I've always hated the word "diet." It has the word "die" in it and usually I have the worst time sticking to one. There are so many amazing foods out there that I want to try - why limit myself?? Oh. Because if I don't none of my pants will fit... Rats.
I've been trying to lose weight through healthier eating (no added sugar, lots of veggies and fruits, lots of water and few carbs). I've also tried really hard to up my exercise (most weeks I've done pretty well). So far, it's only going moderately well. I've lost roughly 6 pounds since February. Granted, I didn't really start my efforts in earnest until March... That's still not the progress I was hoping for.
Recently a friend suggested a diet she's trying - the Dukan Diet. It's what Kate Middleton and her sister used prior to the Royal Wedding. That's a pretty good sales pitch...
So, I looked it up. It's basically a high protein, low fat diet that teaches your body to fuel itself with its fat stores instead of energy from carbs and sugars. I see how it can work - the question I have is how will I stick to it? Hmm.
I'm willing to try it. My friend says she's lost 6 pounds in a week. Uhm, 6 pounds in a week seriously beats my 6 pounds in three months!
Here's some info I found about the diet online.
There are four phases:
1 - Attack Phase
2 - Cruise Phase
3 - Consolidation Phase
4 - Stabilization Phase.
The goal is to train yourself to eat better for the rest of your life. Which I think I can do. I've done pretty well so far and the phases really do seem pretty simple.
Here are the "rules" for each phase (found on mydukan.com):
Attack Phase -
You can eat as much as you want as long as it is on the allowed foods list.
One important habit that you need to establish from day one is proper water intake. Avoiding dehydration and overworking your kidneys is crucial on a high protein diet like this.
Be sure to drink over 1.5 litres per day.
Oat bran is a very important ingredient of the Dukan Diet and introduced as soon as the Attack Phase. You should incorporate
1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day in any form you like - as porridge, with yoghurt, in muffins of pancakes.
One food unrelated rule is to
introduce exercise in the form of a 20 minute walk each day. Many dieters will be happy to hear that at the same time more extensive exercise is discouraged in this phase.
If after first 5 days you are not seeing any further weight loss proceed to the Cruise Phase even if you planned your attack for longer.
Allowed Foods
- Lean beef, veal or rabbit (mince under 10%, avoid ribs)
- Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)
- Ham (low fat and lean)
- Beef, veal, or chicken liver
- Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce)
- Shellfish and crustaceans
- Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites but watch the yolks if you have high cholesterol)
- Dairy products (low fat, below 5% fat)
- Sweeteners (except fructose based), vinegar, mustard, spices, herbs, garlic, onion (as spice), lemon juice (only as spice, not for drinking), sugar free natural ketchup (in moderation), sugar free chewing gum
Cruise Phase -
Once you finished the Attack Phase the next goal is to achieve your target weight. This is done while on the Cruise Phase – an alternating rhythm of pure protein days and vegetable & protein days.
A healthy weight loss is about two pounds per week. It can seem slow after a successful attack phase, however this speed is better for long term results – for example your skin has time to shrink not leaving empty flabs behind.
Cruise Phase Rhythms
- 5PP + 5PV
The original rhythm alternating every five days. However as five days is a long time it is considered to be tougher to follow and requires higher motivation.
- 1PP + 1PV
Dr. Dukan now prefers the one day rhythm, as it often has similar effects to the 5/5 one, while it is easier on the dieter.
- 2PP + 5PV
This rhythm is better for people who are older, and/or weaker and don’t have many pounds to lose. The weight loss will be slower using this method though than the other two above.
Vegetable and Protein days
Allowed vegetables include:
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Aubergine
- Broccoli
- Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel sprouts
- Celery
- Chicory
- Courgette
- Cucumber
- Fennel
- French beans
- Leeks
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Peppers
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- Salad leaves
- Sorrel
- Soya beans
- Spinach
- Swede
- Swiss chard
- Tomatoes
- Turnip
Allowed in moderation are carrots and beetroot.
Cruise Phase Diet Rules
You can now increase the oat bran intake to 2 tablespoons per day.
Another suggested change is increasing from 20 minutes of exercise to 30 minutes of brisk walking per day.
Just because you are allowed vegetables do not eliminate protein produce from a PV day. After all it is called Protein & Vegetables not Pure Vegetables for a reason.
Consolidation Phase -
So! You've finished the second phase of the Dukan diet – the Cruise phase and achieved your goal weight! Now on to the third phase – Consolidation.
This is the moment when all your hard work has payed off, you got to your target weight, but you are under a huge risk of yo-yo – gaining it all back, if you don't watch what you eat carefully. The upside is, you can now add many tasty products, that were forbidden on the Cruise phase, as you no longer need to lose weight – just keep up the weight you are at and not gain any more.
The simple rule is –
for every one pound you lost, you need to be on the
Consolidation phase for 5 days.
So if you've lost 30lb, you need to be on phase 3 for 150days.
This phase is all about a controlled way to get back to normal, but still healthy eating. You have learned a lot about food, cooking and nutrition during the Cruise phase. Now you can expand that knowledge and put it to good use while re-introducing new foods to your diet.
