Cabbage Soup Diet Diary

Finally it had happened to me; the one thing I thought never would.

For the first time in my life I had experienced the feelings of....
shock and dread.....
anger and dissapointment......when a person looks in a mirror and sees what appears to be a huge rubber inflatable ring wrapped around what used to be a waist!!!

Yep, I had spent at least seven months eating exactly what I wanted...without a care. I had takeaways almost everyday; McDonalds burger meals, BurgerKing Whoppers, KFC buckets, giant tubs of icecream, bars of chocolate, cakes, crisps, fry-ups....you name it!

I was getting fatter......of course I was, and the funny thing is that I didnt notice until seven months later when it was too late!
Why is that?!

I mean, in that seven month period I had obviously seen myself naked many times in the mirror. In that time I even allowed a lady friend or two to see me naked, yet I didn't get that shocked feeling.

Im guessing I was about two or three kilos heavier than usual. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but trust me...on my small frame its a lot.
I hardly ever weigh myself and so I usually compare my size in what I call.. " Belt Terms "

Basically, I had trouble getting into the first hole on my belt when ordinarily Im at least three holes down.
It was enough to get me to take action.

I had a few options:

1. Change what I eat and when I eat.
Regular exercise.

2. Go on an ass-kicking diet.

3. Buy a girdle.

4. Forget the whole idea and just carry on as I am.

Well, options 4 and 3 seemed like the perfect solutions; they would certainly be less painful.
I could enjoy eating all the fatty foods I wanted and if I ever wanted to venture outside I would put on my new girdle.

Option 2 wasnt what I was really looking for. With so many diets available on the market these days it could take a while to find the one that suited me.

Anyway, I never liked the word, " diet ".
Look at the first three letters.......read them......" die ".
What does that tell you?!!!

No, in the end the decision would be option 1; eating correctly and burning fat slowly but surely.

I decided to do some research on the internet. While doing this I came across a page with huge lettering on it........

" The 7 Day Cabbage Soup Diet "

I read the page........" Lose Weight Fast And Easy "

I liked the sound of that.....in only seven days I could lose quite a few pounds.

" Hmmm, I can do that.....no worries ".

So I did.

* 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 of celery
* half a head of cabbage
* 1 package Lipton soup mix
* 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
* 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
* Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Directions:

Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.

Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.

Take the outer leaf layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.

Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.

Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.

You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.

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. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

RULES FOR DAY 1:

CABBAGE SOUP AND ALL THE FRUIT YOU WANT EXCEPT BANANAS. DRINK UNSWEETENED TEA,CRANBERRY JUICE OR WATER.

I was actually pretty enthusiastic about the whole diet. This would be my first day on any kind of diet so I was curious how the day would pan out.

First breakfast, and I was hungry! We all know that breakfast, " is the most important meal of the day ", and for me it really is THE most important meal. Some people can grab a quick coffee and go straight out to work.......not me.

Without a large nutritious breakfast I wont function well all day. So on an average morning I would have scrammbled eggs, baked beans, a fresh tomato, some toast and a tea.
That would be topped up with a bowl of museli.....just to make sure.

For the next seven days my standard big breakfast would have to go on hold.
No problem.

I had already prepared for the diet. A day in advance I made up a big batch of Cabbage Soup and kept it in the fridge. Also, I cleared out my fridge and food cupboards of any food that may tempt me to go back to my old eating ways.

So, for breakfast I had a huge serving of the Cabbage Soup, a glass of water and as many fruit as I could stuff down.
Now I was full......and feeling pretty good.
This isnt going to be so bad.

Throughout this day I had around five good sized bowls of soup and loads of fruit.
The evening was the hardest as I was used to eating a piece of cake with a tea while watching tv.....now I was watching tv with an apple in one hand and a cool glass of water in the other.

Just a little bit of a change.

RULES FOR DAY 2

CABBAGE SOUP,ALL THE LOW-CALORIE VEGETABLES YOU WANT, ( EXCEPT BEANS,PEAS OR CORN ), AND A LARGE BAKED POTATO WITH BUTTER.

I woke up to the vision of a Big Mac and fries floating in the air before my eyes. This was no shock to me, Im guessing my mind was manifesting a need for me to go McDonalds.

Another huge bowl of soup for brecky and a bunch of grilled vegetables. I took advantage of the rules and spiced up the meal as much as possible with salt, pepper, spices, soy sauce etc....

Yes!!!! This day I was allowed to have a baked potato with butter for dinner. Throughout the day I ate soup and veg but all I could think about was dinner time when I get to eat a baked potato.

The rules state I can have a, "large ", potato.
I had potatoes in the kitchen, but they werent that large......not to my standards anyway.
So, while I was shopping for extra fruit and veg I bought myself the biggest potato I could find.

To any onlookers I must have looked like someone who had escaped from a mental institution as I dug away at all the different piles of potatoes available. I was searching for " The One ".

After a 10 minutes of digging I found it.......The One!
Yep, it was perfect......this thing was bigger than a Hummvie!!

