There will always be celebrity-favorite diets, top-pinned recipes + food myths trying to get us to cut this grain or amp up that protein. At the start of the year (post-resolutions, natch ;) we highlighted some of the best and worst diets in 2015, but there’s a brand-new one making waves across the web — the Dukan Diet, which is currently the most searched for diet according to Yahoo!. Our curiosity got the best of us, so we had to see for ourselves what this new craze was all about.
The Dukan Diet — named after Pierre Dukan, the Frenchman who created it — is a four-phase weight loss system broken down by some pretty strict rules. With two phases focused on losing the weight and two on keeping it off all while eating as much as you like, it’s no wonder it’s got a fair share of fans. Discover each part of the diet plan below.
1. The Attack Phase
This first phase is where you kick-start the diet. For up to 10 days — ideally you should only do this for 2 to 5 — you are supposed to eat meals that are solely made up of proteins. By combining a variety of 68 high-protein foods, from oat bran to meats + tofu in unlimited quantities with 6 to 8 cups of water per day, you’ll be flushing your body, which according to the diet’s website results in immediate and noticeable weight loss.
2. The Cruise Phase
After “attacking” all the proteins your heart + stomach desire for an appropriate number of days, the transition to round two can begin. In this phase you’re able to alternate between strictly protein days and protein + starch-free vegetable days (think carrots, kale, squash, etc) for a total of 100 “natural foods” to choose from. In order to get to what the diet plan calls your True Weight, this phase will last 3 days for every pound you want to lose.
3. The Consolidation Phase
The third stage of the Dukan Diet is designed to prevent your body from quickly regaining all the weight it just lost. By gradually adding in previously forbidden foods — aka starch — in limited quantities to your other high protein + vegetable meals twice a week, your body will get used to these carbs without you carb-loading. While this segment of the plan doesn’t deal with losing more weight, it is still strict. This one lasts for 5 days for every pound lost in the Cruise Phase (where Thursday is a purely protein day).
4. The Stabilization Phase
The final round of the diet lasts for the rest of your life ;) While you’re technically allowed to eat whatever you want, there are three rules that are non-negotiable: You must eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day, walk at least 20 minutes every day and have a pure protein Thursday every week. So never say goodbye to that Attack Phase menu.
If this diet plan sounds far too strict for you (*raises hand*), there’s always this cheat sheet that we’re gonna stick with instead. Budget-friendly, non-strict healthy eating for the win!
Have you or will you try the Dukan Diet? Let us know in the comments.
