Cabbage soup diet is a seven day program for quick weight loss. Though it cannot be labeled the best fat burning diet it can help you get there. Leap into this diet with your eyes open. Some followers of this diet have lost upto 10 pounds but this may not be the case with everyone. Considering the amount of money people spend on weight loss products, the cost of weight loss by following a cabbage soup diet is comparatively minimal.
You would probably think that going through a cabbage soup diet would make you swear off cabbage for life! But it really doesn’t happen that way. You actually get to like the soggy thing. Ask me, I have been there, done that and it has helped me in changing eating habits. Cabbage is a low calorie leafy vegetable that is easily found in local neighborhood stores. It will stay fresh for a long time if refrigerated (not frozen). I have been eating red cabbage lightly sautéed and quite like it. Use either the red cabbage or the pale green variety to make cabbage soup.
Before you start on a cabbage soup diet you must be committed to see it through. While you are going through it, never for a moment think that when this is over, you will be going on a spree of eating those good ole fries. Treats can be allowed after you finish with this seven day weight loss plan, but in moderation. And once you finish with the seven days, you should be prepared to maintain weight loss by recognizing the benefits of healthy eating. Have a missionary zeal towards keeping the weight off. Soon you will be wondering why you did not think of this before. Going completely natural is one of the healthy trends that must be encouraged in your own personal life.
What is in a cabbage soup diet ?
Half a head of cabbage is cooked in 12 cups of water with spring onions, tomatoes, green pepper, carrots, (all cut into small bits) and seasoned with pepper, crushed garlic, parsley, and any other herbs. You can sauté the veggies lightly before adding water and simmering it till the veggies are cooked. Eliminate the salt totally if you can. Some recipes recommend the addition of bouillon cubes but I would say avoid any additives. There should be no processed foods taken while on the cabbage soup diet.
Every day of the week this basic soup is had with either fruits, or vegetables. One of the day’s has a mix of fruits and vegetables. Meat is allowed down the week, and there is a day when you can eat upto 8 bananas. Brown rice is also allowed. With this you get an idea of the kind of diet you are allowed to eat for seven days. Since there is hardly any carbohydrate or fat, the diet works on the premise that the body will burn stored fat for energy. Since a cabbage soup diet has fruits and vegetables there is enough food that contains fiber so you won’t be constipated. Anytime you feel hungry you can have the soup.
What the critics are saying about a cabbage soup diet
Critics of the cabbage soup diet feel that losing 8-10 pounds in a week is too drastic a weight loss to be healthy. They say that it is not the best fat burning diet as fat stores need not necessarily breakdown if the body does not get calories from fat or carbs. This may only work if there is long term deprivation of these two energy giving foods. Food that contains fiber in this diet suppresses hunger but could lead a person to cravings, and it would generally be for junk food, which the person would head for as soon as the seven days are up. Critics do not rule out the possibility of dehydration with the loss of water showing up as weight loss, and don’t feel such diets are healthy trends.
Critics feel that the cost of weight loss could be expensive and not just in monetary terms. There would be visits to the doctor or spending on medications for side effects like headaches or dizziness, due to initial carbohydrate deprivation. But this can be dealt with by remaining active and drinking lots of water. Taking a multi-vitamin tablet won’t hurt either.
There are some positive critics like me who recommend a cabbage soup diet for healthy men and women who are looking to lose a few pounds to get into that special dress for that special occasion. The diet definitely suppresses hunger. And once you see that weight off you do feel enthused to adopt changing eating habits and value the benefits of healthy eating. You must continue to make all efforts to maintain weight loss over the whole month. No processed foods or binge eating for at least three months after a cabbage soup diet and you are likely to sustain the weight loss…
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