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The Dukan Diet

Pros and cons of the Dukan diet

By Amelia PalmerPublished 4 months ago 14 min read
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Low-carbohydrate diet Pierre Dukan is a good opportunity not only to lose excess weight, but also to maintain it in the future within the norm. The system does not impose restrictions on the amount of food eaten during the day, so the feeling of hunger or guilt for each extra piece will not haunt a person who uses the Dukan diet to lose weight. However, his daily diet will have to be revised, making the main emphasis on protein products. In addition to the 100 items allowed to eat products, during the diet and after its completion, it is also necessary to introduce oat bran in the menu. They fully replace one meal, providing a sense of satiety, help reduce blood cholesterol and get rid of constipation. From bran you can cook porridge, bake bread, dilute them in non-fat kefir. The Dukan diet involves the complete exclusion from the diet of any fat, oil and mayonnaise. All products are better boiled, baked in the oven, cooked on a grill or a pan with a non-stick coating. Instead of vegetable oil or mayonnaise, lemon juice is used for salads. The Dukan diet is one of the most popular methods of weight loss around the world. It was developed by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a famous nutritionist from France. A parallel can be drawn between the Dukan diet and the Kremlin diet, as both of them are based on the low consumption of carbohydrate products. The Dukan diet is a whole system of nutrition, which is designed for a fairly long period of time. The weight loss program is divided into 4 stages. Each of them involves compliance with certain requirements and recommendations. However, there are also general rules that must be followed, regardless of what stage a person is at:

Water. It should enter the body at least 2 liters per day.

Walks. Every day you need to spend time in the fresh air. The walk should last at least a quarter of an hour.

Oat bran. This product should be present on the table every day.

Exercise. Physical exercise in the morning is a prerequisite for weight loss.

Pros of the Pierre Dukan diet

The main plus of the Dukan diet is its high efficiency. However, this is not all the advantages of the weight loss program from the French nutritionist; among them you can also highlight the following factors:

- The menu is dominated by products containing protein. It is necessary for the body to build and strengthen muscles.

- The diet does not drive a person into rigid frameworks. It is convenient to practice it for working people who do not have the opportunity to eat on a schedule.

- The diet does not require a scrupulous counting of kilocalories.

- The menu is quite varied. Every day you can eat delicious dishes and discover new culinary masterpieces. And it is not difficult to cook them, which allows you to apply the recipes of the diet in ordinary life.

- The diet cannot be called "hungry". It prohibits the use of certain foods, but those that are allowed, you can eat in unlimited quantities.

- The diet is relatively safe for human health, so you can stick to it for a long time.

- Compliance with the rules of the Dukan diet will allow not only to lose excess weight, but also to get rid of cellulite, as well as tighten the skin, increase muscle tone.

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Cons of the Pierre Dukan diet

Pierre Dukan's diet has some minuses:

- The food system cannot be called balanced. Therefore, the adherents of the diet are likely to develop a deficiency of some vitamins and trace elements.

- Against the background of nutrient deficiency, there may be failures in the digestive and nervous systems.

- At the initial stage of weight loss, the state of health may deteriorate, which will be manifested in increased fatigue and frequent dizziness.

- Lack of fats can cause hormonal imbalance.

- Emphasis in the diet is placed on foods rich in protein. The body, digesting them, produces ketone bodies, which will lead to the appearance of bad breath. After a person switches to a habitual diet, this problem should go away by itself.

- The diet cannot be called economical. Protein products for cooking are not cheap. Therefore, having decided to get rid of excess weight on the Dukan system, it is worth preparing in advance for the upcoming expenses.

Harm of the Dukan diet

The Dukan diet is built on the use of predominantly protein food. As a result of such errors in nutrition seriously impaired metabolism. Begins to burn not only fat, but also muscle. It is worth realizing that the human heart is also a muscle. When the body cells do not get enough carbohydrates, fat is not completely broken down. As a result, there is an accumulation of ketone bodies. If there are too many of them in the body, metabolic acidosis (acetone poisoning) will develop. Therefore, you should not neglect sufficient fluid intake. It is important to drink at least 2 liters of water per day to minimize the risk of acidosis.

