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I've been reading about this the last few days & am hugely intrigued. It's the French version of Atkins & promises permanent weight loss so long as you eat one day of protein only for life & follow the guidelines of the Consolidation phase.... after you get to your ideal weight which in some cases if you didn't have much to lose could happen rather quickly. I'm all for it-- frankly, the snail's pace way whatever & exercise is total b.s. I've done high protein/low carbs for a decade & also exercise.... following certain very specific rules & guidelines is the only thing that's ever worked for me. Dukan is not in any way an unhealthy or extreme diet, it,may in fact be the healthiest diet I've ever read about.
Kate Middleton & her mom are on it. Jennifer Lopez & Giselle both lost their baby weight on it. it is probably the real reason the French are so thin.... its been a huge phenomenon there selling 5 million books.
The U.S. version hits bookstores mid April. Excited!
Isn't this basically just the Atkins Diet ( 1990s) which is just the Stillman (1970s) Diet?
Yes & no---- I've done low carbs for years & never once considered switching to Atkins. I looked at it the other day & could not get what a net carb is. After having counted blocks of protein for over a decade on the Zone there is no way I'm going to count net carbs.
What strikes me most about Dukan is how common sense it is. It allows for cheat foods & meals once the weight is lost--- only a few, and from years of dieting this really is the truth: you can't eat whatever you want without consequences. Dukan says you can in stabilization but that the forever diet is actually consolidation with a little more leniency. And, one day a week you have to go back & eat only protein for a day. This is why Dukan makes more sense to me than any other diet I've ever read about or tried.
In any case it's going to be huge---- a lot of people are going to buy the book & try it. The disciplined ones are going to get very skinny. Hollywood will be all over it.
I have cholesterol issues - I am not doing anything that doesnt help me lower saturated fat intake.
Within weight watchers, I can do that.
I have been losing weight steadily, following the weight watchers approach. It has helped not only lose pounds, but make changes to habits that I think can last a long time.
Carbs are the real enemy, everyone knows that. Dukan only allows *low fat* protein & the dietself is also low fat. No more than 2 eggs a day are allowed. Several tablespoons of oat bran are also included; oat bran is a well known cholesterol reducer.
Fish oil might help reduce your cholesterol but imo diet is key. Dukan is the Next Big Thing, study up on it so you know what the pundits are talking about when you see it on TV.
It is probably the real reason the French are so thin....
It's not.
First, the French are not all that THIN anymore as they are catching up with other modern, industrialized countries. Second, when the French were that proverbially thin, this diet was not around anyway.
The reason why the French have been thin, generally speaking, is because:
a. they have kept an actual agriculture going (unlike anglo countries that have made a modern mess of it).
b. they are forced to walk everywhere by the topography of their settlements.
c. women, in particular, have cultivated a culture of thinness for centuries and they literally abstain themselves from eating too much; they constantly keep themselves "under control" and never indulge in "pig outs" like the anglos or other cultures do. Pigging out is seen as disgustingly unfeminine and the culture still doesn't allow "unfeminine" in women - unlike the anglo cultures where "butch, agressive and not giving a D" equals confidence and cool non-conformism.
The men themselves don't necessarily glorify "pigging out" like the "tough anglos" do (Burp!!! Belch!!!).
d. portions tend to be quite small, the food is delicious and eating is savored, at a generally slow, artsy pace.
Google it yourself.....that is where I got the information. It is speculated, as in THEORIZED, that one reason the French are so thin is that a whopping 1.5 million people follow the Dukan regime. At least 5 million have read it over the last ten years so it is very well known. No, the French are not thin from walking..... no amount of walking would help the carb rich foods they typically eat. The reason they are thin has to do with diet.
We will be hearing about this constantly the next few years; Dukan hits bookstores next month & the media will have a lot to say about it.
It looks like another silly diet to me. My issues based on what I had read: First of all, I have read that constipation and bad breath are two of many common side effects to the Dukan diet - a person's food choices should lead to a healthy digestive system which includes regular bowel movements. Second point, carbs are not the enemy, they are highly necessary for brain function. Carbs have a bad rep because people typically eat highly refined versions (and too much of them to boot). And third, artificial sweeteners are encouraged. Those have no nutritional value whatsoever (and I would argue are in fact quite bad for you). These issues lead me to believe that this is another dopey fad diet which isn't particularly healthy.
It looks like another silly diet to me. My issues based on what I had read: First of all, I have read that constipation and bad breath are two of many common side effects to the Dukan diet - a person's food choices should lead to a healthy digestive system which includes regular bowel movements. Second point, carbs are not the enemy, they are highly necessary for brain function. Carbs have a bad rep because people typically eat highly refined versions (and too much of them to boot). And third, artificial sweeteners are encouraged. Those have no nutritional value whatsoever (and I would argue are in fact quite bad for you). These issues lead me to believe that this is another dopey fad diet which isn't particularly healthy.
It is amazing to me that so many people still cannot wrap their head around the fact that any diet that completely (or almost completely) excludes a basic nutrient category is one that will cause some form of health problems in the long run.
I can certainly see how an oversupply of carbs can lead to problems ranging from weight gain to health issues. They are starchy, high calorie, they fill you up quickly but they can be addictive and you can easily want more even if you're full, and if you eat just a bit too much of them you neglect eating other extremely important nutrients.
However, from here to argue that your lips should never touch carbs (such as fruit or a bit of whole grain) and that your body should instead be stuffed mainly with protein is simply too offensive to intuition and basic common sense, regardless of how many individuals manage to get skinny-winny this way.
A little whole grain/other carbs added to the plate go a long way in giving people that sense of fullness that allows them to have their meal, then forget all about it and function normally for the rest of the day without obsessing over food every minute.
Protein and a little veggie will never make you feel full and satisfied unless you ingest A LOT of protein (quite disgusting as far as I am concerned) - which in and of itself, is not healthy.
If everyone would stick to this pyramid (from lots to little, in decreasing order):
Lots of greens and non starchy veggies
Some starchy veggies
Some lean protein
Some legumes
A little whole grain
A few nuts and seeds
(very little oil but no vegetable oil, no processed junk)
...and stayed on a slightly reduced caloric intake pretty much at all times, coupled with moderate exercise during the week...
then there would be no need for all these insane diets.
Yes, and our health-care costs would be waaaaay lower.
Dukan, my ...
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