The Ducan diet is very popular all over the world, mainly because of its fast and amazing results. It belongs to the systems of healthy eating. It allows you to lose weight and at the same time not suffer from hunger, because it is allowed to spend more than a hundred different tasty and satisfying products on it.
Features and rules of the Ducan diet
The main goal of the Ducan protein diet is to reduce fat and carbohydrate intake. They are necessarily included in the diet to lose weight, but in a minimal amount. Proteins become the basis of the menu. They should be eaten in the amount recommended for weight loss (this is about 1. 5 g per kg of weight). As a result, it is possible to get rid of extra pounds and stabilize the figure obtained on the scales.
The choice fell on proteins as the basis of the diet for a reason.
There are several reasons for this:
- For the digestion of such substances, the body needs the maximum amount of energy and therefore calories.
- Pure proteins reduce hunger, prevent excess fluid from remaining in the body and increase its defenses.
- These substances prevent skin sagging. If the body lacks proteins, they are extracted from the muscles.
It is very important to try to eat less salt while following the discussed diet. This additive retains water in the body and increases hunger. But it is also harmful to exclude it completely. Especially for people who suffer from low blood pressure.
Make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout all stages of your diet. This is at least 2 liters of different fluids a day. Water also removes the feeling of hunger, fills the stomach and cleanses the body of all kinds of impurities. This is especially true with a protein diet. When protein is ingested in large amounts, the body constantly accumulates waste products that need to be removed from it. Otherwise, there will be no long-awaited effect.
Interestingly, even carbonated beverages can be drunk on such a diet.
The most important thing is to choose the "light" options that do not contain sugar. Their taste also helps to lose weight by coping with a strong urge for forbidden sweets.
Drinks are allowed at any time and regardless of the meal. The feeling of thirst must be completely satisfied and not dull.
Description of the stages
There are four main phases in the diet. The main goal of the first half of them is to get rid of extra pounds. And the second is to set the new ideal weight.
At each step, you do not have to limit yourself to specific portions. You also do not need to count calories.
Step 1 - Attack
On the Ducan diet, attack is the initial stage. It is short but challenging and effective. The usual carbohydrate diet is completely replaced by protein. This leads to active fat burning.
On average, this phase is designed for 7 days. But under certain conditions it can last from 3 to 12 days. It all depends on how many hated kilos a person wants to lose.
On the attack, it is allowed to eat protein foods from a special list. They can be eaten in any quantity and combined with each other. The most important thing is to cook without fat. For example, cook or grill.
In the first phase, the weight begins to disappear very quickly. This encourages weight loss not to stop but to continue to adhere to a difficult nutritional system.
Step 2 - cruise / exchange
The second phase turned out to be very long. This is the main reason why those who lose weight often have breakdowns at this stage. The phase discussed usually lasts from a few months to six months. A special nutritional system must be adhered to until the weight becomes ideal.
The main idea in the second phase is menu alternative. These are days of eating all-protein foods or their combinations with vegetables. You can change your diet every other day, two, three.
Protein menus should consist of "attack products", and mixed raw, cooked, baked vegetables should be added. The latter must amount to approx. 60% of the cost.
Step 3 - Consolidation / Consolidation
At this stage, all the hardships are over. You can slowly and gradually begin to return to your usual diet. It is important to consolidate the weight gained.
The duration of this phase should be determined by yourself. To do this, calculate the weight you managed to lose in the previous stages. For every pound lost, add yourself 10 "fixing" days.
This period can prove to be quite long (especially if more than 10 kg was lost), but you should not be afraid of it. Now you can treat yourself to delicious desserts and other culinary delights.
- Five days a week, eat according to the usual pattern of alternation.
- In the first half of the period you can daily add 100 g of bread (from whole grains), 200 g of fruit, 50 g of cheese.
- One day, only proteins are consumed according to the "attack" principle.
- On the seventh day it is allowed to eat starchy foods (200 g), some pork, ham, sausages, a favorite delicacy.