Therefore, adequate fluid intake should not be neglected. It is important to drink at least 2 liters of water per day to minimize the risk of acidosis. However, even if this condition is met, no one will guarantee that the kidneys will function as intended. Almost all people who followed the Dukan diet, indicated the appearance of acetone odor from the mouth and pain in the area of the kidneys. Another disadvantage of the Dukan diet can be called a violation of nerve tissue conduction. It is known that carbohydrates are a source of nutrition for the brain. In the day only pure glucose it needs about 100 g, which equates to 380 kcal. The Dukan diet on carbohydrates imposes a strict restriction. Abrupt weight loss leads to the fact that the body is deprived of fatty tissue. Fat is necessary for a person, despite all the theses of Pierre Dukan. If there is too little fat in the body, it threatens the appearance of health problems. The fact is that fat takes part in water metabolism, it is a component of the cell membrane, it is in surfactant, which is necessary for the normal operation of the lungs. In general, fat is necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Therefore, excessive and too rapid weight loss is bound to have a negative impact on health. Recent studies have shown that the lack of fat in the daily menu 10 times increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Another significant disadvantage of eating according to the Dukan system is that the menu clearly shows a lack of dietary fiber. As a result, chronic constipation develops, bad breath appears, skin becomes dull and looks pale. Therefore, people who adhere to the Dukan diet, it is extremely important to consume bran. Do not forget about physical activity, because without it, the situation with stool will only worsen. And it is worth preparing in advance to the fact that neither exercise nor the reception of oat bran will not completely get rid of bad breath and constipation. Dukan diet can be followed only on the background of absolute health. In the presence of any chronic diseases for weight loss is recommended to use less radical programs. The number of products containing carbohydrates, you can first try to reduce by 50% and track the reaction of the body. Also do not forget about hiking, sports or yoga.

Contraindications

Before starting to lose weight on the Dukan program, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the contraindications that are available to this diet:

- You cannot adhere to the Dukan diet to people who suffer from metabolic disorders. A complete refusal of carbohydrates at the first stage of weight loss will necessarily lead to a failure of metabolic processes, even if they were previously normal. If there are any problems with metabolic processes, the problems will only worsen. Categorically forbidden to adhere to the Dukan diet for people with hypothyroidism, pancreatitis, diabetes, etc.

- Do not sit on the Dukan diet people with disorders in the work of the kidneys, liver, digestive organs. The entire gastrointestinal tract will experience a colossal load when the diet contains such impressive doses of protein. As a result, hepatitis, gastritis, ulcers, cholecystitis and other chronic diseases may aggravate. If a person has violations in the gallbladder, or there is a tendency to constipation, then the problem will only worsen against the background of compliance with the protein diet.

- Do not adhere to this weight loss program for those women who have an unstable menstrual cycle. To a greater extent, this is true for young girls. Therefore, the Dukan diet is categorically not recommended to practice teenagers under 18 years old. Weight will go away quite quickly, which can provoke a violation of the menstrual cycle, or complete disappearance of periods. Those women who have a history of hormonal failure will be more susceptible to fatigue, weakness, drowsiness. Migraine attacks, increased pain in the lower abdomen are possible.

- Prohibited any diet to pregnant and lactating women. It is unacceptable to limit the intake of nutrients to the future child.

- You cannot practice the Dukan diet to women in the preclimacteric period and during menopause. Failure to comply with this recommendation threatens hormonal imbalance, disorders in the work of endocrine glands.

- Cardiovascular disease is also a contraindication to the use of the Dukan diet. Sharp restriction in the menu of polyunsaturated fatty acids can lead to exacerbation of heart and vascular diseases.

- The deficit of carbohydrates negatively affects the nervous system, so you should refuse to diet people with unstable psyche. Moreover, not only the mood of a person will deteriorate noticeably, but also weaken his mental abilities.

