There are so many that I cannot mention them all in a FAQ answer. You must know that it is the food which, in my opinion, has got the most influence on the weight and makes the diet easier. First of all, it's a food that swells when in contact with water or other liquid. It can take 20 to 30 times its volume inside the stomach, increasing the time of gastric occupation and making the stomach is full and busy. It is also a really tasty, sweet, and consistent product which can be used in various ways. Moreover, oat bran has got this amazing power of confiscating calories in the small intestine and to take calories into your bowels. This caloric loss is not a really important but can be renewed and can be significant at the end. Oat bran optimises, without any violence, the intestinal transit which is often slowed down during a diet. Oat bran is cheap, which is rarely the case of diet products in general. That's not all; oat bran helps in prevent diabetes by reducing the speed and absorption of sugar. Oat bran has a great action on cholesterol and keeps from colon cancer. I do not know any other food that has so much virtues and so much positive impact on health.

There was a time when we could find some of any kind in diet shops, health or organic shop. Since I have introduced oat bran in my diet the net took it over it has been difficult to find some. No more stock because of a bad harvest? No one cares for the high demand? That has made a long time for a shortage! Shortage also increased by bulk buys of users who could finally find some. Nowadays supplies seem to be normal. We can easily find it in our usual supermarkets such as Tesco or Sainsbury's but also in organic and health food shops.

In the slimming period, attack phase and cruise phase, until you reached your true weight, the ideal is not to take more than 3 table spoons per day. A table spoon per day is not only authorised but strongly recommended. Be careful oat bran is useful to help you get slimmer by reducing your appetite and installing a small but regular leak of calories through your bowels. Two table spoons slightly increase this effect and make it easier for your intestine to work. Three table spoons further improve these actions but start to have a calorie effect. In a slimming period do not go further: you don't have anything else to expect. In the consolidation phase, try to continue in that way because you are allowed during this period to have starchy food twice a week. In the stabilisation phase oat bran is one of the three pillars to maintain your weight. You have to take three tablespoons per day. Starting from your stabilisation, you can have as much oat bran as you want. Because oat bran is natural, it can serve you. If you take important medicine, try to divide your oat bran dose during the day because oat bran slows down the transit.

That depends and can change in function of your way of living and the relationship you have with food. If you are a morning person and like to have big breakfast it's obvious that oat bran will bring you all its sweetness and will make feel fulfilled, especially if you make pancakes, porridge, or crepes. If you nibble between meals in the afternoon, 5 O' clock should be the best time. If you nibble between meals after diner and try to find happiness in empty cupboards, a Dukan pancake with fat and sugar free cocoa will be useful to be kept from temptation.

That depends on the dose of oat bran you are taking. One or two table spoons of oat bran does not have enough effect to reduce the action of your contraceptive pill even if it's a micro dosed one. If you take three table spoons and your contraceptive pill is micro dosed, take it in the evening. If it's a normal pill it does not matter you can mix them.

You have to be careful with eggs. If you do not have a threatening level of cholesterol, you can eat a whole egg yolk per day. You should make your oat bran pancake with egg whites only. If you have no cholesterol issues, have the egg whites in an unlimited amount and try to restrict yourself to 4 yolks per week, unless your doctor doesn't agree with that.

Up to 1kg of Plain fat free yoghurts along with Fat free yoghurts, such as flavoured, are allowed. Fat free fruit yoghurts or yoghurts with compote, the answer is "you can, but no more than 2 fruit yoghurts per day". This tolerance is available when you are losing weight as expected. If your weight loss is slow, do not take more than one of these yoghurts per day. Should you come across stagnation, stop them completely. In the permanent stabilisation phase, the Protein Thursday is a sentinel day. It's almost the only day that can support the weight of the week. Of course there is the CFE the contractual forgetting of escalators and the oat bran but this specific day needs all its efficiency. Consequently, on Thursday avoid fat free fruit yoghurts, the flavoured ones (coconut, vanilla and lemon) when they are chosen carefully, can sometimes be tastier and gratifying.

