The problem of obesity is one of the most pressing in the world. Every year this problem becomes more and more urgent. A sedentary lifestyle, a love of television and computers, poor quality foods, and chemical food additives all negatively affect people's physical fitness. Doctors have long been sounding the alarm trying to raise awareness of the global problem of obesity. This, of course, does not affect you and me, but neither is it worth starting with the situation, especially since summer and vacation are coming soon.
In the article we will talk about the weight loss system of Pierre Ducant, a French nutritionist who revolutionized the world of dietetics and proposed a completely new method of losing weight, based not on reducing the number of calories, but on its composition and propertiesbased on foods that enter the body.
What is the Ducan Diet?
Pierre Dukan is a French doctor and nutritionist who has studied the effects of food on the human body for over forty years. After researching people's eating habits, he was able to discover the secret of achieving ideal weight without fasting and without strict food restrictions. Pierre Dukan has written 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 have lost weight.
Pierre Ducan's diet is intended for people who are unable to starve themselves. The motto is "eat as much as you want and lose weight". Pierre Dukan first took up nutritional issues when one of his clients needed help fighting obesity. After the doctor suggested his developments, the patient lost 3 kilograms in five days and another 1. 5 kg in the next three days - this was the beginning of Ducan's career as a nutritionist.
The system is based on the principles of a protein diet, with which you can start the process of burning fat and thus reduce excess weight without damaging the muscle tissue. A sharp decrease in the number of carbohydrates and fats consumed contributes to effective weight loss and "drying" of the figure. Please note that this technique can be referred to as a nutritional system rather than a diet, as it is divided into four main phases. After passing it, you can completely change your eating habits and learn how to eat in such a way as to maintain an ideal weight.
When a large amount of protein enters the body, the metabolism speeds up, toxins and toxins are removed, hunger and constant nervousness disappear. However, prolonged lack of proper fats and carbohydrates in the diet can lead to poor health and the occurrence of serious illnesses. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly adhere to a protein diet according to the scheme, observe all the recommendations and follow the rules.
The main difference between the Ducan Diet and other methods is that it does not restrict the amount of food consumed. You don't have to count every bite you eat and go hungry. The system ensures that the weight remains in 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 feel hungry. The downside of all weight loss methods is usually standard: poor dietary balance. So you need to strictly adhere to the diet plan and listen to your feelings. If you feel uncomfortable, you may need to choose another weight loss option.
Diet plan
Dr. Ducan's Diet is the first to use a structured approach and four tier weight loss system. The first two stages are aimed at effective weight loss, and the rest are aimed at consolidating the result achieved and stabilizing weight. When losing weight, you have to follow a list of 100 permitted foods that can be consumed at different stages of your diet: 72 pure protein products - fish, meat, seafood, vegetable proteins, low-fat dairy products and 28 vegetables. Oat bran is an important part of the system so don't neglect it.
In the "Attack" phase, 72 products from the first group may be consumed; in the "Alternation" (or "Cruise") phase, a further 28 types of vegetables are included in the diet. During the consolidation of the result, the body gets used to a new nutritional regime, and a pure protein on Thursday will allow you to adjust weight in order to avoid sudden fluctuations and loss of shape.
In the final, fourth phase, you can eat any food, but keep to the following rules:
- Observe a protein day once a week on which pure protein food is consumed
- Move for at least 20 minutes a day and turn down the elevator.
- Eat three tablespoons of bran every day
In addition to nutrition, Dr. Ducan put great emphasis on physical activity. Try to run every day and also work out in the gym, ride a bike, swim or dance. The main thing is to get more exercise, because physical activity helps burn calories, makes body fat a source of useful energy, and helps maintain muscle tone.
Before starting a diet, calculate your correct weight, on which Dukan's future diet will depend.
Observe the basic rules that must be strictly followed: Drink 1. 5 to 2 liters of water daily, exercise actively and eat oat bran every day.
Completely exclude fat, oil, and mayonnaise from your diet. Salads can be seasoned with lemon juice or soy sauce.
Steam oven, grill, baking or boiling, or you can cook in a non-stick pan.
It is recommended to avoid alcohol, sugar, fried potatoes and fruits with a high sugar content (bananas, cherries, cherries, grapes, figs).
If you follow all recommendations exactly, you can lose up to 5 kg. during the week.
During the diet, black, green and herbal tea, coffee, cola and Pepsi Light, low-fat cocoa (1 teaspoon per day), corn starch (1 tablespoon per day) and skimmed milk powder can be consumed up to 3 tablespoons per day), wheat bran (1Tablespoon), baking powder, gelatin, vanilla and cinnamon, sugar substitutes (except glucose, fructose and sorbitol).
attack
The first phase - "attack" - lasts from 2 to 10 days (depending on the weight you want to lose). The duration is determined using the online calculator we discussed above, if there is an extra 5 pounds, 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 can be clearly seen, weight loss is 2-6 kg. At this point, fats are actively broken down, so a dry mouth and slight odor may appear, but diet advocates argue that this is normal.
