The Dukan diet for me?

I consider myself a condiments girl, and really only ate meat so I could taste the condiments…yum…there are so many different flavours, and I love to eat vegetables…so I was surprised to discover that I could do the Dukan Diet.

The Dukan Diet, as any diet, may not be for everyone, but so far it is working for me. I have lost 19 lbs in one month, and still going strong with no urges even to cheat. There are 4 stages to the diet, and you do each stage for a different length of time depending on the amount of weight you want to lose.

The Attack phase- this is the first phase which you are limited to eating lean protein and 1.5 tbs of oat bran. You can do this anywhere from 1 – 10 days, but the book recommends that if you do it for the longer time, to consult with a Dr. You must also drink 1.5 quarts of water each day, and walk for 20 minutes.

The Cruise phase- the phase I am in now, allows you to do the attack phase one day, and then lean protein plus veggies except white potatoes, plus the oat bran, which can be made into a delicious “galette” or pancake and used instead of bread. And, no to forget, to drink 1.5 quarts of water and now walk 30 minutes a day.

You can also use artificial sweetener, which I was little concerned about with some research relating it to alzheimers, but have decided to use the healthiest version, Stevia. Diet sodas, herbal teas, are allowed, and you must drink 1.5 quarts of water each day.

How does diet work? Why is it different from other diets?

 The book explains that the digestion of proteins is the most time consuming  and therefore burns more energy (p.18). “protein is composed of an aggregate of ery long chains of molecules whose basic links, amino acids, are connected to each other by a strongbond that requires a lot more work to be broken down (than carbs).” (p.28).  If you don’t drink enough water, “The waste from your burning of fats will accumulate and extinguish the metabolic rate.” (p.52).

I highly recommend buying the book to read all the recommendations and cautions so you can do it safely and effectively.  The book is entitled, The Dukan Diet by: Dr. Pierre Dukan.