Dukan Diet: Bad breath, constipation and sex appeal?

Does the Dukan Diet work miracles or make you constipated with bad breath?

/ istockphoto

(CBS) It warns of bad breath, constipation and fatigue, but the Dukan Diet also comes with a big promise - to make you thin really quickly.

The diet is named after Dr. Pierre Dukan, a 69-year-old French neurologist whose books have already sold millions of copies and been translated into 14 languages. Dukan's big idea, which he says he stumbled upon four decades ago, is either being touted as an Atkins look-alike or the secret to keeping French women thin.

What's the truth?

"It's a high protein, low carb, very restrictive diet," registered dietitian Keri Glassman explained on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning." "The star players of this diet are lean protein, oat bran, and water. And ultimately, it promises that you can eat whatever you want.

"It's very similar to (the) Atkins (diet)," she added, "except it focuses on lean protein, and you are not allowed to have the fat."

Actually, you're not allowed to have much of anything, which might explain why it promises weight loss of two pounds a week.

The diet has four stages: attack, cruise, consolidation and stabilization. In attack mode, you eat nothing but lean protein, a bit of oat brain and lots of water. In cruise, you stick with lean protein, add move oat bran and mix in non starchy vegetables every other day. In consolidation, you get wild and crazy, adding two slices of bread, an apple and a slice of cheese. You also get two "celebratory meals" in which you can mostly eat what you want. After you have lost enough weight, you hit the stabilization phase, in which all kinds of yummy foods like fried chicken and mac and cheese find their way onto the menu.

There's also an exercise component, but it's light enough to appeal to most - 20 minutes of walking a day and no elevators. Hope you don't work in the Empire State Building.

What do the experts think?

"This is just another one of those diets invented by a charismatic individual who makes a lot of promises and has loads of testimonials but is not based on any scientific data whatsoever," Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at Harvard, told the Times.

Ouch.

"This is not something I'm a fan of, Glassman told Rebecca Jarvis on the Early Show. "I think a lot of Americans are gonna try it, because of all of the success ... across the pond. However, it is not something to do for lifelong weight loss, and especially for lifelong health."

But that hasn't stopped Dukan from energetically bringing his pitch to America.

"My dear friends, today I am reaching out to you with the certainty that I can help you put an end to the inevitability of weight problems in North America," he wrote in the preface of the American edition, according to the New York Times.

With one third of Americans struggling with obesity and type-2 diabetes on the rise, helping us drop a few pounds would be a welcome piece of cross-Atlantic good will.

Perhaps it's worth putting up with some bad breath and constipation.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Does the Dukan Diet make sense or is it just another unhealthy fad?

[vfalletich]

Diets are diets and EVERYONE has something to say about why they are bad....but so is being over weight! The fact is if you find a "diet" that works for you and helps you to eat healthy with less bad food then DO IT. I completed this diet, lost 35lbs and have keep them off. For me, the success came from the high protein keeping me from feeling hungry all day and since there isnt a bunch of sugar involved I felt great. The 1st few days are harder due to your body "breaking up" with fat and sugar, but man after that I felt great and the fast weight loss was very motivating. Even with the celebration meals I was still losing and it trained my body to bounce back after periods of high calories. I put this to the test during holidays for sure. I did gain 5lbs over the course of a month of heavy eating and no protein Thursdays, but after only 5 days of high protein/veggie days it was gone. Good luck to the people who care enough about themselves to try something. For those that would rather spend their time telling you it wont work then encouraging and supporting others goals....GET A HOBBY :)

[TeaM24]

Hi - I also had great success with this diet. No starving, enjoying food and really fast results. You can see that this diet really works on your fat reserve as your muscles become more toned and I lost cellulite. Yay! For everyone who is skeptical about the lasting results - well if you eat junk before and didn't exercise and you are planing to go back to that life style, I can guarantee you will gain weight. Isn't the whole purpose of any diet to change your lifestyle habits and start living healthier. This dukan diet definitely teaches that. So go on and try it!

