CABBAGE SOUP DIET
If you have a special occasion coming up or you simply need to lose weight fast, the Cabbage Soup Diet may be just what you need.
Although not suitable for long-term weight loss, the Cabbage Soup Diet is a low-fat, high-fiber diet that will help you get into shape fast before you embark on a more moderate long-term eating plan.
Pros and Cons of the Cabbage Soup Diet:
Pros:
You’ll lose weight fast, and for the week, you can eat as much of the foods listed in the program as you want.
Although the diet is only for seven days (and shouldn’t be followed for longer), it provides a great “kick-start” for a more moderate diet.
Cons:
Some people find the soup bland.
Others report feeling light-headed, weak, and have suffered from decreased concentration (although I hear that many people think the diet is worth the effort anyway, since they lose so much weight!).
What the Cabbage Soup Diet is NOT:
The Cabbage Soup Diet is sometimes referred to as the “Mayo Clinic Diet,” the “Sacred Heart Hospital Diet,” and by many other names. Interestingly, this diet is not affiliated with either the Mayo Clinic or the Sacred Heart Hospital system.
Number 1 Reason why the Cabbage Soup Diet Fails
As mentioned, the soup can tend to get a bit bland, especially since you are eating it several time a day….every day for a week. For this reason alone, a lot of people drop the diet.
For some additional flavour, add dried herbs, eg. Basil. Sage, Origanum & Parsley, as well as some crushed garlic (all according to your own preferences).
The Problem With Most “Mainstream” Diets
Most diets – especially “mainstream” diets, and those recommended by major medical institutions – work slowly but surely, resulting in around of ½ kg weight loss per week.
This “slow and steady” way to lose weight is certainly healthy, but suffers from one major flaw: most people get discouraged and quit whatever diet they are on if they don’t see results quickly. This is how the Cabbage Soup Diet can be your savior and catalyst into a more long term solution.
Seven Keys to Success
Follow the diet to the letter!
Drink at least 4 glasses of water per day (or more!).
Remember – it is only seven days long!
Complement the diet with a quality daily multi-vitamin.
Print information from this site and refer to it daily (especially the 7 Day Plan!).
Eat plenty of soup – the more you eat, the more you should lose! Do not try to starve yourself or you’ll probably cheat (this is what we don’t want).
Ingredients:
2 large white onions
1 or 2 garlic cloves (garlic lovers: add an extra 1 or 2 cloves!)
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
3 carrots
1 punnet of mushrooms
1 bunch of celery
Half a head of cabbage
Seasoning (to taste, eg. Dried Basil, Dried Sage, etc.)
Method:
Slice or dice onions with garlic, put in a very large pot.
Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot (seeds and membranes removed).
Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.
Clean carrots, mushrooms, and celery, cut into bite size pieces and toss them in. Add tomatoes.
Use about 12 cups of water, cover and put heat on low. Let soup simmer for a long time – about 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Your 7 Day Eating Plan –
Day One:
Fruit:
Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas).
Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day.
For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.
Day Two:
Vegetables:
Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice.
Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn.
Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup.
At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter.
Do not eat fruit today.
Day Three:
Mix Days One and Two:
Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want.
No Baked Potato.
Day Four:
Bananas and Skim Milk:
Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup.
This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.
Day Five:
Beef And Tomatoes:
Up to 560g of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes.
Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body.
Eat your soup at least once this day.
You may eat boiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute boiled fish for beef on one of the beef days (but not both).
Day Six:
Beef and Vegetables:
Eat to your heart’s content of beef and vegetables this day.
You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables.
No Baked Potato.
Eat your soup at least once.
Day Seven:
Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself.
Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.
Day 8 and Beyond:
The Cabbage Soup Diet is not suitable for long-term weight loss.
The Diet is a low-fat, high-fiber diet that will help you get into shape fast before you embark on a more moderate long-term eating plan.
Many struggle in long-term plans due to lack of willpower.
Source: Martie White
