What to Eat After Taking the Cabbage Soup Diet

If you have just finished the Cabbage Soup Diet then you are probably wondering what to do next. Whether you plan to continue dieting for additional weight loss or you have achieved your goals and are looking to maintain them, there are a few tips about transitioning from the diet into a more workaday eating routine.

What to Do First

• Eat light. It's important to remember that for at least three days you have allowed your digestive system a break. You are going to want to ease back into normal eating. Add some fresh fruits and cereal the first morning after the diet. For lunch you can add in a portion of protein, preferably chicken or fish, both of which are easier to digest than beef.

  If you have any digestive discomforts you will want to go back to the fresh fruits and vegetables for dinner. Otherwise, continue to eat normally.

Continue to Diet

• If you wish to continue to lose weight after the Cabbage Soup Diet, you are going to want to buy a calorie counter. If you dine out a lot make sure that it will provide you with the calorie counts of foods most often served at your favorite restaurants. Try to find one that is small enough to carry with you so you can check on the calorie counts while you are out.

  It is safe to return to the Cabbage Soup Diet every two to three weeks to more closely approach and maintain your goal weight.

A Way of Life

• Eat healthy. Whether you wish to lose more weight or maintain your weight loss, eating healthy is important. The difference between a weight-loss diet and a maintenance diet is only in the number of calories consumed. Read labels and pay particular attention to portion sizes of the foods you want to eat.

  Water should be your drink of choice. Water keeps the body hydrated which keeps your metabolism functioning at optimal levels. Your goal should be eight to 10 glasses of water per day.

  Breakfast should be a fairly large meal. The American Dietetic Association suggests that those who eat breakfast will consume fewer calories overall for the remainder of the day. A good breakfast can be as simple as a bowl of whole grain cereal, fresh fruit and skim milk. One way to conserve calories is to never drink your fruit. Instead of orange juice, eat an orange. Look up the calorie counts of both orange juice and an orange. Ounce for ounce, juice generally contains as many calories as soda.

  Make lunch your largest meal of the day. Look at your plate and mentally divide it in half. Load half of the plate with fresh fruits and vegetables. Now you can fill the other half of the plate with a portion of protein and a carbohydrate.

  Dinner should be your smallest meal of the day. Again, most of what you eat should come from fruits and vegetables. Start by consuming the lowest-calorie item on the plate and work your way to the higher-calorie foods.