The Dukan Diet is a diet plan developed by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan. This diet burns fat cells as fast as they can cling to our thighs. And now about everything in order.

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We all want to be slim and beautiful, but everyone is afraid of the difficulties that lie on the way to an ideal figure. And how can we, girls, be in such a situation? There is an exit! And this way out is the Dukan diet.
Who is the author of the diet Pierre Dukan
French dietitian Pierre Dukan is popular all over the world thanks to a specially designed nutrition system, following which you can get rid of extra pounds once and for all.
After the publication in 2000 in France of Pierre Ducane’s book “I Can’t Lose Weight”, the nutritionist became a real celebrity. The book became a real bestseller in France and broke all sales records, second only to Harry Potter.
Thanks to the nutrition system developed by Dukan, millions of people around the world have been able to lose weight. Even world celebrities were on the Dukan diet: Penelope Cruz, Gisele Bündchen, Jennifer Lopez and other celebrities successfully lost weight thanks to Pierre Dukan.

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Career nutritionist Pierre Dukan began after one curious case from practice. The patient turned to the doctor (Pierre Dukan by profession a neurologist — ed.) with a request to help him lose weight. The doctor developed a special nutrition system for him for a week. The patient had to eat only protein food and water. Within 5 days, he managed to lose 2 kilograms, and another 1.5 kilograms went in three days. After this successful experiment, Pierre Dukan began to develop as a nutritionist, and for more than 30 years people all over the world have been successfully losing weight according to Dukan.
Read also: Secrets and mysteries of the Dukan diet: who is absolutely forbidden. Video
The Dukan low-carbohydrate protein diet does not restrict a person in the amount of food consumed. You need to eat the right, mostly protein foods, from which you can cook a full-fledged tasty meal.
Here are 6 main advantages of the Dukan diet, thanks to which it has been and remains one of the most popular in the world:
1. The Dukan Diet allows you to eat protein foods in unlimited quantities. Protein is one of the main “building materials” for our body, which is why it is so important to consume it daily. Lean meats, eggs, fish, seafood, and even certain types of “milk” fit well into Dukan’s menu.
2. The result will be noticeable from the very first days. It is not a fact that the kilograms will immediately go away one after another, but you will surely notice an improvement in the condition of the skin, hair and a surge of energy.
3. The Dukan diet works relatively quickly. To lose weight on it, even a month of proper nutrition will be enough.
4. On this diet, you will lose weight due to the fact that it is excess fat that will leave the body. At the same time, the level of moisture and muscle mass will remain within the normal range.
5. Dukan is an excellent choice for girls, as this diet gives both health and beauty. Beautiful shiny hair, strong nails and teeth, smooth velvety skin — these bonuses are worth fighting for!
6. Like all complete, thoughtful diets, Dukan is more of a lifestyle than a nutrition system. Therefore, it allows not only to lose weight, but also to keep the resulting weight for a long time. Many women, judging by the reviews, manage to fall in love with the “Dukan” menu so much that they are happy to keep these habits in their diet for life.
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Menu for the Dukan diet
So, what foods can you eat during a diet:
- Meat: poultry (turkey, chicken), veal, beef, rabbit, lean ham, liver and other offal
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- soy cheese tofu
- Low fat dairy products
- Oat bran
Other recommendations:
- Drink at least 2 liters of pure water per day
- Move for 30 minutes a day (walking, climbing stairs)
Read also: How to take the first step to losing weight

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Exclude from the diet:
- Butter (butter and sunflower)
- Fat in any form
- Mayonnaise
- Sugar
- Fried potatoes
- Bananas, cherries, cherries, figs, grapes (due to their high sugar content)
- Alcohol
Important. Cooking steamed, grilled, boiled, baked without adding oil. Fill dishes with lemon juice.
For each of the stages of the Dukan diet, many recipes have been developed from the author of this nutrition system, so the process of losing weight will not seem exhausting. During the diet, you can consume 72 types of foods!
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The duration of the Pierre Dukan diet

The Pierre Dukan diet consists of 4 stages:
- “Attack”,
- “Cruise” (Alternation),
- “Consolidation” (Consolidation),
- Stabilization».
It is important that each of the 4 phases has its own purpose. The first two phases help to lose weight, and the third and fourth phases help to consolidate the result. The duration of each stage is individual and depends on what mark on the scales we want to achieve.
