The problem of excess weight is one of the most urgent in the world, every year this problem becomes more and more pressing. A sedentary lifestyle, a 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 problem of obesity. This, of course, isn't about you and me, but it's not even worth starting the situation, especially as summer and holidays are coming soon.
In this article we will talk about the weight loss system of Pierre Ducan, a French nutritionist who has revolutionized the world of dietetics and who has proposed a completely new method to lose weight, based not on reducing the number of calories, but on the composition andproperties of food entering the body.
What is the Ducan diet
Pierre Dukan is a French doctor and nutritionist who has been studying the effects of food on the human body for over forty years. After studying people's eating behavior, he was able to discover the secret to achieving an ideal weight without fasting and severe restrictions on food. Pierre Ducan 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 have managed to lose weight.
The Pierre Ducan diet is designed for people who are unable to starve, its motto is "Eat as much as you want and lose weight". Pierre Dukan first dealt with nutrition issues when one of his clients needed help to fight obesity. After the doctor proposed his developments, the patient lost 3 kilograms in five days, and over the next three days he lost another 1. 5 kg - this marked the beginning of Ducan's career as a nutritionist.
The system is based on the principles of a protein diet, which allows you to start the process of burning fat deposits and thus eliminate excess weight without damaging muscle tissue. A sharp decrease in the number of carbohydrates and fats consumed contributes to effective weight loss and "drying" the figure. Keep in mind that this technique can be called a nutritional system rather than a diet, because it is divided into four main phases, after which you can completely change your eating habits and learn to eat in such a way as to maintain your ideal weight.
When a large amount of protein enters the body, the 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 poor health and the onset of serious diseases, therefore 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 the Ducana diet and the other methods is that it does not impose any restrictions on the amount of food consumed, you do not have to count every bite 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 Ducane Diet is that it is very effective and not hungry. The disadvantage of all methods of losing weight is usually standard - poor balance of the diet, so you need to strictly adhere to the diet plan and listen to your feelings, if you feel uncomfortable, you may have to choose another option for losing 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 phases are aimed at effective weight loss, while the others are aimed at consolidating the result obtained and stabilizing the weight. In the course of weight loss, it is necessary to be guided by a list of 100 allowed foods that can be consumed at different stages of the diet: 72 pure protein products: fish, meat, seafood, vegetable proteins, low-fat dairy productsof fat and 28 types of vegetables. Oat bran is an important part of the system, so don't neglect them.
In the "Attack" phase it is allowed to consume 72 products of the first group, in the "Alternation" (or "Cruise") phase - another 28 vegetables are introduced into the diet. During the consolidation of the result, the body gets used to a new diet, and a Thursday of pure protein allows you to regulate the weight to avoid sudden changes and loss of shape.
In the last, fourth stage, you can eat any food, but respect the following rules:
- Respect a protein day once a week when consuming pure protein food
- Move at least 20 minutes a day and refuse the elevator
- Eat three tablespoons of bran every day
In addition to nutrition, Dr. Ducan pays great attention to physical activity. Try walking every day and also try working out in the gym, cycling, swimming or dancing. The important thing is to move more, because physical activity helps 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 further nutrition from Dukan depends.
Remember the basic rules that must be strictly observed: drink 1, 5-2 liters of water per day, actively move and eat oat bran every day.
Completely exclude fat, oil and mayonnaise from the diet, salads can be dressed with lemon juice or soy sauce.
Steam, grill, bake or boil food or you can cook it in a non-stick pan.
It is advisable to refrain from alcohol, sugar, fried potatoes and fruits with a high sugar content (bananas, cherries, cherries, grapes, figs).
By carefully following all the recommendations, you can lose up to 5 kg. in Week.
During the diet it is allowed to consume black, green and herbal tea, coffee, cola and pepsi light, low-fat cocoa (1 teaspoon per day), corn starch (1 tablespoon per day), skimmed milk powder (up to3 tablespoons per day), wheat bran (1 tablespoon), yeast, gelatin, vanilla and cinnamon, sugar substitutes (except glucose, fructose and sorbitol).
Attack
So, the first stage - "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 c'is 5 kilos more, 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, weight loss is 2-6 kg. At this time, fats are actively broken down, so dry mouth and a slight odor may appear, but proponents of the diet argue that this is normal.
