According to Pierre Ducant himself, the effectiveness of his method is due to the careful selection of the nutrients contained in food, with an emphasis on proteins. The fact is that proteins have a moderate calorie content (4 kcal per 1 g), but the body spends a lot of energy on their digestion. In addition, they are absorbed much slower than fats and carbohydrates. That is why after eating meat, fish or cottage cheese, we feel full for a long time. Unlike most weight loss methods, the Ducan diet is designed not only to lose weight, but also to consolidate and stabilize results.
Stages of the Ducan diet
Dukan's diet consists of four successive phases, which, according to the author, guarantee its reliability and effectiveness. The first two phases are designed to lose excess weight and the last two to consolidate and stabilize the results achieved.
Phase 1. Attack
Duration: 2 to 7 days, depending on how many kilograms you have to lose.
Estimated weight loss: 2-6 kilograms.
The essence of the first stage is rapid weight loss in a short period thanks to the use of only pure protein products.
Ducan's diet menu for this phase
You can choose from 72 protein foods.
They are all lean meats (veal, beef, horse, except entrecote and sirloin of beef), offal, lean ham, all fish without exception, all seafood, poultry (except duck and goose), eggs, lean dairy products.
Pierre Ducan also recommends consuming 1. 5 tablespoons. spoons of oat bran per day. Oat bran helps not to feel hungry, helps eliminate fluids and excess high-calorie food from the body.
The products allowed in the Ducan menu can be consumed in any quantity, at any time. Combine or consume them separately. Only you need to cook without adding fat.
Phase 2: alternation
Duration: 2 to 6 months.
Estimated weight loss: 1 kg per week.
The weight loss process at this stage continues optimally.
The essence of the second phase of the Ducan diet is the alternation of protein and vegetable-protein days. Day - pure protein, day - protein and vegetables. A 5/5 pattern, i. e. five days of protein and five days of plant protein, is also acceptable
Ducan's diet menu for this phase
Raw and boiled vegetables are added to the previous diet: tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, asparagus, leeks, asparagus beans, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, dill, all kinds of lettuce, endive, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, carrots and beets(the latter should not be consumed with every meal).
You can eat them in unlimited quantities, at any time. Avoid starchy vegetables: potatoes, peas, beans, lentils, beans, but also avocados and artichokes. It is recommended to increase the amount of oat bran to 2 tablespoons. spoons per day.
Phase 3. Anchoring.
Duration: depends on the number of kilos lost. It will take 10 days to repair 1 kilogram dropped. For example, if you have lost 10 kg of weight, it will take 100 days to consolidate what you have achieved.
This is a transition phase from the Ducan diet to the regular diet. This phase is necessary to consolidate the result achieved.
At this stage, the diet is expanded by adding new carbohydrate foods. A nice innovation - two festive meals, during which you can eat everything that you have been deprived of for a long time. True, there is a condition here, such lunches or dinners should not follow one after another. The optimal time interval between them is four to five days. Another feature of the 3rd phase of the Ducan diet is the introduction of one day of pure protein per week. This measure is preventive. It will help combat light weight gain during the transition phase.
Ducan's diet menu for this phase
During the week, two slices of bread are added to the diet, one serving of fruit or berries (except bananas, grapes, cherries, dried fruit and nuts), forty grams of cheese (except Camembert, Roquefort and goat cheese), two servingsstarchy foods without oil (durum wheat semolina pasta, couscous, bulgur, polenta, buckwheat, lentils, rice, potatoes and rice).
Phase 4. Stabilization
Duration: In fact, this phase will continue throughout your life if you want to always be in perfect shape for you.
Basically, he is returning to a normal diet and maintaining the weight he has achieved.
Ducan's diet menu for this phase
When choosing foods, it is no longer necessary to follow strict rules and restrictions, but you should take as a basis the diet of the third transition period of the diet - the weight consolidation phase. This is the foundation of a healthy diet. Pierre Ducan also advises to keep one day of pure protein per week to prevent excess weight gain and do not forget the daily intake of oat bran, the amount of which should be increased to 3 tablespoons. L. in a day.
Important note! Eating a large amount of protein foods during the Ducan diet, it is necessary to drink at least 1. 5 liters (and preferably 2 liters) of water per day. Unlike most others, protein foods do not dissolve completely, so the body accumulates some waste, such as uric acid, which must be eliminated. Our kidneys have mechanisms to remove this waste, but this requires increasing the amount of fluid we consume.
Finally, physical exercise is "prescribed" to all those who are losing weight on the Ducan diet, as a prescription drug, as is the mandatory daily twenty-minute walk and refusal to use the elevator.