The problem of excess weight is one of the most urgent in the world, each year this problem 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 been sounding the alarm, trying to draw attention to the global obesity problem. This, of course, does not concern you and me, but it is also not worth starting the situation with, especially since summer and holidays are coming.
In this article, we will talk about the weight loss system of Pierre Ducant, a French nutritionist who revolutionized the world of dietetics and proposed a totally new method to lose weight, based not on reducing the number of calories, but on the composition and properties of foodthat enter the body.
What is Ducan's diet
Pierre Dukan is a French physician and nutritionist who has studied the effects of food on the human body for over forty years. Having studied people's eating behavior, he was able to discover the secret of reaching ideal weight without fasting and strict restrictions on eating. Pierre Dukan wrote 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 cannot go hungry, their motto is "Eat as much as you want and lose weight. " Pierre Dukan addressed nutritional issues for the first time when one of his clients needed help to fight obesity. After the doctor proposed his developments, the patient lost 3 pounds in five days, and in the next three days he lost another 1. 5 pounds - this marked the beginning of Ducan's career as a nutritionist.
The system is based on the principles of a protein diet, which allows the process of burning fat deposits to start and thus eliminating excess weight without damaging muscle tissue. A sharp decrease in the number of carbohydrates and fats consumed contributes to effective weight loss and "drying out" the body. Note that this technique can be called the nutritional system and not diet, as it is divided into four main steps, after which you can completely change your eating habits and learn to eat in order 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 health problems and serious illnesses, so it is necessary to adhere to a protein diet clearly according to the scheme, listening to all recommendations and following the rules.
The main difference between Ducan's diet and other methods is that it does not impose any restrictions on the amount of food consumed, you do not need to count every mouthful you eat and go hungry. 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 does not cause hunger. The disadvantage of all weight loss methods is usually standard: lack of balance in the diet, so you need to strictly follow the diet plan and listen to your feelings, if you feel uncomfortable, you may need to choose another option to lose 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 steps aim at effective weight loss, and the others aim at consolidating the obtained result and stabilizing the weight. In the weight loss process, you should be guided by a list of 100 allowed foods, which can be consumed at different stages of the diet: 72 pure protein products - fish, meat, seafood, vegetable protein, low-fat dairy productsand 28 types of vegetables. Oat bran is an important part of the system, so don't neglect them.
In the "Attack" phase, 72 products from the first group are allowed to be consumed, in the "Alternation" (or "Cruise") phase - another 28 vegetables are added to the diet. During the consolidation of the result, the body gets used to a new diet, and a Thursday of pure protein allows to adjust the weight in order to avoid sudden fluctuations and loss of shape.
In the last, fourth stage, you can eat any food, but keep the following rules:
- Watch a protein day once a week, when pure protein food is consumed
- Move at least 20 minutes a day and refuse to 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, and also work out at the gym, ride a bike, swim or dance. The main thing is to move more, as physical activity helps to burn calories, turns body fat into a useful energy source and helps maintain muscle tone.
Before starting the diet, calculate your correct weight, on which more nutrition depends on Dukan.
Remember the basic rules that must be strictly observed: drink 1, 5-2 liters of water per day, move around actively and eat oat bran daily.
Totally exclude fat, oil and mayonnaise from the diet; salads can be seasoned with lemon juice or soy sauce.
Steam, grill, bake or boil food or cook in a nonstick skillet.
It is advisable not to consume alcohol, sugar, chips and fruits with a high sugar content (bananas, cherries, cherries, grapes, figs).
By carefully following all recommendations, you can lose up to 5 kg. in the week.
During the diet, it is allowed to consume black, green and herbal tea, coffee, cola and light pepsi, skimmed cocoa (1 teaspoon per day), corn starch (1 tablespoon per day), milk inskim 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 step - "Attack", lasts from 2 to 10 days (depending on the weight you would like to lose), the duration is determined using the online calculator, which we have already discussed above, for example, if there are 5 poundsextra, 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, the weight loss is 2 to 6 kg. At this point, fats are actively broken down, so a dry mouth and a slight odor may appear, but dietary advocates argue that this is normal.
