The Cabbage Soup Diet Explained
From LoveToKnow Diet
The Cabbage Soup Diet is a highly restricted diet that can give dieters quick weight loss. It can be a good way to begin a diet, since the initial weight loss is higher than that of most diets. Many dieters report losing between seven and eleven pounds in only one week. However, much of the weight lost is water weight, and you should never stay on such a calorie restrictive diet for more than a few days, because you will lose valuable muscle, which helps to burn calories while you are at rest.
Overview
Some proponents of this plan claim that it cleanses the body. This claim is not backed up by any studies or credible scientific evidence. What is most likely meant is that eating a large amount of vegetables will cause your digestive system to rid itself quickly of other foods that you have eaten prior to the diet. Read between the lines here, and be prepared to be in close proximity to a bathroom.
Basics
The diet is simple to follow, and is comprised of healthy ingredients. If you have been eating a diet laden with junk food, this is a good, if sudden, segue into eating healthy foods. Just be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking if you lose ten pounds in one week, if you stay on it a second week, you will lose an additional ten pounds. This is not possible, and can be dangerous, or at the very least, quite unhealthy.
The basis is the Cabbage Soup Recipe, which is inexpensive and easy to make. It is comprised of cabbage and other vegetables, as well as bouillon. One good thing about The Cabbage Soup Diet is that it is easy to prepare the soup, and you will not spend very much money on this endeavor.
During the diet, you will eat the soup every day. On some days, you will eat unlimited fruit, on others, unlimited vegetables. One day of the diet is comprised of the soup, bananas and skim milk only. It can be a tough diet to follow, with many dieters reporting that the taste of the soup quickly becomes nauseating after the first three or four days. You can find different Cabbage Soup Recipes that can help to break the monotony by changing the taste a bit.
As with all diets, it is good to exercise when you are dieting. This may not be easy on The Cabbage Soup Diet, however, as the very low caloric intake can result in a lack of energy, and even weakness.
The most difficult thing about staying on The Cabbage Soup Diet is that eating the soup every day becomes boring and repetitious. The brown rice, milk and fruit don’t do enough to liven it up. Since the only lasts seven days, most people can live with this. Hunger is not usually a problem, since the quantities of the foods allowed each day are unlimited. You will want to use common sense, however, as eating large amounts of cabbage and other roughage after a diet consisting of refined foods can cause considerable intestinal discomfort.
Summary
Overall, The Cabbage Soup Diet can be the psychological boost that many dieters need when first starting out. Just make sure to follow the seven-day rule, and not follow this diet for any longer than that period of time.
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Comments
Hi Archana,
Depending on your bone structure, you are at the top of your acceptable weight range which is 107-140 pounds for your height. I suggest you avoid fad diets and learn to limit your calories and add daily exercise of at least 30 minutes to your routine. Following a 1200 calorie diet should work, but it's best to check with your doctor before you start for his recommendation as he knows your medical history.
-- Contributed by: Donna SundbladHi this is Archana,
My height is 5'3 and weight is 67 kgs. I'm an Indian. Can anybody help or tell me a diet plan to lose this extra weight by 14 Apr.? Can Mr.Atkins help me? I cannot afford to pay, I'm geting married soon.
-- Contributed by: archanaThis page has been accessed 5,606 times. This page was last modified 08:10, 1 October 2006.
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