Apart from the products allowed in the previous phases, you will now be able to have: bread, fruit, cheeses and some starchy products. You will also be able to have some other foods that were forbidden up till now thanks to the celebration meals, but you need to precisely follow the rules:
1 portion of fruit a day
Pretty much any fruit except from bananas, cherries and dried fruit.
1 portion is one piece: an apple, a pear, an orange, a small bowl of strawberries, a handful of berries, a few plums, etc.
2 pieces of wholegrain bread a day
You can have them in any given moment of the day: breakfast, as sandwiches, with soup.
40grams of cheese a day
You can have any: gouda, swiss cheeses, cheddar.
Avoid goat cheeses, camembert, roquefort. It's best to have the whole portion at one go, to avoid having too much.
2 portions of starchy products a week
Avoid white rice and potatoes.
Pasta – for best results have the wholegrain ones and cook them al dente (the it will take longer for the body to process). Don't use cream or butter while preparing the dish and stick to no more than 220g boiled weight.
Wholegrain rice – same amount as the pasta.
Lentil and beans
Pork & Lamb
Once a week you can have some lamb and pork, though try to have the lean parts.
Celebration Meals
Two times a week you can have celebration meals. That can be anything. YES, it can be pizza or french fries and ice cream, but there are rules:
- Never have another serving, it's about enjoying the tastes and not overindulging yourself
- Between one celebration meal and the next one, there should be at least a days difference, so if you had one for Sunday dinner, you should not have another one Monday for breakfast. You have to give your body time to burn the excess calories.
- It's best to actually chose a time you can actually 'celebrate' this meal and not rush yourself. Maybe have something fatty, but prepare it yourself at home. It could be a starter (a white roll), the main dish (deep fried chicken), dessert (a piece of cake) and a glass of wine. You just need to remember not to have more than one serving.
Protein Day
Last but not least:
1 day of pure protein (PP) a week. That is the guarantee you will not gain weight. On this one day, you can only eat the foods allowed in the Attack phase.
It's just one more effort, that goes a long way, to support your new, healthy weight. It's best to chose a Thursday, as it's usually the least busy day, without the weekend guests or the Monday cravings.
Stabilization Phase -
Congratulations! You got to the Stabilisation Phase and you really do deserve a pat on the back.
You have achieved a massive goal – managed to lose weight
and keep it off. And even though the risks of your body trying to gain weight are behind you, there is always a risk that your mind will betray you, and suggest that since you lost so much weight, you can now go back to simply eating whatever.
The last phase is a set of
rules for life, which are there not to constrict you but to guide you, so that you never gain weight again and live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
The Rules of the Stabilization Phase
You stick to the Protein Thursday
You can eat whatever you want for six days a week, but the
Protein Only day will be your way to remember the effort you have put in to achieve your new, healthy body.
Although Dr. Dukan insists on choosing Thursday as your Protein Only day if you really find some other hey more convenient and easier to stick to then go for it. But you do need to remember to
observe your chosen day, and not try to change it every week or two.
Keep Your Activity High
You do not need to suddenly become an exercise freak, however remember the
simple lessons learned during your weight loss phases.
If you don't do sports, as not everybody can or has to, just keep active during the day – use the stairs instead of the lift, take a walk instead of driving everywhere in a car. Simple actions to avoid a sedentary life include some of the examples below:
- Take the stairs instead of the lift
- Avoid riding office chairs with wheels - get up and walk even if it is just a few metres away
- Try and walk just that little bit extra - get on one bus/tube stop earlier or later
- Walk to the grocery store instead of driving
Eat Oat Bran Daily
Why? It helps with your digestion, and mixed with other food it reduces the amount of calories absorbed. It also swells in the stomach so you feel fuller for longer. Eating it daily, will help you with cravings and make you eat that little bit less.
Other Good Advice
When it comes to the rest of your food –
trust yourselves. You have come a long way, learned a lot about nutrition, and what is good for your body and what is not. Also, your body is now used to the new food and it will also guide you as to what and how much you should eat as long as you are willing to keep listening to it.
It's good to stick to
'lighter' products and only eat hard cheeses occasionally. Too much fat is simply not good for the body, especially for the heart.
The 'low sugar' products though are a different (and more complicated) story, as recent studies show that using artificial sweeteners does not actually help the body that much in tackling cravings because the body recognises the artificial sugars.
However, in small amounts, like diet drinks, sugar-free chewing gum etc, they are allowed.
At meal time – try to take your time, and
eat slowly. That way you give yourself time to feel when you are actually full.
Try to not take second helpings of anything. Most of the time it's only your brain being greedy.
Drink while you eat, it will make you eat a bit slower and fills up the stomach too.
... And if you gain a few pounds? Don't wait until you gain a few more. Have
two Protein Days a week and that should help to get you back on track
In theory, it seems pretty simple. There is a book associated with the diet that I might pick up - it includes recipes and other information about the diet. I really think the toughest part will be working to stay on the diet while Chris isn't on the diet. That's usually been my biggest struggle. I don't want him to feel like he should follow the same diet I do - but it can still be tough to be the only one in the house following a stricter dietary plan. We'll see how it works.
If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts about the diet plan (or any diet plan) - please share them...
Until next time -- happy dabbling! :)
