J Lo’s Fat Loss Secret — The Dukan Diet!

Lo and supermodel Giselle say The Dukan Diet helped them lose their baby weight.  Kate Middleton is reportedly following this fat loss diet as she gets ready for her Royal Wedding.  Not everyone is a fan, though, as the British Dietetic Association called The Dukan Diet “one of the top 5 most dangerous diets in 2011.”
One thing that can be agreed on — The Dukan Diet is sweeping the world and is starting to make waves on this side of the ocean as well.  So what is this fat loss secret that ‘all’ the celebrities seem to be following?  Let’s take at look a little deeper into what The Dukan Diet is all about.
Created by French physician, Pierre Dukan about 10 years ago, the diet is broken up into 4 ‘phases.’  The length of phases depends on the amount of weight you want to lose.  Phase 1 is short, but Phase 2 can last weeks or months if there is a lot of weight lose.  Phase 3 is the “in between” of weight loss and maintenance, then Phase 4 is supposed to be the lifelong part of this.
All phases are heavy on protein and light on carbs, similar to another famous ‘diet doc’ in the States, Dr. Atkins.  And all phases are low in calories (because of this strict rules), though you’re not asked to count calories and can eat as much as you want, whenever you want.
Phase 1 — eat as absolutely much lean protein as you want, take 1.5 TBS of oat bran daily, and drink 1.5 L of water (about 6ish cups).  That’s it.  No veggies.  No fruits.
Phase 2 — stick with the unlimited lean protein, but this time every other day you can add in unlimited non-starchy veggies (like green leafy veggies and celery are examples).  And, up your oat bran to 2 TBS per day.
Phase 3 — you know the drill — unlimited lean protein, veggies are now allowed daily, 1 piece of fruit, 2 slices whole grain bread and 1 or 2 “cheat” days where you eat whatever you want.
Phase 4 — this is where you’re supposed to maintain.  There are no “rules” per se, outside of 1 day per week going back to one of the all protein days in Phase I and continue with the oat bran, 3 TBS/day at this point.
Oh yeah, and exercise.  According to the book, 20 minutes/day of walking is all it takes.

Fat loss made easy with The Dukan Diet.

Not so fast.  Will you lose weight?  Absolutely.  It’s an insanely restrictive diet.  Any time you restrict that much, you’ll lose.  But what will the composition of that weight loss be?  Muscle?  Fat?  When it’s too rapid and without the right exercise, it will be a lot of important muscle.
Is it in the least bit healthy, smart, or effective in the long term?
Nope.  None of the above.
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating — there is not a worldwide epidemic of obesity because everyone started eating SO many vegetables and fruits, they gained weight.  Quite the opposite.
Any time a diet suggests eliminating veggies and fruit and other good for you nutrients, even if in the short term, it’s junk and not based on one bit of science.  You can take all the pills, supplements and potions in the world.  None will ever replace a variety of colorful veggies and fruits, healthy fats, and other smart foods we need daily.

The Dukan Diet — Fat Loss Miracle or Dangerous Diet?

This is not a fat loss diet we’d recommend.  At all.  It’s too restrictive.  Not building long term habits.  And not a smart strategy for permanent fat loss success.
But one thing we always try to do is find the parallels — where do we agree vs. where don’t we.
So here you go.
The oat bran is there as a source of fiber.  That’s great.  Oat based fiber is fantastic and we should all aim to eat more.  Oatmeal and oat bran are both great sources.
Eating more lean protein — another smart move.  In our opinion, most eat too many junk carbs, so replacing them with lean protein sources is smart and has been shown to be effective for fat loss.