Carrots and beetroots are justly renowned for containing sugar; however, they do not contain that much sugar. Still, these sugars have got a quick penetration effect especially baked carrots. So the answer is: carrots and beetroots are allowed in decent quantities by avoiding sauces and oil. If you can't restrain yourself from eating only a few carrots and if you can't eat them without any dressing, keep away from them. Finally, always prioritise raw carrots to baked ones, because they are a bit slower to penetrate the blood.

The Dijon mustard strong or mild is allowed without any restriction. Grain mustard, yes and with a special recommendation because it is mild and it fits perfectly with the balsamic dressing. Avoid any other type of mustard like honey mustard for example because it is too sugary.

Right now you don't need any vitamins at all. You just have to eat enough vegetables when you are on PV. If you feel weak take some sugar free vitamin pills, however, you should feel better quickly. Go to the chemist corner of your slimming apartment to check all food complements I have studied; the ones I recommend and the less interesting ones.

You are allowed to eat brewers ‘yeast sprinkled on salad or in any other occasion. Brewer’s yeast is a great ingredient because it's filled with vitamin B and sulphured amino acids. In autumn your hair is more fragile and a brewers' yeast is the best remedy.

You will find on our website www.dukandiet.co.uk all information about the Dukan method. During your coaching you are going to receive a detailed email indicating the big principles of each phase. You will be able to keep and check them in our private forum "the big principles of the Dukan method". You will also be able to share your experience with other subscribers in the same phase as you.

Do not worry, you will receive your instructions every day and you will have your menus according to your previous report. I cannot easily anticipate what you are going to do tomorrow and send you menus in advance. Some websites do but they don't take into account your previous report. If you want to do your food shopping go to the kitchen of your slimming apartment and check the shopping list out. In general even if this diet is suited to you, the list will give you ideas about what you should have in your fridge and cupboard.

My food instructions are merely suggestions, you don't have to eat everything unless you are hungry. The principle of my plan is that you must not focus on quantities but watch over quality. I've send you some menus for diversity purposes to your diet; you are not obligated to follow them. You are free to prepare your meal as you want. The ONLY thing to do is stick to proteins only when you are on a PP day and add vegetables when you are on PV one. You have a long and detailed list; 72 sorts of protein foods and 28 varieties of vegetables and hundreds of recipes in the recipe book of your slimming apartment.

By definition the online coaching is a programme based on a daily interactivity between you and us. You need to be connected on internet so if you don't fill your report which is opened from 1 to 10.30pm every day, your personal instructions won't be changed and the general ones will then be delivered. We cannot fill your report for you. But if for some reasons you do not have an access to this report for a certain time (holidays, disease, professional reasons...) you don't have to worry your coaching will continue as long as you haven't reached your True Weight. We invite you to prepare some ideas for your menus taken from the forum or your recipe book. You also have to respect the alternation between PP/PV. At a restaurant, please select from the 100 sorts of allowed food as salads without any sauce, grilled meat or sea food, and more than everything MOVE as much as you can to burn calories. You will have to fill your report when you come back, so keep alternating without taking into account days announced in your instructions. If you are doing 2 days PP and 2 days PV it's alright as long as you keep your rhythm. If you are away more than 2 weeks, please let us know in the private answer box of your slimming apartment. This way we will be able to suspend your instructions.

Concerning eggs, if you haven't got a high cholesterol level you are allowed to eat as many egg yolks per day as you'd like and as many egg whites as you want. Should your weight loss slow down or you are stagnating, limit yourself to one egg yolk per day and an unlimited amount of egg whites.

Constipation starts when there is discomfort. This state is linked to a lack of fat food. It’s usually linked with women and can be persistent and increased by diets in general.

Food rich in proteins do not produce a lot of waste. Eggs or yoghurts do not contain any fibre; everything is assimilated without any residue. The lack of fat in food reduces the lubrication of the digestive tube. People who have the tendency to be constipated are going to be even more constipated with this diet. You should only really worried about constipation if you have abdominal pain. If it's your case start drinking 2 litres of water per day. Try to drink water high in minerals. Then do one PP day and one PV day to eat vegetables as much as possible. Do abdominal exercises by sequences of 10. Try to do at least 100 movements in a day. Eat more oat bran, about 3 tablespoons per day- and if it's not enough eat some stewed rhubarb. If you are still constipated after this, talk to your pharmacist or your doctor.

