Losing 10 pounds a week can be very enticing for a lot of people. That could explain the popularity of many fad diets such as the cabbage soup diet. This diet has been around for over 2 decades and promises you can lose 10 pounds a week by following this strict meal plan for 7 days eating mostly cabbage soup.
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.
You can eat as much cabbage soup as you want during any given day. On days 3, 5, 6 and 7 you can eat as much fruit, fish, vegetables and chicken as you want. The cabbage soup recipe is simple and consists of: cabbage, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes and any seasonings you want to add. Please keep in mind that you cannot have: alcohol, carbonated drinks, or bread.
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. Lose weight fast; most people will lose between 10 -15 pounds over the 7 days of the cabbage soup diet.
2. Inexpensive; the required ingredients for this diet plan are very inexpensive to buy.
3. Simple; no exercise or any other behavior changes are suggested, it’s only the 7 days meal plan.
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. 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. 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. Causes gas.
7. If you eat out it’s tough to follow the meal plan in a restaurant.
No matter how much we want one there is no such thing as a quick fix diet. The cabbage soup diet might help you lose some weight quickly but this is hardly a permanent, healthy weight loss solution. If you just can’t resist the idea of losing 10 pounds in a week though, at least keep these pointers in mind:
1. No kids or teenagers! This diet is for adults only.
2. This diet is only intended for 7 days. Don’t stay on it for longer than that.
3. If any health problem occurs, consult your doctor immediately.
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. 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. Even if you dont like it, force yourself to eat plenty of soup. This diet is already low in calories and you dont want to starve yourself due to your dislike to cabbage soup.
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 some vitamin and mineral supplements to help you get all the nutrients you need.
10. Make a journal to keep track your weight loss from day 1.
11. Keep track of what you’re supposed to be eating everyday, write it down on a chart if you have to.
12. Stock up. Make sure you have everything on hand for your diet before you start.
13. Drink your protein shakes. This is very important to provide your body with the protein it needs to stay strong.
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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