Kick-Start: stage one soup recipe

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A short-term eating plan followed with a healthy diet may help people who are overweight to kick-start their weight loss.

Below you will find the recipe and seven-day eating plan for stage one of the Kick-Start Soup Diet.

The Kick-Start Soup Diet recipe

Enough for one person for two days

Ingredients
3 tomatoes
2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of liquid stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
2 cups of water
1 packet of vegetable or French onion dry soup powder
1 bunch spring onions
1 bunch of celery, including leaves
2 cups of green beans
3 green capsicums
1kg carrots
2 stock cubes (chicken, beef or vegie)

Method
1. Chop all the vegies into small pieces and put them in a big pot with the remaining ingredients.

2. Add salt and pepper (not too much salt).

3. Boil rapidly for two minutes and simmer until it is nice and tender.

4. If you want it thinner add a bit more water.

Have as much of the soup as you want, whenever you want.

Seven-day eating plan

The quantities recommended are per day.

Avoid toast and cereal for breakfast while on this plan. Stick with the recommended foods for each day.

You should only follow this seven-day eating plan for a maximum of three times in six months.

Day one
SOUP AND FRUIT: Eat any fruit except bananas because they are high in kilojoules. Eat as much as you want. If you do not want soup for breakfast, have a fruit salad instead.

Day two
SOUP AND VEGIES, NO FRUIT: Eat as much fresh, raw or lightly steamed vegies as you like. Leafy greens are great but avoid peas, corn and beans as they are high in sugar. Reward yourself at night with a jacket potato, a little butter or better still, some yoghurt.

Day three
SOUP, VEGIES AND FRUIT: Eat all you want but no potatoes.

Day four
SOUP AND BANANA SMOOTHIES: Make a banana smoothie with low-fat or skim milk because it is a great source of potassium. Have a maximum of three large bananas per day.

Day five
SOUP, BEEF AND TOMATOES: Eat a piece of lean beef or a skinless breast of chicken no bigger than a deck of cards with six luscious tomatoes. Vegetarians can substitute tofu. These quantities are per day. You can go easy on the soup today.

Day six
SOUP, BEEF AND VEGIES: Eat plenty of beef (or skinless chicken or fish) and vegies today. Again, vegetarians can substitute tofu. You might not need soup as much but your body will tell you. No potatoes.

Day seven
SOUP, BROWN RICE, VEGIES AND FRUIT JUICE: You might need more soup today.

Remember: do not eat any bread, fried foods or oil on the seven-day plan.

Drinks

• While on the plan, do not have any soft drinks or alcohol.
• You can drink unsweetened fruit juice or cranberry juice; black, green or herbal tea (you can have skim milk with black tea); coffee; skim milk and plenty of water - six to eight glasses a day.

Side effects

• Because you're not consuming many carbohydrates, some may find the glucose in their bloodstream becomes too low, causing hypoglycaemia.
• This can cause a range of symptoms, such as headache, sweatiness, anxiety, irritability and drowsiness.
• Don't worry, it might sound awful but it's easily fixed.
• Have a sandwich with whole-grain bread, a slice of low-fat cheese and a bit of ham but no butter or margarine. Vegetarians can try a low-fat cheese and tomato sandwich. But only have a maximum of one sandwich per day.
• If these symptoms occur repeatedly consult your doctor.

What happens now?

By the end of the seven days you may have lost as much as 4-6kg, if you haven't put on those walking shoes and gone for a daily walk you won't have lost as much.

If you lose more than 6kg on stage one do not attempt the stage again for a few months. Go on to stage two.

You should only follow this seven-day eating plan for a maximum of three times in six months. Once you've reached this maximum take six months off the plan and follow the low-GI program.

Once you've completed the seven-day eating plan it is time to move on to stage two - a long-term, low-GI eating plan.

Before starting any new eating plan you should consult your doctor to see if it is right for you, particularly if you are taking any medication.

Stage two

While stage one of the Kick-Start Diet brings rapid weight loss, stage two begins where a lot of the carbohydrates you have been avoiding can slowly be returned to your diet.

Get information on stage two here

Disclaimer
The information on yahoo7.com.au/todaytonight is made available for information purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Also, the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information is not guaranteed. Yahoo!7 and The Seven Network do not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on the information.