[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
The soup diet is a weight loss program that allows massive consumption of soup, generally made from vegetables. This method for losing weight quickly is said to have been practiced in the United States since the 1980s at the private Sacred Heart hospital. It was originally a diet that obese patients were subjected to in order to help them lose weight very quickly before any heart surgery. This regime has undergone notable evolution since its initial version.
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Many variations currently exist outside of the classic soup diet. So, the cabbage version is undoubtedly one of the most popular. With a recorded weight loss of 5 kg in one week, the soup diet is creating real enthusiasm among people who want to get rid of a few extra pounds in a short period. The motivation to follow this 7-day treatment is greater among potential candidates as the holidays approach, and even before and at the end of the holidays. Find answers to your various questions related to the soup diet in this guide.
Definition of the diet: Principles of the soup diet
The soup diet, which allows you to lose up to 5 kg in 7 days, follows a certain number of principles. Skylight!
Pieced vegetable soup
The fundamental rule of this program is to consume a chopped vegetable soup at each meal for a week. It is therefore a monodiet with its advantages and disadvantages.
Formal ban on carbohydrates, starches and sugar
Another important principle of this effective method for losing weight in record time is the formal ban on carbohydrates, starchy foods and sugar. Spices are only permitted as seasoning ingredients for vegetables. Although small quantities of fruit are permitted, the soup diet remains an exclusion program. It has the uniqueness of being low-calorie to the extent that the calorie intake to the body during the 7-day treatment is rarely higher than the 800 – 1200 cal range.
More concretely, it should be remembered that the soup diet is based on almost exclusive consumption of soup over a period of 7 days. This is most often based on chicken or beef broth accompanied by onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery and peas. Other foods with low calorie content can be included in this diet, which essentially consists of soup at different meals. These include potatoes, brown rice and sugar-free fruit juices. It should be noted, however, that these should be added in small quantities and only on a few days of the week, although they are low in calories.
Special case of the cabbage soup diet
For a person who opts for a variant like the cabbage soup diet, the operating principle is the same. You should eat soup with cabbage as the main ingredient for a week at every meal. The soup in question can be offered as a snack menu.
Generally, it is also presented in chicken or beef broth with other ingredients such as parsley, garlic, tomato, pepper, onion or even carrots. Foods containing a relatively high amount of calories are allowed, such as sugar-free fruit juices, skimmed milk, vegetables and fruits, skinless poultry, not forgetting beef.
Finally, be aware that the soup diet does not authorize the practice of specific physical activities. In addition, it is a diet that does not include a transition stage. Its adoption as a way of life is therefore not recommended.
Explanation of the diet: How does the soup diet work?
The soup diet is a slimming method which has two main phases. We thus have the first phase which is called a massive attack lasting 7 days and the stabilization stage, also lasting a week. During the first week of the diet, almost exclusive consumption of vegetable soup is recommended for the person following this rapid weight loss program. It is generally accompanied by foods containing lean proteins such as fruits and chicken breast.
As for the next phase known as stabilization, it obeys the same principle as the previous one. Thus, it is also a 7-day stage during which you continue to favor vegetable soup in your diet while taking care to consume between 1 and 2 starchy foods daily. This promotes the consolidation of weight loss.
Progress of the diet: The typical day of the soup diet
The foods you can eat on a typical day on a soup diet vary from person to person depending on whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For breakfast, for example, it is possible to have 1 and 2 plums as well as 0% cottage cheese in a proportion of 150 g.
Consuming around 200 g of cod accompanied by a pan of delicately steamed vegetables is recommended. For dinner, don’t hesitate to opt for potato and leek soup and orange.
The advantages of the soup diet
- Short-term weight loss : allowing you to lose up to 5 kg in just one week, the diet stands out for its speed and effectiveness.
- An effective method of cleansing the body : according to many testimonies, the soup diet has a very interesting effect of cleansing the body, but not only that. It would also have diuretic and fat-eating properties which would eliminate cellulite and its orange peel appearance.
- Absence of feeling of hunger : this diet encourages the consumption of large quantities of fruits and vegetables. Hence this lack of feeling of hunger that you can feel by following this method, which is one of the most effective slimming programs for quickly losing weight.
- Facilitation of digestion : Thanks to the richness in fiber of the foods consumed, the soup diet has the particularity of facilitating the work of the digestive system by accelerating intestinal transit.
- Very interesting nutrient intake : the weight loss products recommended as part of this liquid diet are rich in fiber, vitamins in particular vitamin C and minerals. This composition of your diet during a soup diet ensures an effect effective fat burner which promotes the elimination of sugars and fats in the body.
