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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).
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
- 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).
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.
A baked potato and 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
Soup Recipe
- 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.
The soup can be eaten at any time.
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.
SOUP Ingredients
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)
See Also
My Sacred Heart Diet which was just released in 2009 and retails for $19.
Click to vote!
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I am on my third day of the diet and have lost 3 1/2 lbs. I feel sick to my stomach because i can’t eat the same thing over and over, but its working and I plan to truck on for another 4 days. I feel a little sick, but i feel like im eating healthier than i was before.
For all the people it worked for that is awesome! I spoke with my doctor, and she said although you are eating healthy, if you lose that much weight that fast, it puts a strain on your heart and it just isnt healthy because of the fact. If you lose it slowly over time, then that is better. Please, Please, Please becareful. My father’s mother passed away because of losing so much weight so quickly that it gave her a heart attack, so im begging all to please be careful! I am overweight myself, but have completely changed my eating habits and I am proud to say I have already lost 24lbs, and still tons more to go. We dont put the weight on over night, and we sure cant take it off that fast either. Becareful, and God Bless.
Several of my coworkers and I tried this dietlast year, and it does work, we lost between 7-10 lbs each, and we are trady to try it again this year..
Myself and my husband completed the diet and both lost weight, I have struggled with weight all my life, and this seems to work, My husband lost 14lbs and I lost 6lbs it has been a month and we have not gained any back so we are trying it again.
The diet works for those who want to lose weight and are strong enough to withstand the urges to cheat. I lost 13 lbs. in 7 days due the diet and am doing it again.
I know the diet works becauase I tried the diet and I lost a total of 13 lbs. in 7 days and it helps when you have someone doing it with you. Now thoe of you whosay it’s a fraud…then that’s probably because you cheated and did not work out. You can’t just eat the right foods and nothing else because then all the weight you lose will just hang there. Anyways…IT WORKS!!
I did this diet about a month ago and lost right at 10lbs. The weight has stayed off because I don’t eat as much as before, try to eat a little better and walk an extra day, 4 instead of 3. It works but you have to work a little to keep the weight off
It works, do not be discouraged by these negative myth remarks, give it a try.
My husband and I and a couple of friends tried this diet, we all lost, my husband and I each lost 9 pounds. That is amazing considering I would only lose up to 3 pounds a month on diet and excercise alone. We were so encouraged that we are on our second week. It does take will-power and determination, but it is worth it at the end of the week. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND!!! this to every one IT WORKS!!! We did the original recipe of soup only on the fourth day, but we’re willing to try the soup more on this week. I’m glad for everyone here who has tried this and seen results, and for those who still won’t give this diet it’s credit, well all I can say is that your are just losing time doing all the research, when you could just be losing weight. And who doesn’t want that?
My third day on the diet and I have lost 3lbs. I am eating healthier than I ever have…. I feel great. What is fraud about it?
Did the Cabbage Soup diet some years back and I did lose 17lbs. in the time frame allowed. Of course, you better like cabbage. It did help jump-start a longer period of dieting. You will gain the weight back if you don’t monitor what you eat, as with any diet program. A little exercise is also a PLUS.
I did this diet bofore I quit smoking, knowing that I would gain weight. Over a six month period I lost 40lbs, and I felt great. When I had quit smoking, strangly enough it seemed that the normal syptoms of quiting were just not presant. And I am proud to say that I am three years smoke free. Although after six months of no smoking the weight started to come back on. This diet at one time made me lose weight was now caused me to gain. I believe that my motabilisum was just not working. The soup became imposable to eat and I gave up. Now, I am sick of weight and am ready to try it again. This time I am going to try the Cabbage soup recipe in the hopes of it being the change I need. Well here it goes, it’s day one and the soup is really good. We’ll see what happens in a week. I’ll keep you all posted. P.S For anyone who thinks this diet is unhealthy I believe your wrong. And anyone who is considering to try this diet, I urge you to give it a whorl. If you not keen on the veggi soup, then try the cabbage soup
Maybe the source is fraudulant,it probably didn’t come from a hospital, but who cares. I lost 15 lbs in over a week and I haven’t felt this good in years. As for the comments about gaining the weight back: this diet is not a cure, you still need will-power not to go back to your old eating habits. THIS WORKS.
I did the original version of this diet three years ago and lost 11 lbs. I dont excersise any more than I always have (once a week…maybe!!!) The weight always stays off. I do the diet for a week once every year – so that I can celebrate christmas properly!
I did the diet a month ago and lost 9 pounds. I have kept it off for the month by being a little careful and by taking a daily 2 mile walk. I will do the diet again next week….trying to lose 10 lbs this time! April 2008
I tried this diet for one week and I lost 12 lbs. Its been 3 weeks now and I still have not gained the weight back. I feel so much better and I do have more energy.
Ive done the diet before it works but you gain the weight back easy!!
i did this diet for five days and lost five pounds. it seemed to work pretty good. i mean i was always hungry, but i expected that.
I stopped ‘dieting’ nine months ago. All of my clothes fit me, my skin doesn’t crack when I smile, and I have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. Eating healthily entails calories–about 2,000, for the majority of women. Take it from the ex-anorexic–this sounds like a lot, but it isn’t. Get yours. You’ll feel better.
I am on my 6th day of this diet. I have so far lost 6 1/2 lbs. I enjoy this diet, because it has given me and my family a jump start to a healthier way of eating. Hey 6 lbs is 6 lbs!!
I am on my fith day and have lost 6 lbs. I have more energy and my skin is clearer. The first two days are the hardest but after that is seemed to get easier. I used the box of chicken noodle soup, not the can and I did not use potatoes in the soup.
ive heard from everybody that this diet really works! its my second day on the diet and just decided to do some research on it. i really hope that this diet rally works and that all your comments are true! ive tired every other diets but none of them worked for me.. i hope this one does!
I was just wondering which soup recipe each of you used, the first one listed, or the second?
I just went off this diet and I lost 6 lbs. too. I had plenty of energy and felt fine. It is simply limiting your calorie intake, but you are also eating healthy. I overall eat healthy anyway and just did the diet to get those last few stubborn pounds off. It also helped me realize when I am full instead of continuing to eat and it helped train me to eat more healthy choices. I think overall it was a good experience. Plus, how can eating fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and drinking milk for a week hurt you. It’s only a week. Try it.
This diet may be a fraud, yet now I’m eating lots of bread and drinking lots of diet soda; not to mention, the sweets here and there every day!!!!! So this diet can’t be worst than the way I’m eating now!!! That’s the truth friend…….
My dad tried this diet, it did wonders for him, about 100 lbs in total over about 6 months. But it all comes back with a vengence as soon as you aren’t working out several times a week and eating more ‘normally’.
This is my third day on the diet, and it’s only 7:43 a.m. I have lost 5 lbs already! I personally believe the diet is healty due to all the fruits and veggies…which is loaded with vitamins I normally would not be getting. as you can read the diet has included the protein you need. I feel much better than I did before I started the diet and have gained some energy I didn’t have prior to the diet. April 11, 2008
C’mon, don’t you guys SEE that this diet is a fraud!? It even says on top that this diet is not recommended!
Do you really only lose water weight? do you gain the weight back on? because i would really like to try it!
this diet is great for a jump start lost only 6lbs