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How Does
Cabbage Soup Diet Compare?
BACKGROUND
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PRO
CON
DIET and NUTRITION
EXERCISE
CONCLUSION
Common Misspellings
Whats better than
Cabbage Soup Diet?
Diets
Calorie Counting
What is it?
Cabbage Soup Diet is a weight loss plan said to be a short term solution for 10 pounds of weight loss in a week. It emphasizes eating an unlimited amount of cabbage soup, and many different websites offer different variations.
Generally, one is allowed to eat certain added fruits and vegetables depending on the day of the diet. It’s unknown who came up it with this plan, but it’s believed to have started in the 1980’s. It’s considered a crash diet, and much like other similar diets is advised only for a few days with no guarantee of long term weight loss. Our experts reviewed many diets and found the 18Shake Diet to be the best solution for weight loss. Discover more about the 18Shake Diet by clicking on the link found here.
Do You Know the Best Diets of 2024?
Cabbage Soup Diet Ingredients and Side Effects
The Cabbage Soup Diet dies not rely on diet pills or pre-packaged foods, all the food eaten have to be prepared. One website that promotes the Cabbage Soup Diet says:
“not suitable for long-term weight loss”
It’s instead intended:
“If you have a special occasion coming up or you simply need to lose weight fast”
Often it will be advised that in order to maintain the diet one should follow these rules:
- Drink a minimum of 4 glasses of water.
- Take a multivitamin.
- Eating as much soup as possible, not starving oneself.
- Introducing different recipes to avoid boredom.
A 2 week break is recommended for people who want to restart the diet. Cabbage isn’t the only produce allowed; one can also add things like onions, celery, asparagus, zucchini, squash, barley, some meats, and many different seasonings.
Though this can be healthy, relying on it solely can potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies. Web MD also adds:
“this crash diet won’t help you in the long run, and it doesn’t give your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy”
Furthermore, they add:
“Health experts don’t recommend following very low-calorie diets unless you’re under a doctor’s care”
This is due to there being numerous damaging health effects that the diet can have. A list of the highest rated diet plans is found in the link provided here.
The results of this diet are not likely to continue, as Web MD confirms:
“you’ll like regain any weight that you lose”
“It will likely leave you feeling hungry, weak, and bored. You might even feel sick”
This is because there’s a lack of adequate food options. It’s not offered as a long term solution, and instead is said to be a quick weight loss solution. There’s one Cabbage Soup Diet website that admits:
“A lot of people quit because the soup can be a bit bland, and they quickly tire of eating it every day”
There are several considerations to keep in mind. It’s not recommended for long-term use, and it’s believed the only reason one might lose weight is due to water weight and not fat. Live Strong.com adds:
“It’s possible to lose as much as 20 pounds of body weight during one week, most of which is water”
This is likely the reason why one sees any weight loss from this diet, since it’s low in carbohydrates and high in fluids, most water weight is flushed out of the body. As you’ll see in the “Customer Opinions of Cabbage Soup Diet”, many customers regained their weight as soon as they stopped the diet.
One popular variation of the diet allows for the following:
- Day one: Unlimited fruit except for bananas alongside water, tea, and coffee.
- Day two: No fruit, only raw vegetables and one baked potato
- Day three: Unlimited fruits and vegetables except for potatoes and bananas.
- Day four: 8 bananas and unlimited skimmed milk.
- Day five: 6 tomatoes and 565g of beef
- Day six: Unlimited vegetables and beef but no potatoes.
- Day seven: Some brown rice and sugar free fruit juice.
A comprehensive list of the top 10 diet plans is offered in the link provided here.
EDITOR’S TIP: Combine this diet with a proven meal replacement such as 18 Shake for better results.
Cabbage Soup Diet Quality of Ingredients
Many of the ingredients are healthy as it relies on fresh produce and grains. However, there is an issue with boredom as the same basic good groups have to be eaten repeatedly.
Also, there’s no science that eating only cabbage soup is healthy and safe. A Dr. Melinda Ratini says:
“You’ll likely get less than 1,000 calories a day on the limited menu. That’s far fewer than the 2,000 daily calories recommended for most adults”
“The pounds come off quickly, but mostly you’ll lose water weight”
“chances are, you’ll regain it all back as soon as you start eating a normal diet again”
The diet was made to help one with weight loss in a one week period, but this does not mean it will help with long term weight loss. Health experts also agree it’s likely not a quality solution for weight loss due to its limited food options. A top 10 list of the highest ranked diet plans is offered in the link provided here.
