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September 15, 2008
Seven Days of Hell...I mean...Soup
Over the summer, Robbi's brother told us about a diet that he and his fiance had tried. Apparently, he lost seven pounds in a week. When he described the described the eating regimen, I was intrigued to say the least. On the one hand, a person on this diet may eat as much vegetable soup as he pleases. The idea of a diet without volume restrictions was appealing to me. On the other hand, there were a number of other restrictions to consider.
Here is the day-by-day accounting of what one may eat each day (in addition to unending quantities of vegetable soup).
DAY 1: All fruits except bananas.
DAY 2: All vegetables, raw or cooked. This includes baked potato with a LITTLE butter.
DAY 3: Fruits and vegetables, but no potatoes or bananas.
DAY 4: Bananas and skim milk--eat as many as 8 bananas and drink as many as 8 glasses of skim milk.
DAY 5: Beef, skinless chicken, and/or fish--as much as 20 ounces, total. You can also eat 6 tomatoes. And you must drink 8 glasses of water. Don't forget at least one bowl of soup.
DAY 6: Beef, skinless chicken, or fish and vegetables. Drink 8 glasses of water and eat at least one bowl of soup.
DAY 7: Brown rice, vegetables, and unsweetened fruit juice.
Ever since the summer, Robbi and I have talked occasionally about trying the diet, always in a safely abstract way. Yesterday morning, however, Robbi awoke and announced that she was going to try it, starting immediately. Before I could really think through the implications of what I was saying, I agreed to join her.
I sit here now at the end of day two a shadow of my former self. Since waking this morning I have consumed corn, beans, tomatoes, onions, and, of course, several bowls of vegetable soup. Eating only vegetables all day long is very, very hard if you are me. I have been feeling vaguely ill all day. Light-headed and somewhat disoriented. It has been slightly fun, to tell you the truth. I feel like a true martyr.
Yesterday was slightly better. I ate peaches and nectarines, clementines and grapes. I didn't feel like I was really eating, but I could at least stave off the sense that I was entirely empty.
I am looking much forward to Wednesday, when I will be allowed to drink milk again, eight glasses of it, apparently, along with eight bananas. It has struck me these past two milkless days how much I enjoy the stuff. And Thursday...twenty ounces of steak! It is a strange diet, but one which has already demonstrated its effectiveness.
I weighed in yesterday morning at 176 and went to bed last night at 175. This morning I was 172. Where is this heading? I may be gone by week's end.
As for that vegetable soup, it's not just any vegetable soup. Here is our five-gallon pot of it.
Here is the recipe, in case you are tempted to try this diet for yourself.
* 1 head cabbage, shredded or chopped
* 2 large onions, chopped
* 16-28 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped
* 2 green peppers
* 4 stalks celery
* 1-2 packages Lipton onion soup mix, or any dry onion soup mix (optional)
* black pepper
* any fresh herb(s) of your choice, chopped
* 6 carrots, sliced
* 1/2 pound green beans, sliced on diagonal
* 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (optional)
I bid you adieu until tomorrow, at which time I will be allowed to eat fruits and vegetables. Ah, tomorrow.
Posted by bogenamp at September 15, 2008 08:37 PM