List of products allowed at all stages
While the Dukan stages differ radically in terms of goals and menus, there is a list of foods that you can include in the diet at any stage. Here he is:
- Tea (black, green, chamomile, herbal)
- Instant and brewed coffee
- Coca-Cola Light and Pepsi-Cola Light
- Sugar substitutes (except fructose, glucose and sorbitol)
- Cocoa with a low fat content, up to 14%, — 1 tsp per day
- Corn starch, no more than 1 tbsp. per day
- Wheat bran, no more than 1 tbsp. l. per day
- dough baking powder
- Gelatin
- Bouillon cubes low fat
- Onions (no more than 1.5 onions per day)
- Lemon as a condiment (do not drink as lemonade and do not eat as a fruit)
- Parsley
- Caraway
- Vinegar
- Mustard
- Salt in moderation
- Vanilla
- Cover
- Chewing gum without sugar
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First stage: “Attack”
The first stage of the Dukan diet includes exclusively protein products. According to the nutritionist, the body needs more energy to digest protein foods. And due to energy costs, the body burns more calories than their content in protein foods.
At this stage, you can eat any meat (see above), fish and seafood, low-fat dairy products. Limit egg consumption — no more than two yolks a day, protein can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
List of allowed products for the Attack stage
- Veal (lean)
- White poultry meat: chicken, turkey, quail, guinea fowl (without skin)
- Lean ham, up to 4% fat
- Beef and chicken liver, kidneys
- beef tongue
- Rabbit meat
- Fish (river and sea, any)
- Seafood: shrimp, squid, mussels, etc.
- Crayfish
- Caviar (red, black)
- Fat-free kefir, 0.5%
- Fat-free cottage cheese, 0%
- Skimmed milk, 0%
- Fat-free yogurt, 0%
- Soy cheese “Tofu”.
- Eggs (up to 2 yolks per day, unlimited whites)
- Crab sticks (up to 8 per day)
Read also: Watermelon diet: how to lose 10 kg in a week without harm to health
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Second stage: “Cruise”

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The second stage is also called the “Alternation” stage, because you need to alternate the intake of protein foods and protein-vegetables. One day you can eat only protein foods, the next day — protein and vegetables (except potatoes, legumes and all types of cereals).
It is this stage that is considered the key in the fight against extra pounds. During the “Cruise” a person loses most of the excess weight
At the “Cruise” stage, you need to include 2 tablespoons of bran per day in the menu.
List of allowed products for the Cruise stage
- All products of the “Attack” stage
- cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- All types of cabbage
- Beet
- Carrot
- Mushrooms (all kinds)
- Celery
- Asparagus
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- string beans
- Green and leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, sorrel, cilantro, dill, green onions)
- Ketchup
- White and red wine (up to 60 ml per day)
- cream, regular and soy, fat content up to 4%
- Starch
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The third stage: “Consolidation” (Consolidation)
Or the “Consolidation” stage, the duration of which is calculated by the formula: 10 days for each kilogram of weight lost. If a person has lost 5 kilograms, then the Consolidation stage should last for 50 days.
It is allowed to eat one fruit per day, one piece of cheese per day (no more than 40 grams and no more than 40% fat), once a week you can eat an unlimited amount of fried pork or bacon, as well as potatoes and cereals.
At the “Consolidation” stage, you need to include 2.5 tablespoons of bran per day in the menu.
List of allowed products for the Consolidation stage
- All products of the “Attack” stage
- 1 fruit per day from this list: apple, pear, slice of melon or watermelon, 200-gram cup of berries. Forbidden: cherries, sweet cherries, grapes, figs, bananas
- 40 g cheese up to 40% fat
At this stage, you are entitled to 2 pleasant indulgences at once:
- starch products.
- “Festival of the stomach.”
Their number is limited and depends on how long the Consolidation stage will last for you personally.
How to calculate the norm: Divide the entire stage in half. In the first half, you are entitled to 1 serving of starchy foods (“crachdays”) and 1 “stomach feast” (“feasts”) per week. In the second half of the stage — 2 servings and 2 “holidays”.
Starch-containing products allowed for consumption:
- rice (up to 125 g),
- buckwheat,
- macaroni,
- potatoes (1–2 pcs., baked, can be with a peel).
“Festival of the stomach” (feast) — a meal during which you can eat anything you want.
The only limitation is that you can only have 1 serving each (first, second and dessert).
One day a week it is desirable to do exclusively protein. Pierre Ducan himself recommends choosing Thursday for this.
