The Dukan Diet Review

With perpetually thin beauties Jennifer Lopez and Giselle Bundchen to thank, the bestselling French book the Dukan Diet has made its way to America. Created by Dr. Pierre Dukan back in the late 90s, the high-protein, low-calorie plan is similar to the South Beach Diet and the Atkins Diet.

The Dukan Diet has four phases:

1. "Attack" Phase: eat all the lean protein you want, along with 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and 1.5 liters of water daily.
2. "Cruise" Phase: eat all the lean protein you want, along with 2 tablespoons of oat bran and unlimited amounts of low starch vegetables every other day.
3. "Consolidation" Phase: eat all the lean protein you want, along with vegetables, one serving of low-sugar fruit, 2 slices of whole grain bread, 1 serving of hard cheese and now you are allowed some starchy foods and a couple of "celebration" cheat meals.
4. "Stabilization" Phase: the long-term maintenance portion of the diet. Eat whatever you like as long as you commit to one day of the week where you follow Phase 1 of the plan. In addition, you are to eat 3 tablespoons of oat bran a day and walk for 20 minutes per day. And no elelvators or escelators.

Where to start my commentary? Low-carb diets are not balanced and almost never work because sustaining oneself on a diet regimen that cuts out most of the nutrients that give humans their readily usable source of energy and water is extremely difficult. Their failure rate is almost universal among normal people. (Non-normal people get paid millions of dollars to look the way they do with their fad diets and expensive personal trainers so their example is irrelevent to you and me).

Highly restrictive diets never work, as most of us know, which is why I am always so perplexed as to why people continually try these kind of diets. Every one of us who has ever been overweight knows how impossible the old 8 glasses of water and rice cakes diet is to follow past a few days or weeks.

Take the good advice from the Dukan Diet, follow a diet that cuts high-fat protein from your diet, eat healthier complex carbs, exercise daily and quit using all the easy conveniences of life like elevators and stairs. Walk, ride your bike, get moving...