My Experience with the Cabbage Soup (aka Sacred Heart Diet)
Several days ago I finished the 7-Day Cabbage Food (aka Sacred Heart) Diet. Hope what I learned will be helpful to someone just starting (or thinking about it). If you're not familiar with this "oldie", I copied the program below. IT IS a fad diet in that it is too low in calories and nutrients to stay on long term. But it was very helpful for me -- and maybe for you too.
Pros of the Diet:
1) You do lose weight fast (but not necc. as much as the diet claims). I lost 6 lbs in one week. The good news is that so far all but 1 lb has stayed off (so it wasn't just water....)
2) The diet is great for "jump starting" a diet or new eating lifestyle because it weans you off unhealthy foods (processed, fat-filled, sugary, fried etc...)
3) The diet is so low in calories (I estimated that I ate between 500-800 per day) that it is much easier to stick to a moderate diet (1000-1200 c/day, weight watchers etc...) afterwards.
Cons of the Diet
1) This is not an easy plan to stick to the first 3 days. After that it gets easier, although the soup will seem less and less appetizing.
2) This is not an easy diet to combine with family or eating out, particularly the first several days. It is easier on Day 5 or 6 when you get to eat lots of beef/chicken.
3) Breakfasts are hard on the non-fruit days (who wants to eat soup, veggies or beef for breakfast??)
Hints for Success
1) Do your best NOT to cheat -- especially by adding anything sweet or fatty. If you cheat just a little, you will probably still lose weight, but the most important benefit of this diet is that it retrains your appetite. If you stick to the diet, sweets afterwards will taste VERY sweet (and fats very fatty) and you will need less of them to feel satisfied.
2) Start the diet when you can control completely what you eat the first 4 days. I made separate meals for my family on those days and did not even try to eat out.
3) For the soup, leave out the lipton soup mix and add instead more fat-free low sodium chicken broth. (Swanson makes it in cans and 28 oz boxes) Add the following dry herbs instead: sweet basil, pepper, thyme, garlic powder (or fresh garlic), and bay leaves (3-4) You will reduce the salt in the soup ALOT and you will retain less water. Add salt to your bowl as needed (you use much less if you add it just before eating).
4) On the fruit and veggie days, spoil yourself with some more exotic foods. I had fresh mango, canned mandarin oranges (canned in water), asparagus etc...
5) When you finish the diet, have your diet for the next week planned out. Since I was using this diet to jump start a longer term diet plan, I decided to alternate 900 and 1200 calorie days for the second week and then adopt a moderate calorie diet (1200-1400 cal/day) with exercise until I reach my weight goal. This way, I hope to maintain my weight loss on the diet (including most of the water loss) and progress more moderately from there.
I'm glad I went on this diet. Before beginning it, I was in a eating rut. I lacked motivation, and needed a fresh start and a clean break from the bad food habits that had piled on the pounds.
CABBAGE SOUP-SACRED HEART DIET
Source:
CABBAGE SOUP RECIPE:
- 6 large green onions
- 2 green peppers
- 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
- 3 carrots
- 1 container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
- 1 bunch celery
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1 package Lipton soup mix
- 1 or 2 cubes bouillon (optional)
- 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, etc.
1. Slice green onions, put in pot and start to sauté with cooking spray.
2.Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take seeds and membrane out. Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and put in pot.
3. Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, put in pot.
4. Clean carrots cut into bite size pieces, put in pot.
5. Slice mushrooms into thick slices (otherwise they will disappear in the soup), put in pot.
6. If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of cayenne pepper (red pepper) now (1/3 teaspoon is quite a bit as the soup will get spicier as it cooks further).
7. You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. They have all the salt and flavors you will need.
8. Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time (two hours works well).
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Eat all the soup you want, whenever you want for the next 7 days.
Day One:
* Eat only fruit, all the fruit you want except banana.
* Drink unsweetened tea, black coffee, cranberry juice, and water.
* Eat as much soup as you like.
Day Two:
All you want - fresh, raw, or cooked vegetables of your choice. Stay away from dry beans, peas, and sweet corn. Reward yourself with a big baked potato with one small pat of butter for dinner. Eat as much soup as you like but no fruit for today.
Day Three:
Combine days one and two, eat as much fruit, vegetables, and soup, as you like but no baked potato.
Day Four:
Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.
Day Five:
You may have 10-20 ounces of beef (300-500g) and a large tin or up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once today. You may eat broiled or baked chicken (skinless) instead of beef. If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef.
Day Six:
Eat beef and vegetables today. You can even have two or three steaks if you like, with fresh vegetables or salad. NO BAKED POTATO. Eat your soup at least once.
Day Seven:
Eat all you want of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables. Be sure to eat your soup at least once to day. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda.
