The Dukan Diet is coming out in the U.S. on April 15th. I took a meat cleaver to the program and eliminated the nonsense, and much of his horrible maintenance. Here’s my revised version of the Dukan Diet, the one I use for my patients in my office.
Doctor Nagler’s Dukan Diet
This is my version of the Dukan Diet, the most popular super-quick weight loss diet in Paris. I have removed Dukan’s nonsense of unlimited feeding, no skipping meals, eating before you get hungry, etc. Count on losing 1-2 pounds a day your first 2 weeks, and 4-5 pounds every week. Dukan is a super-low calorie, super-fast, quick weight loss program. Follow the diet, take your meds, get here for your shots.
Start on Attack Foods – Start and stay on Attack Foods as long as you can, 1 week is good, 4 weeks is better. Lose 1-2 pounds a day your first 2 weeks. Eat only when you are hungry. If you aren’t hungry, don’t eat. Eat as much as you want, and as little as you can. The less you eat, the faster you are going to lose weight. Drink at least a gallon (128 ounces) of water or non-caloric fluid a day. Have 2-4 cups of bouillon from cubes (beef, chicken, vegetable) a day. Eat only Attack Foods, nothing else. If it’s not on the list don’t put it in your mouth.
Take a 30 minute walk daily, or do 20” on a Gazelle or Elliptical, or do 4 – 3” intervals of exertion & recovery.
Attack Foods – Lean beef, hamburger, veal, (no ribs), chicken, turkey (no skin), ham, hot dogs (low fat), fish (no oil canned), lobster, crab, shrimp, eggs (2 a day), Eggbeaters, cottage cheese (low fat), Equal, SweetNLow, Splenda, Miracle Whip Free, garlic, vinegar, mustard, spices, lemon juice (2 tablespoons a meal), ketchup (1 tablespoon a meal), fat-free dressing, sugarless gum. Limit butter, oil, and fat – at most 1 tablespoon a meal.
Breakfast – Eggs, Eggbeaters, cottage cheese, cottage cheese omelet, lean turkey bacon, diet orange soda, tea.
Lunch & Dinner – Roast chicken, filet mignon, grilled salmon, broiled hamburger, lean roast beef, hot dogs.
The Cruise – After 1-4 weeks on Attack Foods, do The Cruise until you are down to goal. Eat Attack Foods one day. Eat Attack Foods plus unlimited raw, steamed or roasted Cruise Vegetables the next day. Alternate every other day. No butter, oil or fat on your meat or vegetables. Use fat-free dressing, seasonings and spices.
Cruise Vegetables – Artichoke, asparagus, beets (2 per meal), bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots (2 per meal), cauliflower, celery, chicory, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, green beans, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, soy beans, spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini.
Consolidation – Consolidation is maintenance. Stay on Attack Foods and Cruise Vegetables, and –
Take a Day Off – Once or twice a week, take the Day Off and eat what you want – pizza, ice cream, etc. You’ll do best with 1 Day Off a week. If you do 2 Days Off, it’s best to have 2 days in between. If Monday is Off, your next Day is Thursday. Or take Saturday or Sunday or both Off, go back on Attack Foods on Monday.
One day a week, eat Attack Foods only – This keeps your sweet and starch cravings under control.
Keep Moving – You don’t need to be an exercise freak, but continue to walk 30” a day, do 20” on a Gazelle or Elliptical, or do 12” of interval training. Exercise with PlayStation, use stairs, walk don’t drive, get 2 dogs, etc.
Final Advice – To lose weight, eat mostly low fat protein. To maintain weight, eat mostly high fat protein and vegetables. On Days Off – take it real easy on juice, flavored coffee, ice cream, cheese and nuts – way too many calories, way too fast. Artificial sweet eners can trigger sweetand starch cravings. Drink diet pop and chew sugarless gum in moderation. Drink as much water as you can with meals – it slows you down and fills you up. If you gain 3 pounds, go back on Attack Foods only until you are back down to goal weight again.
A trick that can help you maintain is to add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to protein or vegetables every meal. The obesity epidemic is a combination of too much carbohydrate, and a switch from omega-3 to omega-6 fats.
American low carb diets push fat to increase satiety and energy, and decrease cravings. Fat has 9 calories per gram compared to the 4 calories per gram for protein. The price you pay for less hunger is slower weight loss. In France, everyone wants to be size 2, so the focus is on the fastest and safest weight loss, medically possible.