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Phase 1

The first phase of the Dukan diet is called "attack". It is the shortest in time, but it is enough to activate the process of splitting fats. The duration of the attack depends on the number of extra pounds you want to get rid of. For example, if the difference between your real and ideal weight is less than 10 kg, it will take only 3 days, and with an excess weight of 10-20 kg, the attack phase will last 3-5 days. To lose weight by 20-30 kg, you need to observe all the conditions of the diet for 5-7 days, and over 30 kg - from 7 to 10 days. Independently increasing the duration of this phase is not recommended, because the body is already experiencing severe stress. In addition, throughout the phase you may be bothered by a strong thirst, but this is a natural process. For better cleansing of the body and replenishment of fluids, you should drink up to 2 liters of pure unboiled water every day. In the mouth may appear unpleasant taste, as well as breath odor, but soon it will pass. At the first stage it is allowed to consume only protein (protein) food - fish, meat, eggs, fat-free cottage cheese. Of the meat assortment, the best option will be beef, veal, rabbit meat. Pork and mutton are not suitable for the diet, since they contain a lot of fat. Of seafood you can use crustaceans and mollusks, there are no restrictions on fish. Suitable for this phase and the meat of birds, with the exception of duck and goose, as well as giblets of poultry. Of dairy products give preference to fat-free cottage cheese, kefir, yogurt, milk powder. Spices, salt and garlic add moderately and to taste. The norm of oat bran at the stage of attack is up to 1.5 tablespoons per day. As for physical activity, it is only welcome, walking up to 20 minutes a day is also useful.

Phase 2

The second phase of the Dukan diet is the "cruise". It differs from the attack by the fact that all kinds of vegetables are introduced in the menu and protein days alternate with protein-vegetable days. The use of vegetables, as recommended by Pierre Dukan, it is better to spend a day a day, because it is safer for the body than 2 days in 2 or 3 days in 3. This stage of weight loss is longer in terms of time - from two months to six months, but at the end of it, your weight will be ideal. Tomatoes and cucumbers, radishes, string beans, any kind of cabbage, greens, zucchini, pumpkin and so on are allowed. Exceptions are vegetables that contain a lot of starch or oil in their composition, primarily potatoes, olives, legumes (except string beans). Beets and carrots are also better to limit, as they contain a lot of sugar. All vegetables can be consumed fresh, boiled, stewed and baked, fried dishes are not welcome. The amount of oat bran at the stage of cruise increases to 2 tablespoons per day, water remains in the same dosage - up to 2 liters. If you are often bothered by constipation, then reduce the intake of bran to 1 tablespoon. As for walks on foot, their duration is increased to 30 minutes a day. If you follow all the recommendations of Pierre Dukan, the result will not make you wait long, and you will soon be able to impress everyone around you with your perfect figure.

Phase 3

The third phase of the Dukan diet is called "consolidation" or "fixing". During it there is a fixation of the obtained result, and the duration of the phase depends on the number of dropped kilograms in the previous stages. For each kilogram lost, the time allotted is 10 days, which means that if you, for example, got rid of 10 kg, the consolidation phase will last you 100 days. The range of allowed products at this stage is significantly expanded, and the diet is supplemented with whole-grain bread (up to 100 g per day), fruits (up to 200 g per day), except for bananas, grapes and cherries, which contain a lot of sugar. Now several times a week you can afford lamb meat or pork, hard cheeses of different fat content. Starchy products - corn, rice, pasta, potatoes and others - are allowed only in the form of 2 portions per week, but a real feast is foreseen, i.e. inclusion in the menu of any dish (even the most caloric) twice a week, in one of the morning or lunch meals. However, such feast days should not go in a row, it is better to alternate them at equal intervals. Once a week, for example, on Wednesday, it is desirable to eat only protein food (proteins).

Phase 4

The fourth phase is called "stabilization", and its duration depends on your desire (even all your life). During this period, when it is not necessary to strictly follow the diet, oat bran is still used daily, but in the amount of 3 tablespoons, water - up to 1.5 liters per day. Moveable lifestyle and sports will help you much easier to maintain your weight at the proper level.

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What results can be achieved?

The Dukan diet, most likely, can be attributed not to diets, but to nutritional systems, especially since it can be followed for several months to six months (or even a lifetime). And for such a long period of time, the body has time to get used to the new diet, ie, normalize metabolism. The most important advantage of this diet is that the lost kilograms do not return. Even when switching to the usual diet, the weight of a person does not increase. It is only necessary to observe 4 simple rules, with which we familiarized you earlier. The practical results of the Dukan diet are confirmed by clinical practice. Data on the stabilization of the achieved weight were grouped taking into account two time intervals: the first - 6-12 months after the diet, the second - 18-24 months. As clinical observations showed, weight stabilization in the period from 6 to 12 months was successful in 84% of cases, from 18 months to 2 years - in 62% of cases. This once again confirms the high effectiveness of the system, because even after two years, most people's weight remained at the level achieved during the diet.

If you are interested in how you can lose weight in a very short period of time, all about diets, pharmaceuticals and active supplements go to our Telegram channel: All about weight loss and diets.

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Amelia Palmer

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