That depends on the weight you have to lose, your age and your medical antecedents. If you are heavy, you should be careful not put too much strain on your heart. You should be careful about your blood circulation, your hip joints, knees and vertebra. If you are more than 55 years old, start gymnastics progressively. If you are not too old and heavy, everything is possible but during the attack phase, the loss of weight can be stunning; combined with an excessive physical activity, it can make you tired and reduce your energy level, which is the substance of any motivation.

Concerning the pain in your leg, I know of similar cases which have improved over time. It seems that the disease wears off over the years. We are hoping you will be in that group. I feel physical activities done at home can favourably replace any other physical activities. You have to use your shoulder muscles, pectorals and abdominals as much as possible. Use your arms and when your legs are no longer bothering you, just walk. Lye on your bed with your cushion and pillow under your back to be maintained in an oblique position, slightly fold your knees and straighten up with your arms tight until you are in a vertical position. Start by doing 3 x 15 movements per day and increase it day after day if you can, until reaching 3x100 for enough calorie combustion which should be around 300 a day. This is what I do every morning so do as I do. I am, and will always be at your disposal. Please come whenever you want it will always be a pleasure.

The effects of the diet highly increase by doing physical activities: it's FUNDAMENTAL!

No diet in the world can get rid your body of cellulite. But some diets can be more efficient than others on when it comes to cellulites. These are diets are the ones that are rich in proteins. They are water repellent and act on water retention, they are not rich in toxins and don't contain alcohol, oil... That's the case with the Dukan Diet. Cellulite is a mix of family heredity (there are some families where they have thick thighs from mother to daughter) and a particular receptivity of our oestrogen hormones. In that case, you can talk to your gynaecologist to see if he can reduce the high presence of oestrogen. To treat cellulite without any surgery or liposuction, the only interesting medical solution is mesotherapy associated to a diet. Centella Asiatica is a really efficient plant; ask your doctor about it. Finally, the best treatment against cellulite is prevention. The most efficient one is to avoid gaining weight throughout the 5 days prior to your periods. During these days every ounce gained has the tendency to be changed into cellulite.

Not only is it possible but it is also desirable because if you get pregnant and you are overweight you may be putting your health at risk. I have been a practitioner for most of my working life, and have helped a lot of women lose weight.What happened quite often was that they got pregnant while they were on a diet. Others were successful in losing weight but once they got pregnant they worried about putting on too much weight. I helped them lose weight too. Whatever the case was, I provided adapted health checks for all of these mums-to-be, so if you were to get pregnant while following my diet I will ensure everything goes well in that respect.

If you are trying to get pregnant and you are following hormonal therapy, your weight is going to increase. You have to be vigilant NOW if you are not pregnant yet. If you become pregnant, remember that for the first month the foetus is tiny, which means you will be able to follow the diet as usual during the first 15 days. Then you will have to do a few PV days until the end of the first month. After that you will have to comply with a different diet scheme adjusted to your needs as an expectant mother. I will explain it to you but for now you should act right away, since hormones are a determining factor when it comes to putting on too much weight.

Not only is it, possible but it is also desirable because if you get pregnant and you are overweight you may be putting your health at risk. I have been a practitioner for most of my working life, and have helped a lot of women lose weight .What happened quite often was that they got pregnant while they were on a diet. Others were successful in losing weight but once they got pregnant they worried about putting on too much weight. I helped them lose weight too. Whatever the case was, I provided adapted health checks for all of these mums-to-be, so if you were to get pregnant while following my diet I will ensure everything goes well in that respect.

65% of women gain some weight just before their period; the ones who don’t are less in touch with their feminine side, they are not as receptive to oestrogen as other women. From the 5th to the 28th day of your cycle your body secretes oestrogen every day. This oestrogen is not completely eliminated. The consequence is that you slowly but surely accumulate enough to retain water and make your breasts grow in size. This makes you irritated and hungry. From the 20th day of your cycle this accumulation makes you notice pre period symptoms. The 25th day you have easily piled up somewhere in the region of 1 to 3 litres of water, meaning 2 to 6 pounds on the scales. As soon as you get your period your body stops secreting oestrogen, therefore after you have been putting on weight you start shedding those pounds again quickly. The morality is that during these last 5 days you shouldn’t drink too much, nor should you eat salty foods or give in to cravings.