The Price and Quality of Cabbage Soup Diet
The price depends on where one gets their grocery from, as no prepackaged foods are needed.
The diet does advise to get a multivitamin, due to the lack of food options that are high in nutrients. It’s also necessary to eat unlimited amounts of cabbage soup. This means one will have to cook for the full 7 days, as the diet also limits the kinds of seasonings through reducing sodium provided from salt.
Due to the lack of clinical studies proving that this is an effective and safe weight loss solution, it’s a very poor diet. A comprehensive top 10 list features the highest rated diet pills.
The Mayo Clinic also had this to say:
“Fad diets like this one may be tempting, but keep in mind that long-term weight loss depends on making lasting healthy changes”
The changes needed in this diet are too short term to truly be a quality solution for weight loss.
Business of Cabbage Soup Diet
It’s unknown who created this diet, though many websites offer books and tips. Each group offers slightly different advice, with the only key thing being that you can only eat cabbage soup alongside some fruits and vegetables for a total of 7 days.
The diet will often be presented in either a free format via a PDF, or through a book. There are no claims that anyone made this diet, though each book claims it has the optimal guide. There are often recipe books offered as well as tips.
No studies or proof that this diet actually works and is safe is available anywhere. This makes it impossible to determine why the diet was created and suggested in the way it’s displayed. It also allows many different groups to make claims about what to add to the diet, without providing any proof. Our experts compiled a list of the highest rated diet plans in the list featured here.
EDITOR’S TIP: The top 10 list of the best diets is available here.
Customer Opinions of Cabbage Soup Diet
Here are some reviews from users who have used this diet:
“Cabbage soup is not a filler upper”
“I see no real physical weight loss”
“have quite a headache”
“worst heart burn I have ever had”
People did mention they lost weight, but that they often gained it all back one they resumed eating. This makes sense as it’s likely the only reason one is losing weight is due to water weight.
Some also experienced side effects such as gas, bloating, and nausea. There were also concerns from people that they quickly became bored of it, and that they often felt like quitting. A list of the highest ranked diet plans is available in the link provided here.
Conclusion - Does Cabbage Soup Diet Work?
There are many things to consider about the Cabbage Soup Diet. There’s no science or proof that this diet actually works, and that’s why there’s many different variations on it. Many people who tried it say they regained all their weight loss, which is common for crash diets that serve to reduce water weight instead of fat. Health experts on the Mayo Clinic and Web MD website also confirm its likely not safe or effective for real weight loss.
The highest rated diet plan of 2024 was found to be the 18Shake Diet. It combines a high protein, appetite suppressing meal replacement as well as a natural stimulant free metabolism booster. Many customers say it’s effective for weight loss, and that it’s easy to use. There are no added filler ingredients, stimulants, or processed additives. It contains only natural extracts and ingredients clinically shown to help with weight loss. Many users have left glowing testimonials and positive reviews on their website.
The 18Shake Diet offers its supplements with a full 30 day money back guarantee. Returns are allowed within these 30 days with no risk and no questions asked. Learn more about the 18Shake Diet by clicking the link provided here.
- Product Name
- User Rating
- Easy to follow
- Cheap Price
- Fast Results
- High Protein Diet
- 91/100
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- Dukan Diet
- 89/100
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- Paleo Diet
- 87/100
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- Plexus Slim
- 77/100
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- Cabbage Soup Diet
- 29 /100
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Wikipedia
The Cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight-loss and requires no long-term commitment. It has inspired several copy-cats based around similar principles.
BACKGROUND
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Look up the definition of fad diet and you’ll see a picture illustrating the Cabbage Soup Diet. It should not be followed as a long-term eating plan, as it is dangerously low in calories and could do more harm than good. It is possible to lose 10 pounds in a week when you stick to this uber-low calorie plan.
The Cabbage Soup Diet does offer fast weight loss, but it is completely lacking in nutrition, flavor and variety. You'll consume mostly soups of cabbage, onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms. Nutritionists argue that the pounds shed are more likely attributed to the dramatic and dangerous loss in calories and not the proposed fat-burning power found in the cabbage. This diet deprives your body of essential nutrients and has been correlated to difficulty concentrating, feeling light-headed and weak.
