Cabbage Soup Diet

How safe is a diet with so few
calories?
Review of the
cabbage soup diet by Margaret Danbrot. When I started planning
my wedding I realized I had a few pounds more than I wanted to
have when I walked down the aisle.
I had never
been what you would call overweight, but I had about eight
pounds that were making it difficult to wear the wedding gown I
had always envisioned myself wearing. I am not a fan of the
full gowns, preferring the straight skirt style.
My fiancé
told me to not worry about it, that I could tone my tummy and
hide the little bulge, but that wasn’t good enough for me. I
wanted something that was going to be more permanent than just
a tightening of the abdominal muscles.
I knew the
cabbage soup diet was very restrictive, but I figured since I
only wanted to lose eight pounds, it would be bearable.
According to the advertising you were supposed to be able to
lose ten pounds in a week, so that would give me plenty of time
to get on track before I had to go for my first
fitting.
Fortunately
for me I had allowed myself more than enough time to lose the
eight pounds because I had to give up on this diet—after a
couple of days on it, I had absolutely no energy at all. In
spite of the fruits and vegetables you are allowed to eat, the
diet consists of almost no carbohydrates with the exception of
a baked potato on the second day and whatever carbohydrates are
in the fruits and vegetables. It took every bit of energy I had
to go to work each day, and I am usually a very active
person.
The Cabbage
Soup Diet does not teach any lifestyle changes or help you
maintain your weight loss for any extended time. In fact, this
diet is geared specifically for people like me who need to lose
a few pounds for a special occasion.
I have a few
friends who were able to use the diet to lose weight, but it
was typically less than five pounds at any given time. In fact,
this diet is not recommended for use any longer than seven days
at any one time, so if you have more than about ten pounds to
lose, this is not the diet you want to use.
I was not
able to stay with the cabbage soup
diet long enough to find out if I could lose the eight
pounds in a week. After I came home from work one evening and
nearly passed out as I came in the door, my fiancé insisted I
stop “that foolish diet” and find something that was
healthier.
It took me a
little longer to accomplish, but I felt better and learned to
control the urges that caused me to gain weight. I still had
enough time to choose the wedding dress I wanted, and now four
months later I am still at the same weight I was on my wedding
day.
I definitely
would not recommend this diet for anyone who has more than five
pounds to lose—it is a good program for someone who put on a
few pounds after a holiday or special event but beyond that it
is unsafe in my opinion.
Review by
Kara Cornell
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