The Dukan Diet. What Did You Hear and What Did I Read?

“It isn’t a complicated diet so there is no need to complicate it… You have to read the book constantly so you remember what you are doing.  It’s not rocket science and it does work.”

Done.

As an old Dukanian, I always get some questions and I always hear things about the diet, which are NOT officially true.

I am not his lawyer, for sure. I don’t care who says what.

I just care this: Did it work for me? Exactly. Did it work for my husband? Yes, like crazy. Are we feeling and looking better? Yes. Are we healthier? The paperwork we got from our doctor before the diet and after the diet shows clearly that we are healthier.

So, why did The Dukan Diet work for me? Why (maybe) it didn’t work for you or for someone you know?

Because first of all, we have read the book before giving the start. The only thing you can NOT miss is reading the book. Otherwise, this diet is completely useless. We have spent too much time to learn and more important, UNDERSTAND every single detail and the logic of this diet. We learnt who Pierre Dukan is.We have read it again and again, anytime we got stuck. We let the book convince us that calorie counting has NOTHING to do with weight loss. We believed in his 20 odd years of research.

Because we did the test in the official website. We had learnt how long we needed to do each phase, ACCORDING TO OUR HEIGHT, OUR WEIGHT AND OUR HEALTHY WEIGHT. Because we had learnt from the book that this diet has 4 phases. We didn’t go to the grocery store, buy a whole chicken and some yogurt and then begin the diet.

Because we did what exactly he says in the book. We didn’t listen what the others say. We followed the pages of the book, not the other people.

Because we ate what he suggests in the book. We did not eat what the others talk about. We did not eat the same thing every single day. We used oat bran. We made the recipes in the book. We spent a lot of time to cook. We enjoyed.

Because we ran 30 minutes and we spent an additional 30 minutes weight lifting 4-5 times a week. We did the exercises which the book suggests. We skipped the elevators and the escalators.

Because we were aware of that anytime we begin to feel bad, feel sick or had no energy, Dukan encourages us to take a daily multivitamin with minerals, to help us not to give up. Didn't we cheat? Of course we cheated! But then, we returned back to the rules. We knew that it is not over. We knew that cheating will slow down our weight loss, but we didn't want to let it go. We just didn’t force our body to do more than it can.

Because we kept following our health records, as the book suggests.  We followed our fat mass and our muscle mass.

Because we followed all the instructions he gives in the book to not to give up and stay motivated. Because the book taught us that we could do this diet ONLY 2 times in our lifetime and for LIMITED time which the test gave us. So if you give up, you are done. You can’t begin again and again. This is NOT HEALTHY. That’s why the book keeps you motivated-so you do NOT give up, even if you reach to your goal earlier than the planned time. If you give up, it is your choice to begin again. So anytime you gain weight, you can’t begin Dukan.

Because we didn’t listen the others, talking about Dr. Dukan’s another “going to jail” story, another fine, another penalty, this and that. Instead, we kept ourselves busy with learning new cooking techniques, new recipes. We made our own ice-cream and our own chocolates. We made our own gummy bears. Because our best bet was to make your own creative recipes and stay motivated; instead of listening the others, probably the failed ones.

Because we were aware of how people fail while “Dukaning”… and then, for sure, begin speaking crap. If you give up after a week, after 2 weeks, after 6 weeks, depending on the determined time for you to continue Dukaning, you of course gain that weight back. Because you didn’t reach to the end point. You gave up. This is a trade-off. Sorry.

Because we were aware of some of the (moreover, we had met some) dietitians assume their work is done once you've slimmed down. Who cares if there is something uncomfortable or unethical about having to face patients again six months later when their weight has returned, right?

Because we spent time to make a research about Dukan and low carb lifestyles, instead of blindly listening the other’s opinions or recommendations. Because “science finds” something different every single day.

“But Dr. Dukan has lost his license.” So what? Have you heard it or have you read about it? Do you know why? “Because his diet is bad.”

Oh man come on, please. “In January, the doctor recommended that students in their last two years of high school be awarded extra marks if they maintained an acceptable Body Mass Index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Doctors who have lodged complaints against Dukan said he failed to take into account "possible repercussions on young girls who are already overweight or have a tendency towards anorexia. He faces an ethical hearing within the next six months, according to BBC. If found guilty, he could be reprimanded or struck off the medical register in France completely, BBC reported.”

Anything to do with the diet here? No. OK.

I could not find about any relationship between American Health Association and Dukan or American Heart Association and Dukan. But the British Dietitic Association voted it "the worst celebrity diet of 2011".

I was on Dukan diet for 4 months, and my husband for 5.5. I lost 9 kilograms (20 pounds) and my husband lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds). We had lost more than our goal and we didn’t gain any weight since we finished Dukan.

I am feeling great, he is feeling great. We changed all our eating habits, as well as our wardrobe.

Ending words are from Dr. Oz: Celebrity health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz told a "Good Morning! Arizona" television audiences that he was initially unconvinced by the diet, before having a sit-down chat with Dukan. "By the time you're done with his program, you can eat whatever you want -- literally whatever you desire -- except one day a week," he said. "One day a week, he wants you back on the strict diet. If you do that, he says you will not gain weight.”

Read. Obey the rules. Stay healthy, motivated and take the stairs!

Cheers!