Has anyone done the Dukan diet?

AlexanderK1994

My brother and his wife did it and lost a lot of weight but since they came off of it, they started to put it back on. Although I was feeling pretty horrible when my brother (who's 28 and quite tall) weighed less than me. I also tried it for a couple of times but I could never do it. Sometimes I was just like "I don't want to look at low fat cottage cheese anymore". It was way too restrictive for me. And with calorie counting I lost 10 pounds as of Wednesday so... xD

sarahrbraun

low carbing is fairly common, it works for me (when I stick to it!)

It depends what kinda person you are

you'll lose weight fast when you cut out carbs, as it makes you drop a lot of water weight. It'll slow down after a week or two though.

the first few days are very hard to get through, your body usually uses carbs for energy, but once you get over the start your energy comes back and it's fine.

carbs aren't bad, but it is healthier to get them through vegetables, which is what the diet encourages.

It drastically increases your protein intake, which helps stop you losing muscle as you lose weight

For me, it can stop my carb craving. and really, who binges on meat?

ALSO, it IS a diet for life; there are 4 phases, the 3rd introduces all the food groups back in, and the last is a simple one you follow FOR LIFE.

Try researching it before going "oh i couldn't eat nothing but meat for my whole life" because that's not really what it's about - that's just the very first phase which only lasts 5-10 days.


So basically, it depends on how you are. in the brain.

If you can eat "everything in moderation", then just keep calorie counting
If you're like me, and a crisp can set you off on the path of carby madness, then cutting carbs out altogether can help reduce cravings. It does go back to calorie restriction in the end, but it definitely is effective

totally true. Once you learn the guidelines, you really CAN eat a fairly normal looking diet. My biggest issue is getting enough calories in. I'm just not hungry...

Silverwish

Hi everyone,

My parents and sister-in-law say the Dukan diet is awesome and they lose a lot of weight quickly. They swear by it and honestly are looking fantastic. I'm just wondering if anyone else has done it and what they've thought of it...

Is it hard to keep up? Did you feel healthy? Did you lose weight? etc etc...

Thanks!

Silverwish

Ooops sorry pressed the wrong button , I was going to post a similar thread as I saw a friend yesterday who was raving about it. I had heard of it but never looked into it . I will be very interested to read peoples views etc .....

sarahrbraun

oh yeah, don't worry too much about fat even though he says to eat low fat, fat is good for you (but obv don't go down the atkins route of eating like a block of cheddar and packet of bacon every day)

I've never eaten a block of cheese and a pack of bacon a day on Atkins a sample atkins diet looks like this for me:

Breakfast--2 eggs, 2 slices of soy bacon, 1 low carb/high fiber tortilla, a slice of cheese ( provolone or something similar)

Lunch--big salad--3 cups romaine, sliced cucumbers, mushrooms, 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 4 ounces of protein ( grilled chicken, shaved turkey, shaved roast beef, etc) with normal dressing

dinner--4oz slice of meatloaf, 2 cups steamed veggies

snacks--atkins meal bars, summer sausage with melted brie, wheat thins flatbreads with laughing cow and olives...stuff like that.

dakitten2

From the WebMD site: Skip this fad diet. Instead, choose a calorie-controlled eating plan that you can stick with for the long term.

So for me it's another fad diet and I've been there and done that too many times to count. So, I'll stick with a calorie-controlled eating plan like I am doing now.

The last fad diet I did ended up with me in the hospital with irregular heartbeat, etc.

LadyKT

oh yeah, don't worry too much about fat even though he says to eat low fat, fat is good for you (but obv don't go down the atkins route of eating like a block of cheddar and packet of bacon every day)

I've never eaten a block of cheese and a pack of bacon a day on Atkins a sample atkins diet looks like this for me:

Breakfast--2 eggs, 2 slices of soy bacon, 1 low carb/high fiber tortilla, a slice of cheese ( provolone or something similar)

Lunch--big salad--3 cups romaine, sliced cucumbers, mushrooms, 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 4 ounces of protein ( grilled chicken, shaved turkey, shaved roast beef, etc) with normal dressing

dinner--4oz slice of meatloaf, 2 cups steamed veggies

snacks--atkins meal bars, summer sausage with melted brie, wheat thins flatbreads with laughing cow and olives...stuff like that.

THANK YOU!!! As an Atkins-er, I have to say there are so many common misconceptions about the plan. Pisses me off how uneducated people are about it. It's pretty much paleo w/ dairy and no nuts or fruit (in the beginning...you can have them later on, but I choose not to).

sarahrbraun

From the WebMD site: Skip this fad diet. Instead, choose a calorie-controlled eating plan that you can stick with for the long term.

So for me it's another fad diet and I've been there and done that too many times to count. So, I'll stick with a calorie-controlled eating plan like I am doing now.

The last fad diet I did ended up with me in the hospital with irregular heartbeat, etc.

smart idea! I never considered cutting carbs until 7 years ago when I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic/insulin resistant. My doctor advised me to cut down to 50g of net carbs a day to see if I could reverse my insulin issues without medication. I did reverse my insulin resistance, dropped 20 pounds and got pregnant--all in about 8 weeks. I have gained about 70 pounds in the last 7 years due to other issues, so I decided to go back to my low carb to lose it...

Jo2926

I've done dukan, and it worked for me for a while. The attack phase is hard, but the second phase adds back in veg in unlimited quantities every other day so is much more manageable. You also have daily oat bran so you can make porridge, or pancakes, or bread with it.

