This article has really got my dander up...!
This is what the DM says is the problem with the diet -
While weight loss can be quick,
True for most people, but not always and depends on whether you follow it strictly
followers of the Dukan report difficulties
Naturally – all diets are restrictive – that’s the point! They are designed to wean you off bad eating habits and get you onto good ones. The difference between a good diet and a bad one is (a) how effective the diet is, (b) whether you personally can live with it and (c) whether you can ultimately get back into eating a balanced diet for you and your life-style
Here are the main cons.
1 Much of the diet prescribes solely protein for days on end.
Really? Which book have they been reading? Attack – the pure protein phase, only lasts a maximum of 10 days. Most people only do 5 or 6 pure protein days. Many people, me included, are not 100% strict on the PP days of attack. (‘fess up time – my lovely lean steak seemed lonely without a lettuce & tomato garnish!) Even if you are strictly PP for the full 10 days, it’s not forever. The Cruise phase lasts as long as it takes to get to your target weight, with unlimited vegetables on alternate days. Just no potatoes or starchy stuff. So is that really a problem?
Followers complain this can get boring and as a result is difficult to adhere to.
OK, we all get those days when you open the fridge door and you think, not chicken/tuna/cottage cheese again! But there is plenty of stuff that it is possible to eat, it’s just a case of making sure you’ve planned for it in the shopping. I get creative at the weekend when I have more time and lay in a stock of dukan friendly dishes so I know I won’t get tempted by the biscuit tin. Eating out and made up dishes are a little more tricky, because you can’t really tell how much fat/hidden sugar there are in dishes but frankly, half the problem with the present UK diet is all that hidden sugar/salt and fat in made up dishes. I’m happy to go back to basics – and if that means eating a bit of scary ‘offal’ or (heavens forbid) bunny rabbit, then I’ll become an honorary Frenchwoman.
2 Eating so much protein - around three to four times the normal amount - can put a strain on the kidneys.
Hence the recommendation to drink plenty of plain water and to consult your doctor before starting this kind of regime. But what is the ‘normal amount’ of protein? It surely must depend on your culture, your preferences and your life-style? I do hate sweeping generalisations like this. Any diet can cause health problems – you rely on people to use some common sense.
This can be more problematic for those with underlying kidney problems they may not have known about.
This is a stupid comment. If they don’t know they’ve got a problem, they can’t anticpate the ill-effects, can they? Repeat loudly, tell your doctor what you are planning on doing, drink lots of plain water and stop if you feel ill.
3 A lack of fibre can be a problem. An unbalanced diet short of fruit and vegetables and heavy in fish and meat can lead to constipation.
Very true. That’s why oat-bran and daily exercise (walking is sufficient) is recommended at every stage of the diet.It’s also why I personally take vitamin C, and enjoy my PV days immensely for the huge variety of vegetables I can have. The ones I can’t have – well, I like them too, but I can live without them because I know that one day soon, I can have them again - in moderation. The absence of fruit really bothered me at first, but now I’m in Conso, I can have one piece a day and that’s fine – some days I don’t even bother.
4 Lack of cereal-based foods can lead to deficiency of vitamin B.
Easy to remedy – take a Vitamin B supplement whilst on Attach and Cruise. Better still, take a good all round multi-vitamin. Daily oatbran is a cereal, and there is plenty that can be done with that.
5 Weight loss is difficult to maintain once the rigid programme has ended.
You don’t want to have weight loss when you have stopped dieting- just a stable weight. Jury still out on this personally as I’m in early Conso. But one thing this diet has taught me is the control I have over what I put in my mouth, and the effects that each type of food will have on my body. Now I understand what the effects are, I can tweak my daily food to keep a steady weight, let me have treats and enjoy my food again without worrying about piling on the pounds.
The maintenance phase alone - six days of eating normally
I like this assumption – for the average Daily Mail reader, is the ‘normal’ diet non stop take away pizza’s, starchy foods and sweets? The normal diet for a dukaner is going to be rather different, I think.
and one Dukan day of protein - is unlikely to keep the weight off for the average dieter, whose indulgence throughout the week will outweigh the benefits of the protein day.
The point about Dukan maintenance is that it does allow you indulgence, but only on condition that you eat sensibly the rest of the time. The process teaches you that – I’m still on this journey but I’m confident the destination is worth it.
Apologies for the length of this post but once I started I couldn't stop....!
