pp and pv days at the cruise stage

I'm still waiting on my book (which has been dispatched from amazon) but in the meantime I'm a little unsure as to the best 'formula' for the pp/pv days after the attack phase. I'm thinking alternate days pv/pp for me is preferable but does the 5 day pp and then 5 day pv encourage better weight loss?

it's the rumour that it does yes, but I'm being coached online and 'Dukan' told me to do alternating days so I don't really buy into it too much. I personally think that 1/1 is much easier and will keep you sane and much more likely to not give in and eat other stuff!

I'm meeting it halfway by doing 3 days PP / 3 days PV.

I think it's best to do whatever you feel most comfortable doing.

Thanks I'm going to stick with alternate days for now as it seems to be working.

Beleth - how are you finding this.
How much does it cost.
Do you think it is worth it in hindsight.

frank wrote:Beleth - how are you finding this.
How much does it cost.
Do you think it is worth it in hindsight.

I think this really depends on what kind of person you are and if the money is a big sacrifice or not a big deal.
I am very lucky that I started the diet with my mom and she is paying for the coaching for both of us. I think it was about 250€ each so it is quite a batch of money!

In my opinion you don't get that much really. Every day you are sent an email with recipe ideas to follow and the exercise you should be doing (mostly the same but seems to increase every month how much). If you are craving something the computer will reply with ideas of what you can do etc but it's very limited, always the same and obviously a computer.
You then also have the option for one hour a day to talk to Dukan and his team (in english i suppose only his team) and ask him any questions, as well as a forum where everybody discusses things but the team makes sure the correct info is being passed along and the option to send questions to the team that will be answered. You are asked everyday to give your measurements and note if you have sinned, what your motivation levels are, and if you are craving anything in particular.

I would recommend it to anyone who would be able to afford it and likes the security of knowing that if you're stuck someone will be there to help and give you the *correct* answers. Also to those who would be motivated by having spent this money for it to see it through.
From reading forums and some of the unofficial websites there are quite a few mistakes and info lacking but if you have the book and keep track of your measurements and weight yourself and try to find answers needed from forums like this *and use common sense* then really I don't think it's worth it.

Thanks for the quick response Beleth.
Do they really ask you to weigh and measure on a daily basis and do you do that through all the stages?

I do not have the book yet - just ordered so not sure how long amazon will take to despatch.

I have been reviewing everything on this site to amke srue I am doing it 'right' as best I can until the book arrives.
Does the book have recipes - that is the biggest challenge - variety and creativity and skill.

i don't have the book myself but it does have some recipes. Actually when you pay for the service they also offer up a portal with lots of recipes - but unless you speak french the english site will take longer to be up and running than for you to get a book I think. Once this diet really gets going there will be lots of ideas all over the net - so again i'm not convinced paying to be coached would be such a bonus for this aspect either.

I have a facebook group called the 'Dukan Dieters' where I tried to explain the first 2 stages in more detail that I'd found around - the one on this site explains it very well though and in my opinion is only really missing the 'tolerated' items and the mention of needing to do sports.

I totoally agree with you Beleth that 1+1 is the most acceptable alternation. 5+5 is hard. 5 continuous days without vegetable...jesus. From the 3rd day I would feel my inside burning...(not that kinda 'hot' inside burning, lol). The lack of vege fibers and juice bring me some deserted feeling.

But I am curious why Dukan suggests a 5+5 alternation. Is it the most effective one according to experimental records?

In the book Dukan said that he intially recommend a 5/5 cycle because that was the most effective over a short period. However a 1/1 cycle is easier and, importantly, achieves the same results as the 5/5 in the long run. So, if you're willing to give yourself a break and not worry about the weight for 20 days you will discover you have lost the same amount in those 20 days whether you do 5/5 or 1/1.

Basically if two identical people did the Dukan and one did 5/5 and the other did 1/1 - after a 20 days both would see the same results.

I'm going to aim for a 1/1 ratio because I think I would find that easier to follow. However am not going to stick to this rigidly because in May if I do a 3/3 ratio, it means that all the times I am going out to eat 1 will be on pv day which gives me a better chance of not cheating!

Simon wrote:In the book Dukan said that he intially recommend a 5/5 cycle because that was the most effective over a short period. However a 1/1 cycle is easier and, importantly, achieves the same results as the 5/5 in the long run. So, if you're willing to give yourself a break and not worry about the weight for 20 days you will discover you have lost the same amount in those 20 days whether you do 5/5 or 1/1.

Basically if two identical people did the Dukan and one did 5/5 and the other did 1/1 - after a 20 days both would see the same results.

Thank you Simon! Nobody has ever been able to answer that mystery for me before!