you need to arrange 1 day on the attack menu once a week and continue to use bran. This measure will prevent weight gain and allow you to keep yourself in good shape for many years.
Important! The duration of each period (phase) on the Ducan diet depends on personal data, an individual calculation is required.
How much can you lose weight?
Pierre Ducan's diet does not reveal the exact numbers. Some people manage to lose 5 kg in a month, another person can easily lose all 15 kg. Much depends on the strict observance of the system, the initial parameters. If a person has endocrine disorders, then this diet may not work, or weight loss will go very slowly.
On average, an attack loses from 2 to 4–5% of the initial body weight. On alternation, it takes up to 2-3 kg per week. At fixing at 70%, weight loss stops, sometimes the result sways, the plumb lines are replaced by small increases.
What determines the result:
- From the starting weight. If a person has only 5-10 extra pounds, then in a month he will definitely not lose them.
- From the female cycle. There is no need to despair if at some point the weight does not decrease. If you follow a diet, then very soon there will be a minus on the scales.
- From the work of the digestive tract. Constipation is a common occurrence on the Ducan diet. It is necessary to monitor the chair, take action in time.
The Ducan diet is not suitable for people who need to get rid of a couple of pounds. But this system will become an outlet for a person who has more than 20 kg of excess weight. There are many people who have reduced their weight in half, got rid of 40-60 kg with the help of this system.
Dukan's diet: where to start the path to harmony?
Dr. Ducan recommends starting your diet by studying his book. Until it is read from beginning to end, the system is difficult to understand. Maybe this was the case until recently. But now there is a lot of structured information that saves time.
Where to begin:
- Decide. The diet is long. Holidays, vacations, nervous experiences, problems, should not spoil the road to the goal. It is important to choose the most comfortable period for losing weight.
- Study the Ducan diet, all phases, food lists, develop or find a suitable menu that will need to be clearly followed.
- Purchase all products. You need to take care of what will be in the diet tomorrow. Otherwise, disruptions cannot be avoided. If a person works, then with the Ducan diet it is recommended to draw up a menu for each day in advance.
- Take measurements, weigh yourself. A visual assessment of the results does not always give satisfaction, especially in the first weeks of losing weight, and the numbers cannot be fooled.
Also, for the Ducan diet, it is important to purchase a kitchen scale that will help to dose the bran and other additional ingredients.
Diet rules
The diet is not balanced, the body will need some substances. In order not to disrupt the work of internal processes, from the very beginning you need to take a vitamin and mineral complex. It will also help preserve the skin, hair, nails with a sharp weight loss.
Other diet rules:
- Drink 1. 5 liters of water daily. This rule wanders from one diet to another, liquid is necessary for weight loss. Tea, coffee, any herbs are allowed, you can add sugar substitutes to them.
- Do not fry food in oil. But you can do it in a dry skillet. Most often, dishes are prepared by stewing, boiling, in the oven.
- You should not get carried away with sugar substitutes, although the diet permits them. The package will contain the maximum allowed daily dose. Excess can provoke nausea, a problem with the gastrointestinal tract.
- You need to be careful with homemade dairy products. They have a high fat content, which is not suitable for Dukan weight loss. The exception is return and cottage cheese from it after separation of milk.
The serving size is unlimited on the diet. But you don't need to overeat. Protein food saturates well, to satisfy hunger, 150-200 g is most often enough.
Below are tables with menus for five meals, but there can be many more. Protein products do not need to be rationed, as well as the time of consumption.
Phase "Attack": permitted and prohibited foods
The most difficult phase on the Ducan diet is the attack phase, the menu is strict, it consists of the following foods. There are 72 of them plus 30 g of oat bran. It is important that only they are in the composition, no additives and flour. Some people consume a tablespoon of bran, which is fundamentally a mistake. Grain husks are very light, so be sure to weigh them.
What can be consumed:
- all types of low-fat meat and offal;
- all birds, except geese, ducks;
- fish of all kinds, including fatty varieties, canned food, smoked meats;
- all seafood (scallops, shrimps, squids and even crab sticks);
- chicken, duck, quail eggs, but there is a restriction on yolks (no more than a couple per day);
- dairy products up to 1% fat;
- hams, sausages, sausages with a fat content of up to 4%;
- fish canned in its juice;
- Asian noodles, shirataki rice;
- 1 tspvegetable oil.
How to determine the fat content of sausages? You just need to see how much fat is per 100 g of the product, these data stand next to the calorie content. If the fat is up to 4 g, then the product is suitable.
All products that are not on the list are prohibited. These are cereals, fruits, vegetables, fatty milk and meat. The ban includes nuts, sugar, mayonnaise and other purchased sauces, beans, all baked goods and bread.
Phase "Alternation": permitted and prohibited foods
The Dukan Diet's alternating phase is often referred to as a cruise, as there are floating protein and mixed days. During this period, all products from the previous stage of the attack are allowed and a variety of vegetables appear.
Additional products (DOPs) for alternation:
- tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, pumpkin and all other vegetables except potatoes;
- mushrooms (fresh, pickled, baked, stewed);
- greens of all kinds
- 1 tbsp. l. sunflower, olive, milk thistle or any other type of oil.
