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| photo source: www.pdxretro.com |
While the statement "back in the saddle again" may remind you of Gene Autry OR Aerosmith, it means the same thing to me: I'm back at it. Daddy's all better (for the most part), and this Stella is finally getting her groove back. After nearly a month of food on the run, hospital food and restaurant food from here there and everywhere between Jackson, Mississippi and home....I AM BACK BABY!
Last week, my good friend Dot and I did the 7 Day (Detox) Diet. You fellow old school dieters will remember this as the old Cabbage Soup Diet. As hard as it was.....we did it! We both lost weight and it was just the jumpstart I needed to get back in the swing of things. I am still experiencing the "hangover". It happens when you take away all the bad stuff like processed foods, sugar, etc...but now into my second week, my skin is clear and I'm feeling much better!
I really do recommend that if you are in a slump...try the 7 Day Diet. I will tell you this: do not even try to do this if you don't have willpower, if you need to skip a day or rearrange a day, etc., you MUST be willing to make sacrifices in order for this to be a successful venture. Many say that they lost up to 10 pounds in 7 days. However, I want YOU to understand that the less you have to lose the less you WILL indeed lose. Dot lost 4 pounds and I lost 5 1/2. The point really was not losing the weight for me, it was ridding myself of all the unwanted toxins in my body. As always, please consult your doctor before starting any diet that may compromise your health....I'm professional dieter/lifestyle changer....NOT a doctor!
7 Day Cabbage Soup Diet: (source www.cabbage-soup-diet.com)
Remember: This diet should only be followed for 7 days at a time, with at least two weeks in between.
Day One:
Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.
Day Two:
Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.
Day Three:
Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato.
Day Four:
Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.
Day Five:
Beef And Tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for beef on one of the beef days (but not both).
Day Six:
Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart’s content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.
Day Seven:
Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.
Cabbage Soup Recipe
- 6 large green onions (also called “spring” 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 spice only soup mix (In the US, Liptons is a good choice)
- 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
- 1 48oz can Low Sodium V8 juice (optional)
- Season to taste with pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc. (Little to NO SALT!)
Directions:
Slice green onions, put in a pot on medium heat and start to sauté with cooking spray. Do this until the onions are whiter/clearer in color (about 4-6 minutes).
Cut green pepper stem end off, then cut pepper in half to take out the seeds and membrane. Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.
Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.
Clean carrots, mushrooms, and celery, cut into bite size pieces and toss them in. Add tomatoes now, too.
If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.
For seasonings, you can use a spice soup packet of your choice (no noodles!) or use beef or chicken bouillon cubes. These cubes are optional, and you can add spices you like instead (make sure not to add much salt, if any at all).
Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the 48 oz of Low Sodium V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup simmer for a long time – about 2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
