Remember though, fast weight loss can be difficult to achieve and even more difficult to maintain.

The Dukan Diet claims to produce rapid, unbelievable, permanent weight loss without hunger.

This is a detailed review that explains everything there is to know. If you wish, you can  download the complete Dukan diet in Pdf for free in Italian.

The Dukan diet is a high protein diet, weight loss on this low-carb diet is divided into 4 phases.

It was created by Doctor Pierre Dukan , a French general practitioner who specialized in weight management.

Dr. Dukan created the diet in 1970 , inspired by an obese patient who told him he could forgo eating any food in order to lose weight, with the exception of meat.

After seeing many of his patients have a very positive experience with impressive weight loss results with his diet, Dr. Dukan published the book The Dukan Diet in 2000 which was an instant hit.

The book was then published in 32 countries, and became a leading bestseller in the field of diets.

It is said that this type of diet has helped many people and has made many people lose weight without starving them but rather by stimulating the right combinations to eat more than before and better than before. 🙂

But are you really ready to lose weight? Take the quiz to find out .

The Dukan Diet shares some characteristics including the high protein and low carbohydrate content with the Stillman Diet, as well as the Atkins Diet .

Bottom Line: The Dukan diet is a high-protein diet that has become very popular in recent years because it is advertised as a diet in which you lose weight without being very hungry.

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There are four phases in the Dukan diet : two weight loss phases and two maintenance phases.

The diet begins with calculating your “real” weight, based on your age, weight loss history, and other factors.

How long you stay in each phase depends on how much weight you have to lose to reach the “real” weight.

These are the four phases of the Dukan diet:

• Attack phase (1-7 days) : you start the diet by eating unlimited lean proteins plus 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day that provide the right amount of fiber in the day.
• Cruise phase (1-12 months) : alternate lean protein on the first day with lean protein, this is the foundation of the diet, and non-starchy vegetables the next, plus 2 tablespoons of oat bran per day for each day.
• Consolidation phase (ranging from one year to several years) : you can eat unlimited lean proteins and vegetables with bran every day, at least 5 per week. Then you can eat some carbohydrates and fats just one day a week, so as not to get heavy and maintain the ideal weight with a controlled and moderate regime.
• Stabilization phase (indefinite) : This stabilization phase follows the basic guidelines of the consolidation phase, but the rules may be variable as long as the weight remains stable. Oat bran can be eaten up to 3 tablespoons per day.

Each phase of the Dukan diet has its own pattern, a phase that organizes a certain phase of life and diet, from beginning to permanent maintenance.

Here is what is allowed to eat during each:

Attack phase

The attack phase relies mostly on high-protein foods, plus a few extras that provide minimal calories:

• Lean beef, veal, venison, bison, etc.
• Lean pork
• Skinless poultry
• Liver, kidney and tongue of white-fleshed animals
• Fish and seafood (all types)
• Egg
• Non-fat dairy products (limited to 300 grams per day): milk, yogurt, cottage cheese
• Tofu and tempeh for vegans
• Seitan (wheat gluten-based meat substitute) always for vegans
• Drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day (binding)
• 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day (required)
• Natural sweeteners such as Stevia
• Small amounts of lemon juice and pickles
• 1 teaspoon of oil per day for dressing

Cruise phase

This phase alternates in two days.

The first day we eat as in the previous phase, that of attack.

On the second day, there are the first phase foods to combine with these vegetables:

• Spinach, kale, lettuce and other green leafy vegetables
• Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts
• Peppers
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Eggplant
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Green beans
• Onions, leeks and shallots
• Pumpkin
• Turnips
• 1 serving of carrots or beets per day
• 2 tablespoons of oat bran per day (required)
• 1 tablespoon of oil

No other vegetables or fruits are allowed.

Consolidation phase

During the consolidation phase, dieters are encouraged to combine any foods from the attack and cruise phases, along with:

• Fruit: 1 serving of fruit per day, such as 150 grams chopped berries or melon; 1 apple, 1 orange, 2 pears, 2 peaches or 2 nectarines; 2 kiwis, plums or apricots
• Bread: Wheat bread 2 whole slices a day, with a small amount of butter if needed for breakfast
• Cheese: 1 serving of cheese (40 grams) per day
• Starches: 1-2 servings of starches per week, such as 225 grams of pasta and other grains, corn, beans, legumes, rice or potatoes
• Meat: Roast lamb, pork or ham 1-2 times a week
• Party meals: two “Party meals” per week, including an appetizer, a main course, a dessert and a glass of wine
• Protein meal: one day on protein only as in the attack phase
• Bran: 2.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day (mandatory for fiber)

Stabilization phase

The stabilization phase is the final phase of the Dukan diet. It is all about maintaining the improvements obtained during the initial stages of the diet.

There are no foods that are strictly off-limits, but there are some principles to follow:

• Use the consolidation phase as the basis of the maintenance diet
• Continue to have a “protein only” day each week
• Never take the elevator or escalator when you can take the stairs
• Oat bran is your friend, at least 3 tablespoons a day for the rest of your life will provide the right amount of fiber

The Dukan diet allows for foods rich in protein in phase 1 and protein with vegetables in phase 2. Then portions of carbohydrates and fats limited in phase 3 are added, with looser guidelines in the final phase which is the maintenance phase.

