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