Friday, February 20, 2009

Promises and Risks of Cabbage Soup Diet

In an annual meeting in Atlanta, Kathleen Zelman from American Dietetic Association said that losing weight is simply a mathematical equation: the calories you burn should be more than what you take in. Moreover, Janet Helm (also with the Dietetic Association) said that healthy dieting is really boring and it requires hard work. She recommends balanced menus, more exercise, less food, and a change of personal attitude towards food.

Truly, dieting is a state of mind more than anything else. If you follow a simple diet plan and develop a positive mindset, you can win. This will end your perpetual hunt for easy weight loss.

Promises of Cabbage Soup Diet

Cabbage Soup Diet is a low-calorie and strict diet that will make you eat mostly cabbage soup, other vegetables, fruits, and a little meat. You can lose about 10 pounds. However, you should not follow it for more than a week.

It is also a low-fat, high fiber diet that is designed to kick-start your weight-loss program. After 7 days, you are supposed to acquire the habits of a long-term and disciplined healthy eating plan.

Cabbage soup diet is very simple. It works by eating as many cabbage soups as you can. Also, you will be allowed to eat a combination of various low fat foods everyday, mostly fruits and vegetables. This homemade cabbage soup has no calories, therefore, you will feel full and you will lose weight.

Typical Cabbage Soup Diet

Generally, you can eat cabbage soup – as many as you wish. Vegetables and raw fruit are also in the diet plan. There are also a couple of days where you can eat an odd potato and a piece of meat.

On a typical day, you can also drink water, cranberry juice, and tea. To prepare the cabbage soup, you need 2 green bell peppers, a cabbage head, a bunch of celery, and 6 chopped large onions. Just add 2 cans of tomatoes, bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour. And finally, season to taste.

On the first day of the diet, you can eat as many fruits as you want (except for bananas) along with the cabbage soup. On the second day, you should avoid the fruit but eat vegetables instead. In the evening, you are even allowed to eat baked potato!

On other days, you are allowed to eat 8 bananas and even some beef. So what food will you eat to fill you up when you’re hungry? You’ve guessed it – the cabbage soup!

Risks of Cabbage Soup Diet

Cabbage Soup Diet may leave you full of wind and light-headed. It may be hard to strictly follow the diet plan because it’s too repetitive.

You might find that cabbage soup will be pretty boring after just 3 days with it. Also, there is a great chance for you to gain back the weight you lost. Some say it’s just a quick fix.



But this will only happen if you do not maintain the discipline of your newfound healthy eating habits as soon as you go back to your usual routine. If you continue to eat more fruits and vegetables instead of sweets and junk food, there is a high probability for you to stay fit for life.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Guidelines for a Success Cabbage Soup Diet

There are a lot of people who have not been successful in losing weight. Maybe they did not follow the right guidelines of the diet. Or maybe they did not have the right food discipline to maintain their weight after shedding off the excess pounds.

Statistics show that out of the people who have lost weight rapidly on diet plans like Cabbage Soup Diet, 95% of them have gained their weight back within a year. So in order to be successful in dieting, it is best to understand your diet plan correctly and take proactive steps to keep your newfound weight.

Understanding Cabbage Soup Diet

Cabbage Soup Diet is very simple. It does not rely on diet pills, exercise routines, or dietary supplements to lose weight. Instead you just need to follow one strict dietary regimen in 7 days.

Because this is a rigid diet, you need to stay away from sit-down restaurants or fast food because there’s nothing in there that would fit this diet. Basically, if you will just strictly stick to it, you will lose 10 pounds or more in one week.

And since it is a low-calorie diet, your pounds will naturally disappear. However, your new weight may not remain after getting off the diet.

Guidelines for a Successful Diet

Cabbage Soup Diet relies on food combinations to avoid hunger and to lower the calories that you take in. This is the best option for you to eat all the time when you are craving for food.

You can eat the following:

Cabbage Soup (typically, you will need 2 bowls of this everyday for one week)

• Fruit (bananas can only be eaten on certain days)

• Vegetables (eat leafy and green ones, raw ones are also accepted but avoid peas, beans, and corn)

• Some baked or broiled chicken (skinless)

• Some lean meat

While following the diet plan, consider these tips:

• Never go hungry and eat lots of cabbage soup.

• You can use spices to add flavor to the soup.

• Do not drink sugared drinks or alcohol.

• Drink a lot of water (about 32-64 ounces daily).

• Take multivitamins daily to fill in the extra nutrients that you don’t get on the diet.

Since Cabbage Soup Diet is low in calories, it is expected that you will feel lightheaded during the entire diet period. So before you start any diet, you should always consult your physician. Also, remember that this is just a weeklong diet, and it should never be extended more than 7 days.

Best Way to Lose Weight after the Diet

If you treat your body very well, it’ll treat you well too – this is according to Cowell Health Educator Laurie Lang. A Cabbage Soup Diet will help you to lose weight; however, the difficult part is keeping that weight off forever.