I don't really see how your diet can have an impact on your cycle. There is only one possibility: you may be taking a micro dosed contraceptive pill and drink a lot of fluids during the day. When you take a micro dosed contraceptive pill the active dose is limited. When you drink a lot of water you are eliminating a lot of urine and your blood gets regenerated by going through your kidneys at an accelerated rate. This means you are eliminating a bit more of the hormones from the pill. So there is not enough concentration and you bleed a bit. Consequently, if that’s what’s causing the bleeding, you should either drink less or ask your doctor or gynaecologist to prescribe a slightly stronger pill. First things first, you must confirm this hypothesis by speaking with your doctor. Either way, you should not worry as it doesn't seem to be serious.

I do not fully understand the link between your diet and your sudden lack of sleep; but it can happen. Know that coffee, tea and diet coke contain caffeine. Hunger can also have an impact on your sleep. You must have a proper meal in the evening and add a tablespoon of oat bran at the end of your dinner. Oat bran is known as a hunger stopper and acts slightly as a sedative. You can also ask your pharmacist for some Valerian or Passionflower.

You’ll find that your weight is at its most consistent when you get up in the morning, before eating, after having gone to the bathroom. In the end what really counts is that you always weigh yourself at the same time and wearing the same outfit (preferably lightly clothed).

The online coaching is not suitable for vegetarians as it does not take into consideration vegetarian particularities. That being said , if you do wish to follow the Dukan method by yourself, you will have to adjust your diet by introducing soy steaks, tofu, a lot of dairy products, eggs (one yolk for three whites). You will have to increase your consumption of oat bran to 4 tablespoons per day. You also will have to take two tablespoons of lentils per day on your PP day, but when you are on PV you can eat as much as you want.

You have just discovered the difference between a statue and a living being. Only the first has got a stable weight. A woman's body naturally contains more water than a man's. It undergoes influx and reflux. It's completely normal and it takes people to weigh themselves every day to notice that. Don’t worry, your weight is coming down and that's the most important thing. Your weight will always fluctuate sensibly depending on whether you are retaining or eliminating water in/out of your body.

Drink less, no more than one litre per day. Do that for 4 days. Avoid eating dishes with a high sodium content like smoked salmon for example. If you are constipated use a glycerin suppository and make a sauce with paraffin oil. You can also take a drainer to help.

You lost 10 pounds and I think this is EXTRAORDINARY considering your slip-ups. Moreover losing weight as quickly as you did means your body has to stop in its tracks for a short while in order to adjust to the weight loss process. Your body doesn't like to see its reserves melting and it takes it some time to adapt. Believe me, this stagnation occurs in every diet, especially when the weight loss is fast, but I assure you the weight will keep dropping at about 2 pounds a week now. Keep at it and come back in a few days to let me know. Until then, make sure you exercise and if you can push yourself a little bit more, it will help you go onto a new threshold faster.

You are telling me that you followed fully followed your diet and haven't lost weight but that you still lost 1 to 2 inches on your waist, hips and thighs. If you properly measured then you have lost pounds indeed. So why doesn’t it show on the scale? This is because your body retained water at that same time. Did you know that a litre of water weighs 2 pounds? I suggest you do 2 days PP and walk for 45 minutes a day for two days. Drink no more than one litre water and avoid salt wherever possible.

Yes, it's completely normal and I am going to tell you why: when on a diet with pure proteins and no vegetables, you are following the most efficient diet in the world. Moreover this diet is water-repellent: proteins will ‘chase’ water out of your body. So when you weigh yourself, you take into account both the fat loss and the water loss. So on the scale the loss is really important and it works wonders to reinforce your motivation. When you add vegetables you add more water and minerals, therefore you minimise the loss of water. So you keep on losing weight, but a little bit less. At the same time the water you had ‘chased out’ is coming back, which is ‘hiding’ the fat loss. On the scales you have a feeling of stagnation. But as soon as you are taking pure proteins again, water and weight are adding up and weight loss is appearing again. The one thing to avoid is to lose confidence when you reach that stagnation phase. In fact every time you slip-up you are putting a huge strain on your body and this is more likely to play tricks on your weight than anything else.

