Most people who want to lose weight hear about the cabbage soup diet at least once in their life. This diet supposedly helps you to miraculously drop 10-15 pounds in 7 days. Many people when they first hear about this diet believe that it is "new" or "revolutionary" or even that it's some sort of "secret" diet. When in actuality, none of the above is true.

There are a lot of misconceptions about this diet, including the origins. Some sources claim that the diet was created by a famous doctor; some sources attribute it to respectable hospitals, etcThe diet did not come from a famous doctor or hospital. The true origins of this diet are unknown to this day.

This diet seems to have first surfaced in the 1980's. It spread quickly by fax machine. Once the internet arrived, it quickly spread that way. This is one of those fad diets that seems like it will never die or go away.

What is the cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet is a 7 day eating plan. The diet, as the name suggests, focuses around a soup which is comprised mainly of cabbage. The eating plan is below:

Day 1 - Cabbage soup and any type of fruit that you would like to eat, except for bananas.

Day 2 - Cabbage soup and any vegetables that you care to eat. You may also have a baked potato that has a small amount of butter on it.

Day 3 - Cabbage soup plus any fruits or vegetables that you care to eat, with the exception of potatoes or bananas.

Day 4 - Cabbage soup and bananas. You may eat up to 8 bananas. You may also drink as much skim milk as you want too.

Day 5 - Cabbage soup and beef. You may have up to 20 ounces of beef this day along with the cabbage soup. You may also consume up to 6 tomatoes.

Day 6 - Cabbage soup and unlimited beef. This day you can have as much beef as you care to eat. You can also have as many vegetables as you want, except for potatoes.

Day 7 - Cabbage soup and brown rice. You may also have any vegetables that you want this day, except potatoes. You may drink unsweetened fruit juice this day too.

It should be noted that you may eat as much of the cabbage soup that you want on any of the days. You must eat the cabbage soup at least 3 times per day. It should also be pointed out that there are some other variations of this diet.

The above may not be the exact cabbage soup diet that you may have stumbled upon. The main ingredients usually consist of the following: cabbage, onion, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and seasonings. The ingredients for the cabbage soup also tend to vary.

Does this diet work

Yes and no. The diet can work, if you actually stick to it for the 7 days. You are severely limiting your calorie intake. Given that you have to eat the same thing daily, will probably tend to make you want to eat less of the soup, which will even further restrict your daily calorie intake.

If you're expecting the weight loss to be long term, don't. Most of the weight you lose from this diet will be water weight, not fat. Once you resume your normal eating habits, the weight you lost will return. In fact, it is probable that you will not only gain the weight you lost while being on this diet, but you may even gain more weight. You could wind up heavier than before you started this diet after you resume your normal eating habits.

Is this diet safe

No, it is not. It is highly recommended that you don't go on the cabbage soup diet. This diet is not nutritionally sound. You can actually become mal-nourished while on this diet. You should never eat under 1200 calories, unless you're being directed by a doctor. This diet can make you come dangerously close to consuming less than 1200 calories. Even though it is only a week, it is highly recommended you don't try this diet.

The cabbage soup diet lives on because there will always be an allure and an attraction to a diet that will help you to lose weight rapidly. The cabbage soup diet is not nutritionally sound nor will give you long term weight loss benefits at all. There are many other safe, nutritionally sound, diets out there that will help you to lose weight quickly and easily, if you put the effort into them.