Cabbage soup diet ... in a pill?

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Jan 9th 2007 9:25AM

Do you remember the cabbage soup diet? Well, it's baaaack -- this time in pill form. The makers of said pill are claiming that the pill is "seven times more effective, three times more affordable, and 100 times more hunger-proof" than the original version of the diet, though how they came up with these numbers is beyond me. The original diet has been regarded as effective but hard to stick to because it limits what you eat quite a bit and gets boring quickly.

So how does it work? Basically, you have a glass of water and two pills 30 minutes before every meal. Supposedly, that will fill you up quite a bit and you will eat less, or nothing at all. Apparently, the capsules equal six bowls of soup. Their website doesn't seem to specify what you can eat besides the pills and frankly, I'm not convinced that two pills and a glass of water is going to fill me up.

What do you think?

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Comments (104)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)

Yatrik 1-09-2007 @ 11:06AM

I've never had cabbage soup... how do you make it and is it any good?

Nycteris 1-09-2007 @ 2:35PM

I tried the diet. I quite liked the soup, though I didn't stick on the diet very long. http://www.soupsong.com/rdiet.html here's a recipe.

Mona 1-14-2007 @ 6:14PM

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!"

starlitkate 1-13-2007 @ 8:18PM

The soup is good but can get boring. Like after the first couple days then it gets tiring to eat it no matter how much salt and pepper you add to it.

Ruth 1-13-2007 @ 8:14PM

How it works? You all all this soup that will give you the runs, you'll be in the bathroom constantly...the more soup you eat, the more you have to use the bathroom. I tried it...no fun! Try it if you are staying at home all day and have a lot of reading material there.

Jessica 1-13-2007 @ 8:26PM

The Cabbage Soup makes me gag! It's awful...although I know a bunch of people who have successfully stayed on the diet and lost tons! I can't stomach the stuff myself. Tempted to try the pills. It has to be better then the soup!

Mary 1-13-2007 @ 8:25PM

I am not in for the gas soup but do anyone know of a pill that work just like Xenical if not better? that pill worked for me but now that my insurance will not pay for anymore and I can't afford it.

Jimmy 1-13-2007 @ 8:29PM

Wow! Where has the ethics gone? Take an old title and sell it in a pill which is just a fiber pill. What's nest ?

ms j chuck 3-17-2007 @ 11:48PM

I tried the cabbage soup diet. I have been using it off and on for about 2-3 years---it works for me. Whenever I gain 5 or more lbs. over my ideal weight--I cook up a batch of soup and stay on it for a week or week and a half and the lbs come off. It tastes good too

HRasmussen 1-13-2007 @ 8:39PM

If you go to the site, and then do a search on the company that is supposedly doing the trial - Selmedica - there are several other sites that say it's a fake company. If you call the number listed on their website it says that the number cannot be completed as dialed. I would say that this is a fake product on a fake website designed to get people's money.

Paula 1-13-2007 @ 8:45PM

It would only be good by me if the glass of water made the two pills blow up into a full size steak and potato meal!! :)

kevin hunt 1-15-2007 @ 7:49PM

i lost 20 lbs on the cabbage diet (soup) and it lasted 5 yrs. time to do it again

Xanthis 1-13-2007 @ 8:48PM

the cabbage soup diet did help many people I know and it would be a plus for people on the go but I would feel a bit left back. soup is really good food.a pill instead???/

PeeDee Leavitt 1-13-2007 @ 10:01PM

It's possible that you could feel "fuller" with the pills and water. Also a package of plain gelatin dissolved in a glass of juice i.e. tomato, V8, taken 30 min. before a meal does the same thing. I've done this many times and it works.

Barbara 1-13-2007 @ 8:55PM

The soup is great, not just cabbage, onions,carrots,tomatoes, any veggie you like, it is filling..

"B" 1-13-2007 @ 8:52PM

I've had the soup and it's quite tasty....the first three days or so. The gas is annoying and your taste buds are bored after a while.

MAK 1-13-2007 @ 8:53PM

Look out for hoodia promises too. Stuff made my tongue dry,blood sugar low and feeling hungry. Seems like eating the whole food would fill ya up more!

Pat 1-13-2007 @ 8:56PM

I went on the cabbage soup diet back in the 80's and it was wonderful. I lost 40 pounds in 3 months and was never hungry. But, I was really determined to lose weight at the time. If I could accomplish the same results with 2 pills, I'd welcome it.