The Dukan Diet has been one of the most popular weight-loss plans in Britain since it was launched here in April 2010 – the Duchess of Cambridge’s mother Carole Middleton used it to slim down before the Royal Wedding.

Dr. Oz has also been preaching about it recently.

“I didn’t think much of it,” he explained. “Then I began to do my homework and I had the chance to do a sit-down interview with him, and I realized what his thought was. … By the time you’ve done the first part of the diet, you’ve learned how to eat well and you’re on a program that’s not that difficult.”

Oz said he was shocked when he first read about the Dukan Diet.

“The Dukan Diet is like an Atkins Diet only you cut out fats in addition to carbs, but it’s only for a very short period of time.”

“Here’s the good part. He argues that if you can make a diet easy to do, people will stay on it…. By the time you’re done with his program, you can eat whatever you want – literally whatever you desire – except one day a week. One day a week, he wants you back on the strict diet. If you do that, he says you will not gain weight.”

From there, the one strict day a week is a reminder.

“They might gain a little bit in the six days, but they lose it in the one day, and they stay even,” Oz said.

Step 1: The Attack Phase

The initial phase of the plan limits food to just one of three food groups—protein. Though no food except egg whites is pure protein, you should aim to consume snacks and meals that are made up of foods whose composition is as close as possible to pure protein. Think: lean meats, fish, other seafood, poultry, and nonfat dairy products.

Dukan claims this is easy for everyone—even the most diet averse people—to follow because protein keeps you so full. Remain in this phase for two to seven days, depending on how much weight you want to shed. (Two days for just a bit of extra poundage, seven for a lot.)

Step 2: The Cruise Phase

Now, start to alternate the protein-heavy stage with the same diet plus any green or cooked vegetables—all you can eat. Go back and forth daily between the two, a move that Dukan claims helps to burn up a ton of calories. There’s no special breakdown of protein and veggies on the alternating days; just eat whichever you’re craving and in whatever combination you prefer.

Stick to this stage until your target weight is reached, probably about five days for every pound you want to drop. It may sound like a drag, but Dukan swears that since you can eat as much as you want, satisfaction through quantity makes up for any lack of variety.

Step 3: The Consolation Phase

This is also known as the soothing phase and yes, it’s as good as it sounds. You add two slices of bread and one portion of fruit and cheese (yesss!) to your daily diet, along with two servings of carbs and two “celebration” meals a week.

For every pound you lost, stick to this third step for five days. So if you dropped five pounds during the prior steps, you’d stay in the Consolation Phase for 25 days. Why so long? Dukan explains that the most common reasons people fail to keep off just-lost weight is that they reintroduce heavy foods in too quickly. Easing your body back into a more normal eating plan will help you from having all that hard work go to waste.

Step 4: The Permanent Stabilization Phase

Go back to eating a varied, yummy, not rigid, pretty-much-whatever-you-want-but-still-healthy diet without putting too much thought into it. Except for one day a week. For that one day, return to the Attack Phase.

More Information:

Dukan Diet Homepage – http://www.dukandiet.com/