Dukan Diet: The French Atkins-Like Weight Loss Method

The Dukan Diet has taken France by storm, selling 3.5 million copies in 14 different languages and being hailed as a life-long weight loss answer.

But many Americans have never heard of it.

Well they will next month when the diet books make their American debut, according to the New York Times. Dr. Pierre Dukan, the diet's creator, sold the North American Rights for $1.3 million up front.

But the diet may be nothing more than a glorified Atkins impersonator.

The NYT summed it all up in one paragraph:

His own diet's high-protein, low-fat approach is organized into four phases: attack, cruise, consolidation and stabilization. The first encourages dieters to eat as much as they want of nonfatty, protein rich foods, including oat bran (a key component) washed down with oceans of water. The second stage introduces vegetables, but no fruit; the third brings with it two slices of bread, a serving of cheese and fruit and two servings of carbohydrates a day, with two weekly "celebration" meals with wine and dessert (the diet is French, after all); and the final stage six days a week of "anything goes" and one day of reversion to strict protein-only stage one -- for the rest of your life.

According to the New York Times article, the diet has become such a staple of French culture that almost any public figure that loses weight is labeled as a "Dukanniste," including Carole Middleton, the mother of Kate Middleton. There have been rumors that the princess-to-be is also on the diet in preparation for the royal wedding, according to ABC News.

Critics claim it's really nothing more than a fad. Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, called it the new fad diet for 2011. According to CBS, many critics even believe the diet may be wholly unhealthy and unsustainable.

The program differs a bit from the Atkin's diet, and time will tell if it's a fad or a lasting method of weight-loss.

Comments

[Suzie Dsouza]

06:18 AM on 05/13/2011

What I have learnt from this is what my body needs and doesn't need and how to moderate my eating (a plus for me as I am a serial snacker)
In our office this diet is slowly becoming a way of us, as five people have done it and stuck to it and kept the weight off and more are starting in the New year as they are so impressed with the weight we have lost and how fab we look.
http://www.whatisguide.net/0512-dukan-diet-plan.html

[CelebrityDx]

10:15 PM on 03/22/2011

We reviewed the U.K. edition of the book back in December
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/23952
Did you know that the diet is based, in part, on "coprological studies" (undigested calories in poop)? http://bit.ly/gNr0V1

[Jean Claude Croolique]

09:13 AM on 03/22/2011

The ultimate source for info about the dukan Diet is, as stated above in the article is here:

http://thedukandiet.info

but as you can read there:

Important information: It is not easy to explain why Dukan is recommending diet coke. But, in a way, the fact is he does encourage to drink it. When I was on dukan diet I drank gallons of diet coke and it helped me a lot. If you would like to learn the ropes of dukan’s diet coke theory, the best idea is to get dukan’s book and see for yourself how to bring dukan’s idea into effect.

more here:

http://thedukandiet.info/dukan-diet-and-sweeteners-artificial-natural-sweeteners-stevia/

[jgarma]

07:40 PM on 03/21/2011

How 'bout this:

1. Eat as much water laden food as you want, which means food that if you juiced it, liquid would come out, such as veggies and fruit.

2. Eat high quality oils, such as extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil -- but don't bathe your food in it (fried food).

3. Eat plenty of protein but make it lean, and use protein powder supplements when other sources are not convenient.

4. Eat only brown rice and pasta, and whole wheat breads but don't make them the center piece of your meal.

5. Plan on one mid-day and post-dinner snack and make it healthy. A little 70%+ bittersweet chocolate goes a long way.

6. Drink 8 oz of water a bit before each meal.

7. Drink as much green tea as you can stand (thermogenic effect).

8. Add all sorts of beans to your diet for protein and fiber.

9. Take a walk after meals.

10. Stop eating before you're full.

11. Eat slowly.

More about this at "Diet 101": http://www.garmaonhealth.com/2009/08/diet-101/

[web101guide]

10:52 PM on 03/20/2011

My wife and I decided to try a diet together to see if it would help keep us motivated to work together. I've been hearing about the Dukan diet, we tried HCG Diet. Many people say it's a scam but it worked for us. It took some will-power and a strict calorie intake. So far so good. Hopefully we can keep it up. We found tons of recipes on line that work for this diet at www.hcgplan.net

[jgarma]

07:43 PM on 03/21/2011

Yes, hCG works for a lot of people, but it remains controversial.

Read Dr. Oz's review: http://www.garmaonhealth.com/2011/02/dr-oz-hcg-diet/

[Anne Wentworth]

10:50 PM on 03/20/2011

After reading this book http://bit.ly/ieVao8 and following these recipes http://bit.ly/heAQpt, I lost 63 pounds on Dukan! Atkins never worked for me but this really did. I wish you all lots of success if you choose to follow this method. I HIGHLY recommend it.

[Kristine Senkane]

11:06 AM on 03/20/2011

I was 173.8 lbs.. I felt really fat.
Now my Atkins diet results: Lost 48.4! No more counting calories, cutting back portions, etc. etc. No more bad results and hunger! MY DIET- Atkins. http://www.free-atkins-diet.com/index.html

[catriley]

04:59 PM on 03/19/2011

Okay. I'm a female in my early early 50s. I am in the medium to low range of weight for my height and age. I don't get sick, and I don't diet. I could stand to work out more. My genetics are not favored for staying thin, I'll just say that much.