Do You Know the Best Diet Pills of 2024?
PRO
- You will lose weight
CON
- Unhealthy
- Dangerously caloric intake
- Primarily losing water weight
- Will regain lost weight if don't stick to healthy eating and exercise following completion
- Does not promote exercise; would be too weak to do so
DIET and NUTRITION
The one-week Cabbage Soup Diet relies on this simple plan:
Day One All-you-can-eat soup and fruit (no bananas). Consume plenty of water, cranberry juice and unsweetened tea.
Day Two Consume all the soup and vegetables you like (no beans, peas or corn). Have a buttered baked potato with dinner. No fruit today.
Day Three Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you like, nothing else.
Day Four Eat your soup, no more than eight bananas and all the skim milk you want.
Day Five Have at least one serving of soup today. You can also have 10-20 ounces of skinless chicken or beef and no more than six tomatoes. Drink plenty of water.
Day Six Eat plenty of vegetables and your servings of beef. Today is the day you can go a bit overboard with the meat (2 steaks if you like) - just make sure to add salad and vegetables. Stay away from the carbs - no fries, potatoes, etc.
Day Seven Have at least one serving of soup. Only eat brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juice.
EXERCISE
No recommendations are made. Given the severely low calories you'll be consuming, you likely won't have the strength for physical activity.
CONCLUSION
For rapid weight loss as a jump-start to a more healthy eating plan, the Cabbage Soup Diet could possibly be a solution. However, fasting or liquid diets like Cabbage Soup promising dramatic weight loss results in only a week are typically only helping you shed water weight. This weight will creep right back on once you stop the diet and continue with previous poor eating habits. Finishing the Cabbage Soup Diet and beginning a healthy eating and exercise regimen is the best advice anyone following this unhealthy approach can receive. Be sure to speak with your physician before beginning.
Common Misspellings
cabbge soup diet, cabbage soup deit, cabage soup diet, cabbagge soup, cabbagesoupdiet.com, cabbage diet, cabagge soup diet, soup diet
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Cabbage Soup Diet?
User Feedback
(Page 9 of 37, 727 total comments)acebrit
have a fresh pot of soup bubbling now. this time will add low sodium v8 juice and blend as i am barely choking it down.
posted Sep 28th, 2011 7:58 pmonly had two servings of oups today will try another one before bed. also had 2 oranges, kiwi, sauted spinach with beansprouts.
looking forward to day 4!
acebrit
quick update. this morning weighed in at 133lbs. just dranks some orange herb tea, then will have water and watermelon, then my soup and add sauted spinach with lots of garlic and bean sprouts
posted Sep 28th, 2011 9:54 amacebrit
+started the diet on monday hoping to curb some bad eating habits and drop 5lbs. starting weight at 5ft 1 was 135.5. tues weighed 134.5.
posted Sep 28th, 2011 5:32 ami used the wrong soup stock as the sodium contents was 1,200+mg. gonna bin that and make a fresh batch after work today.
starting day 3 and have not weighed yet. do not feel particularly smaller but do feel more energetic.
had a headache on monday and feel one coming on today but that could be casue i've been up since 3:30am!
ashley41
I started this diet today for my best friend's wedding that I'm in next week. I am just under 5'7" and weight about 133-135 (depending on the scale) I'm hoping to lose at least 5 lbs on this- even if it is just water weight- I tend to swell really easily and hold on to water.
posted Sep 25th, 2011 12:34 pmSo far so good- but I'm only 4 hours into it haha I just hope that I can stick to it, especially during my 9 hour work days. Wish me luck!!
Andrea
+I forgot to continue posting my progess, work and life got crazy so I didnt really have the time. BUT I made it through the entire diet without too much difficulty, yes it gets boring around day 4-5 but then the meat comes and its exciting! Who knew beef was such an exciting thing.
posted Sep 18th, 2011 6:56 amAs you can tell by my post I did cheat a bit, had a low calorie fudgicle on veggie day and banana day. Drank 100% orange juice the mornings of the fruit days. oh and I used low calorie dressing on salad.
