Is The Cabbage Soup Diet Really Negative Calorie?

It’s been claimed by many that the cabbage soup diet is a negative calorie diet. What that means in simple terms is that, by eating predominantly cabbage soup, the calories you burn off digesting it outweigh the calories it contains.
Let’s look and see if that claim is legitimate.

The concept of a negative calorie diet has become extremely popular in recent years. The idea that you not only eat low calorie foods, but that the same foods can actually shed pounds seems too good to be true. And like many things in life, it truly is.  Sure, digesting, absorbing, and processing nutrients uses up a bit of energy (known as the thermic effect of food), but it pales in comparison to the calories you eat during most cabbage soup diet plans.

Let’s say that a typical bowl of cabbage soup, chock full of veggies and devoid of a protein source, has 250 calories. At the most, your body needs 25 calories to get the job done. In other words, it’s definitely a very low calorie option, but it doesn’t fall below negative.

Truth be told, you can make the cabbage soup diet so extremely low in calories that it’s practically negative calorie. The downside of that of course, is that your body shifts into starvation mode -clinging to every fat cell in your body while letting muscle fall by the wayside.

Is there a way to get the same negative calorie effect without making your body freak out?

There is!

Eat protein: Protein requires much more bodily energy to process than carbohydrates or fats. By adding some protein to your cabbage soup diet plan you’ll be much better off both in terms of calories burned and body composition. That’s why most modern versions of the cabbage soup diet emphasize the addition of protein at every single meal. It seems like a small factor, but it’s HUGE.

Eat grapefruit: The grapefruit diet, another popular “fad diet” is big on the fact that it’s negative calorie. Research suggests that downing lots and lots of grapefruit can in fact help with the body’s natural metabolic rate. However, be warned that grapefruit, especially the juice, can interfere with many prescription medications. Be sure to check with your doctor before trying this one out.

Workout:  Many people on the cabbage soup diet just sit on their butt’s and eat cabbage soup -not cool. Be sure to get up and workout while you follow the plan. This will get your metabolism cranking and burning off way more calories than you take in.