Jennifer Jacobs Wants to Be the Biggest Loser

Jennifer Jacobs has tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Master Cleanse, LA Weight Loss, the cabbage soup diet and the no-sugar diet. The only one that worked was the no-sugar diet -- that is until she gained each of the 80 pounds she lost on it back. the 27-year-old Long Branch resident, who grew up in West Orange and graduated from West Orange High School in 2001, has never weighed less than 200 pounds since she's been an adult. "I've never been at a healthy weight before," she says. Local temptations have included Supreme Bakery in West Orange and the French toast and tapioca pudding at Raymond's.

But now Jacobs thinks she has the answer. She's summoning all of her determination to get selected as a contestant on NBC's "The Biggest Loser." A few weeks ago, days before the first casting call, Jacobs, a social media expert for her family's business, started a Facebook page called "Get Jennifer Jacobs on 'Biggest Loser.'" She's now up to 2,348 fans. To engage her fan base, she promised, when she got to 2,000 fans, to reveal her weight -- and asked people to guess. The answer, which she revealed Wednesday on video, was 285 pounds. The reactions from her fans were warm and supportive. "I am amazed at your bravery," said one. "You look so beautiful. I can't wait to find out if you make it," said another. more...

The Beginner's Crash Diet or Slimming Down for Summer

As much as you might be comfortable with your body and your belly you want to look good in short shorts when you are lounging on the beach this summer. Sometimes it's pure vanity. Sometimes you just want a reason to show some skin and call yourself a third wave feminist. Either way, it's getting nice out and a lot of us have a winter belly we might not love.

Recently, I went on my first crash diet of my life. I was in a situation where I had to hav my shirt off in front of strangers way too early in the season and needed to drop 10 in a week. So I got really gay, fell into every insecurity perpetuated by women's magazines, found some lame justification, and dedicated myself to finding the most effective way to starve myself for the next week.

Everyone told me to do the Master Cleanse, but honestly that scares the crap out of me. I was also really intrigued this year's GOOP "cleanse", aka the crash diet for the stars, but it seemed really expensive since it involved lots of coconut, alfalfa, and other boutique produce totally out of my budget. Once I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn't lead a charmed life like Gwyneth Paltrow, I asked a friend's mom. She told me she once did the cabbage soup diet.

What's the cabbage soup diet? It's one of the more disgusting options out there to lose weight but still actually eat food. Basically you make this cabbage soup out of V8, carrots, onions, celery, and a buttload of cabbage. You can eat as much of that as you want, and there's a schedule of other foods that you adhere to each day.

I kept a quick log of how I felt each day. I started on a Sunday and finished the 7 day program the next Saturday.

Day 1:

Jesus I am so hungry I could eat the carpet. Just 6 more days. I can do this. Surprisingly not feeling too gassy considering all the cabbage passing through my system here.

Day 2:

Ok, really hungry and irritable. It's also kind of like a roto-router is going through my bowels. Not the good kind. Not sure what the good kind is, but I bet it would feel awesome. Better than this.

Day 3:

THIS STILL SUCKS. I am really hungry and am actually starting to crazy this nasty soup just because it's all I am supposed to eat. Good thing I am Irish, my people lived on this for hundreds of years of famine.

Day 4:

Ok, this isn't so bad! I am starting to feel myself getting a little lighter too.

Day 5:

Is this over yet? I'm so bored I am actually taking to compulsively masturbating to waste time at home since I CAN'T COOK MYSELF A SATISFYING MEAL.

Day 6:

Ok, made it this far. Probably not gonna lose anymore weight. No bigs if I eat this movie popcorn, right? My friends are going out drinking. What's a couple tequila shots washed down with Tecate?

Day 7:

I am so hung over. I feel like that idiot girl in highschool who didn't eat all day and then drank too much Bacardi Limon. Crap I'm bloated. That was a pointless week. more...

Fit, firm and 40

Fit, firm and 40. This will be my mantra for the next 12 weeks.

Let me tell you a bit about myself. In a matter of three weeks I have delivered my second baby boy, became temporarily unemployed from my job as an advertising manager at the Free Press and "celebrated" my 40th birthday. I put celebrated in quotes as I am not entirely sure that is how I feel about it.

As I enter this new decade with babe in arm, I look in the mirror and say, "time for a change." That sounds like a Michael Jackson song. However I definitely do not have a Thriller moment when I look in that mirror.

With my first child, it took more than a year to lose the baby weight. I decided in this pregnancy I wouldn’t t going to put on more than 35 pounds. My body had other ideas! I gained 45 pounds and now have the challenge of working it off. My goal for this 12-week challenge is to lose 20 pounds.

How am I going to do it? Eating right and exercising. Sure, I have tried many of the fad diets. The low carb diet, the cabbage soup diet, the protein diet, pills, shakes, meal replacement alternatives and, of course, starving.

None of it worked for me. And when I look at friends who did get fad methods to work, I see they’ve put the weight back on. I believe it’s true that it takes a lifestyle change not a diet to permanently affect your weight. more...