Read also: The most correct diet: lose weight without harm to health
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Fourth stage: “Stabilization”

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At the “Stabilization” stage, you need to repeat the menu of the “Attacks” stage once a week, for example, observe “protein Thursday”. Drink plenty of fluids, walk and eat 3 tablespoons of bran per day. But at the same time, you can eat absolutely all foods, because at this stage the diet ends.
It is assumed that by the time you complete the diet, you are used to a healthy diet and have managed to feel the difference on your own example. Do not get carried away with sweet and starchy foods, while keeping a sufficient amount of meat dishes and vegetables in your diet.
The “Stabilization” stage should turn into a way of life, following the above recommendations of Pierre Ducane. As a result, the result achieved after the diet is maintained for a long time.
Criticism of the Dukan diet: what are the cons?
In addition to the positive, there are also disadvantages in the Dukan diet. First of all, we invite you to find out why doctors criticize the nutrition system.
So, the first and main minus of the diet, according to experts, is the abundance of proteins in the diet. At the international symposium in 2013, the doctor Luris Aroniye made a report proving that an abundance of proteins can lead to problems in the functioning of the kidneys and even to their failure. American specialist Professor Walter Longo compares the harm of Pierre Dukan’s diet with the harm of smoking.
Nevertheless, the author of the method himself has repeatedly responded to such accusations.
“Various studies on the dangers of protein are not related to my diet,” says Pierre Dukan. “I only offer protein-packed meals for a few days, four in total, no more than five. I do have a lot of protein-rich foods in my diet, but other than that, I recommend eating as many vegetables as possible.”
In addition, Dukan is often criticized for the commercialization of the project. Around the world, there are at least 20 million adherents of this food system, and dividends to the creator range from 100 million euros per year.
However, such an accusation, of course, cannot be considered justified, so everyone decides for himself the question of faith in the Dukan diet.
Be aware that there are real medical contraindications to using the Dukan diet. Here they are:
- chronic and acute kidney diseases (pyelonephritis, nephroptosis, renal failure),
- cholecystitis and pancreatitis,
- gastric and duodenal ulcer,
- intestinal dyskinesia,
- gout,
- atherosclerosis,
- pregnancy and lactation,
- childhood and adolescence,
- cholelithiasis.
There are also a number of diseases in which the Dukan diet can be followed only after the permission of the attending physician. It:
- hypertension,
- type 2 diabetes,
- food allergies,
- chronic constipation,
- intestinal atony,
- gastritis.
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Reviews about the Dukan diet
We have collected some reviews on the Dukan diet on thematic forums — we hope they will be useful to you.
On Dukan I dropped from 109 to 67 kg. For a year and a half. But let’s be aware that Dukan is not a diet on which you sit for a couple of months, lose a couple of kg and forget. This is a food system for life. At the stage of stabilization, of course, there are not so many restrictions, but they are lifelong. And if in reality and from personal experience, you will probably have to eat as fast as you can for the rest of your life. Because as soon as you relax, there are a couple of kilos on the scale at once. How does my diet differ from the usual one? 1) I eat cereals and pasta on Easter days. That’s two meals a week. There are also feasts twice a week when you eat anything absolutely not dietary, but whatever you want. The basis of the diet: a large amount of lean meat-fish and non-starchy vegetables 2) my milk is fat-free for life. Milk of normal fat content or God forbid sour cream 20% don’t fit me 3) two fruits a day is the maximum that I can eat and not get better 4) well, a pure protein Thursday and a mandatory bran norm every day. water regime and mandatory walks
Valeria
I sat on Dukan for about a month … from 58 kg to 50 kg … At first everything was fine, the weight went like crazy, then big problems with the stool began, and I felt very bad from such an amount of proteins .. I decided that enough was enough for me, 50 kg this is so good … but then the wrong way out of their diet in a month returned the weight with an increase, now I weigh 60 kg.
Masha
I’ll tell you about the alleged harm of the Dukan diet. Losing weight on the Dukan diet did not hurt Kate Middleton, the whole world admired her wedding and how she rejoiced at the birth of a child. Nothing healthy. Do you think the royal family would allow the bride of the heir to the throne to risk health? The Prime Minister of France lost weight on the Dukan diet, and so on. little things, a couple of million people.
chamomile
When overweight is 3–5 kg, then PP and sports are the most useful and simple thing you can think of. But if for some reason a weight of 20 + kg has formed, you can drop it on the PP for the rest of your life. In this case, Dukan will greatly help out. About harmfulness is funny) And living with obesity is not harmful? Isn’t it harmful to carry 30 kg of fat on yourself? Constipation? Follow the recommendations and you will avoid them. The doctor’s book describes how and what to do if a problem arises. Smell from the mouth? Available. Because of ketosis. I’ll even say more, the smell of sweat changes greatly, as a large amount of toxins are excreted with sweat. Hygiene and tolerate 3–6 days of attack is such a problem? I personally didn’t have any of those problems.