During the "attack" the strictest food restrictions apply and the menu for each day includes only protein products:
- Lean veal or beef
- Kidneys and calf liver
- Chicken and turkey without skin
- Tongue of beef or veal
- Seafood and fish
- Lean ham (we do not recommend it for consumption, because domestic ham, unlike French, is not produced with natural meat, but with ingredients of dubious quality with chemical additives)
- Low-fat milk, kefir and cottage cheese
- Onions, garlic, seasonings, vinegar, salt, soy sauce and spices
In the first phase it is not allowed to eat rabbit, pork, duck, goose meat. Eat 1. 5 tablespoons 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 the "Attack" might look like this:
1 day
Breakfast: scrambled eggs (2 eggs and 4 tablespoons of skim milk), low fat bran and ricotta bread, coffee or tea
Lunch: chicken broth
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: steamed cutlets, bread
Day 2
Breakfast: oatmeal with bran and milk
Lunch: ear
Afternoon snack: kefir
Dinner: chicken cutlets, tea or coffee
Day 3
Breakfast: cheesecake, tea or coffee
Lunch: baked fish with herbs and lemon
Snack: natural yogurt with oat cake
Dinner: fish cocktail
Late dinner: ricotta
Day 4
Breakfast: lightly salted red fish with oatmeal, tea or coffee
Lunch: Baked chicken breast with kefir
Snack: curd
Dinner: omelette and roast veal
Late dinner: Kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: bran pancakes with ricotta
Lunch: fish, mustard sauce
Snack: natural yogurt
Dinner: cottage cheese casserole
6 days
Breakfast: scrambled eggs, tea or coffee
Lunch: meat soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: baked salmon fillet with mustard
7 days
Breakfast: Curd casserole
Lunch: ear with oat bread
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: baked meat with melted cheese
Don't forget that you don't have to limit yourself to portions, you can eat as much as you want and a wide selection of products allows you to create a menu for all tastes.
On the Internet you can find many interesting recipes for the preparation of dishes according to the Ducan system, here are some of them.
Chicken cutlets
Add 1 raw egg and 2 finely chopped hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper and green onion to the minced chicken (0, 5 kg. ). Frying without oil or steam.
Coffee cream
Low-fat soft cottage cheese - 400 grams, sugar substitute - 10 measuring spoons, coffee - 2 tsp, water - 50 grams. Prepare the coffee in 50 ml. water (if soluble, just dissolve it), add the sugar substitute and strain into a bowl with the soft curd. Beat the mass with a mixer.
Ricotta biscuits
1 egg white, low-fat cottage cheese - 2 tbsp. spoons (or regular soft curd), oat bran - 2 tablespoons, sweetener. Mix the ingredients in a bowl, put them in the shape of cookies in a pan and fry them on both sides or bake for 7-10 minutes. When the cookies are ready, garnish with the mixture of curd, sweetener and zest (vanilla, cocoa).
Cruise
It is during the second stage - "Cruise" or "Alternation", that you will get the desired result and the duration of the stage depends on how many kilograms you intend to lose. As the name suggests, at this time the days of proteins alternate with the days of proteins and vegetables. If you need to lose weight below 10 kg. , The scheme may vary, for example, 1 day of protein and 1 day - vegetables + protein, 3 days of protein and 3 days of vegetables + protein, 5 days of protein and 5 days of vegetables + protein. Choose a convenient option for yourself. But if the excess weight is more than 10 kilograms, alternate 5 days of protein and 5 days of vegetable protein. Thanks to such a system, the metabolism is normalized, toxins, toxins, fats and salts are removed from the body.
In the second stage, you can eat as much as your heart desires, using foods from the list of allowed vegetables and adding vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, green beans, radishes, asparagus, cabbage, celery, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, beets, pepper. You cannot 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; it is allowed to use tomato paste in small quantities of cooking. Every day you can choose only two products among those that are added, eat the products of the first phase without restrictions. Another must: eat two tablespoons of oat bran a day.