During the "attack" the strictest food restrictions apply and the menu for each day contains only protein products:
- Lean veal or beef
- Veal kidneys and liver
- Skinless chicken and turkey
- Beef or veal tongue
- Seafood & Fish
- Low-fat ham (we do not recommend it for consumption because, unlike French ham, it is not made from natural meat, but from ingredients of dubious quality with chemical additives)
- Skimmed milk, kefir and cottage cheese
- onions, garlic, spices, vinegar, salt, soy sauce and spices
In the first phase, rabbit meat, pork, duck or goose must not be eaten. Eat 1, 5 tablespoons of oat bran every day. Eggs are allowed in limited quantities (no more than 2 yolks per day, white - as many as you want), crab sticks - no more than 8 pieces per day.
An example menu during the "attack" could look like this:
1 day
Breakfast: scrambled eggs (2 eggs and 4 tablespoons of skimmed milk), bran bread and low-fat cottage cheese, coffee or tea
Lunch: chicken broth
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: steamed schnitzel, bread
Day 2
Breakfast: bran and milk oatmeal
Lunch: Ear
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: Chicken schnitzel, tea or coffee
Day 3
Breakfast: cheesecake, tea or coffee
Lunch: Fish baked with herbs and lemon
Snack: Natural yogurt with oat cake
Dinner: Seafood cocktail
Late dinner: Quark
Day 4
Breakfast: lightly salted red fish with oat cake, tea or coffee
Lunch: Chicken breast in kefir
bakedSnack: Quark
Dinner: omelette and baked veal
Late dinner: kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: bran pancakes with cottage cheese
Lunch: fish, mustard sauce
Snack: Natural yogurt
Dinner: Quark Casserole
6 days
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, tea or coffee
Lunch: meat soup
Snack: yoghurt
Dinner: salmon fillet with mustard
7 days
Breakfast: Quark casserole
Lunch: ear with oat bread
Snack: yoghurt
Dinner: meat with melted cheese
Don't forget that you don't have to limit yourself to the portion size, you can eat as much as you want and a wide range of products allows you to create a menu for all tastes.
You can find many interesting recipes for cooking according to the Ducan system on the Internet. Here are some of them.
Chicken schnitzel
Add 1 chopped egg and 2 boiled, finely chopped eggs, salt, pepper and spring onions 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. Brew coffee in 50 ml. Water (if soluble, then just dissolve), add sugar substitute and strain into a bowl with soft curd cheese. Beat the mass with a mixer.
Ricotta cookies
1 egg white, low-fat ricotta cheese - 2 tbsp. Spoons (or regular soft curd), oat bran - 2 tablespoons, sweetener. Mix the ingredients in a bowl, put them in a pan in the form of a biscuit and fry on both sides or bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes. When the biscuits are ready, pour a mixture of quark, sweetener and peel (vanilla, cocoa) over them.
Cruise
In the second phase - "cruise" or "variety" - you will achieve the desired result. The length of the stage depends on how many kilograms you want to lose. As the name suggests, protein days alternate with protein and vegetable days at this point. If you need to lose less than 10 kg, the scheme may vary, e. g. B. 1 day protein and 1 day - vegetables + proteins, 3 days protein and 3 days vegetables + proteins, 5 days protein and 5 days vegetables + proteins. Choose a convenient option for yourself. However, if the excess weight is more than 10 kilograms, alternate 5 protein and 5 protein vegetable days. Thanks to such a system, the metabolism is normalized, toxins, toxins, fat and salts are removed from the body.
In the second phase, you can eat as much as your heart desires by using foods from the list of approved foods and adding vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, green beans, radishes, asparagus, cabbage, celery, eggplant, Zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, beets, pepper. Do not eat potatoes, cereal and pasta, peas, corn, beans, lentils, olives, avocados and beans.
It is advisable to limit carrots and beets as they contain sugar. Tomato paste may be used in small quantities. Every day you can choose only two products from the ones added and eat products from the first phase without restrictions. Another requirement: eat two tablespoons of oat bran a day.
