Dec
One of the very first diets I ever went on was the cabbage soup diet. My memories of the diet include feeling famished, light headed, bloated and gassy, none of which are much fun.
I’ve decided to do a review of the cabbage soup diet to outlines the pros and the cons of the diet so you can decide if it is right for you or not.
The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day diet that is extremely low calorie. The goal of the diet is rapid weight loss and it promises that you will lose 10 lbs. or more in the 7 days that you are on the diet.
The basic premise of the diet is that while you are on it you can eat as much cabbage soup as you want each day to help you feel full.
There is a 7 day eating plan that allows a restrictive list of other foods you can eat each day along with the soup.
You can find the recipe for the soup and the meal plan here.
Although the rapid weight loss sounds appealing, there are actually quite a few problems with this diet that you should be aware of before you decide to start it.
Probably the biggest downside when it comes to weight loss is that the majority of the weight that you lose on the diet is water weight and not fat.
This means that when you go off the diet it is very easy to gain back any weight that you have lost.
Not only that, but this is a very low calorie, highly restrictive diet. Many people report feeling light headed on the diet because they are not getting enough calories.
Additionally, because it is so low calorie and so restrictive it is really difficult to stick with for the full 7 days. It takes a tremendous amount of will power to starve your body and eat the same boring foods, even if it is for only 7 days.
Diets like this leave you feel deprived and hungry which makes it much easier to binge and overeat.
Another big downside to the diet is that the cabbage in the soup can cause gas. That can make it a very uncomfortable and embarrassing 7 days if you have to be out in public during the course of the diet.
Probably the only good part about this diet is that it does include a lot of fruits and vegetables. However, fruits and veggies alone won’t provide your body with all of the nutrients that it needs.
If the idea of jump starting your weight loss with a rapid weight loss diet appeals to you, I would recommend instead going with a diet like Fat Loss 4 Idiots.
Although still not ideal when it comes to nutrition, it is much more balanced than the cabbage soup diet, is easier to stick with, has more variety and allows you to eat foods that you enjoy.
On Fat Loss for Idiots you can lose up to 9 lbs. in 11 days. You can read my Fat Loss for Idiots review by clicking here.
