The Dukan Diet

The Dukan Diet has been a hit with the British and is now sweeping the nation! The Dukan diet is new to the U.S. and has recently been featured on Dr. Oz and in Woman’s World Magazine. Maybe you’ve never heard of it, but you’ve seen the results. J. Lo and other supermodels use the Dukan Diet as well as Kate Middleton’s mother, who used the diet to shed pounds before her daughter’s media frenzied wedding.

WHAT IS THE DUKAN DIET?

It was developed by Pierre Dukan, M.D. and is based on high protein and low fat along with eating until you are satisfied.
Dr. Dukan states that the diet is simple because it will allow you to eat as much as you need to feel satisfied. In addition he believes that this diet will work where previous diets may have failed.

How Does the Dukan Diet Work?

The diet works on a four step process. The first two steps consist of the weight loss phase and the second two allow the dieter to maintain their new, slim body for life.
So how do you use this extremely effective diet plan? Let me introduce you to the first two steps or phases. The first is called the “attack” and the second is the “cruise”.

The attack step is where you would eat your fill of lean protein and fat-free dairy. You also need to drink your daily water and are allowed a few other low carb options.

The cruise step is where you may add an unlimited amount of non-starchy vegetables to the above high protein and dairy plan.

You would alternate between the two steps until your targeted or goal weight is reached or if you want to jumpstart your weightloss program, you can stay on step one for 3-6 days. There are portion suggestions but dieters are advised to eat until satisfied, which solves the main issues with most other diets..hunger.
This diet is somewhat similar to the Atkins but focuses on high protein with low fat as opposed to the Atkins where it is advised not to cut fat or it may stall weight loss.

Why Does the Dukan Diet Work?

The Dukan Diet is based on the fact that lean protein will reduce hunger and causes the body to burn more fat. This means that you will eat less as your metabolism is boosted about 30%.

A special made pancake daily is a requirement of the Dukan Diet. This pancake is made with oat bran and oat bran is said to decrease appetite and block some of the calories from being absorbed. Oat bran also lowers cholesterol, fights diabetes and helps in digestion. The best benefit of this little cake is that on the cruise days, the pancake along with the required vegetables will help inches melt off your waistline.

The final feature of this diet plan is how it utilizes dairy products. Research studies indicate that milk is good for your health because of the calcium and vitamin D it contains. Not only are these vitamins beneficial, but this combination helps your body get rid of stored fat up to 60% faster!

For these reasons Dukan believes that his plan will work even if you’ve tried other diets and failed.
As with any diet, exercise is recommended for better results. On “attack” days a 20 minute brisk walk should be done and on the “cruise” days you step it up to 30 minutes. Exercise along with a daily multi-vitamin ensures proper nutrition and exercise.
The Dukan Diet offers a menu that uses simple ingredients and meals can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Dieters eat until satisfied and, what is more amazing, is the results that people are seeing. Find out more about the Dukan Diet in the bestselling book: The Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever!

Dr. Oz Reviews the Dukan Diet

Best Diets to Lose Weight

Because people are not the same, there is no “one” diet that works for everyone. Body shape, metabolisms, cravings and willpower all come in play when choosing a diet. You will need to find a healthy plan that you can stick to and one that your body will respond to.

Be sure to pick a diet plan that allows you to eat at least some of the foods you enjoy if you plan to be on it for more than a month or so. Also, any diet will be more successful if you boost your metabolism with exercise. Even a short, brisk walk is better than no exercise at all. So, browse the top diet plans below and see if there is one that you can commit to and shed unwanted pounds.

Top Diet Plans:

The Cabbage Soup diet has been used by dieters for years. This diet includes many versions but the simple one is that if you eat cabbage soup when you are hungry it will fill you up and will help you stay on low calorie diet. While you are on cabbage soup diet you must not take oily, fatty foodstuffs. This diet has very low calories. Therefore cabbage diet is among the best diets to lose weight.

The Sonoma diet was first prepared by Dr. Connie Gutterson. This diet includes antioxidant vegetables, juicy fruits like blueberries, spinach, whole grains and little almond oil. You can even add a glass of red wine. Sonoma diet is also approved as one of the best diets to lose weight.

Slim Fast diet is very helpful in controlling hunger for more than four hours. Slim fast diet is balanced, nutritional and rich in calcium and proteins. The Slim-Fast Diet plan is planned for dieter to take six times in day. You can add fruits, yogurt and cottage cheese. Fresh vegetables, meats and nuts are also a part of slim fast diet. It is not only diet cautious but also gives you a good flavor and taste. It can be considered as the best diet plan to lose weight especially for teenagers.

Negative calorie diet is less of a diet and more like diet helper. It consists of a list of foodstuffs whose net calorie account is less than total calories taken to digest them. These include high roughages, low fats, fruits and vegetables. Roughage is key content of negative calorie diet. The calorie output here is negative thus it will help losing weight.