The menu in the "Cruise" phase looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: herb omelette
Second breakfast: cottage cheese
Lunch: Tuna salad (tuna, green beans, hard-boiled egg, herbs. Season with lemon juice, yogurt and black pepper)
Snack: Baked chicken breast with vegetable salad
Dinner: steamed cabbage with herbs and spices, boiled beef tongue with horseradish
Day 2
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran bread
Lunch: vegetable soup
Afternoon snack: bran pancakes with kefir
Dinner: baked chicken breast with herbs and grilled vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes)
Day 3
Breakfast: ham omelette
Lunch: Mess
Afternoon snack: Quark casserole
Dinner: Baked meat with vegetable salad
Day 4
Breakfast: boiled eggs, lightly salted salmon, oat bread
Lunch: Meatball and Bran Soup
Afternoon snack: cheesecake
Dinner: Chicken schnitzel with vegetable salad
Day 5
Breakfast: omelette and yogurt
Lunch: fish soup
Snack: cottage cheese
Dinner: Meatloaf with baked vegetables
Anchoring
The "Consolidation" (or "Consolidation") phase is used to consolidate the result achieved in the first two phases and gradually return to the daily diet. Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, vegetable oil and 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 a week is kept full of protein to avoid sudden weight gain. Pierre Dukan recommends Protein Thursday, but you can choose the day according to your rhythm of life.
The length of this phase 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 be 30 days, and if 10 kg, the consolidation would take 100 days.
Consolidation includes one fruit a day, a slice of low-fat cheese and roasted lamb or pork several times a week, a serving of "starchy foods" and "stomach firm". Divide the third stage into two equal parts: during the first part you can have a serving of "starchy foods" (rice-120 gr. , 2-3 baked potatoes, buckwheat or noodles) per week and a "gastric feast" (meal if youcan eat whatever you want within the serving). In the second part, you can eat two servings a week of either.
Sample menu in this phase:
1 day
Breakfast: apple and cinnamon cheesecake
Second breakfast: yogurt
Lunch: vegetable soup and chicken schnitzel with oat bread
Snack: cheesecake
Dinner: grilled fish and vegetables
Day 2
Breakfast: baked chicken, boiled egg and yogurt
Lunch: vegetable soup and grilled meat
Afternoon snack: cheesecake
Dinner: baked meat with rice and vegetables
Day 3
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran bread
Lunch: Mess
Snack: fruit
Dinner: fish and vegetables, glass of red wine
Day 4
Breakfast: Quark casserole with berries
Lunch: oat bran soup
Snack: yoghurt
Dinner: Chicken schnitzel with salad
Day 5
Breakfast: cheesecake and coffee
Lunch: vegetable and meatball soup
Snack: fruit
Dinner: Baked meat with grilled vegetables
Stabilization
The final phase of the stabilization diet helps you transition to your daily diet so that you do not gain weight later. At this point, your eating habits will change completely and you will know exactly which foods to avoid and which to limit.
You can eat anything, but don't get too carried away by flour and fatty foods, and include as much meat and vegetables in your menu as possible. To maintain weight gain, follow these rules: eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, stick to protein on Thursday, drink plenty of water, and exercise or walk a lot. The more you exercise and exercise attention, the more likely it is that obesity will never recur.
Finally, write down a few more recipes for Ducan's nutritional system:
Egg salad
Cut the boiled eggs into cubes, mix with a finely chopped bunch of spring onions, add low-calorie sour 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 fat-free cottage cheese, 1 sachet of baking powder. In a bowl, mix the starch, bran and salt together. Mix the kefir, eggs and curd in another vessel. We combine everything and shape it. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Hake baked in foil
Marinate the hake fillets in lemon juice, salt, add herbs, spices and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
What other options can you suggest?
The group of protein diets includes the Ducan diet, the classic French diet and the paleo diet, which Ducan himself describes as a copy of his strategy for weight loss.
French Diet
The classic French protein diet is designed for 14 days. At this point, you need to strictly adhere to the menu. Deviations from the established diet are strictly prohibited. The diet is based on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, herbs, fruits and dried rye bread. Bread and pastries, sugar, fruit juices, salt and various cucumbers as well as alcohol are prohibited.
The technique is very effective and guarantees a weight loss of 4-8 kg. However, like most diets, it is poorly balanced so you shouldn't stick to it for long. Another disadvantage of the French diet with a hard diet that not everyone can handle. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the menu often recommends the use of cooked sausage or ham, and this moment causes confusing comments on the forums.
However, it should be borne in mind that the diet came to us from France and the quality of the products, especially ham and sausages, is completely different in our country. When ham is made from natural meat in France, we cannot boast about it. We recommend our readers to replace sausage with natural meat.
