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.

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. Doesn’t cost much; all the ingredients for this diet are easily found and 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 diet is very low calorie and considered unhealthy. The cabbage soup itself contains very little protein and the dieter usually will suffer lack of proper nutrition. It is not recommended to consume less than 1200 calories per day unless it is advised by a 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. The cabbage soup recipes usually contain high levels of sodium or MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).

4. Most of the weight loss with the cabbage soup diet comes from water weight, not fat loss, which will be easily put back on once you start eating the way you normally do.

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.

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

3. Consult your doctor if you have any health issues.

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 plenty of water, at least 5 glasses a day.

6. To liven things up experiment with different seasonings.

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. You should probably stay home during your diet. Not only will you feel weak due to your low calorie intake, but you don’t want to have a problem with gas while standing in the line at the grocery store!

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 a journal so you can track your weight loss.

11. Keep track of what you’re supposed to be eating everyday, write it down on a chart if you have to.

12. Keep steady supply of the ingredients, fruits, and vegetables in your refrigerator.

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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