The menu in the "Cruise" phase looks like this:
1 day
Breakfast: Herbal omelette
Second breakfast: ricotta
Lunch: tuna salad (tuna, green beans, hard-boiled egg, herbs. Dress with lemon juice, yogurt and black pepper)
Snack: Baked chicken breast with vegetable salad
Dinner: stewed cabbage with herbs and spices, boiled beef tongue with horseradish
Day 2
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran loaves
Lunch: meat and vegetable soup
Afternoon snack: bran pancakes with kefir
Dinner: baked chicken breast with aromatic herbs and grilled vegetables (aubergines, courgettes, peppers, tomatoes)
Day 3
Breakfast: ham omelette
Lunch: mixed bag
Afternoon snack: curd casserole
Dinner: baked meat with vegetable salad
Day 4
Breakfast: hard boiled eggs, lightly salted salmon, oat bread
Lunch: meatballs and bran soup
Afternoon snack: cheese cakes
Dinner: Chicken cutlets with vegetable salad
Day 5
Breakfast: omelette and yogurt
Lunch: fish soup
Snack: ricotta
Dinner: meatloaf with baked vegetables
Anchor
The "Consolidation" (or "Consolidation") phase has the purpose of consolidating the result obtained in the first two phases and gradually returning to the daily diet. Rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, vegetable oil, fruit 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 remains fully protein to avoid sudden weight gain. Pierre Dukan recommends Protein Thursday, but you can choose the day yourself according to your pace of life.
The duration of this phase depends on the amount of weight lost during the "Attack" and "Cruise" phases, calculated by the formula: multiply each kilogram lost by 10 days. For example, if you have lost 3 kg, the "Cruise" should last 30 days and if 10 kg, it will take 100 days to consolidate.
Consolidation includes one fruit per day, one slice of low-fat cheese and roast lamb or pork several times a week, one serving of starchy foods and a stomach feast. Divide the third phase into two equal parts: during the first part you can eat a portion of "starchy foods" (rice-120 gr. , 2-3 baked potatoes, buckwheat or pasta) per week and a "stomach feast"(meal, when you can eat whatever you want inside the portion). In the second part, you can eat two servings a week of both.
Example menu at this stage:
1 day
Breakfast: apple and cinnamon cheesecake
Second breakfast: yogurt
Lunch: vegetable soup and chicken cutlets with oat bread
Snack: Cheesecake
Dinner: grilled fish and vegetables
Day 2
Breakfast: Baked chicken, hard-boiled egg and yogurt
Lunch: grilled vegetable and meat soup
Afternoon snack: cheese cakes
Dinner: baked meat with rice and vegetables
Day 3
Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bran loaves
Lunch: mixed bag
Snack: fruit
Dinner: fish and vegetables, glass of red wine
Day 4
Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with berries
Lunch: oat bran soup
Snack: yogurt
Dinner: Chicken cutlets with salad
Day 5
Breakfast: cheese cakes and coffee
Lunch: vegetable meatball soup
Snack: fruit
Dinner: baked meat with grilled vegetables
Stabilization
The final stage of the stabilizing diet helps you transition to your daily diet so that you don't gain weight later. At this point, your eating habits will completely change and you will clearly know which foods you should avoid and which to limit.
You can eat anything, but don't get carried away with flour and fatty foods, and include as much meat and vegetables on your menu as possible. To maintain the weight gained, follow these rules: Eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, keep protein on Thursday, drink plenty 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 the excess weight will never come back.
Finally, write yourself a couple more recipes for the Ducan nutrition system:
Egg salad
Cut hard-boiled eggs into cubes, mix with a bunch of finely chopped green 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 corn starch, 2 tablespoons of kefir, a can of fat-free cottage cheese, 1 sachet of yeast. In a bowl, mix the starch, bran and salt all together. In another vessel, mix kefir, egg and curd. We combine everything and put it into shape. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Hake in foil
Marinate the hake fillets in lemon juice, add salt, add aromatic herbs, spices and bake in the oven 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 slimming strategy.
French diet
The classic French protein diet is designed for 14 days, at this time it is necessary to strictly adhere to the menu, it is strictly forbidden to deviate from the established diet. The diet is based on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, herbs, fruits and dried rye bread. Bread and pastries, sugar, fruit juices, salt and various pickles, as well as alcohol are prohibited.
The technique is quite effective and guarantees a weight loss of 4-8 kg. However, like most diets, it is unbalanced, so you shouldn't follow it for very long. Another drawback of the French diet is the tough diet that not everyone can handle. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the menu often suggests using boiled sausage or ham, and this moment causes perplexing comments on the forums.