Gaia
You can treat this system in different ways. I practically did not meet advertising banners of Dukan. But the diaries of losing weight, real. some of 2 thousand pages. full of photos, real diets and live communication. And with some of these losing weight, I met in real life at master classes in cooking du-baking. These are real living people who lost weight and got better (which is important!) on Dukan. There are a lot of them! I lost 42 kg myself. And this is having initial health problems in endocrinology and sitting on hormones for life. Other ways not only to lose weight. and to keep his growth to Dukan I had the last 12 years. Different, with varying degrees of success. At the PP and the gym, by the way, yes. the weight stopped growing and even fell, but by … .400g in a month and a half. Well, by retirement, I might have dropped it, maybe. So, if you are not overweight, then you do not need any diets. Just PP and walking in the fresh air will return to normal. And if there is a lot of weight and it’s impossible to just close your mouth and not eat, then I advise Dukan. Personally tested, it works. Like everything effective and strong, it has its own contraindications and requires careful implementation, control of your condition by a doctor before. during and after the stages. corrections if necessary. But it really works. And this is the first diet in which I did not feel hungry and therefore did not break.
Albina
The negative side of the Dukan diet
There is also a downside to the Dukan diet that you should be aware of. Eliminating carbs completely is unhealthy, and many who have tried this diet remember to mention the negative effects in their reviews. Here is an example:
The first stage is “Attack”. Yes, I lost 2100, but the skin became very dry in 5 days and began to peel off. I believe it was due to dehydration. This is indisputable when you see that supposedly the weight is decreasing, motivation appears again and again, passion is caused, but in volumes everything remains the same, it hasn’t decreased by a cm. Results of the phase: Dry skin, peeling around the lips and nose, the appearance of a “jam” on the lips.
Then the next week came and it was the second phase of the “Alternating Phase”. The results of the phase: I lost weight by ‑2.3 kg, but on the first day it was + 1 kg, on the second it stood still, after that it started to decrease. An unpleasant smell from the mouth began, not acetone, but simply sour products. And everyone around started telling me “Treat the guts”, and many didn’t know that I was on a diet, and it was embarrassing and embarrassing to admit that I was fighting for extra pounds. If the skin was dry at the first stage, then bags appeared under the eyes and the first wrinkles, damn it, but I’m 20+. I was shocked, it’s nothing to say, apparently already some vitamins were missing or something. As a result of carbohydrate deficiency, the body is forced to convert fats and proteins into energy. However, during the process of fat transformation in the body, ketone bodies (such as acetone) are produced. It is they who cause bad breath (similar to that of diabetes), which, unfortunately, cannot be removed with a brush and floss. The skin of the face becomes gray-yellow. The general state of health is extremely depressed, the state of health of a “sluggish tomato”, I want to sleep, for some reason I got crazy drowsiness, none of the eleutherococci, which are considered tonics, did not help. Although they strongly advised me.
The third stage is the “Consolidation phase”. Phase results: ‑3.5 kg. The general state of health is bad, stabbing pains in the abdomen began. Because of this, I realized that it was enough to scoff at myself.
Diet Conclusions:
- Feeling “kill me”, you don’t want to do anything, first check your health.
- Before the diet, I specifically went to the gastroenterologist, everything was fine, after they put me on the esophagus, why … I myself can’t understand, because. I already learned about the kidneys, but I didn’t know anything about the esophagus. This was found out during gastroscopy (swallowing the intestine in common people).
- the skin will have to be restored properly, it flakes off, the color is gray-yellow, the heels generally go crazy with dryness.
- possible problems with the toilet
- bruising and bags under the eyes
- can provoke the first wrinkles
- only limited fruits allowed
- in terms of finances, it’s far from the cheapest diet, and if you cook for yourself and others, then in general …
- disruptions are possible, monotonous
Dukan makes millions, publishes books, gives master classes to keep you going, out of 100 people tested, only 48 felt good, but I found this statistic in only one source, the site only talks about 48 test subjects.
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Have you tried this famous diet yet? Do you have any questions? Leave your feedback about everything related to the Pierre Dukan diet — let’s chat!
Stay healthy!