Sacred Heart Diet
The Sacred Heart Diet is a fad diet that has been circulating for many years.
The diet was supposedly thought to come from the cardiology department at Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital where it was used for overweight heart patients. However, like most of these diets – this is an urban myth.
The Sacred Heart Diet has been called a number of different names (such as the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet).
A Soup Based Diet
The Diet Soup Recipes
1 or 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
3 plus large green onions
1 large can of beef broth (no fat)
1 pkg. Lipton Soup mix (chicken noodle)
1 bunch of celery
2 cans green beans
2 lbs Carrots
2 Green Peppers
Season with salt, pepper curry, parsley, if desired, or bouillon, hot or Worcestershire sauce. Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until vegetables are tender.
Soup to be eaten ALL DAY as much and as often as you can.
2 – 11oz. cans chicken noodle soup (Campbell Healthy)
5 stalks of celery (diced)
1 lb. pack frozen string beans
4 carrots (diced)
4 potatoes (diced)
½ green pepper (diced)
2 onions (diced)
The diet also bears a striking resemblance to the cabbage soup diet.
The Sacred Heart diet is a soup-based diet, and claims that you will lose 10-17 pounds in the first week.
This may be true, but most of the weight will tend to be water – and will be gained right back very soon after the diet.
This diet is very clearly an unsustainable fad diet, but is not as nutritionally unsound as similar diets. Most of these diets claim some magical fat-burning science is involved, or that there is something special about the combination of foods. This is simply untrue – it is nothing more complex than a reduction in calories!
7 Day Diet Plan
| Day 1 Any fruit (except bananas). Cantaloupes and watermelon are lower in calories than most other fruits. Eat only soup and fruit today. |
| Day 2 All vegetables. Eat until you are full with fresh raw, cooked or canned veggies. Try to eat green leafy veggies and stay away from dry beans, peas or corn. Eat veggies along with the soup and a baked potato at dinner time with butter. Don’t eat any fruits through today. |
| Day 3 Eat all the soup, fruit and veggies you want. Do not have a baked potato. |
| Day 4 Bananas and skim milk: Eat at least 3 bananas and drink as much milk as you can today, along with the soup. |
| Day 5 Beef and tomatoes: you may have 10 to 20 ounces of beef and a can of tomatoes, or as many as 6 tomatoes on this day. Eat the soup at least once today. |
| Day 6 Beef and veggies, eat to your heart’s content of the beef and veggies today. You can even have 2-3 steaks if you like with green leafy veggies but no baked potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once today. |
| Day 7 Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and veggies, until full (and eat the soup). You can add cooked veggies to your rice if you wish. |
Drinks Allowed
- Unsweetened juices
- Tea (also herbal)
- Coffee
- Cranberry juice
- Skim milk
- Lots of water
The soup can be eaten at any time.
Featured Soup Recipe
Sacred Heart Diet Variations
Here is a different version of the diet – alleged to have come from Lehigh Valley Hospital, Pennsylvania.
“Follow the daily plan for 2 consecutive weeks, then take the following week off. You can repeat the cycle for as long as you like or until you achieve your weight loss goal.”
| MONDAY Eat SOUP and all the FRESH FRUIT that you want. Nothing else. (no bananas) |
| TUESDAY Eat SOUP and all the FRESH VEGETABLES that you want. Nothing else. (no corn or beans). |
| WEDNESDAY Eat SOUP and BOTH FRUIT & VEGETABLES, all you want. Nothing else. |
| THURSDAY Eat SOUP all day and 3 BANANAS. 1 GLASS OF SKIM MILK. Nothing else. |
| FRIDAY Eat SOUP, up to 8 TOMATOES and ALL the skinless CHICKEN, lean BEEF & FISH that you want. Nothing else. |
| SATURDAY Eat SOUP, ALL the skinless CHICKEN, lean BEEF & FISH that you want… nothing else. |
| SUNDAY Eat SOUP and all the BROWN RICE that you want. Nothing else. |
The Problems With This Diet
- Any diet that would tell you to eat unlimited red meet is not healthy, especially for those with heart disease or cholesterol problems.