By the third phase you are on unlimited protein, fat free diary, veg with additional extras like cheese, bread and a couple of meals a week where you eat exactly as you like. Unlimited sounds bad, but as has already been said binging on meat is quite hard!

IN the end for me I changed my way of thinking but I couldn't stick to rigidness of the second phase for long enough to loose all my weight. I do find i still prioritise protein. LF Dairy and veg in my diet though and it gives me good results.

The basic fact is any diet can be unhealthy - or you can follow it as its meant and it be healthy. You could be on a calorie controlled diet and eat just chocolate cake. But that would be as silly as being on Dukan and eating just steak or atkins and eating just cheese.

yourenotmine

I switched to Stevia but since it's made of polyols as well, I will drastically limit the amounts!

Where did you get this info? To my knowledge, stevia is *not* a polyol... Just wondering what your source is, because I'd like to read it, since I do use stevia.

SashaMegan

I switched to Stevia but since it's made of polyols as well, I will drastically limit the amounts!

Where did you get this info? To my knowledge, stevia is *not* a polyol... Just wondering what your source is, because I'd like to read it, since I do use stevia.

Actually it's on the package... BUT I might have read it wrong and it may actually be "Sugar alcohols" . Somethin like (for 100 grams):
Carbs: 97g
-- Sugars: Og
-- Sugar alcohols (or polyols??): 97g.

My apologies if I misread the info!

yourenotmine

What brand is that from? I believe some of the brands use an alcohol form to create the suspension for drops, or maybe it's a blend with erythritol or something, but as far as I know, the stevia itself is not a sugar alcohol...

And honestly, I really was just asking because I want to know, not to be rude. Hope I didn't offend you.

carld256

There's an actual Dr. Dukan? Funny, I thought this diet had something to do with eating all the duck, chicken and turkey you wanted, like Turducken.

Sorry, I don't have anything useful or informative to add.

SashaMegan

What brand is that from? I believe some of the brands use an alcohol form to create the suspension for drops, or maybe it's a blend with erythritol or something, but as far as I know, the stevia itself is not a sugar alcohol...

And honestly, I really was just asking because I want to know, not to be rude. Hope I didn't offend you.

:laugh: no worries, you didn't offend me, actually I went to double check and it's from Karelia (a french brand), and it does contain erythritol (as additive) as you said, and rebaudioside A as the stevia extract. I just ead erythritol it doesn't affect the blood sugar...hope it's true...

dhakiyya

The body is not able to run purely on protein as the only source of calories, more than a certain level of protein is actually toxic, and this is called "rabbit starvation" because it's what happens if you try to live entirely off rabbits (rabbit meat has very little fat)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

You can survive on just protein and fat, and as much as people can argue about whether this is the *optimum* way to be healthy (on account of low energy levels, mood swings, difficulty exercising etc), it won't poison you.

You can survive on just protein and carbs, and although you'll become deficient in essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins and that can cause significant problems and isn't healthy, it won't poison you.

Protein only, it is poisioning you and although this diet you only do this for a short time, the toxins will be building up in your system and it's not at all surprising that people find they feel nauseous when they try to eat more meat - this is your body's way of protecting you against poisoning yourself!!!

You can use this information about protein to stay full/satisfied while eating at a deficit, i.e. eat enough protein for your body's needs, plus be moderate with fats and carbs and choose healthy kinds of each (how much of each is necessary/optimal will vary between individuals)

ninerbuff

The question should be "who is on the Dukan diet, that didn't gain weight back when they ate "regular" again?" Diets are temporary.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

luzmidd

I have now been on Dukan for 4 weeks... And I feel great! My blood pressure is normal again, I am not tired the whole time. And I am never hungry! I've lost 4.5 kg's so far, (about 10lb).

I now alternate between the veg and protein and pure protein days. I need to lose another 10 kg's.

The diet is not that hard at all. I was on the protein only for 4 days, my diet was something like this:

Breakfast: Omelet with 2 eggs, 1 sliced onion, 1 clove garlic, fresh basil, and sliced ham.
Lunch: Grilled sliced chicken breast.
Dinner: Grilled steak... I use lots of spices. Lots of yogurt and cottage cheese for snacks, as well as dried cured meat.

Also, for breakfast I eat right start high fibre bran every morning with 2% milk (I can't stand the Dukan oatbran pancake...yuk!)

On my veggie days I eat lots of salad with chicken and 'like it lean' bacon, or grilled veg with baked fish etc.

I really have nothing bad to say about this diet. I am never hungry, I drink 2 liters of water a day (as instructed in the diet) I do Jillian's 30 day shred on most days (the Dukan says 20 minutes walking, but I do the 30DS instead)

I do still get carbs in from my cereal, and most veg has some carbs as well, but I'm not craving carbs at all!

kidtechnical

I'm considering starting this tomorrow (diet cliche,I know, but I need to shop!)

Can I ask the people who stated they put the weight back on after abandoning the diet: "did the weight go on despite following another regime or maintaining via other means? Or did you abandon dieting all together and found the weight went back on quicker than expected?

pkw58

Dekan Dieter here, I am about six weeks from finishing the third stage , stabilization. I have to admit I have counted calories the whole time to make sure I ate up to to a least my BMR. I have lost 37 pounds on this diet and since adding more activity to my life, believe I can lose another 8. I am never hungry. I look forward to the new recipes. One day a week for the rest of my life I will have a "protein only day" … We get celebration meals and they offer life long maintenance support for $1 a week if you do the on line coaching.

I have more energy now than I have had in twenty years!

lmelangley

Don't believe in diets. I figure if I can't modify my diet to support a healthy weight, I won't keep the weight off even if I do lose it.