But even with that cheating... I lost 6lbs. I have managed to keep it off as since the diet ended I have stuck with healthy choices and few splurges here and there but rarely(eg. I went to a friend birthday party last week and had the smallest slice of cheesecake and man oh man did it taste good). But with moderation things like that to me at least are ok.
Anyway gonna try the diet again this week to odropo a few more pounds. I also have incorperated a good work out routine. So I feel great. lost weight and quit smoking all in a month!
ar.d.
+I tried the cabbage soup diet to lose those last few pounds before my wedding. I love soup, and I live in a cold place, and I was so busy planning that I didn't mind the lack of variety all that much. I made a huge batch in the crock pot and followed the rules of the diet pretty strictly. I noticed my pants were loose after 3 days and had to use a belt. Then, the pants were bagging in the butt at the 5-day mark. By the time I went to pick up my wedding dress, I had lost too much weight and had to have it taken in. This was an easy to follow diet (I have not really done fad-diets before, because I eat pretty healthy but had a goal I was trying to meet). I didn't feel sick during this diet and noticed my skin improved (maybe lack of sugars?) I'm not a fan of cabbage, but with extra spices in the soup it was okay. Everyone couldn't believe how great I looked on my wedding day, and I would incorporate cabbage soup into my diet in the future before events or bathing suit season!
posted Sep 16th, 2011 3:41 amLisa
+I ve tried to do this diet twice. The first time i couldnt stick to it but this time I successfully completed it and lost 6.5 pounds! That was two weeks ago, I've been eating the things that i like but counting my calories and not going over 1400 and ive managed to loose 3.5 pounds more. I feel great and feel this is a great way to get you started, you WILL NOT put the weight back if you continue to watch what you eat. If you go back to your old ways of course everything will come back. I paired it with a multivitamin and never felt weak or lightheaded. Try it!
posted Sep 13th, 2011 1:21 pmNatalie
+I loveee it... First week I lost 12lbs.. Did zumba one hour 4days a week...i use to weight 298 llbs I am now down 196 im only 22yo I cant wait to be 160!!!
posted Sep 6th, 2011 4:20 pmJordyloo1991
?Can you stop losing weight when your still heavy? I'm 187 pounsds! So I cheated a little last week. But still lost 5.4 pounds. Which is good! However, I'm on day tw of week 3...and haven't lost anything! I'm guessing it's because I cheated and had 'options hot chocolate' BUT its only 40 cals a cup so i thought it'd be no harm done. OBVIOUSLY wrong! I'm going to start again today from fresh. Without cheating. Wish me luck people!
beccap
So I'm on day one of the diet. I just got back from vacation and will be leaving for school in 2 weeks so I want to shed off the extra pounds I gained.
posted Aug 27th, 2011 11:15 amI just made 2 batches of soup: one tomato based and one water based. Both are pretty good, but I definitely like the tomato based one better. I only put veggies that I like in (so no onions and I only like green peppers raw so I will eat them tomorrow). Today is great because I love fruit and don't mind eating the soup.
Although I have been eating the soup and fruit (as of now just grapes) and drinking lots of water I feel a little hungry.
I'm really excited to see my results and will keep updating as I progress! Good luck to everyone who is trying it out!
Tam
+If you stick to it you can lose 10 lbs in a week (I lost 9 the first week) and more in the second (10). It's hard to stick to it but if you spice up your cabbage a bit with seasonings it will work.
posted Aug 26th, 2011 11:13 amandrea
+So its day #2. Day 1 with the soup and fruits was a piece of cake, i love fruit and like the soup i made. However I did cheat. I had a 45calorie fudgsicle at the end of the night when i was having a serious sugar craving... meh Its not so bad.
posted Aug 25th, 2011 4:18 pmToday, i woke up with some bloating and constipation. I went for an hour long walk and it relieved my stomach.
Anyhow, i kinda skipped breakfast, i had a couple carrots, but ive never really been a breakfast person if i didnt have a hangover lol. But for lunch I made a massive salad, mixed greens, avocado, yellow/red/green peppers, cucumber, spinach and cauliflower. It was fantastic. I used the lowest possible calorie dressing and barely used any of it. I havent had any soup yet today but I will a little later on. Im excited about the potato..and really looking forward to banana day.