- Diets that only focus on certain food groups and eliminate others isn’t sustainable long term.
- With no calorie or portion guidelines in place, people could consume too little calories or way to many on certain days.
- The Sacred Heart Diet is nutrient deficient on certain days.
Diet Not Endorsed by a Hospital
This diet is not recommended
- The Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal Canada (Hôpital Sacre Coeur) issued a press release in 2004 stating that “no nutritionist at the Hospital took part in the development of this diet”.
- The American Heart Association have claimed that the diet is phony (ref).
- The Sacred Heart Medical Center also disclaim any association with the diet (ref).
While people have reported losing a lot of weight on The Sacred Heart Diet, it is not a diet that will promote long-term healthy weight loss.
Most people gain the weight back quickly and have to keep repeating fad diets like this over and over again.
Diets that become a lifestyle teach portion control, address emotional eating issues, and are not very restrictive.
My Sacred Heart Diet which was just released in 2009 and retails for $19. (A healthier version of the original.)
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I’m on my second day….lost 3kgs already…i hate eating veggies without meat…but the weight loss has kept me motivated…i’m used to curry so the soup makes me feel bleh lol….Getting married it 4 weeks.From South Africa
I’m on day 3 and so far its been pretty easy. I lost 3 lbs so far. Going to Mexico next month and would love to lose 10 more lbs before I go.
The soup looks like it will last the whole week. However even though it’s good I’m having a hard time eating it after 3 days. Can I substitute water for unsweetened juice?
I am on week 2, day two. I haven’t been on the scale yet. I am too afraid. But I am not dead and I don’t feel bad or anything. For me this is wayyy to easy, and cheaper than other diet plans.
I’m on day 4 of the diet and enjoying my banana. I weighed 201 on Monday and today I weigh 196.6 lbs and I’m happy. The 1st day the soup was very good 2nd day I was sick of the soup, my lost 2lbs the 1st day kept me goin. I can’t wait til steak day!
i am starting this diet on monday 5/20 i am excited to see what my end results are i am 163 after my three kids i just cant seem to get rid of my weight! i go to gym 3 times a week or more and i try to eat healthy which i with 3 kids is very hard to do but i am really looking foward to getting back to 130 so i will be doing it every other week working out and eating healthy if there is any advise please give thank you!!
Hello all, the comments on here are very encouraging!
I am going to start with my sister on Saturday, I will have exactly 2 weeks until my holiday then. I weigh around 11st 8lbs and am 5ft7 I would love to get down to 10st 5lbs. My only problem is I hate vegetables! Is it okay to blend all the ingredients (once it is cooked) to make a smooth soup? I hate the lumps!! Has anyone else tried this? Many Thanks. Shelley.
P.s – I am in the United Kingdom, do they sell Lipton Soup Mix here? lol
XxX
I’ll be honest. It was easy the first day. Then, it got harder to swallow the soup.=/ But, I’m working on it. I am within my healthy weight range when I first started. I just wanted off the vanity pounds off or water weight I was carrying. The first day i lost 4 lbs, and seriously I had not been able to even lose those four pounds in a long time. I”m sure that was water weight, but i’ll take it. =) I haven’t weight myself again, i’m on the third day. Wish me luck. I’ll be in heaven if i get a total of 10 lbs off.
If you don’t drink skim milk or do not like bananas what should you substitute,
First and foremost the diet does work! You must stick with though… If you cheat your end results will not be what you hope for. I began at 208 and did the diet with my girlfriend for one week and was 198. We then took the next week off and I was able to maintain my 198lb body weight. We started the diet again the following week and I dropped from 198 to 191 which is my current weight now. I figure 17lns in 3 weeks with taking one week off in between is pretty good. I will also say however that you still need to do some kind of physical activity; my girlfriend and I did a lot of running so that aided in the effort. From what we saw with the people who have done this diet is that the heavier you are when you start the more will come off (if you stick to it) I believe that
Chris that is great,, did you drink unsweetened juice if so what was it. I looked at juice today and the 100 % juice has 29 to 32 grams of sugar so this cannot be the juice I did not see any juice that said unsweetned. My husband and i will start this next week I’ve got to get all things bought and prepared.