Here are sample meal plans for the first three phases of the Dukan diet:

Attack phase

Breakfast

• Fat-free cottage cheese (250 grams) with 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran, cinnamon and sweetener
• Coffee or tea with skim milk and sweetener
• Waterfall.

Lunch

• Roast chicken
• Shirataki noodles cooked in broth
• Fruit jelly with 0% fat
• Cold tea.

Dinner

• Lean steak or shrimp
• 1 orange
• Decaffeinated coffee or tea with milk
• Waterfall

Cruise phase

Breakfast

• 3 scrambled eggs
• Sliced ​​tomatoes
• Coffee with skimmed milk and sweetener
• Waterfall

Lunch

• Grilled chicken on a vegetable mix with low fat vinaigrette.
• Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of oat bran and sweetener
• Cold tea.

Dinner

• Baked salmon fillet
• Steamed broccoli
• 0-fat gelatin
• Decaffeinated coffee with skimmed milk and sweetener
• Waterfall

Consolidation phase

Breakfast

• Omelette made with 3 eggs, 40 grams of cheese and spinach
• Coffee with skimmed milk and sweetener
• Waterfall.

Lunch

• Turkey on 2 slices of wholemeal bread
• Fresh cheese flakes, about 200 grams, with 2 tablespoons of oat bran, cinnamon and sweetener
• Cold tea

Dinner

• Roasted pig
• Grilled courgettes
• 1 apple
• Decaffeinated coffee with skimmed milk and sweetener
• Waterfall

Results

There aren’t many studies on the Dukan diet available.

A study of women who followed the Dukan diet for 10 weeks revealed that they ate around 1,000 calories in the form of carbohydrates, fats, sugars but, most importantly, 100 grams of protein per day and lost 15 kilograms during the first phase. , that of attack.

Additionally, other  studies show that other high-protein diets, such as low-carb diets, have also generally produced important weight loss benefits.

There are several factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of protein intake on weight.

One is the increase in calories burned during gluconeogenes i, a process in which protein and fat are converted to glucose in a high-protein, low-carbohydrate regimen.

The body’s metabolic rate increases significantly after eating protein more than when eating carbohydrates and sugars.

With a large consumption of protein , the hormone ghrelin which gives the sense of hunger also decreases and increases the sense of satiety thanks to the hormones GLP-1, PYY and CCK, so you end up eating less.

However, the Dukan diet differs from many related high-protein diets in that it restricts both carbohydrates and fats. This is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet.

This thing, however, for which if you eat proteins you lose weight and lose weight well, does not have a very high level of scientific value.

The early stages of the Dukan diet are also low in fiber, despite the fact that a daily serving of bran is mandatory.

Servings of 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of oat bran contain less than 5 grams of fiber, which is a very small amount that doesn’t provide as   many health benefits as in a high-fiber diet.

Conclusions: While no quality studies have been done on the Dukan diet per se, a lot of evidence supports the high-protein, low-carb approach to losing weight.

Frequent questions

Is the Dukan Diet a Safe Diet?

The safety of the Dukan diet has not been studied.

However, concerns about high protein content have been raised, particularly their impact on bone and kidney health .

In the past, it was believed that a high protein intake could lead to kidney damage.

But recent research has shown that high-protein diets aren’t harmful to people with healthy kidneys.

On the other hand, people who tend to form kidney stones could potentially see their condition worsening with a very high protein intake.

Bone health will not deteriorate on a high-protein diet as long as there are potassium-rich fruits and vegetables.

In fact, recent research suggests that high-protein diets actually have a beneficial effect on bone health.

So can’t people with kidney problems eat a lot of protein?

People with kidney problems, gout, liver disease, or other serious illnesses should speak to a doctor before starting a high-protein diet.

Is it a difficult diet to follow?

While most people will lose weight in the first 2 stages, overall the diet is very restrictive, particularly on days that only consist of eating lean protein.

The maintenance phases include foods that are high in carbohydrates such as bread and starches, but they discourage many healthy, high-fat foods and this can be a bad idea.

Is there a vegetarian version of the Dukan Diet?

Yes, it exists. It is a diet that obviously excludes the intake of meat and fish, and for this reason it is defined as a vegetarian version.   Read this article to find out more.

Conclusions

The Dukan diet is definitely not an easy weight loss diet to follow.

Above all, it is certainly not a tailor-made diet for you, and it is not particularly suitable for those who already have some health problems for two reasons.

The first is clearly the one for which it is not known how good it is to bombard our body with that whole range of proteins from morning to night.

The second is that the diet is not easy to follow, we are talking about a restrictive diet, quite bad, with some busy days where you eat only lean proteins and little else.

So I would advise you, at this point, to try but without too much conviction and, above all, very convinced, instead, to let it go if we see that it is too heavy a condition for our body and for our mood.

Have you ever heard of the Dukan diet and its promoter, Doctor Dukan?

And if so, have you ever thought about trying it?

I can’t wait to read your experiences in the comments and understand how right this diet can be for each of you.