- In the second half of the day, "feast" with fatty sweet foods and sausages can already be enjoyed twice a week. Days like these should not follow each other.
"Holiday" does not imply the use of "harmful things" throughout the day. It is only allowed to pamper yourself for 1-2 meals. It is also allowed to drink high quality weak wine.
Step 4 - stabilization
At this stage, weight loss will return to their usual nutritional system with some peculiarities. First of all, you need to continue to follow the drinking schedule and continue to consume a lot of water a day. It is very important to include daily physical activity in your schedule, at least minimally - exercise in the morning, walk, refuse the elevator.
Make sure to arrange regular days regularly and eat 3 tablespoons each day. l. oat bran in any form.
To maintain your ideal weight for a long time, it is worth taking the third stage as a basis and making vegetables and protein products the foundation of your nutrition system forever. In this case, you can treat yourself to 2 festive breakfasts or lunches a week as well as 2 servings of starchy products in the composition.
It is still advisable to leave one protein day a week. It becomes a defense mechanism against repeated weight gain.
Permitted and prohibited products
The forbidden and permitted foods depend on the phase of the diet.
So in the first place, it is permissible to eat protein products from a special list.
That:
- horse meat;
- beef;
- bird;
- ham;
- offal
- fish (even canned and smoked)
- crab sticks;
- egg;
- low-fat dairy products / fermented milk drinks and products.
You can use 1-2 pickled cucumbers cooked without sugar (per day), 1 onion, a small amount of tomato puree, vegetable oil (maximum 1 small spoon), mustard, fresh / granulated garlic, fresh / dried herbs.
Be sure to use 1 - 1, 5 tbsp. l. klid. You can eat them in any form.
In the "alternating phase", a variety of vegetables are added to all of the above foods. Only legumes and potatoes should be completely removed.
These days are allowed:
- olives / olives (4 pcs. 2 times a week);
- flax and chia seeds (1 teaspoon a day).
There is still a need to consume oat bran.
As mentioned above, in the third phase, cheese, bread, fruit and some favorite dishes are added to the menu. The expansion of their list continues at the fourth stage. The second of bran is increased to 3 tbsp. l.
Among the cheeses, it is worth choosing hard varieties. From fruit, bananas, cherries, grapes, dried fruits can not be eaten.
At any stage of the diet being discussed, most sweets are strictly forbidden. For example, bars, cakes, pastries, sweets. While consolidating the result, you can treat yourself to a cube of dark chocolate or 1-2 fruit candies once a day. The exception is the holiday meals, when even your favorite cake is allowed.
The list of prohibited products in all stages includes muffins, pastries, nuts, doughs, butter, goose and duck meat, mayonnaise and any sauces based on it, ketchup.
Detailed menu for each day
During the "attack period" the diet will be as follows:
- Scrambled eggs for breakfast, poultry soup for lunch, cheesecakes / stew for afternoon tea, seafood in any form and sour milk drink for dinner.
- Broth porridge (oatmeal), beef chops, oatmeal muffins, meatballs / poultry chops.
- Boiled eggs, nuggets, orange juice pie and pollock stew with eggs.
- Omelette, fish soup with boiled quail eggs, egg whites and lemon dessert, squid and / or fish salad.
- Grilled poultry, bran pancakes, white fish cake.
- Eggs (in any form) with ham, steaks from lean meat fillets, biscuits (on bran) and yogurt, omelette with seafood.
- Omelette with parsley, chicken, cheesecakes and yogurt, minced meat pie and kefir.
During the changeover phase, the menu base can be kept the same, but vegetable salads can be added to it every other day. For example, chops, nuggets or steaks. It is also allowed to bake meat, poultry or fish with vegetables.
The following weekly menu is recommended in the "fixing" phase:
- Cottage cheese casserole for breakfast, lemon soup with bread (whole grains) for lunch, fruit for an afternoon snack, stewed vegetables and chicken for dinner.