Skipping a meal is a big no-no. First of all if you haven't had lunch you are more than likely to be starving by 5 pm approximately. 5pm is not a good time to be looking for a healthy meal, as only vending machines might have their door open. Now imagine you managed to control yourself until dinner time. You will inevitably eat more and turn to foods that will fill you up more like fatty and starchy foods, bread and meals with sauce. But worse still, your body is going to penalize you by taking full advantage of these inappropriate foods you are taking in. Not skipping meals means your body takes reasonable profit from this regular source of energy. Let's imagine your body is using around 70%-75% of the food you eat. Say you skipped breakfast. Not only will you eat more but your body is going to be using 95% of your next meal. In the end you lose. Skipping a meal is a sure way to gain weight. Don’t think you’ve got no time to: grab a yoghurt, shake it, open it, drink it and you’re done! It’s enough to calm you down. So please do eat at each meal.

Thyroid illness is a big problem in the fight against obesity. First of all, some people are not aware of having thyroid problems (insufficiency or lazy thyroid) and they get bigger slowly, at a medium pace or sometimes quickly. When you discover you have a thyroid problem, it’s often after you’ve piled on those extra pounds. When the thyroid problem is found early you can be given treatment. But you may have to wait before you can see the results of the treatment, and during that time you will keep on gaining weight. Doctors who haven’t encountered many cases of thyroid illness will remain sceptical; take their time to reach a definite diagnosis and space out the check-up doses -TSH-. None of these things make losing weight any easier. If you look at it, even when receiving proper treatment, that treatment is still different from what your thyroid used to secrete. ‘Ready to wear’ and ‘made to measure’ are not quite the same. BUT all this is to tell you that with a well-adapted treatment, you can lose weight, I promise. I would say people with a thyroid illness have to be a little more serious than others.

Your tiredness cannot come from your thyroid if your TSH is perfect. Are you stressed? Is your blood pressure low? Do you sleep well? Are you depressed? All these factors can make you tired. About your diet, you have to eat enough and eat a lot of protein too. You must not drink more than a litre and a half per day and more importantly, do not exclude salt from your diet. Follow your instructions carefully and go walking, even if you are tired to start with. Remember: walking alleviates tiredness.

I don't see a direct link between the diet and your headache. It is possible that if your weight loss is quick, it might slightly decrease your blood pressure and make your headache a bit more sensitive but there is no way it can activate a crisis. So check your blood pressure with your doctor and if it's low try to eat a bit more salt and drink a bit more as well. If your blood pressure is normal, it's maybe that your diet makes you stressed and increases your sensitivity to headaches. In that case try to vary your food. Try to eat fish instead of meat. Do not forget seafood, shrimps and try every kind of poultry. Don’t get stuck on chicken, try roast turkey with garlic. Don't eat only classic dairy products but think of fat free cottage cheese for example. You should also try to do one day PP and one day PV.

If you have a bad breath you should be happy because that means that you are getting slimmer and you will get slimmer fast. Your breath became worse because by losing some weight you burn fat and eliminate waste through this combustion. That's the momentary ransom of your weight loss. The Dukan diet is rich in proteins and so put the accent on this phenomenon because of blood ketosis. This ketosis really calms your appetite down but gives you a bad breath. Adding oat bran to your diet makes your breath better. Drink more you will more eliminate by urine and less by breathing. Do not forget to have sugar free chewing gums.

If you want a sincere and frank answer, I have to say that there is no efficient solution to your problem. About your breasts we haven't got any solutions to reduce your weight without any consequence for your breasts. It depends on your breast size and also what is fat and mammary gland. If you easily lose it that means that your breast has got more fat than glands. For thighs it's the opposite. Your body keeps your saddlebags as its last energy source. If just do a simple diet you will easily get the top of your body thinner and not lose so much on the bottom. On the medical side, there’s a small solution to improve that weight loss. It's called Centella Asiatica. Only your doctor can prescribe it to you. The last solution is plastic surgery but it an expansive and intrusive solution.

