Me, Diet? What?

I'm not really one for diets, but this is an emergency!  I'm a bridesmaid at one of my friend's wedding.  A little more than a month ago, I was able to fit into the dress.  Since then, I've gained 4 pounds.  It no longer fits, comfortably.  As in I CAN'T BREATHE!   =/  My goal is to lose 2-3 pounds in a week.  It's pretty doable right?  This Saturday is the Bachelorette Party.  We're going to brunch and dinner.  I'm skipping on brunch cuz the temptation is unbearable.  For dinner, it's a somewhat healthy restaurant, so I think that should be okay.  Sunday, we're having the bridal shower.  I pretty much chose all the food, so why did I pick up 4 different types of cookies??   Sighs...Hopefully this doesn't hurt too much.

My coworker told me about the cabbage diet.  Lose 10 pounds in a week.  Hey!  That's all the time I need. I only want to lose 2-3 pounds, so this should be pretty easy.  You pretty much just eat soup for a week.  I can do this!  After you're off the diet, you'll gain the weight back, but I'm okay with that.  I only need to fit in the dress, and this seems like a healthy cleanse.

Here's a sample cabbage plan from WebMD -

Day 1: Cabbage soup and all the fruit you want except bananas. Drink unsweetened tea, black coffee, cranberry juice, or water.

Day 2: Cabbage soup, all the low-calorie vegetables you want (except beans, peas, or corn), and a baked potato with butter.

Day 3:  Cabbage soup and a mixture of the above fruit and vegetables.

Day 4: Cabbage soup, up to eight bananas, and two glasses of skim milk.

Day 5:  Cabbage soup, up to 20 ounces of beef, chicken or fish, up to six fresh tomatoes, and at least 6-8 glasses of water.

Day 6: Cabbage soup, up to 3 beef steaks, and unlimited vegetables.

Day 7:  Cabbage soup, up to 2 cups of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and unlimited vegetables.

The recipe for the cabbage soup varies slightly among different versions of the diet. But it basically includes cabbage and assorted low-calorie vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, and is flavored with onion soup mix, bouillon, and tomato juice.

Here's a typical recipe:

1 package dry onion soup mix

2 bouillon cubes, either chicken or beef

1 celery stick (not the whole stalk), diced

1/2 head green cabbage, diced

3 carrots, sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced

6 large green onions, or 1 large yellow, white or purple onion, diced

2 cans of tomatoes, diced or whole

Cooking spray

Salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder, soy sauce to taste (or any other seasoning you like)

Spray a large pot with cooking spray and saute all vegetables except cabbage and tomatoes until tender. Add cabbage and about 12 cups of water. Toss in bouillon cubes, soup mix, and seasonings. Cook until soup reaches desired tenderness; add tomatoes. 

Dieters, beware; you may encounter some gastrointestinal discomfort from the highly sulfurous cabbage and other gassy vegetables.

Much luck!!