Cabbage Soup Diet " Surviving the Seven Days Program | Lifestyle

Cabbage Soup Diet " Surviving the Seven Days Program

by StefanVincent

You may have heard of the Cabbage Soup diet before, it's been around since the 1980's. The idea is to to use this strict meal plan with cabbage soup as the center of all of your meals for 7 days and you will lose 10 pounds in that week.

An example of the 7 days meal plans:

Day 1: Fruit; any fruit except banana, protein shake, fat burner drink, lemon water or herbal water and of course, cabbage soup Day 2: Vegetables; vegetables, cabbage soup, protein shake, fat burner drink, lemon water or vegetable juice, baked potato Day3: Fruit and Vegetables; fruit, cabbage soup, vegetables, protein shake, fat burner drink, lemon water or vegetable juice. Day 4: Bananas; cabbage soup, low fat dairy product, banana, protein shake, water with lemon or herbal flavoring. Day 5: Fish and Tomatoes; cabbage soup, poultry or fish with tomatoes, protein shake, fat burner drink, water with lemon or herbal flavoring. Day 6: Poultry; chicken or fish, cabbage soup, vegetables, protein shake, fat burner drink, lemon water or vegetable juices. Day 7: Rice: mushroom risotto, cabbage soup, vegetables, fat burner drink, protein shake, lemon water or vegetable juices.

Notes that there is no limit for the consumption of cabbage soup at any day, the dieter can eat as much as he wants. On day three, five, six, and seven, there are no limits for fruit, vegetables, fish, and poultry consumption. The recipes of the soup itself usually consist of cabbage, carrots, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with preferred seasonings. The program also forbid alcohol, bread, and carbonated beverages.

The cabbage soup diet is a little misleading in that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that cabbage burns any more fat than any other type of vegetable. The reality is that people lose weight because of the excessively low calorie intake which is between 800-1,000. The diet would probably produce the same results with many other varieties of vegetable soup.

Pros

1. Fast weight loss; the dieter can expect to lose 10 to 15 pounds at the end of the program.

2. Inexpensive; the required ingredients for this diet plan are very inexpensive to buy.

3. Easy: all you have to do is follow a simple diet plan. No other life style changes are needed and it only lasts 7 days.

4. Encourage the dieter to eat more fruit and vegetables.

Cons

1. The extremely low daily calorie of this diet is not a healthy way to lose weight. There is a very small percentage of protein in the diet plan which can actually hurt you due to the lack of proper nutrition. Most people should get at least 1200 calories a day, unless specifically told otherwise by their doctor.

2. Eating this fairly bland soup almost exclusively for a week will get really boring which might make you want to skip meals and lowering your already dangerously low calorie intake.

3. Most cabbage soup recipes are high in sodium or monosodium glutamate.

4. There is theory that the weight loss mainly comes from fluid or muscle mass, not fat loss, which will return once the dieter back to the normal eating behaviors.

5. Most cabbage soup recipes are very bland and dieters have reported feeling ill just by the smell of this bland soup after their 7 day diet is over.

6. Flatulence (farting) is a common, and unwelcome, side effect of the diet.

7. If you eat out it's tough to follow the meal plan in a restaurant.

As with everything the field of weight loss is constantly changing as new techniques are explored. Today most people know that starving themselves is not the way to achieve a permanent weight loss and healthy body. But we all know that the idea of a quick fix can be very appealing so if you think you have to give the cabbage soup diet a try, keep these things in mind:

1. No kids or teenagers! This diet is for adults only.

2. Only go on this diet a week at a time, do not try to prolong it.

3. If any health problem occurs, consult your doctor immediately.

4. While on the diet keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself it's only 7 days and you can lose up to 10 pounds.

5. Drink at least 5 glass of water per day.

6. Try different variety of spices and seasoning to minimize boredom from eating cabbage soup continuously.

7. Don't skip your meals, no matter how bored you might be getting with the soup you can't risk lowering your calories any more than they already are.

8. Try to keep stay at home, you will probably too weak from the low calorie foods and to gassy from mass quantities of cabbage. If you are away from home, carry your cabbage soup with you.

9. Take your vitamins (and minerals) you have to make sure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

10. Keep track of your progress by using a daily journal.

11. Use a reminder to make sure you eat the right food of the day.

12. Before you start your diet, make sure you have all the ingredients you need for the diet plan.

13. Drink your protein shakes. This is very important to provide your body with the protein it needs to stay strong.

The bottom line is keeping yourself healthy and stay focused during the entire process, you will gain significant weight loss at the end of the program.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

Applying a fad diet for long period is not recommended. Use the guide from Diets That Work to teach you in picking the best from a list of selected weight loss program to maintain your gained weight loss and continue the process.