My energy has been high, but i should mention that ive been on womens one a day for about 2 weeks prior to starting this, and I had just quit smoking about 2 weeks ago, so im on a get healthy high maybe thats why im so optomistic, but i feel like this diet isnt too much of a pain and i feel good about seeing it through and starting a healthier eating plan for next week.
andrea
+Im just making te soup now. I can see that eventually I will get bored of eating the same thing all the time, but i love fruits and veggies so thats no problem. Ive tasted it had a couple spoonfuls tonight and its pretty tasty. I did deviate a bit from the org reciepe but not by much.
posted Aug 23rd, 2011 10:59 pmHeres what I used:
6 green onions
1/4 of a yellow onion
3-4 handfuls of baby carrots chopped up
5-6 celery sticks
2 green peppers
1 quart of mushrooms
1/2 can of mixed beans--- i know it says no beans but i like them and how bad can they be
1 can of spicy diced tomatos
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 cups of water
2 cups of low sodium v8
a dash or cayenne pepper, sea salt, and reg pepper
Its almost the reciepe exact except the beans
im at 160lbs right now, and where i get by the end of the week and ill update how i feel about eating so much soup.
p.s. i plan on making a different style( same kinda ingredients) soup at day 4.
wish me luck!
Jordyloo1991
+I've just finished my week and lost a total of 5.4 pounds in one week. I cheated on the last day two and had a fish pie. Yummy!
posted Aug 22nd, 2011 6:03 amMajorly happy with my weight loss and going to do it for another two weeks. I agree you DO get sick of the soup. But what i did, was made my own version....it consisted of...
FIRST BATCH
3 large carrots
2 Cabbages
1 medium size potato
4 broccoli stalks
Half a garlic
Half an onion
Salt and pepper
Boiling it all then whizz it into a soup. Add about 3-4 cups of water to thinnen in out.
SECOND BATCH
3 carrots
2 cauliflour
Curry Powder
1 cup of spinach
Half an onion
1 medium potato
So yeah i did this and still lost weight. also using two soups which tasted differently made it less boring! :D
I'll keep you guys updated about my weight loss next week!
WAS 196.8
NOW 191.4
Krys
+i started this yesterday. i was over fruit quickly. i really want some meat in my life. today is death by carrots. yum... i need this cleansing though!
posted Aug 9th, 2011 3:42 pmStacey
I'm on day 6 - and this diet has been very tough at times, especially the first 3 days. However, the results I have to admit are amazing. I've lost 7 pounds so far and I was not very overweight to start - 145 and 5'4". I have cruise coming up and have tried diet after diet over the last 6 months and could not lose more than 2 pounds before giving up. This has given me a lot of motivation and has taught me how well my body responds to lower carbs and no sugar. I would have to recommend this if you are stuck with traditional dieting.
posted Jul 16th, 2011 8:57 amMrsK
You stated that "would be too weak to" exercise. NOT true, I felt perfect, had no problems, didn't feel tired at all.
posted Jul 5th, 2011 9:29 pmAdrianne
+I did this diet about 30 years ago. I went from a six 24 to a six 10. BUT -- I stayed on it way, way, way too long, about nine months. I highly recommend this diet but no more than 1-2 weeks a month. It really does help your mind set and will help you to eating healthier.
posted Jun 29th, 2011 9:08 pmFreckles
+I've done this diet a number of times. It can b hard but if u plan to succeed u will. I'm on day 2 this time and I've lost 6lbs already! Started off at 174 now at 168. I've also had the energy to do a 2-3 mile run and do quite a bit of walking throughout the day. I must admit the worst part of it for me is the soup! I started off liking it the 1st time I did it and I can't really stand the taste even though I do love all veg. One thing to note is I did have a cappuccino today hopefully I will have got away with it and won't have put on. Looking forward to banana day as from then on the food is a little more exciting. Wish I could lose another 6lb but in reality I think il have lost 10lb by the end of the week.
posted Jun 13th, 2011 6:24 pmSabina
+Starting this today! My wedding is in 3 weeks and I want to lose at least 10lbs...somehow I lost 5lbs this last week so that a Bonus! I think this diet is a good jump start to a healthier life style as you can see results fast and that alone is a good motivation to keep eating healthy! Summer is here, and 7 days is not that long! Good luck everyone!
posted Jun 10th, 2011 5:05 pm