During the "Attack" the strictest food restrictions apply and the daily menu includes only protein products:
- Veal or lean meat
- Kidney and veal liver
- Skinless chicken and turkey
- Cow or calf tongue
- Seafood and 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 meat of rabbit, pig, duck, goose. Eat 1, 5 tablespoon of oat bran every day. Eggs are allowed in limited quantities (no more than 2 yolks per day, whites - as many as you want), crab sticks - no more than 8 pieces per day.
An example menu during "Attack" might look like this:
1 day
Breakfast: scrambled eggs (2 eggs and 4 spoons of skimmed milk), bread bran and low-fat cottage cheese, coffee or tea
Lunch: chicken broth
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: steamed chops, bread
Day 2
Breakfast: Bran and oats with milk
Lunch: ear
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: chicken chops, tea or coffee
Day 3
Breakfast: cheesecakes, tea or coffee
Lunch: baked fish 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 roasted on 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: Rennet Casserole
6 days
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, tea or coffee
Lunch: meat soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: roasted salmon fillet with mustard
7 days
Breakfast: curd casserole
Lunch: ear with oat bread
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: roasted meat with melted cheese
Don't forget that you don't have to limit yourself to serving size, you can eat as much as you like and a large selection of products allows you to create a menu for all tastes.
On the Internet you can find many interesting recipes for cooking according to the Ducan system, here are some of them.
Chicken cutlets
Add 1 raw egg and 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper and green onion to the chopped chicken (0. 5 kg). Fry without oil or steam.
Coffee cream
Low-fat cottage cheese - 400 grams, sugar substitute - 10 measuring spoons, coffee - 2 teaspoons, water - 50 grams. Make coffee in 50 ml. water (if soluble, then just dissolve), add the sugar substitute and strain into a bowl of soft curd. Beat the dough with an electric mixer.
Ricotta cookies
1 egg white, low fat ricotta cheese - 2 tablespoons. spoons (or regular soft curd), oat bran - 2 tablespoons, sweetener. Mix the ingredients in a bowl, place them in the shape of a biscuit in a pan and fry on both sides or bake for 7 to 10 minutes. When the cookies are ready, cover with the mixture of curd, sweetener and zest (vanilla, cocoa).
Cruise
It is during the second phase - "Cruise" or "Alternation", that you will achieve the desired result, and the duration of the stage depends on how many pounds you intend to lose. As the name implies, protein days alternate with protein and vegetable days at this time. If you need to lose weight less than 10 kg. , So the scheme may vary, for example, 1 day of protein and 1 day - vegetables + proteins, 3 days of protein and 3 days of vegetables + proteins, 5 days of protein and 5 days of vegetables + proteins. Choose an option that's convenient for you. But if the excess weight is more than 10 kilos, alternate 5 days of protein and 5 days of vegetable-protein. Thanks to this system, the metabolism is normalized, toxins, toxins, fat and salts are removed from the body.
In the second stage, you can eat as much as you want, using foods from the list of allowed vegetables and adding: tomato, cucumber, spinach, green beans, radish, asparagus, cabbage, celery, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, beets, Chili. Do not 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, the use of tomato extract in small amounts is permitted in cooking. Daily you can choose only two products from which are added, eat products from the first stage without restrictions. Another prerequisite: eat two tablespoons of oat bran daily.
