7pounds7days.com

 Fast, short-term diets to kick start your weight-loss

High Protein Diets

 - Dukan Diet

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dukan Diet  - The 4 Phase Protein Plan.

 

Created by French nutritionist Dr. Pierre Dukan, this is a comprehensive program which has a number of stages to faciliate initial fast weight loss followed by a more realistic weight-loss stage and maintenance strategy. It is basically an “eat all you want” High Protein, Low Carb, Low Fat regime.

 

Many people on this diet report significantly quick weight-loss of around 1 pound per day in the first phase. This is a massive motivator to continue on the plan. There is more motivation knowing you can eat as much as you need to feel full as this helps to curb hunger pangs and cravings.  Another great thing is you don’t have to count calories or weigh and measure food.

 

The stages and their principles are as follows:

 z Phase 1—Attack Phase:  Basically you eat only low fat high protein foods for between 3 and 7 days depending on your weight goal. Foods allowed are only lean meat, fish, skinless poultry and non-fat dairy. No added oil, fat, nuts or carbohydrates are allowed.

 

 z Phase 2– Cruise Phase: Continue weight-loss by alternating the low fat high protein food days, as per the previous phase, with days where you can add unlimited quantities of low carb vegetables. You continue this phase until you have reached your goal weight. The vegetables you can use on this phase include leafy green veges, celery, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes. You cannot eat high carb veges such as potato, carrot, lentils and beans.

 

 z Phase 3— Consolidation Phase: No more weightloss in this phase but you begin to reintroduce previously off-limits foods such as breads, pasta, and fruit while maintaining the new weight. This phase takes 5 days for every pound you have lost.

 

 z Phase 4—Stabilisation Phase: Now you can eat whatever foods you like, but you have one day per week (Dukan says Thursdays) where you eat only protein. This protein day is important to keep your weight under control.

 

Throughout the diet you need to drink loads of water, approx 2-3 litres per day and limit your salt intake in order to help your kidneys cope with the amount of protein. Also, a tablespoon per day of oat bran is required to help your bowel cope with any lack of fibre. Walking 30 minutes per day is also recommended.

 

The disadvantages of this diet are the same as with any diet that eliminates or restricts specific food groups—its very difficult for people who need to lose a significant amount of fat to continue eliminating foods for lengthy periods. It will take determination to get through the first 2 phases and the eat all you need, no counting or weighing strategy may help people to stay on this diet. The best advice is to focus on what you can eat, eat plenty of variety, and add heaps of flavour to your food with herbs and spices.