i’m starting this diet today hoping to lose 10-15 lbs before my trip next week and my birthday coming up.. Today isnt so bad so far i’ve been drinking alot of water in hopes that it will fill me up in between soup portions. wish me luck
Hey everyone my name is Maysa and i am a little bit overweight my university teacher told me about this diet and i feel like i have no way to be skinny but it …. but you see my problame is when i follow a diet i do that for 5 or 6 days then i get board all i need is little support so pleas help me and encourage me to go on and excuse me for any spelling mistakes …. if u support me i will be so pleased … so great full ♥
Hi Maysa, I to am doing this diet. Just keep sticking to the diet. It really does work. If at any time you need support, my e-mail “pamelajbeard@yahoo.com” also yahoo messenger screen name “pamelajbeard” just let me know by email before u try to contact me on messenger. I don’t except people on there unless I know who they are. But if nothing else, stick to the diet and you will lose the weight.
Don’t say this is the only way to be skinny… Bc I started a diet July 2012 at 190 n today I’m 145!!! I lost 45! By using my fitness pal!!! N I’m doing this soup to reach my goal weight 130 for a bet I made with my sister n brother! By may 28th I would be at my goal weight.. I’m 15 lbs away… I’m hoping this diet works!!!!!
Today is my first day. The soup is very tasty! I happen to like vegetable soup anyways so this was right up my alley. I know we are supposed to stick to the day to day allowances but are you allowed avocados as a fruit? They are so good for you but I don’t want to eat anything that will mess the weight lose up. How bad is it to eat hard boiled eggs? How much exercise is needed to help with the weight lose? I want to lose the fat but don’t want to have flab!
Hey
i just started today and I love the soup as well! Me and my mom are doin it – we’ve Done it before and it worked so let’s see ! Good luck!
hi everyone!
I’m on day 1 and I weigh 113kg…28 and a chef, really looking forward to seeing the results and hope it works!
Made the soup this morning and blitzed it as i was not a fan of the chunks! It is very nice soup though I must say! A dollop of sour cream wouldn’t go a stray he he he.. (jokes)!
Good luck everyone!!!
Well I can honestly say this diet worked for me.
Although I only managed 3 days as I had to go into hospital for an operation I still lost 4lbs. During my stay in hospital I lost another 10lbs as was very poorly (not a bad thing)
I’m starting again today on day 1 – can anyone tell me about how much weight they have gained and how long they stayed on the diet
Thanks
Hello! Just wanted to say that I did this diet about two years ago, stuck to it strictly, and lost 15 pounds! I have added on some extra weight and need to lose it again, so I am starting it again next week. It was difficult to only eat certain things and not eat others, but I was pleased with the results.
Good luck!
Hi fellow dieters! I started this diet today. Let me give a little background. I stopped smoking in December 2012 and went from 148 pds to 162 pds…UGH. I have a very small frame and my height is 5’4. So, two weeks ago I joined a gym. I do 1 mile of cardio and light machines three times per week and walk two more days during the week. The first two weeks I lost from 162 to 155, which is great but I hit a wall and, even though I changed my eating habits, I cheated here and there and could tell if I didn’t do SOMETHING, it would all come back and quick. So, I started this today. I’ve only had soup and cantaloupe and a bit of watermelon (but the watermelon wasn’t sweet so I need to buy a better one). Anyway, it is 6:30PM and it’s been difficult the past hour but, other than that, I’ve felt full. It’s just my addictive nature wanting all those tasty foods but when I really think about it, I don’t really want more to eat…it’s just habit. Either way, it’s hard and I would love a support system, if you are interested.
