Did Kate Middleton Use the Dukan Diet To Lose Weight For the Royal Wedding?

Kate Middleton has definitely lost weight in preparation for her wedding to Prince William.  This has lead many people to speculate that she has used the Dukan diet to accomplish her weight loss.  Her mother, Carol Middleton, has stated that she has used the diet to lose a significant amount of weight.  The diet started in France by Dr. Pierre Dukan and has become wildly popular throughout much of Europe.  The diet is so popular in France that any celebrity or public figure who loses weight is assumed to have used the diet and is labeled a “Dukanniste”.  The diet promises no calorie counting, no hunger, instantaneous results and weight loss, and a plan for lifelong weight maintenance.  The original book which was entitled “The Dukan Diet” has sold over 3.5 million copies and has been translated into 14 different languages.  The diet is now coming to the United States with the release of Dr. Dukan’s book by Crown Publishing.  It is reported that Dr. Dukan has been paid $1.3 million in advance of the North American release of his popular book.  The diet plan is similar to the Atkins diet, and puts an emphasis on high protein, low carbohydrate eating with particular limitations on other food categories with high fat content.  The diet is made up of four phases.  The initial phase is called the attack phase and allows for quick weight loss by allowing only high protein, low fat food items with oat bran culled from the husks of the plant.  The next phase, the cruise phase, allows the addition of vegetables, but not fruits or items heavy with starch such as potatoes.  The third phase, called the consolidation phase, allows the addition of fruits and 2 slices of whole wheat bread per day.  The final phase, called the stabilization phase, should be used for lifelong weight maintenance and allows eating whatever the dieter wants but requires that they return to eating protein only meals for one day per week. In addition to the four phases, the dieters much drink at least 6 glasses of water, walk for 20 minutes per day, and eat about 2 tablespoons of oat bran.  Some critics have stated that the diet is nothing more that a fad, while some health experts have warned that the diet is unhealthy with negative long term consequences.  Only time will tell if the diet is only a fad or a legitimate weight loss program.