Do you think that you are tired because of the diet but you were not before starting it? In that case it's quite rare but possible. That can come from the fact that you don't eat enough. Do not forget that quantities are not limited. Meat is the best way to avoid tiredness especially beef. Tiredness can also come from salt and water. Salt has got an influence on blood pressure. By eating without salt you reduce from at least one point your blood pressure. Drinking too much water (more than 2 litres) is tiring too. Water cleans blood and makes the blood pressure decrease. The worst case is the association of both. Try not drinking too much in the evening. Like that you will not have to go to urinate in the night. If tiredness is persisting check your blood pressure and tell your doctor that usually a similar diet is not supposed to tire you out.

If you are less than 50 years old, you haven't any disease no cardiac or kidney risk or you are not depressed, insulin dependent, anorexic, or bulimic there is no need to worry. Especially because one of the best trumps of the Dukan diet free is access to foods rich in protein and vegetables. Starting from 50 years old it's good to see your doctor for a check-up with a little biological assessment to look for any potential thyroid problem and hormonal problems with water retention. The ideal is to have a doctor who knows you enough to help you follow your diet and take your blood pressure. Getting slimmer is a difficult and unnatural act. Any help is precious and welcome.

You can easily change your personal information (email address, picture, avatar..) inside the "my account" of your slimming apartment or through the link "my profile" in the identification space. You will have to write your login and password. We ask you to check your information carefully before confirming. Alternatively, you can send us a message through your slimming apartment.

No, because each restaurant has got its specialities, its own dishes and menus. If you can choose the restaurant, you can adjust it according to your diet. In my diet you are able to eat wherever you want; the only thing is it has to propose meat, fish seafood, poultry and offal. If you are on a PV phase it will not be difficult. Think about smoked salmon, a universal meal. Green beans and spinach are usually a side dish vegetables as well as salads. The only problem is wine, bread and dessert. You must say No to each of them. Take a coffee and after the bill just run to grab one or two, even three yogurts. Do not forget about Diet Coke, which will help you not to order any dessert. There is much to say about Japanese or Chinese restaurants, even the Fast Food ones where you can eat only the meat without the bread. The idea of losing weight and of being on a diet might be evanescent but think about the seducing picture of you with fewer kilos.

Stopping to smoke is so important for your health that when you have taken your decision it's better to give it the absolute priority. If you have the choice please give greater place to your weaning than your weight loss. If you want to do both at the same time, you can, but it's difficult to succeed in both. Tobacco weaning has to be total and done separately during 10 days. Starting from the 11th day it's possible to start losing weight. To avoid too much frustration, you have to be helped by one of the major trumps of the Dukan diet: no quantities restriction. You have to vary the food and not eating the same meals every day just by laziness. Thus you have to be imaginative and accept to cook more. You must use all aromas and spices you can and all kind of sugar free sodas. Drink tea to compensate nicotine. Increase your use of oat bran with pancakes or crepes. Ask your doctor for some help too and make a fragrance box against tobacco.

To be able to join the chat, you have to install JAVA or update your software. Then you just have to be there at the time given by Dr Pierre Dukan in the rubric "chat online" and write your question. All chats transcripts are made public in the same day on the homepage of our website. If you cannot attend at the given time, you can still ask your question by advance and when your question is selected you will find your answer in the review. For a quick answer we also invite you to use the research engine in your slimming apartment "chat online".

All of your recipes can be found in the recipe book of your slimming apartment. You can easily find them by using search engine. The keyword can be a food name or the title of a recipe. In the recipe book, you can also check all starters freely, main courses and desserts proposed during your coaching. In the forum you can easily find more recipes posted by our members or moderators and classified by category.

There is nothing worse than having to choose by yourself the moment of your trial. Being the victim and the torturer at the same time let too many facilities to the victim. The trick is to pick the torturer from outside. This Thursday would be the only feeding obligation you will have to do to be kept away from your overweight pre-disposal. Stick to this Thursday whatever happens except in a major case. if Thursday is really impossible, you may choose another day but you have to stick to it from here on out. It's on very bad days that you are more exposed to fall again. You cannot imagine how a single day can have you avoid weakness.