Around 10 years ago I gave up red meat. I know a lot of people love it, I just never did and never felt good eating it. I also gave up fast food. I just didn't think it was worth it.

I don't drink beer, or smoke. I have 1/4 glass of wine maybe 3 times a month. I don't buy packaged snack foods, full of mystery ingredients. But I eat very well. I bake a lot of my own treats, and they are not low fat or low carb. I truly appreciate what I eat. I do use wholesome ingredients, so at least I know that my chocolate cookies have ingredients I can pronounce.

I eat mostly chicken or turkey, if I have meat at all, and lots of veggies. I like to have scrambled egg whites with veggies and maybe some feta cheese. I love garlic bread, fettucini alfredo, sweet potato fries. And I've been known to make a chocolate souffle once in a while. the point is I eat what I love. I don't overeat, and I think about where the food comes from and what's in it. You don't have to diet.

[Josh Barton]

11:22 PM on 03/19/2011

I'm curious as to why you choose egg whites over the whole egg?

[catriley]

04:33 PM on 03/19/2011

Well, like most other countries around the world, France would not need these diets if they hadn't westernized their diets. Had the American junk-food merchants not spread the love around the world, than this would not be needed.

How many times do we have to be reminded that our gross American diets are deadly? Obesity in france was a rarity when people ate fresh foods, and shopped in local markets for ingredients. Even when I grew up in America in the 1970s, it was so rare to have an obese classmate -- they stood out. 99% of us were fit kids. We didn't watch tv all day, play video games, have Mom's iphone to play with, nor did we fast food or in restaurants all the time.

I keep reading about these diets, and these articles about how this natural food is good for this ailment, etc., and wonder why people don't figure it out. Eat non-processed foods, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and whole grains. You won't need diets.

[Tom Hendricks]

11:20 AM on 03/19/2011

The problem comes from two patterns set up in childhood - a food in pattern from breast feeding and a waste out pattern from weaning off breast milk.

New ideas suggest that breast feeding may be the key to both overweight and underweight problems. The idea is that the lack of at least one year of breast feeding for infants is causing both overweight and underweight problems across the world.

Infants develop a food in pattern with breast feeding, then a waste out pattern with weaning - probably in the ENS, Enteric Nervous System, or digestion brain, that subconsciously programs us for our lives.

If the child is not breast fed - the infant will be 'hungry' from then on. He will feel like he has to take in excess food just to get the necessary nurturing he was denied as an infant. He will move toward food and become overweight. The overriding emotion is Anger. Oral Personality

This should be easy to test. Those with weight problems should be infants that were NOT breast fed for one year. Google breast milk + obesity for studies.

"Before 1900, most mothers breastfed their infants. Breastfeeding rates declined sharply worldwide after 1920, when evaporated cow's milk and infant formula became widely available. " - faqs.org

[Tom Hendricks]

11:32 AM on 03/19/2011

This is just one of many articles on how breast feeding helps prevent obesity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/395305.stm

[kevinmsieg]

10:57 AM on 03/19/2011

I was on the Atkins diet for 6 months and felt great and lost 20lbs. I never felt better and kept the weight off. I'm sure that the Dukan Diet will be Just as good. Can't wait to read the book.

[IMDATRAINER]

10:11 AM on 03/19/2011

What about all of the Espesso that's consumed in France? Or the cigarette smoking. I was there last year and couldn't breath as everyone, everywhere was puffing away, one after another.

This diet is NOT anything like Atkins. Atkins revolves around getting your body into a state of Ketosis, and relies upon ingested fat, saturated actually, to provide fuel in the presence of low to no blood sugar. This is nothing more than a high protein, low fat diet- Big deal. How many millions will desperate and ignorant Americans spend on this book? Sheer stupidity in my opinion.

http://www.angrytrainerfitness.com/2011/01/diet-diagnosis-the-atkins-diet/

[yourmotherwasahamster]

10:05 AM on 03/19/2011

Say what you will about Atkins, but it works. And you feel great and have no cravings. Some people report feeling sick for the first few days but that did not happen to me. Stick to organics and nitrate free bacon and don't buy any of that cr@p the Atkins people sell, those godawful shakes and bars.

[MKWaters esq]

09:10 AM on 03/19/2011

Been doing Atkins for 9 yrs. And I'm not dead yet! My blood work is amazingly great and my doctor approves. This diet is NO Atkins approach as fat is a main component of Atkins and much of French cooking. You want to lose weight? Try Julia Child's cookbook and drop any flour to thicken the sauces - best tasting way to shed pounds ever! :)

[Canuck1950]

09:05 AM on 03/19/2011

A diet low in refined carbs, high in natural fats and non-starchy vegetables and moderate in protein is not a fad. It is the diet we were evolved to eat. The true fad diet is the standard American diet consisting of heaps of refined starch and sugar and lots of high omega-six vegetable oils. These types of foods are a very recent addition to the human diet and lie at the root of the chronic disease epidemics we are now experiencing. If you read the scientific literature in this area, you will find that when people who are suffering from these conditions eat a diet like Atkins, they quickly revert back to normal. For a good overview, read one of Gary Taubes' books - "Good Calories, Bad Calories" or "Why We Get Fat".

[DrP]

06:15 PM on 03/20/2011

As always, Canuck, thanks for posting and I affirm everything you say!

[Canuck1950]

07:41 PM on 03/20/2011

Thanks DrP. Good to have your support.