As I began reading the book, a red flag soon went up. Dr. Dukan makes the pronouncement about overweight people (page 3) that “Their appetite and their apparent lack of restraints were a camouflage concealing a need to find comfort in food.” Well, there is some truth in this but I found it a bit simplistic. Lifestyle factors are a huge part of the issues in my mind. Then I read this:

“What overweight individuals are looking for is an outside will, a decision maker who walks ahead of them offering guidance and specific instructions, because what overweight people most hate and simply cannot do is decide for themselves when and how they are going to deprive themselves of food.” (Pages 3-4)

I didn’t go for that. This website is created with the attitude that each person’s weight loss journey is unique, and with respect for the many different ways we can meet our goals. I don’t think most overweight people need an outside will. Quite the opposite, I think the most effective weight loss in the long run comes from paying attention to our own internal cues as to what ways of eating and exercising suit our own needs. We can use a program, we can follow the Dukan diet rules (more on them shortly), South Beach, Weight Watchers, or whatever. Or it can be your own mix of things.

Anyway, read on to find out what the principles are of losing weight this way.

Dukan Diet Phases

There are four phases to this plan: the Attack Phase for a few days, the Cruise Phase until you reach your weight goal, the Consolidation phase while you work to not regain the weight, and the Permanent Stabilization Phase for the rest of your life.

1- The Dukan Diet Attack Phase

The Dukan diet attack phase food list is quite simple. It consists of protein and oat bran, along with plenty of water and some spices. You don’t count calories and you can have all the meat you want, with a few exceptions of the fattiest meats. Fish, eggs, tofu, seitan (derived from wheat protein), unsweetened soy milk or yogurt, and nonfat dairy products are also permitted.

You need a lot of water with this approach, and Dr. Dukan’s definition of water includes diet soda. It also includes coffee and tea, which surprised me as caffeine is a known diuretic.

No vegetables, no fruit, no grains.

You eat this way for two to seven days and the book states that you may experience fatigue, bad breath, dry mouth, and constipation. But you should notice a nice weight loss!

2- The Cruise Phase: the Alternating Protein Diet

This phase lasts roughly three days for every pound that you want to lose, and you stay on it until you  have reached your weight goals. You alternate between Attack-Phase style days and days on which you can also eat non-starchy vegetables. How many days in each cycle depends on a variety of factors spelled out in the book.

3-The Consolidation Phase

This phase lasts five days for each pound that you have lost, and Pierre Dukan says it’s crucial because your body is eager to gain back its reserves. You can slowly add back in bread, fruit, cheese, and carbohydrates, in an order he spells out.

4- The Permanent Stabilization Phase

There are three Dukan diet rules for this phase, which lasts for the rest of your life.

• You do one pure protein day a week, choosing a day (Thursdays in his example) and staying with it. On these days, you eat just like the Attack Phase. The rest of the time, eat “normally.”
• No more elevators and escalators.
• 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day.

Does the Dukan Diet Work?

The Dukan diet reviews around the internet are mixed. WebMD, a well respected site, says skip this fad diet.    Other sites like it better, and it has certainly been popular. Many readers at Amazon, for example, reported success on the diet.

The Dukan diet does work for weight loss. It may work for keeping it off. But it is far from an ideal way of eating to maintain a healthy body lifelong: it’s not a varied enough diet. This is a high-protein, low carb and very low fat way of eating that I really think you should ask your doctor about before trying. Sure, everyone says that you should ask your doctor about any diet, but I would emphasize: this one more than others! There have got to be a lot of people for whom this diet would not be healthful.

The one general concept that I really liked was the idea, once you have reached your desired weight, to do one day a week of a strict way of eating. That makes sense to me, to help keep your awareness focused.

To find out more about the Dukan Diet book, click on the image of the book cover to go to Amazon.

This article is The Dukan Diet Book from Gottaloseweight.com