However, it should be borne in mind that the diet came to us from France, and the quality of products, especially ham and sausages, is completely different in our country. If in France the ham is made from natural meat, we cannot boast about it, so we recommend our readers to 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, rye crouton
Lunch: a piece of cooked meat (100 grams)
Dinner: boiled meat and lettuce salad
Day 3
Breakfast: coffee and rye croutons
Lunch: a medium carrot fried in vegetable oil, 1 tomato and a mandarin
Dinner: salad with cooked meat, lettuce and two hard boiled eggs
Day 4
Breakfast: like the previous days
Lunch: a medium raw carrot, 100 grams of cheese and an egg
Dinner: fruit and kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: a raw medium carrot with fresh lemon juice
Lunch: tomato and 100 gr. boiled fish
Dinner: 100 gr. 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 lettuce
The second week menu repeats the presented diet, or you can create your own menu from the same products only in a different combination. The introduction of new products is not allowed.
Paleo Diet
This diet is also called 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 man invented agriculture and cereals and dairy products began 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 foods our ancestors never even imagined, so advocates of the "cave diet" suggest they go back to their roots and stop eating "unnatural food for their species. ". Oddly, the research supports this theory. In 2008, scientists from the Karolinska University transferred a group of men and women to the Stone Age menu. In three weeks, calorie intake decreased by 35%, blood pressure decreased by 5%, and the risk of blood clots was reduced by 72%.
The main feature of the paleo diet is that you can eat as much as you like, just follow that all products repeat the diet of the ancients. Interestingly, this technique does not limit the intake of the right fats and carbohydrates. The diet helps normalize blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol levels and help you lose extra pounds thanks to the large amount of protein and the combination of meat with fruit and vegetables.
The diet is based on all types of lean meat, fish and seafood, eggs, fruit (except dried fruit), vegetables, with the exception of potatoes and corn, nuts. All grain products (they cause inflammation in the body), milk and dairy products (often contain hormones due to the dishonesty of manufacturers), flour and confectionery products and fast food should be excluded.
The paleo diet menu can be not only 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 chopped hazelnuts, 2 large pinches of jasmine tea, lemon.
Spread the red currants on a baking tray and sprinkle with sugar, when the sugar has dissolved, transfer everything to a bowl. Put the other frozen berries in a pan and put on the stove when they let the juice go, add the jasmine tea, pour the lemon juice and mix. Pour the mixture over the red currants, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and eat.
Lunch: 4 servings - 4 chicken breasts, 6 turnips, 5 small turnips, 4 peeled turnips, 10 small beets. Marinade: a good portion of olive oil, lime juice, 3 chopped chillies and 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of coriander, cinnamon, ginger, dried parsley and oregano.
Mix the marinade ingredients and rub the chicken breasts with them. Put the tubers in foil and fields with oil, bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 220 degrees. Grill the brisket for 12 minutes (turn once). If there isn't enough salt, add some cooked food.
Dinner: mackerel with salad. For 4 servings, you will need 4 mackerel, lime, olive oil. Mix the fish with a mixture of mustard and olive oil, fry on each side for 5 minutes. Take a large handful of watercress, cut 4 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 red onion and cover with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Serve the fish and salad beautifully and garnish with lime wedges, you can now 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, in which recipes, reviews of doctors and those who lose weight on the diet are published.
Among celebrities Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bündchen, Keith Middleton and American cooking 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 emphasize once again that the diet must be strictly adhered to according to the rules, it is impossible to sit on it for longtime, because an imbalance in the diet leads to a number of diseases.
Often negative reviews are associated precisely with non-compliance with dietary rules and self-activity, so we recommend that you avoid being creative and stick to the plan. The effect of the diet on the body is individual, listen carefully to your feelings, and if you feel that the diet is not suitable for you, choose another option.
There is a myth that the Ducan diet is banned in France and Europe, but that's actually not true, because the authorities can't ban the diet. However, the British Association of Nutritionists in the UK (one of the oldest organizations of its kind, founded in 1936) criticized the Ducan diet many times and for several years in a row 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 by sticking to a diet, you will be faced with a vitamin and mineral deficiency, poor digestion (limited intake of fruits and vegetables) and a lack of energy (low carbohydrates). If the Ducane Diet is used by a person who is actively working (it does not matter if he is engaged in mental or physical work), then there is a significant health risk.