Hello I just want you to know I did this diet 4 yrs ago and I made it to the 5th day ilost 11 plds now 4 yrs later I started it today Saturday today is my first day im ok right after I eat the soup im full but within an hr in half I need a peace of fruit. my son is starting it tomorrow we have a bet on who can last the longest… if you need someone to vent to email me ill try and be your support…
good luck and let me know how you did
I am going through the same. I did this diet before to kick start a healthy style of eating. I just started working out as well. and if you can do m ore cardio!!! good luck!
This does work BUT…Diets do not work…I use this to detox and jump start a new workout plan…I use all fresh veggies, try to steer clear of the sodium and any of processed items suggested.
The only way to lose weight is to eat right and EXERCISE!
If you return to the same eating habits after doing this ..You will be right back to square one..
I started on day 1 4/20/13 the soup is better than I thought. I like it and I work out at least 4 days a week so I can’t wait to see ending results.
Great!! Please let us know how its working for u, please, cuz im gna start today 4/25/13
It works!!! we started 4/23/13 and my husband already lost 5 pounds and me 4, so happy about it, and the soup is delicious
I’ve tried to start a couple of times but I get really bad headaches,
& Dizzy, so i keep on stopping on day 2, can anyone suggest anything !!!
Nicole,
Try drinking coffee to reduce your headaches.
this diet works for me and i lost 9 pound in 7 days ,,this is because i cheated in day 4 ,,,my mom made a very yummy launch so i couldn’t control the yummy smell so i did sneak to the kitchen but it was’t that much ,,,,, trust me stick with it and you ll loose
I followed the alternate soup recipe and Im starting it today. I put all the ingredients in like it asked except the onion. I used half of one (i have a small reaction to them but can eat a bit). Do you think the diet will still work if I didnt use the whole onion? I REALLY need this to work out for me! Please someone let me know something!!
I started this diet on 4/22/2013 I am currently on day 4. I started at the weight of 168lbs I am currently 162.7lbs. I think you can get by with not having all of the onion in your soup. I think the main thing is the cabbage. The onion gives it some flavor. good luck!
I LOST 7 lb so for, I’m on day 6 I cheated day 5 I went to the buffet, and pig out on healthy stuff, well not all was healthy but nothing that bad, but I agree you stick to it and you will lose, I love this diet, you can never go hungry, it’s better then that stupid hcg diet.Love love love this diet.
I have done this diet before and it works. My problem is my heart beat slows down to around 44 to 48 BPM and I am worried about that as I am 135 kg and not fit. but I do loose wait, 7kg a week. It dose work and on the beef days I will eat a lot of meat.
I just want to no what exactly is the portion off soup allowed to be consumed.through out the day, any body no please.
On ANY day of the diet the soup portion is unlimited! Have as much as you want, there is no limit. The more soup you consume the more weight you lose and the more fat you burn.
Hi Becca I’m on day three I lost 6 lb already, I love this diet, I’ve been working out , not cheating, and enjoying the soup, I can’t wait to see what I come up with, I’m just wondering can this diet be permanent until I reach my goal, what do I do when I’m taking a break in between, and I no it’s not your job to answer questions on here, but just asking for a advice. Are any one else can answer please.
Ok thank you I will, I’m excited to start this diet to see where it will take me.
I just started this diet today. Not too bad so far. I have gained about 50 lbs over the past few years. I am a stress eater and now I am stressed about the weight gain! I hope to use this to jump start a healthy eating lifestyle. I have lost all my self esteem, not to mention my whole body hurts from the excess weight. I know this isn’t a “quick fix” to weight loss but it is my starting point. Good luck all!
Ok…wondering n can’t find any info on what this diet duz to your bathroom habits, don’t u get, um…diarrehea from this diet? Sorry, but wondering…
Hi Nan,
My experience has been that most people will not get an upset stomach. Some people may experience the opposite problem, so for my juice choice I choose unsweetened prune juice to compensate.
I want to know if diet actually works. Does this diet really make you lose 10-17 pounds in one week?