The 7-day menu for French nutrition looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: black coffee
Lunch: two eggs, lettuce, tomato
Dinner: 100 grams of lean cooked meat, salad
Day 2
Breakfast: black coffee, rye crouton
Lunch: a piece of boiled meat (100 grams)
Dinner: Boiled Meat Salad Salad
Day 3
Breakfast: coffee and rye croutons
Lunch: A medium-sized carrot fried in vegetable oil, 1 tomato and a tangerine
Dinner: boiled meat salad, lettuce and two boiled eggs
Day 4
Breakfast: the same as in the previous days
Lunch: a medium-sized raw carrot, 100 grams of cheese and an egg
Dinner: fruit and kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: a medium-sized raw carrot with fresh lemon juice
Lunch: Tomato and 100 grams of cooked fish
Dinner: 100 grams of boiled beef
6 days
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: boiled chicken, green salad
Dinner: Boiled Beef
7 days
Breakfast: green tea
Lunch: boiled beef and orange
Dinner: Chicken with Salad
The menu of the second week repeats the ration shown, or you can create your own menu from the same products just in a different combination. The introduction of new products is not permitted.
Paleo diet
This diet is also known as the "caveman diet". Its essence is that you must eat like our distant ancestors. Before the food revolution 10, 000 years ago, people ate meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries. Then humans invented agriculture, and grain and dairy products began to make their way into the diet. In the modern world, hydrogenated fats and refined sugars, flavor enhancers and colorings have been added to the menu.
Today, 70% of a person's calories come from foods our ancestors never even imagined. The proponents of the "cave diet" therefore propose to go back to their roots and stop eating "foods that are unnatural for their species". Strangely enough, research supports this theory. In 2008, scientists from Karolinska University added a group of men and women to the Stone Age menu. In three weeks, calorie intake decreased by 35%, blood pressure by 5%, and the risk of blood clots by 72%.
The main feature of the paleo diet is that you can eat as much as you want. It is enough to follow that all the products repeat the diet of the elderly. Interestingly, this technique doesn't limit your intake of the correct fats and carbohydrates. The diet helps normalize blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and 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 meat, fish and seafood, eggs, fruits (except dried fruits), vegetables except potatoes and corn, nuts. All grain products should be excluded (they cause inflammation in the body), milk and dairy products (they often contain hormones due to the dishonesty of the manufacturers), flour and confectionery, and fast food.
The paleo diet menu can not only be tasty but also useful:
Breakfast: for two servings a handful of frozen berries, 3 handfuls of red currants, 1 teacup of unrefined sugar, a handful of crushed hazelnuts, 2 large pinches of jasmine tea, lemon.
Arrange the red currants on a tray and sprinkle with sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, put everything in a bowl. Put the other frozen berries in a pan and put on fire when they release the juice, add jasmine tea, pour lemon juice and stir. Pour the mixture over the red currants, sprinkle with chopped nuts and eat.
Lunch: 4 servings - 4 chicken breasts, 6 beets, 5 small beets, 4 peeled rutabagas, 10 small beets. Marinade: A good portion of olive oil, lime juice, 3 chopped chilli peppers and 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of coriander, cinnamon, ginger, dry parsley and oregano.
Mix the marinade ingredients together and rub the chicken breast. Put the tubers in foil and fields with oil, 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 cooked food.
Dinner: mackerel with salad. For 4 servings you will need 4 mackerel, limes, olive oil. Grate the fish with a mixture of mustard and olive oil and fry for 5 minutes on each side. Take a large arm of watercress, cut 4 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 red onion into it and cover with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Serve the fish and the salad nicely and garnish with lime wedges. Now you can enjoy a wonderful dinner.
What they say about the Ducan diet
The Dukan diet is very popular, it is actively discussed, groups and blogs are created on social networks, where recipes, reviews from doctors and those who lose weight through the diet are published.
Among the celebrities are Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bündchen, Keith Middleton and American culinary expert Gina Keatley 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 want to reiterate that the diet must be strictly followed according to the rules, it is impossible to sit on it for a long time, therean imbalance in diet leads to a number of diseases.
Often, negative reviews are precisely linked to non-compliance with dietary rules and self-activity. So we recommend that you don't be creative and stick to the plan. The effect of the diet on the body is individual. Listen carefully to your feelings. If you feel that the diet is not suitable for you, then choose another option.
There is a myth that the Ducan 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 Nutritionists in the United Kingdom (one of the oldest such organizations, founded in 1936) has criticized the Ducan Diet several times, calling it the worst popular diet for several years in a row.
The negative opinion of nutritionists is based on an imbalance in diet and insufficient calories. Doctors warn that adhering to the diet will expose you to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, poor digestion (limited consumption of vegetables and fruits), and lack of energy (low in carbohydrates). If the Ducan Diet is used by a person who is actively working (it does not matter whether they are working mentally or physically) there is a significant health risk.