It happens without fail every single year. Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it is just being festive and partaking in the goodness of holiday meals and treats. Regardless of the cause, the effect is always the same - the Holiday 15 which leads to the New Year's resolution of "lose weight".
No secret that the way to a slim figure and a healthier life is eating well and exercising but let's be honest.. a quick fix or a jump start is always welcome. It's always motivating to see some changes....and what better way to jump start your dieting / healthy lifestyle than this great 7 day cleanse/ diet. You truly have to like veggies for this diet.... considering the fact that you will be eating veggies for 7 days straight.. but boy, is it worth it.
**As always this is a personal account / review and by no means are we qualified to make any claims on the effectiveness and nutritious value of the diet.**
The 7 Day CABBAGE SOUP DIET
To see the best results you have to stick to the plan with little or NO substitutions. The diet assigns select foods for each day of the plan. While you are restricted to the types of food you can eat- you are allowed as much soup as your heart desires. (From my experience, the desire fades by day 4.)
Tips:*Drink as much water as possible.
*Spread out your non-soup options throughout the day. The soup is tasty but gets bland and boring by mid-week so savor the non-soup items.
*Do not drink coffee or consume caffeine and NO soda- even if it is diet.
*No alcohol - While it seems like a no brainer, you'd be surprised.
*Follow the diet strictly. It's only 7 days long ... so make sure you give it your all.
THE 7 DAY PLAN:(courtesy of http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/eating-plan.html )
**I have substituted the beef for boneless/ skinless chicken, and lean white fish**
**I have also substituted the milk for soy milk or hemp milk**
Day One:Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.
Day Two: Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.
Day Three: Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato.
Day Four: Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.
Day Five: Beef And Tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef one one of the beef days (but not both).
Day Six: Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart's content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.
Day Seven: Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.
THE RECIPE:(courtesy of http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/index.php)
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.
The soup will definitely activate your digestive system - aka may cause upset stomach and gas.
Why does this diet work?
Most of the ingredients in this soup are NEGATIVE CALORIE foods. What does that mean? It means that your body burns more calories digesting the food than the calories that are being consumed. Therefore, you can stuff your face all day long with the soup and your body will be working extra hard to digest the foods- burning more calories.
What can you expect?
Obviously, results will vary between people but it has been my experience that the diet is fairly effective. Especially paired with some kind of workout regimen you will definitely see results.
The downside...
As soon as you start ingesting food and drinks, you will start to feel it. IF you are using this diet to prep for a party, special occasion - just be wary of what you eat/ drink after your final day. Remember, your body is being deprived / cleansed of certain nutrients/ chemicals so the second you take in certain foods/ drinks- you will feel ''bigger''.
Again, this is by no means a way to live your life. BUT it is a great way to lose a few extra LBS in a short period of time.
