The Dukan Diet / weight loss diet

Weight Loss & Diet Plans

'The Dukan Diet' Review

The Dukan diet is generally know as a celebrity diet, followed by the likes of Jenifer Lopez, Penelope cruse, Victoria secret model Gisele Bundchen and the prestigious Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton (and her mother Carole Middleton)                                                                                                                                     The diet brags that you can eat anything you want for the rest of your life and never gain a kg...I’m not so sure about that part but if 50 million French followers disagree with my opinion and swear by the diet ,then it must have some credit, hence my choice of the following diet.

The diet is simply a high protein and low carbohydrate diet, very similar to the Atkins diet that is equally famous but still a fad.  Protein has its benefits and makes you feel satisfied but the whole meal as protein is completely uncalled for.

Mr. Dukan’s diet is based on very large amounts of animal products which include all kinds of meats, poultry and fish. He even mentions the reason behind the choice of so much meat “Man is a carnivore and has an unlimited capacity to eat meats, fish and poultry”.  So are vegans only to live on tofu? What about the vitamins and minerals that vegetables and fruits provide?

arthlete.com

I highly disagree with the though as we live in the 21^st century not the caveman years. The diet for a healthy life is fruits, wholegrain and vegetables, including some amounts of protein and carbs. 

No calorie counting is an advantage to most people, but as I have observed this diet is so restricted with only high protein and extremely low fat dairy that the restriction is enough in its self. The unlimited quantities on the 72 product list mostly involve meats and hardly any veges. This in my opinion can cause high consumption of saturated fat which is not healthy at all…especially for people with a cholesterol problem. Also the mention of only two table spoons of oat bran doesn’t seem to solve my questions about constipation.

The claims of losing 4 to 7 kg in the first week are bizarre; it is only the loss of water weight and with the return of a normal diet the weight will be back.

The Dukan diet is effective but there are too many risks involved. You will lose weight but not in a healthy way. About the stabilization phase, it totally depends on the persons food intake daily not a once in a week protein Thursday.   I do not vouch for this diet as I disagree with cutting on the major food groups. A well balanced diet and moderate exercise routine should show better and long lasting results.

Advantages

 -          Like all diets Dukan’s diet has its pros and cons

-          + This diet does not give a quick fix it also focuses on the maintenance of the achieved weight loss.  (The consolidation and stabilization phases, focus on permanently keeping the weight off that was lost.)

+ The Dukan diet includes oat bran as a good source of fiber, and addresses the importance of drinking lots of water and exercising regularly.   
    
 Disadvantages              
--- Carbohydrate is the body's favored source of fuel. A high protein and low carbohydrate diet puts the body into a state of ketosis, whereby body fat is burned for fuel instead of carbohydrate. Although this leads to weight loss, there can be other undesirable effects of high protein diets, such as bad breath, dry mouth, constipation, raised cholesterol levels, malnutrition due to a lack of necessary vitamins and minerals, and kidney or liver damage.
--- Diets can be stressful; all diets require self-discipline and hard work, and may lead to depression and misery. Dieters might find the initial protein-only phase of the Dukan diet especially difficult, as so many food groups have to be eliminated. On the other hand, the attack phase of this diet is great for meat lovers everywhere. (Not so great for vegetarians.)

  ---Much of the diet prescribes solely protein for days. Followers complain this can get boring and as a result is difficult to adhere to.

  --- Eating so much protein – around three to four times the normal amount – can put a strain on the kidneys. This can be more problematic for those with underlying kidney problems they may not have known about.

  ---A lack of fiber can be a problem. An unbalanced diet short of fruit and vegetables and heavy in fish and meat can lead to constipation.

  --- Lack of cereal-based foods can lead to deficiency of vitamin B. 

  --- Weight loss is difficult to maintain once the rigid program has ended. The maintenance phase alone – six days of eating normally and one Dukan day of protein – is unlikely to keep the weight off for the average dieter, whose indulgence throughout the week will outweigh the benefits of the protein day.