Protein products can be used in any combination, use several types at once in one dish. But it is not recommended to make a wide range of vegetables, 2-3 types per day are enough. It is more careful to add pumpkin, beets, carrots to the diet, since they contain starch, and the sugar content is increased.
By the way, in some sources a green apple is allowed on Monsieur Ducan's diet. This is erroneous information, there was no fruit in the development of the doctor.
Supplementary products (DOPs)
Not all permitted products are given above. Dukan's diet differs from other systems in an interesting and varied diet. There are additives to create interesting dishes. They can be used in baked goods, casseroles, main courses.
What can be used in the diet:
- up to two tablespoons of tomato paste (not ketchup);
- carbonated drinks 0 calories;
- soy sauce, vinegar of various types;
- garlic and onions;
- 2 gherkins a day;
- yeast, soda, leavening agents, gelatin, thickeners;
- lemon juice;
- pickled ginger;
- nori;
- fragrant herbs, natural spices;
- cocoa up to 12% fat
- skimmed milk powder.
Special attention is paid to sugar substitutes. It is they who make it possible to prepare pastries, cakes, jellies, ice cream and any other desserts. There are people who eat only protein with no frills. But for a long time to follow the monotonous Dukan diet menu will get bored. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately take care of purchasing high-quality sugar substitutes and baking ingredients.
Ducan's diet: menu for every day to attack
During the attack, the weight begins to actively go away, but at the same time, the person may experience weakness, mood swings, nervousness, and intense thirst. It is very important that the menu of the Ducan diet every day on the attack was as varied as possible, provided the needs of the body, and suppressed the desire to consume prohibited carbohydrates.
Serving size doesn't matter, but it's important to keep the yolks in mind. You cannot use more than two pieces; if necessary, it is allowed to add more proteins or meat, fish products to the omelet.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Protein omelet | Coffee, 30 g low-fat cheese | Lightly salted salmon, boiled egg | Pair of sausages, egg | Seafood mix with soy sauce | Scrambled eggs with sausage | Chicken omelet |
| Snack | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea | 30 g bran, tea |
| Dinner | Baked chicken | Meat cutlets | Stewed liver | Boiled meat | Baked chicken | Ear | Grilled fish |
| Afternoon snack | Soft curd | Kefir | Natural yoghurt | Kefir | Spiced Protein Omelet | Cottage cheese | A glass of milk |
| Dinner | Fish baked with lemon | Protein omelet with crab sticks | Beef stew | Grilled shrimp with lemon | Fish cutlets | Baked chicken | Chicken hearts in kefir |
In the following menu of the Dukan diet, bran is presented every day on the attack as a second afternoon snack. You can use them to make bread, pancakes, muffins, or other dishes with permitted ingredients. Below you can find some interesting recipes.
Menu for every day of the Dukan diet for the "Alternation" phase
It is from this moment that the real Ducan diet begins, the menu for every day impresses with a variety of dishes. The system allows you to eat like in a restaurant, while losing weight. Alternation can be carried out according to any scheme, but more often they use 1: 1 or 2: 2, it is difficult to withstand more than two protein days.
| Monday | Tuesday protein day | Wednesday | Thursday, protein day | Friday | Saturday protein day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Protein omelet with mushrooms, milk tea | Chicken omelet, coffee | Grilled courgettes, 1-2 eggs, 2 gherkins | Soft cottage cheese with garlic, dill | Eggplant omelet, pickled ginger | Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, cocoa |
| Snack | Bran with kefir | Bran pancake with ham | Bran, milk | Bran pancake, sahzam, cottage cheese | Bran with kefir | Bran baked goods and coffee |
| Dinner | Cabbage soup with meat | Beef stew | Stew with vegetables, meat | Minced chicken cutlets in tomato | Celery soup with chicken and allowed vegetables | Fish in soy sauce |
| Afternoon snack | Pumpkin puree, a glass of milk | Curd dessert (there is a recipe below) | Carrot salad, cottage cheese | 2 eggs, kefir | Cucumber salad, egg | Milk |
| Dinner | Boiled fish (you can grill), cabbage salad | Chicken cutlets | Cabbage salad, boiled meat | Squid stewed in kefir | Pepper stuffed with meat, herbs | Meat with onions and herbs |
Since alternation always presupposes a pair that replaces each other, in the table with the menu for each day of the Ducan diet, a calculation is given for 6 days. Then you can continue by choosing the already indicated dishes or come up with your own options, take information from other sources.
Consolidation phase (consolidation, consolidation)
By the time of this stage, the person has reached the ideal or desired weight, but it is impossible to return to normal nutrition. The body is still vulnerable, it is important to gradually prepare it for daily food. The daily diet is based on mixed protein-carbohydrate days, plus the gradual introduction of bread, cereals, non-sweet fruits, fatty meat. Add no more new 2-3 products per week.
Basic rules for the consolidation stage:
- Oat bran continues to be consumed. You can replace some of the rye, wheat fiber.
