Simple diet plan: Hospital

The Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet has been around for decades under a variety of names, including the Sacred Heart Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, and the Spokane Heart Diet. Although no institution lays claim to being its source, the details of this meal plan have been widely circulated and, in some instances, even recommended by medical professionals. There are claims that users can lose up to 10 lbs in a week by following the steps described here.

However, dieters are cautioned to consult their medical advisers before using this diet.

\"diet Plan\"

The main component of the plan is vegetable SOUP. You are required to make a pot of soup with the ingredients described here. You can have as much of the soup as you like over a period of seven days, along with a few other items that are mentioned below.

Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet - Recipe and Diet Plan

SOUP CONTENTS:

* One or two cans of stewed tomatoes.
* One large can of beef broth (without fat)
* Three or more large green onions
* One packet/can of chicken noodle soup (similar to Lipton Soup mix)
* One bunch of celery
* Two green peppers
* Two pounds of carrots
* Two cans of green beans

Seasoning: Pepper, salt, parsley, curry, bouillon, and Worcestershire sauce are permitted.

Process: Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces and cover with water. Boil on high for ten minutes, then simmer until the veggies are tender.

The soup can be eaten at any time you are feeling hungry, in any quantities. It does not add calories.

DRINKS:

* Tea, including herbal teas
* Coffee
* Skimmed milk
* Cranberry juice
* Plenty of water. Eight glasses per day recommended.

EXCLUSIONS:

No alcohol during the seven days of the diet. Allow at least half a day after finishing it before consuming any alcohol.
No bread
No carbonated drinks, such as sodas
No fried foods

DAILY PLAN

Day 1: Eat any fruit except bananas. Watermelon and Cantaloupes are recommended as they have fewer calories than most other fruits. Food today consists of fruit and soup only.

Day 2: Eat plenty of veggies today, whether cooked, raw or canned. Green leafy veggies are preferred. Try to avoid corn, peas and dry beans. No fruits today. As much soup as you want. At dinnertime, a baked potato with butter is allowed as a treat.

Day 3: No baked potato today but have all the soup, fruit and vegetables you can manage.

Progress Report: If you haven't cheated, you will probably find that you are about 5 lbs lighter at this stage. If you find that your bowel movements have changed, eat a cup of bran or other high fiber food.

Day 4: Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much skim milk as you want. Also be sure to have at least one serving of the soup. Your body now needs the potassium, carbohydrates, proteins and calcium contained in the bananas and skim milk.

Day 5: Eat 10 to 20 oz of beef (or non-fried, skinless chicken) and up to 6 tomatoes, as well as at least one serving of soup.

Day 6: Eat beef (or non-fried, skinless chicken) and veggies - as much as you like, especially green leafy veggies. At least one serving of soup.

Day 7: Have plenty of soup. Brown rice, veggies and unsweetened fruit juice allowed. Cooked veggies may be added to your rice, if you like.

Broiled fish may be substituted for the beef on one day.

Progress Report: By this stage, at least 10 lbs of weight should have been lost.

Stay off the diet for two days before starting it again.

Although this diet has more merit than most short-term diets in that it pays closer attention to nutritional requirements during the seven days it is to be followed, the restrictions mean that it can become boring, which increases the temptations to eat snack food or binge on fatty foods. For sustainable weight loss, menus which take into account your food preferences as well as nutritional needs and food groups are easier to follow and more likely to result in fat loss that does not return.

Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet - Recipe and Diet Plan

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\"Simple Diet Plan\"

Notwithstanding the uncertainty of its origins, there is little doubt that this simple diet plan has become widespread and that many people have used it, often coming across the weight loss strategy under one of its many names. Apart from the Hospital 3 Day Diet, it is also known as Alabama 3 Day Diet, 3 day Tuna Diet, Tuna Fish Diet, 3 Day Cardiac Diet, and others.

Hospital 3 Day Diet - Birmingham Hospital Diet Review

The content of these weight loss diet plans is very similar and will here be treated as essentially the same.

A key element of the Hospital 3 Day Diet is that it contains a low daily calorie level of about 1,000 calories with specified ingredients to provide the protein, carbohydrates, fat (very little) and other nutrients that we need to survive. For a full description of the menu plan, do a quick search for my article "3 Day Tuna Fish Diet - Menu and Diet Plan".

In brief, the plan outlines the foods to be included for breakfast, lunch and dinner over a three day period.

There are many reports of weight reduction from those who have followed the diet. The amount of claimed weight lost during that time varies, as might be expected with so many differing metabolisms and food requirements being involved. However, a minimum weight reduction of at least 2.5 lbs does seem attainable and likely.

Much of the weight loss from a diet of such a short duration probably comes from water loss. As well, with a calorie count of about 1,000 this would be well below normal requirements for most adults, so energy expended would also account for some of the loss.

However, whilst not a 'starvation diet', the Birmingham Hospital Diet is likely to generate user problems if continued beyond the recommended 3 days. For instance, it is normal for our bodies to make adjustments when a food shortage is detected. This is a survival mechanism which protects us when little food is available, as in times of famine. The body slows metabolism and conserves fat stores to enable us to survive longer with less food. This actually makes it harder to lose weight, we have less energy and tire more easily. Not a satisfactory long term condition!

Although there may be some short-term loss advantage, the feelings of hunger experienced by the end of the diet encourage extra food intake after the diet has been completed. A better alternative is a program that does not produce a craving for food, does not cause the body to slow its activities, and takes into account nutritional requirements so that changes in eating habits would allow fat loss to happen over a longer period and be lasting.

Rather than following a simple, low calorie diet plan, losing weight over an extended period allows other tactics to be employed in the plan, such as 'calorie shifting', placing greater emphasis on fat loss and adequate nutrition. This is more likely in the long run to provide health benefits and sustainable weight loss.

Get details of a remarkably successful, natural, quick weight loss strategy that builds body tone and good health whilst burning unwanted fat at Fat Loss 4 Idiots. More information on this carefully designed and widely regarded program can also be found at: http://www.HerbalAndNaturalRemedies.com/FatLoss/