use it as a tool...plus recipe and more musings (Cabbage Soup Diet)

Name: tuftyclub

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Product:	Cabbage Soup Diet
Date:	17/05/01 (1512 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quick, easy

Disadvantages: not for long term

I've read a lot of comments on this and would like to add my musings on the subject. Basically it has to be used as a tool, and if so it can have remarkable results.

What it does is remove your reliance on starchy foods and lets you know that you can survive without huge amounts of bread and pasta- it clears out your system- and gives you more energy- which is good as this encourages you to exercise more .
I don't believe that the soup has any 'fat burning' properties but suspect that any low calorie soup would do- basically anything without cream! What I do is this, I go on the diet for the full week- then stop it for at least two, during these two weeks I exercise more and eat very sensibly- I agree that a lot of the loss is probably water- but I use this time to hopefully convert that initial weight loss into fat loss- and get used to the new shape.... so I keep the weight off instead of going back to my old habits. After a few weeks I do the diet again - and lose more- then I have a period of holding and adapting to this weight. If you constantly go on eating the soup- anything after a week is really bad for you as firstly you need normal food and also- your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose any more weight- your body conserves it as it knows it is being restricted.

Another point is take care to eat enough- and make time to make the soup good,vary it for what you like- don't force yourself to eat mounds of cabbage if it has unpleasant effects! Always have some around and you won't be tempted to snack. Eat a decent amount too, On a fruit day I must have about 6 bowls of soup and at least 10 pieces of fruit. I never feel deprived and I know I am eating a reaosnable amount. I read of people eating one bowl of soup and an apple and then saying 'this diet is useless'. If you treat it like that it will be. Be creative with your cooking- I am a vegetarian so eat a lot of veg anyway, but f
ind that I can make more interesting food than raw carrots. For example Parsnips are good, you can mash them and they taste almost like potato - or cheat a little and roast them - almost chips....., the rice day can end up as rissotto or jambalaya.

I don't think you should do this unless you have a lot to lose, basically it gives you a good start and allows you to quickly see the relationship between what you eat and your weight- but be careful with it, if you go in with the mantra- eat cabbage soup, stay slim forever you will be dissapointed- if you are overweight your long term eating habits need to change- either you have too much, or too much of the wrong things.

-----------new stuff

..Well as said, it has continued to work for me- in that jackets that wouldn't shut in May now have about 8 inches room. I am convinced that it is just that certain diets suit certain people and what is successful for one isn't neccesarily useful for another.

However- I will post the information here and anybody interested can try it for thereselves.

Soup- to be eaten whenever hungry.

My personal recipe is
half head cabbage
2 carrots
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 green pepper
i tin tomatoes
handful of pearl barley.

I also add stock and herbs as appropriate.

Any low calorie soup will do, so if you are doing it for a week- some tomato or broccoli soup might be a welcome diversion. I also buy a few packets of low calorie 'cup a soup' to take into work- they idea of taking that stuff round to the microwave is embarrassing and the packet soups only consist of about 40 calories and are again a welcome distraction from the cabbage taste sensation

This makes around 8 bowls- which lasts me for a couple of days.

Soup and fruits
SOup and Vegetables(+ a backed potato at lunchtime)
SOup and Fruit and Vegetables(no potato)
Bananas and skimmed milk

Beef(loads) and up to 6 tomatoes,( fish/Chicken OK if you really don't
want beef, as a veggie I use quorn and it seems to work)
Beef and vegetables
Brown rice and vegetables.

I find it immensly useful to plan my week. Look ahead and think what you will be doing that week and if you are likely to be tempted- do it another week. I like to make sure that I do the fruit days when I am work as I am busy and less likely to snack- but others may wish to be at home these days as they have easier access to the soup bowl.

Really depends on you as a person- if you really don't like fruit and veg- or really need chocolate very day this won't work- but if you are like me and like vast quantities - but don't really mind what it is (I can quite easily eat a bowl of carrots for tea) you could get on really well with this. I read a lot of people who really didn't seem to get on with it- and they seem quite aggresive about it- We'll it may not be the healthiest - but I only use it for 1 week in four
- and I think my eating habits have improved, I've lost and kept off a lot of weight- and in the long run that must be healthier.

Remember the hard bit isn't losing the weight on the regime, but keeping it off afterwards, the weight doesn't shoot back, although you will regain some water - if you are careful most of it stays off.

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