The menu in the "Cruzeiro" stage looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: Herbal omelet
Second breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: Tuna salad (tuna, green beans, boiled egg, vegetables. Season with lemon juice, yogurt and black pepper)
Snack: Roasted Chicken Breast with Vegetable Salad
Dinner: cabbage cooked with herbs and spices, beef tongue cooked with horseradish
Day 2
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran bread
Lunch: vegetable meat soup
Afternoon snack: bran pancakes with kefir
Dinner: roasted chicken breast with grilled herbs and vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes)
Day 3
Breakfast: ham omelette
Lunch: confusion
Afternoon snack: curd casserole
Dinner: Roast Beef with Vegetable Salad
Day 4
Breakfast: boiled eggs, lightly salted salmon, oat bread
Lunch: Meatball and Bran Soup
Afternoon snack: cheesecakes
Dinner: Chicken Cutlets with Vegetable Salad
Day 5
Breakfast: omelet and yogurt
Lunch: fish soup
Snack: cottage cheese
Dinner: Meatloaf with Roasted Vegetables
Anchoring
The “Consolidation” (or “Consolidation”) stage aims 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 of the week remains fully protein to prevent sudden weight gain. Pierre Dukan recommends protein on Thursdays, but you can choose the day yourself based on your pace of life.
The duration of this step depends on the amount of weight lost during the "Attack" and "Cruise" phases, calculated using the formula: multiply each kilogram lost by 10 days. For example, if you lost 3 kg, the "Cruise" should last 30 days, and if you lost 10 kg, it will take 100 days to consolidate.
Consolidation includes one fruit a day, a slice of lean cheese and roasted lamb or pork several times a week, a portion of starchy foods and a stomach feast. Divide the third stage into two equal parts: during the first part you can eat one serving of "starchy foods" (rice-120 gr. , 2-3 baked potatoes, buckwheat or pasta) per week and a "stomach feast""(meal, when you can eat what you want inside the portion). In the second part, you can eat two servings a week for 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: roasted chicken, boiled egg and yogurt
Lunch: vegetable soup and grilled meats
Afternoon snack: cheesecakes
Dinner: roasted meat with rice and vegetables
Day 3
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran bread
Lunch: confusion
Snack: Fruits
Dinner: fish and vegetables, glass of red wine
Day 4
Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with berries
Lunch: oat bran soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: Chicken Chops with Salad
Day 5
Breakfast: cheesecakes and coffee
Lunch: vegetable meatball soup
Snack: Fruits
Dinner: Roast Beef with Grilled Vegetables
Stabilization
The final phase of the stabilization diet helps you make the transition to your daily diet, so that you don't get fat later. At that point, your eating habits will change completely and you will know clearly which foods to avoid and which to limit.
You can eat anything, but don't get too carried away with flour and fatty foods, and also include as much meat and vegetables as possible in your menu. To maintain your weight gain, follow these rules: eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, stick to protein on Thursdays, drink lots 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 overweight will never appear again.
Finally, write yourself some more recipes for the Ducan nutritional system:
Egg salad
Cut the boiled eggs into cubes, mix with a bunch of finely chopped green onions, add the low-calorie 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 a bowl we mix everything starch, bran and salt. In another bowl, mix the kefir, eggs and curd. We combine everything and put it in shape. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Roast hake in foil
Marinate the hake fillets in lemon juice, salt, add herbs, spices and bake 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 follow the menu, deviating from the established diet is strictly prohibited. The diet is based on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, herbs, fruits and dry rye bread. Bread and sweets, sugar, fruit juices, salt and a variety of pickles, as well as alcohol, are prohibited.
The technique is very effective and guarantees weight loss of 4 to 8 kg. However, like most diets, it is poorly balanced, so you should not follow it for long. Another disadvantage of the French diet is a strict diet that not everyone can handle. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the menu often suggests the use of cooked sausage or ham, and this moment causes perplexing comments in the forums.
