Dreading the moment you hit the beach this summer? Does even packing your swimming costume fill you with terror?

The new Dukan summer diet could be the answer to your prayers. The high-protein, low-fat Dukan Diet weight-loss plan has taken the world by storm and now it’s been adapted for body+soul by Dr Pierre Dukan himself to get you ready for the beach.

A bestseller in Dukan’s native France for 10 years, the diet has become universally popular since launching in Britain last year. Penelope Cruz says Dukan snapped her back into shape after the birth of her daughter, and Kate Middleton’s mother, Carol, swore by it in the lead-up to the royal wedding.

It is these principles - and the speedy weight loss - that make Dukan such a perfect way to get in shape for summer, and why Dr Dukan has developed a special plan for body+soul to get you beach-ready.

We will show you how to adapt the diet to suit the amount of weight you want to lose. And the good news? You can still enjoy delicious food. Independent registered dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker agrees.

“Huge quantities of carbohydrates, particularly refined carbohydrates [white bread, pasta and rice] are just not good for your health, so the Dukan low-carb, protein-rich system strikes

a mid-balance closer to a healthy way of eating than many of us realise,” Dr Schenker says.

Today, body+soul brings you everything you need to kick-start your diet, including meal ideas. Don’t miss next week for the rest of the program.

>> How Dukan works

The Dukan Diet starts with a short, sharp Attack phase where you eat nothing but protein – just meat, fish, eggs and (unlike Atkins) no-fat or low-fat dairy products. This is the kick-start that gives you the initial, rapid weight loss (up to three kilograms in just five days), and sets the tone for the other stages of the plan. Stay on the Attack phase for one to 10 days depending on how much weight you have to lose.

This is the workhorse stage of the diet, where you alternate the pure protein days of Attack with days when you add a delicious array of unlimited salads and vegetables to your wide selection of meat, fish and no-fat dairy products.

On Cruise, you can start a meal with a salad or soup, then follow it with meat or fish and vegetables. Most dieters lose up to a kilogram a week during the Cruise phase, and stay on it until they reach their target weight.

PHASE 3: CONSOLIDATION.
 
In addition to unlimited protein and salads or vegetables, you put fruit (one piece a day), wholemeal bread (two slices), cheese and starchy foods such as pasta (in moderation) back on the menu.

You are even encouraged to have two totally unrestrained “celebration” meals a week - with alcohol, butter, bread, chocolate or any other foods you truly love, but usually feel guilty about.

Dr Dukan’s research shows thatsticking to the Consolidation stage for five days for every 450 to 500 grams you have lost allows the body to permanently establish its new equilibrium.

PHASE 4: STABILISATION.

You can eat and drink whatever you like without guilt or restriction, with one caveat: only protein on Thursdays. Forever.

FIND YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT.

Visit dukandiet.co.uk to calculate what weight is right for your body and how many days you need to spend on the Dukan Diet.

>> Get started here: the Attack phase

The Dukan summer diet kick-starts with a short, sharp Attack phase, detailed below, during which you eat unlimited quantities of meat, fish and fat-free dairy products for one to 10 days depending on how much weight you have to lose.

Dr Dukan says this initial stage of the diet is so effective because it restricts the body to protein-only foods.
Proteins pass slowly through the digestive system. Eating protein-only foods makes you feel full, so you’re less likely to have the cravings that jeopardise your weight loss.

Proteins are low in calories compared with fats and carbohydrates, and their complex structure means you burn more calories processing them than you do other foods.

The rules of the Attack phase are simple. Drink two litres of water a day, walk for 20 minutes each day and avoid butter and oil. Eat as much as you want, whenever you want, of any foods on the following list. Anything not listed is forbidden.

Dr Schenker says it’s important to include fish. “Try to include oily fish (up to two portions a week for women of childbearing age, up to four portions for men and post-menopausal women) to ensure a good intake of essential fats and fat-soluble vitamins.”

>> What you can eat

+ Lean beef, veal or rabbit, trimmed of all fat.
+ Chicken and turkey
(skin removed).
+ Low-fat ham (cut any rind off) and dried beef (bresaola).
+ Liver (beef or chicken).
+ All fish - white, oily, fresh, frozen, dried, smoked or canned (in water
or brine).
+ All shellfish
+ Up to two eggs a day. Stick to three to four yolks per week if you have high cholesterol. The white can be eaten without restriction.
+ Fat-free dairy products, such as yoghurt, cottage cheese and skim milk. Plain and flavoured yoghurts are allowed without restriction, but fruit yoghurts (which contain fruit puree) should be restricted to two
per day.
+ Sweeteners, vinegar, spices, herbs, garlic, onion, gherkins and pickled onions as condiments, lemon juice, mustard and salt in moderation, sugar-free chewing gum.

Dukan’s secret ingredient

One of the diet’s saving graces, and a key element that differentiates it from the tough no-carb Atkins regimen, is oat bran. It is rich in protein and soluble fibre, so it absorbs water in the gut, helping you feel full.

Oat bran is also great for heart health, eases constipation and, once digested, behaves like flypaper in the gut, attracting fat molecules, sugars and toxins and carrying them out of the body before they are properly absorbed.

Next week: Part 2 of your Dukan transformation.