Tea
<a href="http://www.firmthighsandbutt.com"<Firm Thighs and Butt</a>

[englishjayne]

Hi everyone I am from a village called New Hartley in England,I personally have lost 1stone 6llbs and in the village its self all together we must of lost over 20 stones.We love the dukan diet and our village is looking a lot fitter.;-)

[UltraDeb]

Oh puh-lease-all these doctors with their "expert" advice, naysaying every diet that actually WORKS. Humans haven't always had potatoes, bread, pasta and cake in their diets. But humans HAVE always had meat and plants in their diet. I've walked through the Museum of Natural History about a dozen times, and I have yet to see evidence of widespread obesity among prehistoric man, unlike modern Americans. Who cares at this point whether this diet or diet diet is "healthy." Two in three Americans is overweight or obese. I call that a health epidemic. Bah-humbug to the so-called "experts." If it works, DO IT. The Dukan Diet is the only diet I've ever done where I haven't felt nonstop HUNGER, that constant sensation that my hunger was never being truly sated. Overweightness isn't caused by a lack of willpower, and eating a "balanced diet" won't get you think if you're already fat. Being fat is a result of elevated INSULIN. Cutting carbs out of your diet gets your insulin under control, which in turn reduces hunger and cravings. I gained about 15 pounds after I quit smoking in October. I've done Dukan for three weeks now, and I've lost half the weight already. I haven't been hungry or had uncontrollable cravings AT ALL. The constipation? Take your two tablespoons of oat bran per day, and you should be fine, especially after you get to the Cruise Phase and can eat vegetables on alternate days. And the bad breath? That's the signal that you're losing weight. It means your body is in a state of ketosis, and those ketones are released in your breath and urine. Nothing that a box of Smints can't handle.

[Moresque]

Good for you, Deb. However, there was an article published today (in French, quite extensive) that showed that 75 % of Dukan dieters regained their weight within two years (80 % according to another survey), 35 % within a year. 11 % started gaining weight back within three months.

http://*******.com/3svvtos

(Don't worry, it's not a spam scam or anything like that.)

[amaustralian]

Done it. Just lost 19 kg or 41.88783 pounds. It was so easy and took me 6 months. Never been hungry. But my cholesterol jumped up.

[Suzie_Dsouza]

The Dukan Diet is essentially a low fat high protein diet in which you consume foods that our ancestors once ate, that aims to help weight loss . The diet aims to allow you to lose weight the natural way by consuming foods that our ancestors , & The protein-rich Dukan Diet claims to help people lose weight by cutting down carbohydrate intake (thus lowering calorie consumption) and by boosting the body's metabolism and bringing back the natural balance of energy intake.
http://www.whatisguide.net/0512-dukan-diet-plan.html

[sherinola]

sorry to be a ninny...but there's a typo midway in the article:
"add move oat bran"

[itrain98098]

This statement is pretty silly:

"It's very similar to (the) Atkins (diet)," she added, "except it focuses on lean protein, and you are not allowed to have the fat."

There are only three macro nutrients: protein, fat and carbs. If you are on the original Atkins diet (who knows what has happened since he died) or some other low carb diet you are eating a high fat diet since people can only eat so much protein.

This sounds like a simple starvation diet with a tiny menu.

Atkins induction may be extreme for most Americans but the post induction diet is not. Eating doughnuts for breakfast, french fries and a sandwich for lunch, chips for snacks, bread with a pasta dinner and finishing off with cheesecake for dessert is extreme.

You can lose weight on ANY diet which means that there is an endless supply of diet ideas. ANY diet will cut out cookies and ice cream to begin with and you will lose that 5 lbs or so when you deplete your glycogen. That really is a water weight loss.

In order to lose weight over the long run and keep it off you have to fix your fat burning metabolism by cutting out enough carbs to make you lean enough to be satisfied.

[wentra]

What is oat brain and how do I add move? Whew, terrible editing job on this article.

[marianmaj]

Why do people make comments on diets they never tried? I am a Pilates personal Trainer and LOVE the Dukan Diet! Researched it; pre-ordered book and started just by reading info online. Lost 6 pounds in ONE week. NEVER hungry ever!! I only wanted to lose 6-8 pounds. I have put clients on the HCG diet and they lost up to 68 pounds safely. HCG was too little food for me and i was hungry all the time. Most people just eat too many carbs; even the "good" carbs must be consumed with care. The only thing i do not agree with is Dukan lets you have diet soda in small amounts which I believe is poison. But he does let you have one glass of wine once a week (eventually) which is fun!