I just did this “diet” for 7 days. It was awesome. The first 3 days were the hardest. I felt like the 4th day was a little challenge and by the 5th day I had a grip on my eating. I wasn’t really looking for a weight loss but more of feeling better, not bloated and a decrease in the eating of crap. It was like going cold turkey, but it was the only way. I have not had soda for 7 days which is huge for me although I don’t drink a lot of it. and cookies/snacks/sugar is another. This meal plan gave me what I needed to give up those things fairly easily. I am a runner and biker and I also jazzercise. I continued my daily workouts and I was fine. The only thing I added in was my energy Gu’s and that was only twice.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to clean up their eating habits!
Good luck!
I am going on to round 2!
Hi im really wanting to try this diet. Before my pregnancy i weighed 180 and now after my son(15months) I’m 250. My overall goal is to get back to 180 or less in time. But i am very curious Does the recipe make enough for the whole week??
My wife and I have been on the eating plan for almost 2 weeks and drink and incredible amount of water and stick to the plan. We did 2 days of eat what we want and to date we have lost a solid 11.5 lbs. Have dropped enough to get into my next size pants down. I am going to have a new wardrobe from my older days. You really need to break for a couple of days and reward you self. Than does not mean eating 8 chocolate sundays, But a little pizza or fried chicken or what ever, just use a little common sense. We make a pot every 2 to three days and the veggies just taste so fresh. Has been a very easy way to eat. Just a new way eating and then be careful when get of and try to limit your sweets and breads.
Hey there!
I’ve been on the diet for 14 days now, and ive lost in total 14kg!!
So just keep on the hard word!
Greets from DK
That is amazing
. Well done. I am starting this tomorrow and I hope I lose around that amount for my holiday to Ibiza with the girls in two weeks :0.
I just started yesterday and I lost 2 lbs so far…. I work out at the gym at least 3 days a week 4 the most now if I continue to work out and eat right will this diet help me keep the weight off when I reach mh goal weight??
Hieveryone.
Am in the UK and just about to start this diet.
Can anyone comment on the weight gain after doing it and tell me how hungry they were whilst doing the diet. I work in an office so am worried about being able to eat as much as I’m meant to . Thanks x
Hi, I too was in a similar situation – I’ve done this diet before, it doesn’t stay off if you go back to old habits ( I lost 12lb in one week , then had a weekend away and piled half the weight back on) this time I’m continuing until I’m close to my goal weight and then going on to a healthy low calorie, low fat diet to maintain it .
As for being in an office – if you eat plenty of soup at mealtimes to fill you up it helps. Not being a lover of carrots in soup I omitted them from the mix choosing to dice them into carrot sticks for a healthy snack to reach for if i did get hungry between meals ( I know this probably isn’t the right thing to do but it works for me – 6 days in and 8lb off)
Enjoy
Oh yes Laura,
You can eat as much soup as you want. and as for the ingredients, I personally didn’t find “Lipton soup mix” I used regular chicken noodle soup instead. Other than that every thing else should be available in other countries.
I’ve done this diet 2 weeks ago and I lost 7 Ibs. so far I haven’t gained back any weight but I’m exercising regularly and really watching what I eat. and from my experience day 2 and day 3 are the hardest. I got a headache on day 2 and I was grumpy too lol. But it’s all worth it. It’s going to work. Good Luck!
Thanks Luise
I really struggled to find the ingredients as obviously it’s an American recipe so I have used substitutes.
I’m on day 1 today and the only thing I wonder is portion control ? Can I really eat as much soup as I want ?
I started the diet today I am going to be doing this diet for two weeks hoping to lose at least 15-20 pounds
This diet works me and my husband did it today is day 7. I lost only 10lbs and he’s lost 14 and he cheated on one of the days. Happy with the results we will do one week on, one week off and then one more back on. We did not workout At all the week we were on the diet but this following week we will walk everyday and continue to control our portions. Good luck everyone.
I am almost finished with day 2. It hasn’t been that bad. I have to say I’ve never enjoyed a baked potato more in my life. Just to have something different. But seriously, look forward to the end to see if I lose. I don’t want to weigh until the end. I added cabbage to half of the soup and I think I like it more. Good luck to all. I do agree that after this week it’s going to have to be portion control always.