It seems these days, diet fads come and go as quickly as fashion trends. The Dukan Diet is a relatively new diet to hit the US. Dr. Pierre Dukan, author of The Dukan Diet wrote the book in 2000 and it soon became the most popular diet in France, after which it swept through Europe - gaining in popularity as more people were losing weight. So what is the Dukan Diet and why is everyone thinking about trying it? Recently seen on The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Oz explains the 4 steps of the diet.
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Similar to the Atkins Diet, which is based upon low carbohydrate consumption, the Dukan Diet differs by allowing dieters to eat whatever they want for 6 days of the week. The Dukan Diet breaks down into 4 phases:
- Attack
Depending on how much weight you want to lose and lasting anywhere from 1-10 days (it's approximately 1 week for 25 pounds), the Dukan Diet starts with the Attack Phase. During this phase, there are no calorie restrictions - just lots of lean protein and almost no carbs at all. Meals should include fat-free dairy and the "secret" weapon is oat bran: 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran a day supposedly keeps the dieter feeling satiated longer while the fiber cleans out their systems.
- Cruise
After the Attack phase, you move to the Cruise phase - dieters are still eating food from the previous phase - lean proteins, fat-free dairy and the oat bran. However, during this phase, non-starchy vegetables are added to the diet and eaten every other day. The Cruise phase is maintained until target weight is reached. - Consolidation
Creator of the diet, Dr. Dukan points out this is where this diet is unique. During the Consolidation phase, carbohydrates are re-introduced to the diet. On top of this, 2 "celebration meals" are permitted, where the dieter can eat whatever he or she wants. Once a week, the dieter must return to eating the Attack phase diet: only lean protein. - Stabilization
The 4th and final phase of the Dukan Diet offers 3 rules to live by:
1. On the same day, each week, the dieter must eat only protein.
2. Eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, everyday for the rest of your life.
3. Avoid elevators and escalators and walk at least 20 minutes a day.
According to Dr. Oz, the Dukan Diet does offer long-term diet management skills and great flexibility with fruits and a few carbs. He would however, change the diet by cutting out daily simple white carbs. Dr. Oz still believes the best way to lose weight is to combine a healthy diet of balanced nutrients and exercise. It's more important to have a consistent healthy weight than to continually focus on calculating the amount of nutrients for months at time.
Of course, beware of yo-yo dieting (where you gain/lose large amounts of weight) but if it's reportedly good enough for Kate Middleton, AHB is willing to try it!
