You can have fun, stay on a modified Dukan Diet and still lose weight
Not many people I know would want to do – or could – do total abstinence from going out to dinner and other social occasions while following the Dukan Diet four-step program to lose fat forever. Especially, in the first two stages: Attack and Cruise.
‘It’s all too hard’ is often the complaint so they drop the program all together and go back to old habits and ultimately gain more weight.
During my first six weeks on the Dukan Diet program, I was in New York for one week and in a ski resort in Canada, Silver Star, for another four. Not only did I stay (relatively) true to the Dukan Diet plan, but I actually lost 15.4 pounds (7 kilos).
It occurred to me that information about how to maintain a social life while you lose weight on The Dukan Diet is something a lot of people would want.
Here’s some ideas about losing weight on the Dukan Diet and still going out and having fun
Going out for dinner on the Dukan Diet
You can eat out and still follow the principles of the Dukan Diet: the Maria Pia Restaurant in New York City
No matter where you are, you can find a menu that works. Here’s my plan while in New York.
Firstly, I checked menus online for restaurants to see if there were any dishes that I could eat.
A great choice was Maria Pia, 319 West 51st Street.
I had Salmone alla Griglia – grilled salmon with brushed lemon herbs and roasted root vegetables and a Mista – mixed organic greens salad on the side.
Great atmosphere, the food was superb and not overlaiden with oil or fat and it was a good dish to keep up the momentum of The Dukan Diet cruise phase.
Many New York bars also serve food that works for The Dukan Diet. I found that I could order a steak and salad (sans frites) or fish and salad very easily and at reasonable prices.
Did I drink alcohol?
Can a glass or two of champagne every now and then ruin my attempts to drop a few kilos?
Well, yes – one or two glasses of red wine with dinner, a vodka and soda at The Jersey Boys on Broadway, and far too much champagne after the show at a cosy New York bar.
Eating breakfast out
I found the safest breakfast menu item was ham or bacon and eggs (poached or boiled eggs to keep fat content to a minimum and cut excess fat off the bacon).
In North America, such breakfasts tend to come with fried potatoes of some kind or other. The answer: just don’t eat them. Same for toast. This gave me a high protein breakfast with low fat that conformed to The Dukan Diet’s parameters.
Another option is to order low-fat yoghurt if the café or restaurant has it – without the muesli and without the compote of fruit.
Skim cappuccino or flat white with or without artificial sweetener is also allowed as is tea. No fruit juice though.
Eating lunch out
Beer with lunch every day and still we lost weight
If I move on to the ski resort in Canada, Silver Star, we ate lunch on the hill every day at our favourite restaurant, Long John’s Pub. We had tomato basil soup (without the cream swirl), no bread, no biscuits or soup of the day if it weren’t bacon and potato or other not-allowed foods.
The soup option proved to be a hearty meal in itself and was ideal for protein/vegetable days. At Long John’s, service is supreme so you can also ask for a burger without the bun which is another meal that is ideal if you are on the Dukan Diet.
My modified Cruise Phase while travelling
We were unable to maintain the one day protein, alternate day protein and vegetable so we tended to alternate between meals within a day.
Often dinner and the breakfast the next day would be pure protein and the lunch meal, protein and vegetable. This worked as my husband lost something like 15 kilos in 30 days on this modified plan and I lost a total of seven kilos from the time I started. BTW, we did ski every day (30 days in a row) so we were doing some serious exercise.
We also added two celebration meals a week (which is not really allowed until the third transition phase, Consolidation). We still lost weight!
Yes, we did drink alcohol
Every day with lunch at the ski resort, my husband had a beer and we both drank skinny bitches and/or wine at night – and we both still lost kilos!
So, the answer is ‘yes, you can have fun, eat out and drink alcohol and still lose weight on the Dukan Diet’.
Exercise is the key
A daily walk of 20 minutes minimum is the key to the Dukan Diet
The book, The Dukan Diet, decrees that you must do a 20-minute walk each day during the Attack and Cruise phases when you are aiming for your goal weight.
If you choose to drink alcohol of any type (not prescribed of course), additional exercise helps to compensate. Also moderate your intake of alcohol. No binging. The added upside is that you don’t wake up with a hangover.
The Dukan Diet, as prescribed by Dr Pierre Dukan, works. I am sure of that. But I have also shown that the principles of the Dukan Diet can be maintained for people who have a busy social calendar, travel a lot or simply enjoy a glass or two of wine at night with dinner.
I’ve even entertained while on the Dukan Diet and made great tasting dishes that are all allowed on the program. It can be done! This is great news for all of us who want to have a social life and still get slim and stay slim for the rest of our lives.
Note: I read the book front to back so that I had a very clear understanding about the program before I started on the socially-active modified version that I am following. Buy The Dukan Diet by Dr Pierre Dukan at bookstores or online at Amazon.
