If you are trying to drop a few pounds after the holidays, or for an upcoming event, you have got to try our Weight Loss Magic Soup and Weight Loss Magic Smoothie! It is a combination of a couple of weight loss soup recipes that have been around for years – Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup and the Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe. The addition of a can of kidney beans adds fiber and protein which helps with feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Feel free to add or subtract vegetables to your taste. The benefit of this soup is that it tastes great and it really does help you lose weight. The magic is that the more you eat – the more weight you lose!
Eat a healthy breakfast then a bowl of soup for lunch, an afternoon snack, and for dinner with some whole grain crackers or toast and you will see some serious weight loss fast (we don’t recommend doing this for more than 7 days– after the 7 days be sure to maintain a healthy diet having this soup intermittently until you reach your desired weight)! Each cup of soup has only 57 calories (see nutritional info. below). It is a great way to get your vegetables in for the day and is very satisfying. This recipe makes about 20 cups of soup. It lasts in the fridge up to a week, and it freezes well. All the cans are the regular (14 to 16 oz.) size. If you are worried about sodium content, feel free to use low-sodium V8 or even use tomato juice (homemade or store bought).
- 2 cans chicken broth (you may use low-sodium)
- 3 cups V-8 juice (you can use low-sodium V8 or even tomato juice, homemade or store bought)
- 2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 package sliced mushrooms
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3-4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. In a large crockpot, combine sautéed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are cooked.
- This makes a large batch of soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won’t take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat.
Weight Loss Magic Soup FAQs:
We have had SO MANY comments/questions regarding this recipe and we find ourselves answering the same questions over and over… we are having a hard time keeping up! Give these FAQs a read and hopefully we will have a quick answer to your question! Thanks everyone! ☺ — Your friends at Favorite Family Recipes
What makes this soup “magic”?
We call this soup “magic” because we (the girls at FFR) have all had it at one point or another with GREAT results. We call it “magic soup” between us sisters so we are calling it “magic soup” on here!
Do I JUST eat this soup? All day, every day?
No. You still need to get some calories in (about 1,000) to lose weight at a healthy rate.
How do I use this soup to lose weight?
We suggest eating a healthy breakfast and then having the soup for lunch and dinner with some healthy sides. It is a low-calorie snack that is also filling. Also, you need to exercise and stay hydrated! Drink lots of water and exercise at least 30 min/3-5 days a week.
I need details! I want to lose weight QUICKLY and HEALTHILY… can you just tell me EXACTLY what to eat? I need a plan!
You are in luck! We are currently working with a nutritionist to do just that! We will have meal plans, shopping lists, exercise ideas… everything you will need to help you maximize your weight loss. Join us on Facebook for updates!
Will I gain all my weight back afterwards?
We recommend only doing this for 7 days… think of it as a positive kick-off to your diet, a way to shed some pounds and gain some confidence before you start your lifestyle change. Keep exercising, keep hydrated, keep portion control.. and feel free to have this soup/smoothie on hand to have as a snack if you are feeling hungry! If you want to lose weight and keep it off, the best thing you can do is make a life-style change. A great way to help with portion control is to eat a bowl of soup before you eat your regular meal. The soup will fill your stomach with healthy vegetables, and you will feel less hungry for your meal.
Is there a low-sodium alternative I can use instead of V8?
Absolutely! You can use low-sodium V8, fresh or store-bought tomato juice. You can also use fresh veggies (instead of the canned) or low-sodium broths to reduce sodium as well.
I don’t like [insert vegetable name here]. What is a good substitute?
You can substitute any vegetable really… just try to avoid starchy ones like potatoes, peas, and corn if you can. Some really good substitutions are kale, spinach, and celery.
That is a lot of vegetables… am I going to be, you know, running to the bathroom a lot?
If this is something you are worried about, or if you find yourself hitting up the bathroom too much for your liking, eat the soup along with some whole-wheat toast, brown rice, or even a banana. That should help!
This soup looks delish! What if I’m not trying to lose weight… can I still eat this?
ABSOLUTELY!!! This is still a delicious, healthy soup and it is a great way to get in your daily vegetables.
From: favfamilyrecipes.com
Have this going right now and interested to see how it tastes. I’m realistic enough to know a soup isn’t going to make me lose weight. Permanent weight loss only happens by reducing calories and bad fat, increase healthy foods & fiber, increasing water intake & increasing exercise. But I do love healthy recipes to have to help that along. I actually have a recipe that is very similar and includes red bell pepper, so may add that next time. Thought I’d stick as close to the recipe as possible the first time around.
We’re not fans of yellow squash, so I omitted that and added celery. Reduced the cabbage to 2ish cups and plan to add some spinach for the last little bit of cooking time. Replaced kidney beans with cannellini beans. It almost overfilled my crock pot so I scooped out some of the liquid and will add it back in after the spinach wilts down.