The 4 stages of Dukan diet

The Dukan Diet gained in prominence when it was credited with Kate Middleton's svelte figure. The diet, launched in France and hailed as the “easier Atkins”, promises weight loss while eating as much meat, fish and fat-free yogurt as the dieter likes. In a nutshell, the Dukan Diet consists of four stages.

In the first stage, Attack stage, you live on only protein-rich foods for up to ten days. The time spent on this phase depends on how much weight you have to shed. The Attack phase involves having eggs for breakfast, fish for lunch and steak for dinner. Other foods in this phase are lean and skinless chicken, turkey, lean ham, sea food such as crab and mussels, cottage cheese and skimmed milk. These must be cooked minus added fat but you can use spices, lemon, vinegar and soy sauce to season them. In addition, dieters have about two tablespoons of oat bran each day for fibre and at least 1½ litres of fluids such as water, tea, coffee and herbal teas.

The Cruise stage is next, which involves adding unlimited amounts of certain vegetables every other day. If you make it to your goal weight without falling off the Dukan wagon, you can enter the Consolidation phase. This is when 'normal' foods — such as bread, breakfast cereals, fruit, pasta, rice, oils and butter along with the odd glass of alcohol — are gradually re-introduced. Dieters have to follow the Consolidation phase for five days for every pound lost on the diet. While this diet insures rapid weight loss and is comparatively simple, eating around three or four times your daily protein quota can put a strain on the kidneys. In spite of the oat bran, daily fibre intakes are usually lower than targets, which can cause constipation.