Cabbage Soup Diet is one of the fad diets which is designed for fast weight loss and requires no long term commitment. It is designed as seven days program where dieter will have a strict meal plans with cabbage soup as the main ingredients. The program itself is not new; it was first gained popularity at 1980s due to the claim of 10 pounds weight loss per week.
Here is the 7 day cabbage soup meal plan:
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.
Some tips you need to remember: there is no limit to how much of the cabbage soup you can eat daily. On days 3,5,6,and 7 you can also eat as much chicken, fish, fruit, or vegetables as you want. The most common recipe for cabbage soup includes: cabbage, onions, peppers, carrots and tomatoes and whatever seasonings you prefer. While on the cabbage soup diet you cannot have any bread, alcohol or carbonated soft drinks.
While it is named The Cabbage Soup Diet, there are no scientific studies that show cabbage properties to burn fat. The seven days meal plans indicate that this is another low calorie diet with 800-100 calories per day, the cabbage soup is just there to satisfy the dieter whenever he is hungry.
Pros
1. Lose weight fast; most people will lose between 10 -15 pounds over the 7 days of the cabbage soup diet.
2. No expensive ingredients; in fact, it’s very cheap.
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. You will eat more fruits and vegetables.
Cons
1. Taking in just 800-1,000 calories a day is not considered healthy unless supervised by your doctor. There is also very little protein in the program which could lead to mal-nutrition. Most doctors recommend you take in at least 1200 calories daily.
2. Continuously eat cabbage soup throughout the entire week can be really boring, which can encourage the dieter to eat less than the already low calories per day.
3. High levels of sodium or MSG contained in the soup recipe could lead to long term health issues.
4. Many believe that the majority of weight loss achieved with this diet plan isn’t fat loss but water weight loss which will be gained back as soon as the dieter returns to their normal eating habits.
5. The common cabbage soup recipes usually result in bland soup and some dieters have report to feeling nauseous whenever they smell the soup after finish the 1 week program.
6. Possibly cause frequently fart.
7. Hard to eat out since the meals in the program are not commonly served at a restaurant.
From the facts, it is obvious that this diet has many drawbacks and not recommended; many experts will suggest a traditional long term healthy diet. But it is also true that fast weight loss is really tempting and many will still try it. If you do plan to try this diet program, here are a few things to consider:
1. Only adults should use this diet plan, no children or teenagers.
2. Only go on this diet a week at a time, do not try to prolong it.
3. Talk to your doctor about any health concerns.
4. Motivate yourself by remembering it’s only 7 days and at the end of that time you could be down 10 pounds or more.
5. Stay hydrated. Drink at least 5 glasses of water every day.
6. To liven things up experiment with different seasonings.
7. No matter how bored you get with the soup, don’t skip meals. You aren’t taking in very many calories as it is, you can’t afford to lower your caloric intake any more.
8. Plan on staying home during your diet. The low calorie amount might make you feel weak, and you don’t want to have gas while out in public. If you absolutely have to go out, try to take some 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. Make a journal to keep track your weight loss from day 1.
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. Don’t skip your protein shakes. It’s important to maintain your protein levels throughout the diet.
Follow the plan carefully and stay motivated and you can lose up to 10 pounds in a week. That’s a great start for anyone!
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