More Cabbage Soup Rules and Tips

While on the cabbage soup diet plan, I became frustrated with the lack of rules that accompany it. I have been researching the cabbage soup diet for years and I feel that I am qualified to write a small set of rules to it. Think of this as a cabbage soup diet frequently asked question.

1. Can I drink V-8 juice all week? Yes. Since it is a component of the soup itself, I believe that you can drink it at any time during the week.

2. On day two and three (vegetable days) can I use salad dressing? Day two is a vegetable-only day so you can use an olive-oil vinegarette or olive oil and vinegar. You cannot use any dressings that contain sugar, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. On day three you can use the same dressing as day two or you can use lemon and salt, or a dressing of oil and unsweetened fruit juice. Try olive oil and lemon on a spinach salad, it is good. Again, no sugar-sweetened, corn syrup, or artificially sweetened dressings.

3. Can I drink diet soft drinks on this diet. No. I am sorry. Whether you call it soda, pop or even tonic you cannot drink it on this diet and expect to see the results you want. If you normally drink a lot of diet soda with caffeine and get a headache, take excedrine as it contains caffeine to help your withdrawal symptoms.

4. What beverages are allowed? Water, unsweetened tea, unsweetened black coffee, and V-8 juice are the only beverages allowed every day. On days 1 and 3 you can those as well as you can have a 100% juice cranberry juice blend or blended combinations of fruit, water and ice. On day 4 you drink skim milk. You can substitute fat-free soy milk for skim milk on day 4 if you are vegetarian or lactose intollerant. One days 1, 3, and 7 you can have up to two glasses of red wine.

5. What about gas relief pills, can I use them? Yes. You will probably feel quite bloated on this diet. I suggest you begin taking simethicone pills (like Gas-X) as soon as you start the diet. If you wait until you have a stomach ache you might suffer for a couple of hours until they can relieve your gas.

6. Can I vary from the cabbage soup recipe? Yes, but you cannot add anything that adds fat, sugar or artificial sweeteners or significant amounts of calories or carbohydrates to the soup. So you cannot add meat, dairy, beans, rice, potato, noodles, etc. You can vary the soup by adding different vegetables, seasonings or by increasing the amount of heat.

7. Can I have beans on day two and three? You cannot use fresh or canned beans, you cannot eat peas or corn. You cannot eat peanuts or peanut butter. You cannot eat lentils or chickpeas. You CAN eat frozen or canned soybeans (edamame), green beans, and fresh long-beans. People who are working out during the diet may find these beans helpful as a source of protein.

8. Can vegetarians take this diet? You can try, but you are going to have a rough time. You may substitute tofu for the beef, but most people have difficulty digesting that much soy protein and your body will probably be looking for a protein source by days 5 and 6.

9. What adjustments do I make if I am a large person? small person? work out a lot? etc. Answer: There are no adjustments to this diet based upon your size. You still can eat as much cabbage soup and food as you want.

10. How much weight will I lose if I stick to it? You can expect to lose between 3 and 7 pounds the first week. Some folks lose more and some folks lose less, but that is a good ballpark number. After the first week, your weight loss will slow to probably 2-4 pounds per week.

11. What should I do if I cheat? Get over it quickly and continue on. You don't need to go back to step 1. We are all human. Don't let a little indiscretion cause you to fall off the wagon. Just finish up the day you were on and move on to the next day.

12. I am thinking of cheating, what should I do? I suggest you cheat small with whatever food you are craving. Personally, I always crave protein on days 1-3 so if I cheat I cook one egg or eat a piece of cheese. Once, I went all out on day four and made a banana protein shake at midnight between days 3 and 4, I still lost weight that day too. Usually, that allows me to get through the day until I can have milk on day 4. So try your best to cheat small and keep on the diet.

13. What condiments are allowed. On day one you can use lemon juice or orange juice to keep your fruit from browning. On days two and three you can use olive oil and any vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, hot sauces, steak sauce, ketchup, mustard and most seasonings. You can have up to one tablespoon of butter on your potato. Please note the comments above about salad dressings. On meat days you can use worcestershire and A-1 Style steak sauces. You cannot use barbecue sauce as it contains too much sugar.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting FadDiet.com where these tips were created.