Dinner time!

If you had watched me making my evening meal you would've thought I was cooking for the Queen of England; I took it soooooooo seriuosly.
It had to be perfect.

I had another bowl of soup, grilled veg and the huge baked potato with butter in it.
I remember thinking how delicious the meal was.......it was like I hadn't eaten for weeks!

Amazing how you appreciate certain foods more when you know your not going to be eating it again for a while.

RULES FOR DAY 3

CABBAGE SOUP AND A MIXTURE OF THE ABOVE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

This morning I awoke to a Burger King Whopper......and a Coke.

This should have been an easier day as I was allowed to eat both fruits and veg.
At breakfast I stared at the pan with the soup in it as it heated up on the hob. I really didnt feel like having the same tasting soup again.
I chucked some curry powder into it and scoffed it down.

I drank loads of water and only managed two bowls of soup.
I was beginning to get real cranky with anyone that came into contact with me.....my roomate took most of the heat; poor guy.

Ive noticed something else since starting this diet......I find myself going to the loo more times than usual.
I got up three times last night in the early hours; I hate that, especially if Im caught up in a good dream!

This afternoon I went to the toilet for a, " number 2 ", and what came out was like a work of art! I mean, this thing should've been kept to be exhibited in a museum!! Come to think of it, I think it was more like a cross between a, " number 1 " and a " number 2 ".
A new breed!

" Did that really come out of my ass?! "

RULES FOR DAY 4

CABBAGE SOUP, UP TO EIGHT BANANAS, AND TWO GLASSES OF SKIMMED MILK.

After shaking away the image of a KFC meal, (3 pieces of chicken, fries and a Sprite), I had a look at my calender to see what I was able to eat on this day......................................bananas!

I looked at the casserole dish filled with the Cabbage Soup and then decided against it. Instead, I chopped a couple bananas and placed them in a bowl filled with skimmed milk.
No soup this morning thank you!!

I struggled this day, only having one bowl of soup. Right now I was getting sick of the same soup. I flavoured it in as many different ways as possible but in the end it was still Cabbage Soup!!!!

Had an argument with my roomate because since starting the diet, a foul, gassy type smell has spread throughout the flat.
Well, its cabbage.........known for creating wind in some people!!!

I couldn't leave it in......if I did I would have exploded!!!!!
Probably taking half the neighbourhood with me!

RULES FOR DAY 5

CABBAGE SOUP, UP TO 20 OUNCES OF BEEF, CHICKEN OR FISH, UP TO 6 FRESH TOMATOES AND AT LEAST 6 - 8 GLASSES OF WATER.

On this morning it was PitzaHut's turn to torment me. I didnt care because it was steak day!

I was really sick of the soup now but I managed to get a bowl down.

My farts had become orchestral and also all the windows of the flat had to be left open all day, orders from my roomie.

I bought a steak nearly 20 ounces and chopped up six tomatoes.
That night I cooked for the Gods.
Best steak and tomatoes I've ever had.

RULES FOR DAY 6

CABBAGE SOUP, UP TO 3 BEEF STEAKS AND UNLIMITED VEGETABLES.

Three delicious noodles with special fried rice haunted my mind this morning.

I had to force the soup down at least once on this day. So sick of soup!!! I was feeling quite weak for most of the day.

At dinner time I made sure I had the three beef steaks and all the veg I could swallow.

Still cranky, still constantly farting and spending a substantial amount of time on the toilet!

RULES FOR DAY 7

CABBAGE SOUP, UP TO 2 CUPS OF BROWN RICE, UNSWEETENED FRUIT JUICES AND UNLIMITED VEGETABLES.

This was the easiest day for me as I knew it would be over soon.

No dreams this morning; just straight out of bed and downing my last Cabbage Soup!

I had a look at myself in the mirror properly. My eyes focusing on my stomach.
Well what do you know, the large inflatable rubber ring was replaced by a smaller inflatable ring.
Not bad.

I can see the attraction to this diet. I mean, its only a seven day process and in that time you can lose quite a bit of weight.

The thing is I think most of that weight lost would come from water and muscle tissue.....not fat.
I never weigh myself as Im not interseted in that area however, how I look is important. So for me I pretty much achieved what I wanted.

After measuring my waist I found I had dropped a couple inches which was great. I did lose some muscle mass though.

I think a diet like this is perfect for someone who wants to loose some size quickly.....for a wedding day, for example. Its only seven days so its not long enough to cause any damage.

After this diet, if a person wanted to stay at a loss or lose even more, then I would look at a program that involves good eating and exercise. Burning fat through proper eating and exercise is the right way to go.
A loss of no more than 2lbs a week.

As for me, this is my first weight loss diet and Im glad to say it will be my last!

Mention the word " soup " to me and immediately I can see, taste and smell Cabbage!

I wont even go into the flatulence issue.......lets just say that since the diet Ive had to have the flat fumigated and re-painted!

If you read up on the subject you will see that many people were fine with the whole diet and would probably do it again.
I am not one of them.

You cant please everyone.