How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight? (2024)

  • Definition
    • What Is the Cabbage Soup Diet?
  • Food List
    • What Can You Eat on the Cabbage Soup Diet?
  • Weight Loss
    • How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight?
  • Advantages
    • What Are Advantages of the Cabbage Soup Diet?
  • Disadvantages
    • What Are Disadvantages of the Cabbage Soup Diet?
  • Guide

What Is the Cabbage Soup Diet?

How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight? (1)

The Cabbage Soup fad diet promises dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in seven days. The main reason for this is that it severely restricts calories. Do not go below 1,200 calories a day without a doctor’s supervision.

The Cabbage Soup diet is a low-calorie fad diet designed for quick short-term weight loss.

The origins of the diet are unknown and at times it has been falsely attributed to a famous doctor as well as to a certain hospital. It gained in popularity in the 1980s as the diet was spread by fax.

What Can You Eat on the Cabbage Soup Diet?

As the name would imply, cabbage soup is a mainstay of the diet. There are a number of different recipes that can be found online for the cabbage soup used in the diet.

The Cabbage Soup diet consists of:

  • A fat-free cabbage soup consumed several times daily
    • Other vegetables may be added to the soup
  • Drinking plenty of water
  • Fruits (except banana) may be eaten as snacks
  • Other foods permitted on a limited basis on certain days and according to a specific schedule include:
    • Skim milk
    • Beef
    • Baked chicken without skin
    • Brown rice

It is a very strict diet that specifies exactly what to eat and when, and there is no room for deviation.

How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight?

The Cabbage Soup diet promises dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in 7 days. The main reason for this is that it severely restricts calories.

Some days, the daily caloric intake on the diet plan is less than 1,000 calories per day which is far less than the average adult requires. In general, daily caloric requirements for adults range from:

  • 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for women
  • 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for men

The low end of the range is for people who are sedentary while the high end of the range is for people who are active. Calorie requirements also tend to decrease for adults as they age.

People who lose weight gradually, about 1 to 2 pounds per week, tend to have more success over the long term than people who try fad diets.

What Are Advantages of the Cabbage Soup Diet?

Due to the limited caloric intake of the diet, most people who follow the Cabbage Soup diet will likely lose weight in the short-term.

Other advantages of the Cabbage Soup diet include:

  • It is relatively inexpensive, with fruits and vegetables being the mainstay of the diet
  • There are no packaged foods to buy or meetings to attend
  • It is only intended to be followed short-term, for about a week, so many people may be able to stick with it for this short time
  • Because the diet is specific on what to eat and when, there is little guesswork

What Are Disadvantages of the Cabbage Soup Diet?

There are many disadvantages of the Cabbage Soup diet, including:

  • The diet contains fewer than the recommended daily allowance of calories for adults
  • The diet plan is extremely rigid
  • Most of the weight lost will likely be water weight
  • The diet is only meant for short-term weight loss
  • The diet does not yield long-term results and most dieters will gain the weight back as soon as they stop the diet
  • Because the caloric intake is so low, exercise while following the diet probably is not a good idea
  • May not be nutritionally balanced; dieters may need to take a vitamin and mineral supplement
  • Not suitable for diabetics because it is so low on carbohydrates
How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight? (2024)

FAQs

How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight? ›

The low-calorie diet combined with the high fiber content of the filling vegetables, fruit, and cabbage help a person to go to the bathroom more than usual,” Rothenberg says. “At the end of the week, there is weight loss from water weight primarily, and largely due to calorie restriction.”

How does the cabbage soup diet make you lose weight? ›

The cabbage soup diet stimulates the body's metabolism and fat mobilization. This diet limits your calorie intake and causes your body to burn fat for energy. Low sodium, low calories, and high fiber allow you to lose weight faster if you followed a reasonable long-term dietary plan.

How many times a day do you eat cabbage soup on the cabbage soup diet? ›

Most variations of this diet suggest that people eat this soup two to three times a day—although some variations enable the participants to consume even more of the soup. The cabbage soup used in this diet combines ingredients like broth, nonstarchy vegetables, pepper, herbs and, of course, cabbage.

What happens if you do the cabbage soup diet for 2 weeks? ›

It will likely leave you feeling hungry, weak, and bored. You might even feel sick. And if you follow the Cabbage Soup Diet for more than a week, you could run short on key nutrients. Nor does the diet encourage the necessary lifestyle changes you need to make in order to be healthier and have lasting weight loss.

Does cabbage soup detox you? ›

Cabbage has diuretic properties that helps get rid your body of excess liquid and toxins. It helps cleanse your liver and colon. Which is why cabbage forms the base for this detox cabbage soup. You can add veggies or proteins of your choice such as egg, ground chicken, lamb!

Does cabbage burn belly fat? ›

Does cabbage burn belly fat? Although cabbage is a nutritious low-calorie vegetable, many people associate it with weight loss because of the popular "cabbage soup diet". Some creative marketing has led people to believe that cabbage actually burns body fat. In fact, no food, including cabbage, burns body fat.

Can I drink coffee on the cabbage soup diet? ›

You should also remember to drink plenty of water and moderate amounts of herbal tea and black coffee to stay hydrated throughout the day. It's important to note that the cabbage soup diet is intended for short-term use (it's typically a 7 day diet) and should not be followed for an extended period.

Can you drink water on the cabbage soup diet? ›

The cabbage soup diet allows unlimited zero-calorie beverages like water and unsweetened tea.

What can you not eat on a cabbage soup diet? ›

The cabbage soup diet allows you to eat all of the cabbage soup you like in addition to adding certain foods on specific days throughout the week. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, including diet sodas.

How many bananas should you eat on the cabbage soup diet? ›

Day 3: Eat cabbage soup and raw, low fat fruits and vegetables, but no potatoes or bananas. Day 4: Eat cabbage soup, skim milk, and no more than eight bananas. Day 5: Eat cabbage soup, six tomatoes, and 565 grams of beef (or a substitute for beef, such as pork, fish, or chicken).

Is cabbage soup a laxative? ›

Cabbage is high in fiber, per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. As a result, it can promote movement within your intestinal tract. But too much cabbage (or other fibrous foods) can aggravate conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), per the University of Michigan Health.

Can you cheat on cabbage soup diet? ›

The cabbage soup diet has low calories. Eat as much cabbage soup as you would like to keep your stamina up and drink plenty of water. If I start to feel sluggish, I cheat and have a baked sweet potato, a protein shake, or some juice.

How long does cabbage soup last in the refrigerator? ›

To store this soup, let it cool entirely before storing it in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.

What happens if you eat cabbage every day? ›

Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant-based foods like cabbage decreases the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and overall mortality. It can also help promote a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

How does the 7 day soup diet work? ›

One of the most popular soup diets, the cabbage soup diet is a 7-day eating plan that involves eating a chicken- or vegetable-broth-based soup that contains cabbage and other low carb vegetables. In addition to cabbage soup, you can also have one or two other low calorie foods, such as skim milk or leafy greens.

Does cabbage give you gas? ›

Certain vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, and cauliflower are known to cause excess gas. Like beans, these vegetables also contain the complex sugar, raffinose. However, these are very healthy foods, so you may want to talk with your doctor before eliminating them from your diet.

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