- You can have a cheat meal once a week. He is called "Feast" on a diet. Any dishes and products are allowed, including sweet fruits, cakes, ice cream, baked goods. But in the size of one serving.
- One day remains proteinaceous from the first phase. The author of the diet insists on Thursday, but this is not necessary.
For this stage of the Ducan diet, recipes from the table with a menu for every day are suitable. You can eat soups, vegetable stews, baked meat. You can still use sugar substitutes and other additives, limit potatoes, sweets, baked goods. They will not bring benefit to the figure without a diet.
Diet recipes
Losing weight on this diet is long-term, so eating only boiled or stewed meat will not work. In the table with the menu for the week for the Ducan diet, simple recipes are given. All of them are easy to prepare, if desired, they can be supplemented with sauces, vegetables, spices. But sometimes you need to cook something delicious, similar to the everyday food of ordinary people. This will help you not to succumb to temptations, to prevent breakdowns.
Dessert from cottage cheese with jelly
Gelatin is allowed by the diet, thanks to which you can prepare gorgeous protein desserts. The amount of sweetener to your taste. Low fat dairy products.
Ingredients:
- 250 g of cottage cheese;
- 100 ml of milk;
- 1 tspgelatin;
- sugar substitute;
- vanillin.
Cooking method
- Mix gelatin and half of milk, let it brew.
- Combine the rest of the milk with the sugar substitute. If it is in tablets, then knead it first. Pour into cottage cheese, beat or just grind well, add vanilla.
- Heat the milk with gelatin to dissolve all the curds. Pour into cottage cheese through a strainer.
- Whisk again, divide into two molds, refrigerate for 5-7 hours. Dessert should solidify.
If instant gelatin is used, it can be mixed with milk and melted after a few minutes.
Bran pancake
This pancake is a real godsend for this diet. It replaces baked goods, goes well with meat, salads, sweet and salty cottage cheese. At the same time, it cooks very quickly in a regular frying pan. It is this pancake that appears on the above menu for the week for the Ducan diet. It is often called a flatbread.
Ingredients:
- 30 g of bran;
- 1 egg;
- 3 tablespoons of kefir;
- salt, baking powder.
Cooking method
- Grind the bran.
- Beat the egg with kefir, add bran, a pinch of salt. Optionally, you can introduce a baking powder, enough at the tip of a knife.
- Make a dough, leave for five minutes.
- Preheat a non-stick skillet. Bake a couple of thin pancakes or pour out all the dough, make one flat cake.
If you can't cook pancakes, they are torn, they don't want to turn over, then you can make pancakes from this dough.
Chicken ham
This ham is a great alternative to sausages and sausages, as it is not always possible to find the desired fat content in the store. The dish can be consumed in all phases of the diet.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of chicken breasts;
- 15 g garlic;
- 15 g sweet paprika;
- 15 g gelatin;
- 12 g salt;
- 2 g black pepper.
Cooking method
- Chop the breasts very finely, make cubes of 0. 4-0. 4 cm. Pour into a bowl.
- Squeeze out the garlic, add all the spices, including gelatin. Stir, cover with foil. Leave on for 2-3 hours. If it's hot at home, put it in the refrigerator.
- Stir again, put in a sausage-shaped baking bag, twist tightly, tie with a thread, tie the edges. Make a couple of punctures in different places.
- Bake the ham at 180 degrees for 35 minutes.
- Take out, cool, send to refrigerator overnight. You can remove the bag in the morning.
It is not necessary to make such a ham from chicken fillet, turkey, any lean meat or mixture is suitable, but in this case, the cooking time in the oven may increase.
Contraindications to the Ducan diet
There is still a lot of controversy about the dangers and safety of this method of losing weight. The Dukan diet has a huge number of contraindications. Before compliance, it is important to pass tests, check the functioning of the kidneys. Not every body is capable of consuming large amounts of protein.
The main contraindications:
- any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- diabetes;
- hormonal disorders and diseases of the thyroid gland;
- violation of metabolic processes in the body;
- pregnancy, including the planning stage, breastfeeding;
- period of menopause.
This diet is ideal only for healthy and young people from 20 to 35-40 years old. If you have any chronic disease, you need to consult a doctor. But each person decides for himself whether or not to resort to ketogenic diets.
Reviews from people who have lost weight on the Ducan diet
- "On Dukan I lost the first 20 kg, then went to the PP with calorie counting. This diet was easy for me, but expensive. It is difficult to get high-quality meat, good cottage cheese and other products from us, prices are too high, I could not afford such food. "
- "This is the only diet on which I have not experienced hunger. I have bulimia. On Dukan, I ate in the morning, ate at night, I constantly chewed something and in the first week I threw off 5 kg, then the plumb lines were small, as a result, in 3 months I lost weight from 77 to 58 kg. Now at the exit. "
- "I lost weight according to this system easily, there were no complaints about the diet, as well as feelings of hunger. But after 2 weeks, acne began to appear on my face and body. Apparently, the body reacted this way to such an amount of protein. I did not immediately associate skin problems and diet, but after another week I had to consult a dermatologist, as the rashes intensified. The doctor said to stop the diet, as a result, after the 7 kg had been dropped, 3 kg returned ".