Kate Middleton's mum Carole lost four pounds in under a week with simple diet change
Princess Kate's mum, Carole, once claimed that she'd lost almost half a stone in just four days through a specific diet.
Carole Middleton, who celebrates her 70th birthday today, previously revealed that her success was due to the Dukan Diet, a low-carb, high-protein diet created by French GP Dr Pierre Dukan in the 1970s and later published as a book.
It would prove to be a bestseller, with people reportedly losing weight quickly without experiencing hunger. Meanwhile, Dr Dukan said its success was down to Carole and the fact that "it works", reports the Mail.
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Speaking to a Sunday paper back in 2010, Carole said: "I've been doing it for four days, and I've lost 4lb." People who try the Dukan Diet can expect to take a daily helping of oat bran and follow their progress through four "phases": attack, cruise, consolidation, and stabilisation.
Healthline writes that the diet begins with the individual figuring out their target weight or "true" weight, something which is calculated through various factors, including age.
When you're in the attack phase, you eat as much lean protein as you like and 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day. In the cruise phase, you switch to lean protein on one day, and non-starchy vegetables and protein on the other, with the oat bran upped to 2 spoons per day.
Once you're in the consolidation phase, you can eat as much lean protein and vegetables as you like and some carbs and fat, with the oat bran upped to 2.5 spoons.
In the stabilisation phase, the same applies while oat bran is upped to three spoons, but you should now relax the rules, providing your weight stays under control.
However, Healthline also revealed that there are a limited number of studies into the safety of the diet and it's not without its problems, including around its sustainability.
A 2020 case report highlighted how two women had bilateral multiple serous pigment epithelial detachment (PEDs) after undergoing the diet and having gastric bypass surgery.
BBC Good Food writes that there is little in the way of scientific support for the efficacy of the diet, with a number of people reportedly later regaining the weight they lost in the earlier phases.
In addition, it highlighted a study that suggests it could present potential risks for certain parts of the body, such as the cardiovascular system, kidney and liver.
Meanwhile, Healthline pointed to other possible issues, including the restrictive nature making it difficult to adhere to, allegedly being unbalanced in terms of nutrients, as well as unsustainable.
You can learn more about the Dukan Diet here. For more on losing weight, visit the NHS website here.