Disadvantages of the soup diet
- High risk of deficiencies : As a mono-diet diet, this program promotes a lack of vitamins such as vitamin E and vitamin D and mineral salts such as selenium, magnesium and iron. To reduce the risk of this deficiency, the best tip is to take mineral and vitamin supplements.
- Almost systematic weight gain : the soup diet is characterized by its particularly protein intake. It is in reality a low-calorie program which inevitably leads to muscle wasting, which explains an almost systematic weight regain at the end of the treatment. The yo-yo effect is very important with this method, regardless of the weight loss products consumed during this diet.
- Very short diuretic effect of vegetables : it is only real during the first days of the soup diet. Those who use this program to lose weight quickly notice the cessation and reversal of this effect. This situation could cause water retention in the body, which would promote cellulite.
- Low calorie intake : this diet provides the body with a daily quantity not exceeding 1000 calories. As a consequence of this lack of calories, we can cite the fact that the individual who opts for this program feels hungry, in addition to fatigue and other undesirable effects such as dizziness or even headaches. Some people then advise taking a food supplement. effective appetite suppressant.
- Significant risk of eating disorders : this phenomenon is due to the fact that this diet leads to cravings and frustrations.
Diet effectiveness: The effectiveness of the soup diet
The soup diet, which recommends eating exclusively soup for a week, allows you to lose weight, and especially very quickly. Depending on the individual, weight loss with this slimming program is between 2 and 5 kilograms. As we can see, the goal of this diet is to lose weight in a very short time.
Duration of the soup diet
The soup diet is an effective method for short-term weight loss with an estimated duration of 7 days. After the so-called monodiet week, this slimming method includes a stabilization phase which also lasts 7 days. At this stage, the person following this diet gradually reintroduces starchy foods into their diet.
It should be kept in mind that the duration of the slimming program cannot exceed 7 days. This clarification having been made, the soup diet can be repeated by any person who considers that they have not achieved the desired objectives in terms of weight loss. To do this, you will need to scrupulously respect a 14-day break between the first and second attempts to lose weight quickly enough with the soup diet.
Special menus & recipes for the soup diet
There are many possibilities in terms of special menus and recipes when following a soup diet. So, here is what you can find on the plates of a person who decides to lose weight quickly with this slimming method.
| Breakfast | Cabbage soup, fruit, a sugar-free drink, a slice of salmon, oatmeal porridge |
| Lunch | Pan-fried green beans with parsley and garlic, Beef steaks and fruit salad Homemade applesauce, pan-fried mushrooms, grilled chicken and a recipe made with dill, 0% yogurt and cucumber Two clementines, grilled salmon steak with soy cream and spinach, beetroot cream A pan of tofu, artichoke vinaigrette and natural yogurt with red fruit coulis Steamed potatoes with chives, turkey escalope, endive salad with walnuts Fresh cucumber soup, cauliflower gratin with béchamel, exotic fruit salad and avocado and tarragon velouté. |
| Snack – Cravings | ·A dairy product: 1 glass of milk, 1 portion of cheese, 1 yogurt, 1 portion of cottage cheese; A grain product (1 whole grain biscuit, whole grain toast, etc.) A portion of fruit; A portion of oilseeds (almond, walnut, hazelnut, etc.) or approximately 30 g. |
| Dinner | Cream Of Mushroom Cream Of Watercress Cinnamon Apple Soup Mango-pineapple soup Pepper soup Turnip and cauliflower soup. |
Opinions of health professionals on the soup diet
For some specialists such as sports coaches, the soup diet is an advantageous program in that it facilitates the digestive process over a specific period of time. However, they do not fail to emphasize the dangerousness of this diet whose intake of minerals and vitamins remains particularly low. Other professionals, including nutritionists and dietitians, note the tendency to be exposed to deficiencies in this diet if followed over a longer period.
As a general rule, everyone agrees that the soup diet is an excellent way to lose weight quickly, but does not allow you to lose weight sustainably. To this end, they recommend the adoption of a balanced diet in addition to regular sporting activity.
Consumer reviews
For many people who have already followed the soup diet, its effectiveness is no longer in doubt. Many regulars of this slimming program claim to have lost almost 5 kg in just one week. However, they highlight the very draconian aspect of this diet.
As such, they recommend real motivation to succeed in losing weight quickly thanks to this weight loss method. Although deficiencies in certain elements cannot be ruled out, this is a downside that can be resolved with a simple tip: taking vitamins. Despite the fatigue caused in the long term by this diet, it remains a real detoxification cure for the body.