According to American Heart Association, you need to eat a diet rich in whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. If done with a regular physical activity, you can maintain and manage weight loss both for appearance and cardiovascular health.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

What Celebrities Say about Cabbage Soup Diet

Celebrities are always in the public eye - people know everything about their life. They are admired and often asked about beauty secrets or slimming diets. Majority of the public usually want to copy what they do. And since they love the spotlight, they have the responsibility to look good.

So when Jaime Pressly (Emmy-winner) was praised for her toned body during the Emmy awards night, she told the press that she went on a Cabbage Soup Diet. Moreover, she said that it’s a detox diet, and definitely all about low carbs.

Detox diet plans involves elimination, and then gradual adding back of the different food groups. One day, you are only allowed to eat fruit. The next day, you can take only vegetables. Then by the week’s end, you can already consume meat and dairy.

This also means that she took gym sessions 2 hours a day for five days in a week. She said further that the trick to curb your hunger is to eat as many cabbage soups as you can take.

Another celebrity, Sarah Michelle Gellar, says that she is a fan of Cabbage Soup Diet because it helps her lose weight quickly.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Cabbage Soup Diet

Some of the benefits that you can get from Cabbage Soup Diet are the following:

• An all-natural and healthy way for you to detoxify your inner body.

• You can lose weight fast – it only lasts for 7 days – that’s the goal.

• If you follow the diet plan, you have no choice but to eat fruits and vegetables.

• People will surely notice that you are losing weight, and the compliments feel great!

However, you have to be prepared for some drawbacks as follows:

Cabbage is not exactly delectable.

• You go to the restroom more often because of gas and inner cleansing.

• It is not a long-term solution to weight-loss.

Why does Cabbage Soup Diet Work?

Most individuals can testify that following Cabbage Soup Diet showed them rapid weight loss of about 5-10 pounds for only 7 days. It does this by reducing your intake of calories and flushing fat out of your body.

You can find various recipes and food plans of this diet all over the web. If you want maximum results, it’s best that you follow the plan strictly.

Furthermore, it’s recommended to factor in an exercise program to accelerate the promised benefits. Then, after completing the diet for a week, you can just continue to improve your health and maintain your weight. This diet does not only give you a jump start to shed your extra pounds, but it can also begin your transition to a much better and healthier eating habit.

Lose Weight and then Gain it All Back?

What do you think people look for in diet programs? Results! And nobody has the luxury of time to wait for several months to see the difference. They want it fast! The faster the results, the better review they will give it.

This is why Cabbage Soup Diet is a popular choice. It is tailor-fitted for those who need it fast – a bride who is in dire need to fit into her dress or a mother who wants to lose pounds after giving birth. And if other people can be successful, you can lose weight with it too!

Plan of Action

You only need 7 days on this diet and you can already see astounding results. The recipe’s main ingredient is a cabbage – a vegetable with a peculiar smell. Be forewarned that if you can’t stand its smell, you might want to consider a cabbage soup pill instead.

However, you need to inform your medical practitioner first before adopting any diet program. This is a standard procedure because you need to put things on record. You’ll never know if a problem suddenly appears or if you need emergency medical intervention.

Basically, the cabbage has a few calories but with plenty of nutrients. You can turn it into a soup and make it a filler meal. So if your stomach is filled with cabbage soup, you will get filled and it would kill your hunger. In a week, a sizable fat portion in your body will be consumed as energy since the soup does not provide calories.

Adopt this cabbage soup in your diet with a combination of fresh fruits and vegetables according to your preference. Exclude bananas first from your fruit list for the first 4 days. On the 5th day, you can consume some tomatoes and meat (only beef or chicken allowed – no pork). On the 6th and 7th day, you can have rice together with your meat and soup.

Putting the Weight Back On

It has been proven that more than two-thirds of dieters pile the pounds back on. Therefore, it raises the danger of diabetes, stroke, and heart attack. Dr. Traci Mann (researcher) said that sustained weight loss was only found in a minority of dieters.

The analysis was published in American Psychologist journal. Mann further said that the participants are better off without going into diet at all because their weight have been the same, they could have been spared of the wear and tear in losing weight and then gaining it back again.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Psychologists say that exercise is the key factor to maintain your weight loss after a diet. Better yet, combining it with a good diet plan such as Cabbage Soup Diet will generate the most results.

As confirmed by Dr. Beckie Lang from the Study of Obesity Association, diet is not about reaching your target weight and then putting it all back on. What you would probably do next is to go on a diet again, which is bad for your health.

It’s all about making long-term changes. She concluded that it’s best to adopt skills that will change your eating and lifestyle habits for life.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

* 6 large green onions
* 2 green peppers
* 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
* 3 Carrots
* 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
* 1 bunch of celery
* half a head of cabbage
* 1 package Lipton soup mix
* 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
* 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
* Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Directions:

Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.

Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.

Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.

Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.

Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.

You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.

Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.