Calling all Gloucestershire gastric bandits

HAVING weight loss surgery or a gastric band can be an emotional time.

But one Quedgeley support group wants to attract new members to help people get through the experience.

Five self-professed "gastric bandits" gather regularly at the St James Community Centre to share stories and advice.

Everyone in the group has either had, or is due to have, some kind of life-changing operation.

Chris Rees, 23, a member from Littledean in the Forest of Dean, had his band fitted last Friday.

Chris, who currently weighs 24st, said: "I've always been overweight and my mum was diabetic and had problems with her weight.

"I had been to every diet club around and even tried a cabbage soup diet. Then I went to see my GP and he suggested gastric banding for me. read more...

Soup Cabbage

The Cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. It is generally considered a fad diet, in that it is designed for short-term weight-loss and requires no long-term commitment.[1] It has inspired several copy-cats based around similar principles.

The typical claimed intent of the diet is to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight in a week, though nutritional experts point out that it is nearly impossible to lose that much fat within a week. This has lent credence to claims that much of the weight lost is water.

Also called "The Dolly Parton diet," for reasons that are shrouded in mystery, this 7-day diet really does work--in the short term, anyway. And there's a great purity to it--especially in the summertime when it's wonderfully refreshing served ice cold. Ingredient proportions can be varied according to your likes and dislikes. If you're interested in recent studies on the efficacy of soup in diets, click HERE And please read to the end of the recipe where you'll find testimony and great ideas regarding the diet from soupsong readers.

One of the most famous fad diets, the Cabbage Soup Diet is a very low calorie low fat diet based on (you've guessed it) cabbage soup, plus a few other foods, including vegetables, fruits and restricted carbs and protein. Typically the advice is to follow it for 7 days, then eat normally for 14 days, then return to the Cabbage Soup Diet for another 7 days and so on.

Despite claims to the contrary, cabbage does not possess any 'fat-burning' properties. The reason the Cabbage Soup Diet causes weight loss is because it provides no more than about 800-900 calories a day.

Cabbage Soup

If you have a special occasion coming up, or you simply need to lose weight fast, the Cabbage Soup Diet may be just what you're looking for.

Although not suitable for long-term weight loss, the Cabbage Soup Diet is a low-fat, high-fiber diet that will help you get into shape fast before you embark on a more moderate long-term eating plan.
The Cabbage Soup Diet plan is not in any way individualized. There are no recommendations about exercise, no behavioral tips, no advice on changing bad habits -- just a strict list of what to eat each day of the week. And meals need to be eaten at home, because these foods won't be found on most restaurant menus.

The Cabbage Soup Diet plan promises a 10-pound weight loss in one week, and dieters are restricted to one week at a time on the plan. If they want to lose more, they are advised to wait awhile before commencing another week on this super-low-calorie diet.

Rustic Cabbage Soup Recipe

Chances are I'm not making my own stock on the average weeknight. I am a big fan of Rapunzel Herb Bouillon (available at many stores), I use about 1/2 of one cube in a soup like this to kick things off - it makes a nice, light but flavorful broth. I'll crush it into a powder and add it to the pot just before I add water. I had some Rancho Gordo flageolet beans already cooked so I used them here, but no worries if you have to turn to the can. For the vegans out there, just skip the Parmesan, and you're in business.


1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups stock (see head notes)
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained & rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons

more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now adjust the seasoning - getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc)...

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of cheese.

Serves 4.

Cabbage Soup Diet

In this diet you eat more and lose weight even more. You don't believe it? Well, wait to learn more. You can not eat a lot of things, and your basic food for 1 week (so how long diet) is cabbage soup.

How to prepare cabbage soup?
Choose some suitable onions, 2 green pepper, 1 medium or 2 small cabbage, 2 cans tomato broth, salt and pepper to taste, 1 cube of Knorr, celery leaf, pepper (if you like spicy foods) and parsley .
Put all clean and cut them in a pot with water so that its cover. Boil 10 minutes at high heat for 2 hours then on low heat. Then eat as much. You are hungry and it tasted pretty.

How do you diet?
Cabbage soup diet is recommended to you for 7 days at the end of which, unless you cheat, you will lose weight between 5 and 7 kg.
On the first day, besides cabbage soup, you are allowed to eat a lot of fruits and drink lots of water.
The next day, combine cabbage soup with vegetables and water, but make sure you avoid vegetables such as beans, peas, potatoes and corn.
The third day you will both fruits and vegetables. And of course a lot of soup and water.
The fourth day eat 3 bananas and soup. Do not forget water.
The fifth day you can have 800 grams of beef or chicken soup and lots and lots of water.
On the sixth day you can eat boiled rice and cabbage soup.
What was the seventh and last days also can eat fish on the grill and lots of soup.

If you feel you lose too much weight in the first days stop the diet for 2 days and then take it again.
It is better not to use this plan more than a week. If you still lose more than 7 kg you can make a break for a week then get it over again.

No more remains but to wish you good luck with cabbage soup diet.