Is The Dukan Diet Right For Me?

There are so many different diets available today that it's easy to be overwhelmed by the choice. The Dukan Diet was the right choice for weight loss and maintenance for us, but it may not be the best choice for you. If you are still undecided then hopefully these points will help you.


Know what you're getting into.

The Dukan Diet will only work for you if you completely commit to it. It's not a two week fad-diet, it's a long-term lifestyle change that will return a regular weight-loss pattern. If you are looking for a quick fix then this is unlikely to be what you are looking for.

The diet is based on four strict sequential phases: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilisation. In the initial Attack phase you'll mostly be eating low-fat protein and be losing weight at the quickest rate. After that you can introduce certain vegetables in the Cruise phase continuing to lose weight until you reach your goal. The Consolidation phase introduces a wider food range, including certain fruits, for a specific period. Finally, in the Stabilisation phase you will be eating a fairly normal diet, but will only eat the foods allowed in the Attack phase on "Protein Thursdays".

You can find some good introductions to the diet at Weight Loss Resources and dukandiet.co.uk but if you are really serious, you should get hold of the book. Buy it or borrow it from a friend or a library so you can make an informed decision.

That sounds a bit like the Atkins diet...

Although there are some similarities in that it has low/no carb or sugars, and lots of protein/meat, the Dukan regime is much stricter and avoids the fat that Atkins allows. Having done the Atkins diet a few years ago, we totally endorse Dukan's low fat rules - it is a logical step towards a less fatty body, and the Atkins diet fat levels lost their shine after a very short while.


Will it work for me?

Probably. It has worked for us better than anything else we've tried. If you can commit to following to the regime then you should expect results. You can't cheat on this diet if you want it to succeed, so if you are not ready to commit to it yet, then wait until you are ready if you want to see results.