However, it must be kept in mind that the diet came from France and the quality of the products, in particular the ham and sausages, in our country is completely different. If in France the ham is made from natural meat, we cannot be proud of it, so we recommend that our readers replace the 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 cooked lean meat, lettuce
Day 2
Breakfast: black coffee, toasted rye bread
Lunch: a piece of cooked meat (100 grams)
Dinner: Cooked Meat and Lettuce Salad
Day 3
Breakfast: toasted bread with coffee and rye
Lunch: a medium carrot fried in vegetable oil, 1 tomato and a tangerine
Dinner: Cooked Meat Salad, Lettuce and Two Boiled Eggs
Day 4
Breakfast: same as previous days
Lunch: a medium raw carrot, 100 grams of cheese and an egg
Dinner: fruits and kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: a medium raw carrot with fresh juice of a lemon
Lunch: tomato and 100 gr. cooked fish
Dinner: 100 gr. cooked meat
6 days
Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: cooked chicken, green salad
Dinner: Cooked Meat
7 days
Breakfast: Green Tea
Lunch: cooked meat and orange
Dinner: Chicken with Lettuce
The menu of the second week repeats the presented ration or you can create your own menu with the same products only in a different combination. The introduction of new products is not permitted.
Paleo diet
This diet is also called "caveman diet", its essence is that you need to eat like our distant ancestors. Before the food revolution, 10, 000 years ago, people ate meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries. Then man invented agriculture and cereals and dairy products started to prevail 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 the calories a person gets from food that our ancestors didn't even imagine, so proponents of the "cave diet" suggest going back to their roots and stop eating "unnatural foods for their species". Interestingly, research supports this theory. In 2008, scientists at Karolinska University 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 characteristic of the paleo diet is that you can eat as much as you want, just follow that all products repeat the diet of the ancients. Interestingly, this technique does not limit your intake of the right fats and carbohydrates. The diet helps to normalize blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol levels and help you 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 meats, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits (except dried fruits), vegetables, except potatoes and corn, nuts. All grains should be excluded (they cause inflammation in the body), milk and dairy products (they usually contain hormones due to dishonesty from manufacturers), flour and confectionery and fast food.
The paleo diet menu can be not only tasty, but also useful:
Breakfast: for two servings, a handful of frozen berries, 3 handfuls of blackcurrant, 1 cup of unrefined sugar tea, a handful of crushed hazelnuts, 2 large pinches of jasmine tea, lemon.
Arrange the currants on a tray and sprinkle with sugar, when the sugar has dissolved, transfer everything to a bowl. Put the other frozen fruits in a frying pan and put on fire when they let the juice drain, add the jasmine tea, pour the lemon juice and stir. Pour the mixture over the currants, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and eat.
Lunch: 4 servings - 4 chicken breasts, 6 turnips, 5 small turnips, 4 peeled rutabagas, 10 small beets. Marinade: A good portion of olive oil, lemon juice, 3 chopped peppers and 3 garlic cloves, a pinch of coriander, cinnamon, ginger, dry parsley and oregano.
Mix the marinade ingredients and rub the chicken breasts with them. Place the tubers in aluminum foil and oiled fields, 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, add some cooked food.
Dinner: Mackerel with salad. For 4 servings, you will need 4 mackerel, lemon and olive oil. Grate the 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 and 1 red onion and cover with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Serve the fish and salad beautifully and decorate with lemon slices, now you can enjoy a wonderful dinner.
What they say about Ducan's diet
The Dukan diet is very popular, it is actively discussed, groups and blogs on social networks are created, in which recipes are published, reviews by doctors and those who lose weight on the diet.
Among celebrities, Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bündchen, Keith Middleton and American cuisine 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 should be followed strictly according to the rules, it is impossible to stay on it for longtime, because an imbalance in the diet leads to a number of diseases.
Negative evaluations are often associated precisely with non-compliance with the rules of diet and self-activity, so we recommend that you avoid being creative and following the plan. The effect of the diet on the body is individual, listen carefully to your feelings and if you think that the diet is not suitable for you, choose another option.
There is a myth that Ducan's 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 organizations, founded in 1936) criticized Ducan's diet many times and for several consecutive years 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 when you follow a diet, you will face a lack of vitamins and minerals, poor digestion (limited intake of vegetables and fruits) and lack of energy (low carbohydrates). If the Ducan Diet is used by a person who is actively working (it doesn't matter if they are involved in mental or physical work), then there is a significant health risk.