DALLAS -- It's an oat-bran start to each day. In the form of a pancake, with no flour and no sugar.
For 37-year-old Maria Garate, she's seeing results with the Dukan Diet, created by Dr. Pierre Dukan. His program is based off of how French women stay thin.
"I hate that he calls it a diet, because to me, it’s a way of eating healthy," Garate said.
One month into the program, and Garate is motivated by her shrinking waistline.
"Nine pounds, check that out!" she said. "And I don't feel like I’ve done anything that hard."
Phase one is the attack: Four days of eating low fat, lean proteins, and nothing else.
Phase two depends on your true weight, calculated on Dr. Dukan's web site. He says once you turn 20, realistically expect to gain two pounds per decade.
Once the true weight is determined, the plan is tailored to you.
Garate will be in phase two for 79 days. She can now add in vegetables every other day, and eat that bran pancake.
The last two phases add in other foods, and even cheat days.
But Lona Sandon, a nutritionist with UT Southwestern, says the theory of eating certain foods on certain days is irrelevant.
"It doesn't matter if those calories are coming from protein, carbs or fat for weight loss," she said. "It's calories, calories, calories."
If you expend more than you put in, you'll lose weight. It's the reason she calls the Dukan Diet a fad.
"Fad diets are the fastest way to weight gain in the end," she said.
But Garate sees this as a way of life, already dropping two pant sizes by choosing healthy options.
"I feel like I am eating more than I use to," she said.
E-mail sslater@wfaa.com