- Oatmeal and a piece of cheese, pasta with baked meat, cottage cheese, chops with salad.
- Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese / scrambled eggs, borscht, biscuits and nuggets, chocolate soufflé with lemon juice, baked seafood.
- Cottage cheese and fermented milk drink, grilled poultry, kefir with bread spices, shrimp and boiled eggs.
- Cottage cheese, chicken broth with meatballs and bread, fruit, mushroom cream soup.
- Rice with chops / meatballs, vegetable pancakes, cheesecakes, salad with fish chops.
- Cottage cheese and a piece of cheese, chicken broth and quail eggs, fruit, vegetables baked with cheese.
The menu on the third stage can be repeated on the fourth without forgetting the days of the "party" and other allowed indulgences.
Exercise with the Ducan diet
Pierre Dukan notes that high quality weight loss and an ideal figure are impossible without regular physical activity. The nutritionist advises to combine his special nutrition system with exercise.
You can start with the minimum - replacement of the elevator with ascent of stairs, completion of public transport a few stops before the house, morning exercises with 3-5 exercises.
Active walking must gradually become a daily exercise to lose weight.
You have to start with a 20 minute walk, which gradually increases the time. It is advisable to walk in the fresh air in relief terrain.
If you decide to include strenuous physical exercise in your daily routine. For example, a visit to the gym is strictly forbidden in the first phase of the diet. You can only return to exercise at the time you change food. It is better to get actively involved in the days when vegetables are added to protein dishes.
Aqua aerobics has a beneficial effect on the figure. If possible, it is worth visiting the pool 1-2 times a week. It is not at all necessary to practice in the water with a trainer. You can just swim for fun. At the same time, calories are actively burned and the figure's reliefs approach the ideal.
The pros and cons of this weight loss method
The diet under discussion has its pros and cons. They should be carefully examined by any person who has decided to lose weight in this way.
Advantage:
- Efficiency. If you follow all its rules carefully, approx. 1 kilo of excess weight per day.
- The ability to increase muscle tone, make the skin elastic and clear cellulite.
- No need to constantly weigh portions and count calories.
- The ability to eat certain dishes / products in the required amount to satiety.
Disadvantages:
- Imbalance. With long-term adherence to such a diet, there is a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals in the patient's body.
- Possible side effects. In the first stage, some patients develop dizziness, a feeling of constant fatigue.
- Halitosis. This problem occurs when proteins are the basis of the human diet for a long time.
- High cost. The diet consists of high quality expensive food.
How to get out of the diet properly
To maintain the results, you need to end the diet properly. The exit from it begins at the consolidation stage. New, previously banned foods are added gradually and in small portions to the diet to lose weight.
When you stop dieting, it is important to keep exercising and drinking plenty of water. Gradually, it is allowed to return desserts to your diet. But let it be high quality bitter chocolate, fruit and berry marshmallows, honey and other useful sweets.
Contraindications and possible damage
There is a whole list of contraindications that are an important reason to choose a different diet for yourself.
So it is forbidden:
- People with metabolic problems. Including patients with pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus.
- Patients with chronic disorders of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, entire urinary tract. It is on these organs and systems that high doses of protein in the body will exert a serious strain.
- Expectant mothers and women during breastfeeding. With such a diet, the most pregnant girl and her baby lack vitamins and nutrients.
- Persons under 18 years. Especially for girls with a restless menstrual cycle. Otherwise, weight loss may be subject to serious violations or complete disappearance of menstruation.
- People with diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Weight loss will be followed by fatigue and constant tiredness.
- For menopausal women or on the threshold / after it. An unbalanced diet during this period can cause hormonal disturbance.
- People with mental health problems and increased sensitivity. Lack of carbohydrates in the diet affects brain function.
For the Ducan diet to be effective and safe for a person, it is worth consulting a specialist before starting it. Especially if the man or woman has health problems.