Losing weight often seems tough and challenging. Diet plans that promise quick weight loss seem tempting. Here is a look at the Cabbage Soup or 7-Day Diet.
Quick weight loss often seems a reality with extreme diet plans such as the 7-day Diet, that promises a weight loss of nearly 10-pounds in one week. But are such quick weight loss diets worth it? Here is a look at the Cabbage Soup Diet, why it seems to work and what the medical view of this popular diet plan is.
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What is the 7-day Diet or the Cabbage Soup Diet
The Cabbage Soup Diet is, as the name suggests, a diet plan in which weight loss is induced by eating bowls and bowls of cabbage soup. The diet plan is generic and does not have any specific recommendations for regular exercise, bad eating habits or lifestyle changes. All it provides weight loss aspirants with is a list of items that can be eaten along with the mandatory bowl of cabbage soup.
What Can One Eat When Losing Weight with the Cabbage Soup Diet
Since there is no known creator for the diet, there are variations that can be found floating all over the place. However, according to WebMD, the 7-Day Diet Menu for this weight loss diet looks something like this:
- day 1: All fruits except bananas are allowed. Drink unsweetened tea, black coffee, cranberry juice, or water.
- day 2: All low-calorie vegetables (except beans, peas, or corn), and a baked potato with butter are allowed.
- day 3: A mixture of the above fruit and vegetables are allowed.
- day 4: Up to eight bananas and two glasses of skim milk are allowed.
- day 5: Up to 20 ounces of beef, chicken or fish, up to six fresh tomatoes and at least 6-8 glasses of water are allowed.
- day 6: Up to 3 beef steaks and unlimited vegetables are allowed.
- day 7: Up to 2 cups of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and unlimited vegetables are allowed.
On all days, the cabbage soup is mandatory.
According to the same WebMD article, the recipe for cabbage soup usually involves a mix of cabbage and various low-calorie veggies such as onions and tomatoes and plenty of water. For flavor, one can add some tomato juice or vegetable stock.
Why the Seven-Day Diet Seems to Work
Since the Cabbage Soup weight loss diet involves a lot of water-based content and very little nutrition, quick weight loss is experienced. It contains very little calories and so dieters lose weight rapidly. Unfortunately, when one returns to normal eating patterns, the weight often resurfaces or even, increases. Added to that the boredom of eating the same cabbage soup every day for even seven days often causes dieters to fall off the wagon in the middle.
The Medical and Expert View of the Cabbage Soup Diet
Since this seven day diet is so low in calories and nutritional content, it does not find favor with the medical community. According to the Department of Health and Family Services, Wisconsin, “These diets are too restrictive to be healthy. They are low in calcium, iron, folic acid and most vitamins. These diets also lack variety and are hard to follow for any length of time.” So, it is easy to see that while the cabbage soup diet may induce quick weight loss it may also result in weight gain and nutritional deficiencies.
While losing weight may seem difficult, it is possible to lose pounds and inches by making sensible changes and using effective weight loss tips and strategies. Extreme or fad diets, such as this 7-day Cabbage Soup Diet, may only result in a temporary weight loss and in fact, cause weakness and other health-related problems.
