How To Lose Weight Following The Dukan Diet Rules

The Dukan diet has 4 phases, each of them containing strictly (but simple) rules to help you lose weight fast and keep it off. Living by the Dukan diet rules can definitely help you to transform your lifestyle into a healthy one.

So let’s see what are these simple rules to a skinnier you.

Dukan Diet Rules

Below are the 4 phases with the Dukan diet rules to follow for rapid weight loss.

1. Attack Phase

The first and most aggressive phase (you can lose even more than 2 pounds a day) of the Dukan diet lasts up to 10 days, depending on the number of pounds you need to get rid of.

Here is how to think and schedule your attack phase:

Stay 1-2 days on the attack phase if you have less than 10 pounds to lose.

Stay 3-4 days on the attack phase if you want to lose anywhere between 10 and 20 pounds.

Stay 5-6 days on the attack phase if you need to lose anywhere between 20 and 40 pounds.

Stay 7-8 days on the attack phase if you have more than 40 pounds to lose.

Staying 9 or 10 days on the attack phase is not recommended without the doctor’s advice and supervision.

Attack Phase Rules

Here are the main Dukan diet rules for the attack phase:

1. You MUST drink at least 1.5 liters of water every day of the program to avoid overworking your kidneys and dehydration. The Dukan Diet is a high protein diet, so protecting your kidneys is very important.

2. You MUST incorporate 1.5 tbsp of oat bran per day. I like to mix oat bran with no-fat yogurt, but you can eat it in any form you like.

3. You MUST walk for about 20 minutes daily. This is the only workout required and recommended by the Dukan Diet’s author.

4. If after the first 5 days you are not seeing any further weight loss proceed to Phase 2 even if you planned your attack for longer.

5. You can eat as much as you want as long as it is on the allowed foods list:

• Lean beef, veal, or rabbit;
• Chicken and turkey without skin or the outside part of the wings (which is too fatty);
• Lean ham;
• Beef, veal, or chicken liver;
• Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce);
• Shellfish and crustaceans;
• Up to 2 eggs per day and unlimited egg whites, but watch the yolks if you have high cholesterol;
• Low fat (below 5% fat) or no-fat dairy products;
• Sweeteners (except fructose based), herbs, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar-free natural ketchup (in moderation), onion (as a spice), lemon juice (as a spice, not for drinking) and any other spices;
• Sugar-free chewing gum.

2. Cruise Phase

The second phase of the Dukan Diet lasts as much as it needs for you to reach your desired weight. It could last a week, a month, or a few months, depending on your weight loss goal.

Here are the Dukan Diet rules for the second phase:

1. You MUST increase the oat bran intake to 2 tbsp per day.

2. You MUST increase your exercise to 30 minutes of brisk walking daily.

3. You MUST alternate one day with foods only from the first phase, with one day with foods from the first phase + vegetables from this list:

• Artichoke;
• Asparagus;
• Aubergine;
• Beetroot (in moderation);
• Broccoli;
• Brussel sprouts;
• Cabbage;
• Carrots (in moderation);
• Cauliflower;
• Celery;
• Chicory;
• Courgette;
• Cucumber;
• Fennel;
• French beans;
• Leeks;
• Mushrooms;
• Onion;
• Peppers;
• Pumpkin;
• Radish;
• Salad leaves;
• Sorrel;
• Soya beans;
• Spinach;
• Swede;
• Swiss chard;
• Tomatoes;
• Turnip.

NOTES

1. Alcohol is forbidden during the first and second phases.

2. Coffee and tea are allowed during any phase of the Dukan Diet but without added sugar. Also, you can add skimmed milk to your coffee if you want, but nothing else.

3. Here is the complete list of the foods allowed during each phase of the Dukan Diet.

3. Consolidation Phase

This is the moment when you reached your desired weight. Now you can eat whatever you want (YES, anything) thanks to the celebration meals, but to avoid gaining the weight back, you need to precisely follow these rules:

1. For every pound you lost, you need to be on this phase for 5 days. So 10 pounds lost means you need to be on the Consolidation phase for 50 days.

2. You should eat at least one fruit every day; you can eat any kind of fruit, except bananas, dried fruits, and cherries.

3. You can eat 2 slices of wholegrain bread a day.

4. You can add up to 40 grams of cheese to your diet each day (just avoid goat cheeses, Roquefort, and Camembert).

5. You are allowed to eat 2 portions (220 grams each) of starchy products a week. You can choose between pasta (cooked al dente), whole grain rice, lentils, or beans. Avoid potatoes and white rice.

6. Once a week you can have some lean pork or lamb.

7. You must have one day of pure protein every week (eat only the foods allowed in the Attack phase). It is recommended to choose a Thursday, but you can choose another day of the week if this doesn’t fit your schedule.

8. Two times a week you can have celebration meals, which means you can eat anything, from pizza or french fries to ice cream and chocolate cake. But there are some rules you need to follow:

• Limit to a single, normal serving. Nothing more!
• There should be at least one day difference between celebration meals.
• A celebration meal means you really need to enjoy the tastes, not to rush yourself.
• If it’s possible, try to prepare the celebration meals yourself, at home.

4. Stabilization Phase

This phase contains a set of rules for life, that will help you keep the weight off and live a healthy lifestyle.

Here are the 3 Dukan diet rules for life:

1. Stick to a pure protein day per week.

2. Eat 1-2 tbsp of oat bran daily to avoid cravings.

3. Stay active and walk for at least 30 minutes every day. If you don’t have time (which is really hard to believe), just stay active during the day using the stairs instead of the lift, or walking instead of driving short distances.

If you gain a few pounds, don’t wait until you gain a few more. Get back on track by having 2 pure protein days (only foods from the Attack phase) a week.

Try these 4 totally tasty Dukan diet recipes.

If you consider the Dukan diet rules too restrictive and think you’ll not gonna reach the last phase, you can find here a more simple and accessible program to lose weight fast. Just give it a try!

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