Soup Diet Support
Soup Diet Support
Generally speaking, it’s difficult to adhere to Soup Diets over long periods of time. Some Soup Diets, such as the Cabbage Soup Diet, carry warnings about not staying on them more than one week a month. This is because the Cabbage Soup Diet is considered a very low calorie diet (VLCD) and doesn’t provide all of the nutrients your body needs. You can undertake other Soup Diets, such as the Chicken Soup Diet or the All-You-Can-Eat Soup Diet for longer periods of time.
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WHY DO YOU NEED SOUP DIET SUPPORT?
It’s important to receive support and encouragement any time you go on a weight loss diet, but Soup Diet support is even more crucial. This is because many dieters find that it’s difficult to stick with the fairly severe calorie restriction of most Soup Diets for more than a week or two. In addition, the soups that form the basis of most Soup Diets aren’t terribly satisfying. While you can eat large quantities of the soups, your palate can quickly become bored, making it more likely that you’ll fall off the diet. Soup Diet support can take a number of forms, but the most successful strategy is to set up your Soup Diet support before whipping up your first batch of soup. Setting your support mechanisms in place ahead of time will ensure a smooth start.
There are a number of ways to find or create Soup Diet support. As with any diet, finding a “diet buddy,” is a great strategy. Enlist a friend, family member or colleague who also wants to lose weight on a Soup Diet, and make a commitment to adhere to the diet for a certain period of time. Create the ground rules for mutual support. One ground rule might be permission to call your diet buddy at any time of the day or night, whenever temptation, boredom, or frustration sets in. Another ground rule might be that the two of you will get together once a week and make enough soup to feed both of you for an entire week.
Unless you live alone, it’s also important to find Soup Diet support from your family members or housemates. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to go on the diet with you (but if they do, so much the better!), but it does mean that they should give you emotional support in your endeavor. You can also ask them to refrain from eating tempting foods in your presence.
You can also find Soup Diet support online. Although there are few discussion boards specifically dedicated to those on various Soup Diets, there are many discussion boards and chat rooms dedicated to supporting community members who are on any type of diet. Find one (or many) where you feel comfortable, and where you feel you’ll get the support you need to stay with your Soup Diet. Again, it’s important to find all of these resources before you start.
SOUP DIET SUPPORT KEEPS YOU GOING
Whether in person or online, Soup Diet support can keep you going by:
- Providing you with a way to track your progress
- Giving you a forum for expressing your feelings
- Propping you up when you feel discouraged
- Helping you resist temptation
- Helping you celebrate your successes
- Providing you with the comfort that comes from shared experiences
- Giving you new ideas and tips
- Providing a feeling of fellowship and community
SOUP DIET SUPPORT: THE ROLE YOU PLAY
Ultimately, you have to depend upon yourself for Soup Diet support:
- Once you’ve made the decision to lose weight, spend two weeks keeping a food journal. Keep track of not only what you eat, but also when you eat and your mood when you eat. Look for patterns. Are you a late night eater? Do you snack when you’re watching TV? Do you eat out of boredom or sadness? Do you reward yourself with food when you accomplish something? Once you know your patterns and triggers, come up with specific strategies to combat them. For example, make a list of friends to call when you’re bored, so you don’t turn to food.
- Soup Diets aren’t designed as permanent lifestyle changes. In other words, you can’t expect yourself to primarily eat soup for the rest of your life. While you’re losing weight, come up with a strategy to maintain your goal weight once you’ve achieved it. Consider other eating plans that stress a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods.
- Accelerate your weight loss with an exercise plan. Find a workout buddy and go to the gym, or start slowly and walk for an hour a day.
- Cultivate mindfulness when eating. Don’t let yourself be distracted by the television or the phone during meal times. Instead, concentrate on each mouthful of food and get full enjoyment from your meals.
- Take a multivitamin each day. Soup Diets don’t necessarily provide complete nutrition, so cover your bases.
- Envision your goal. Whether your goal is to lose a certain number of pounds, to fit into the dress you bought last year, or to improve your health status, keep that goal in mind. Go one step further and create a collage with pictures and words that represent your goal and who you will be once you lose the weight.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to friends or colleagues, or go to an online discussion board when your spirits are lagging.
- Although the Soup Diets may make your energy initially drop, you’ll soon recover. Keep your mind off of food by staying busy. Call a non-profit and volunteer your time, learn a new hobby, or indulge in another non-food related endeavor.
- If you fall off the diet, pick yourself up and get right back on track. Most of all, don’t beat yourself up.