Weight Loss Diet Fads

Obesity is a physical state that refers to excessive body fat. Chances are you have experienced the frustrations of dieting at least once in your life, if you have problems with your weight. Close to a hundred million Americans go on a weight loss diet in any given year and up to ninety-five percent of them regain the weight they lose within five years. Worse, a third will gain back more weight than they lost, in danger of “yo-yoing” from one popular diet to another. The conventional approach to weight problems, focusing on fad weight loss diets or weight loss drugs, may leave you with just as much weight and the additional burden of ill health.

Today, an estimated sixty-five percent of all American adults are obese or overweight. Our culture obsesses about staying thin even as we grow fatter, but this isn’t about appearances. Obesity is known to be a precursor to many debilitating health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Obesity contributes to as many as 375,000 deaths every year. In addition, the public health costs for obesity are staggering. According to researchers at Harvard University, obesity is a factor in 19% of all cases of heart disease with annual health costs estimated at 30 billion dollars; it’s also a factor in 57% of diabetes cases, with health costs of $9 billion per year.

Set Realistic Goals:

No doubt you have fallen for one or more of the weight loss diet schemes over the years, promising quick and painless weight loss. Many of these quick weight loss diet programs undermine your health, cause physical discomfort, flatulence, and ultimately lead to disappointment when you start regaining weight, shortly after losing it. Fad or quick weight loss diet programs generally overstress one type of food. They contravene the fundamental principle of good nutrition – to remain healthy one must consume a balanced diet, which includes a variety of foods. Safe, healthy, and permanent weight reduction is what’s truly lost among the thousands of popular diet schemes.

Some of the weight loss diet schemes reign supreme briefly, only to fade out. While some wane from popularity due to being unproductive or unsafe, some simply lose the public’s curiosity. Examples of such fad diets include the South Beach Diet, Atkins diet, the Grapefruit diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Rotation diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, Ornish Plan – the list goes on and on. These fad diets advocate a specific technique (such as eliminating a certain food, or eating only certain combinations of foods) in conjunction with the basic idea that the body makes up the difference in energy by breaking down and utilizing some part of itself, essentially converting matter into energy. This self-cannibalism, or catabolism as it is referred, typically starts with breakdown of stored body fat.

The Zone Diet – What is it and Can it Help Me?

The Zone Diet works on the principle that 100,000 years ago, we were meat eaters, and our metabolism is designed to handle the demands of a meat-based diet.

Madonna, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Aniston swear by the results of the Zone Diet, which was created by Barry Sears, PhD. The Zone Diet contains 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat and is known as the 40-30-30 plan.

As the food industry evolved, more carbohydrates have been introduced into our daily diet, thus causing an imbalance in our metabolism to burn fat. The reason for our extra weight can also be attributed to the many grains and starches in our diet (pasta, rice, breads, and potatoes). The Zone Diet’s approach calls for a return to the diets of our ancestors where meat, fruits, and vegetables are the main dietary foods.

The Zone Diet suggests that you need the right ratio of carbohydrates to proteins and fats in order to control the insulin in the bloodstream. Too much of the hormone (insulin) can increase fat storage and inflammation in the body (conditions that are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease). Sears asserts that by using the Zone Diet, you are actually optimizing the body’s metabolic function. Through the regulation of blood sugar, you allow your body to burn excess body fat.

Although you are not prohibited from any particular food group, it is best to avoid food with high fat and carbohydrates such as grains, starches, and pastas. The ideal sources of carbs are fruits and vegetables and for monounsaturated fats olive oil, almonds, and avocados are recommended. The Zone Diet claims to use food as a drug for overall good health, weight loss and prevention or management of heart disease and diabetes.

Sears says that you can test to see whether you are ‘hormonally’ correct by eating following the Zone diet and see how you feel four hours later. To simplify the Zone Diet, fill one-third of a plate with low-fat protein, and then two-thirds with fruits and vegetables.

Celebrities and some health experts say that the Zone’s recommendations do not stray far from the USDA’s (United States Dietary Association) dietary guidelines and therefore are advocates of the Zone Diet. Others argue that the Zone Diet has flawed ratios but Sears argues that the Zone diet is a low-glycemic-load diet that has adequate protein.

A critic of the Zone diet such as the AHA (American Heart Association) classifies the Zone Diet as high protein and does not recommend the Zone Diet for weight loss. They contend that the Zone Diet has not been proven effective in the long term for weight loss. The AHA issued an official recommendation warning against diets like the Zone Diet. They believe that the Zone Diet is hazardous as it restricts the intake of essential vitamins and minerals present in certain foods. The AHA also contends that the protein ratio in the Zone diet is too high even if the minimal fat ratio is good. Robert H. Ecker M.D of the A.H.A. finds the Zone Diet’s theory on insulin flawed and argues that there is no scientific proof that the hormone insulin plays a big role in weight regulation.