Of all the diet programs out there, this particular type of diet has always been associated with class and sophistication. Maybe itâs because celebrities like JLo, Nicole Kidman, Giselle Bundchen and even Kate Middleton are all into this.
The trending diet for 2011 is the Dukan Diet and is the secret to Frenchâs good health and great body. This diet was developed and introduced by a French doctor named Pierre Dukan in 2000, and since then, itâs become peopleâs choice for maintaining not just an enviable body, but of glowing health as well.
Dukan Diet is a high-protein, low-carb and low-fat diet that involves going through 4 phases namely attack, cruise, consolidation and stabilization.
To kick-start the diet, you go through an all-protein diet during the attack phase. If you are used to eating carbohydrates and other processed foods, this can be a difficult phase. To make things a little easier for you, there are 67 choices of protein foods in the program that will let you see immediate weight loss. This is a good strategy because this is exactly what motivates you to keep the diet going.
Oat- bran will be the common denominator in all 4 phases as this is the best food option for dealing with constipation. Among the 67 protein food choices are low-fat beef, chicken, lamb and fish. The duration of this phase will depend on your weight loss goal but you can be in as short as 2 days and as long as 10 days.
After reaching specific period of days in the attack phase, you will precede with cruise. You can alternate between all-protein days and protein and vegetables days. There are 100 food choices to choose from during your individualized days in this phase.
You are likely to gain back some of your lost pounds when you reach the consolidation phase. The 3rd stage was designed to protect you against it by allowing you to succumb to your cravings reasonably. You can eat any food you like as you have 2 cheat days in every week while maintaining the protein and vegetables guidelines. Fruits, tea, coffee, fat-free products, herbs may also be consumed.
Youâre going to need to do some basic math to know how long youâll need to be in this stage. The general rule is to add 5 days for every lost pound that occurred in the first 2 stages. For example, if youâve lost 10 pounds, multiply that by 5 days and you stay in this phase for 50 days.
The last phase of the Dukan Diet is called stabilization. To reach this stage means that youâve already acquired a healthy mindset and youâre ready to face the foods that used to tempt you. You are no longer bound by strict diet guidelines but you do have to follow 2 guidelines: eat 3 tbsp of oat bran everyday and have a 1 protein day every week.
Frankly, when youâve made it to the last stage without cheating, you wouldnât really have the heart to throw all your sacrifices away. If youâve been consistent all throughout the Dukan Diet, itâs fair to say that following those 2 basic rules in stabilization phase is a no-brainer. You might even add a few of your own tips in maintaining your ideal weight like incorporating exercise 3 days a week.