It all depends on the kind of fat or carbs you are talking about. Yes, 100 calories of healthy fats (containing large amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids) are better for your health than 100 calories worth of sugar. Some good fats can actually lower bad cholesterol. On the other hand, saturated fats and trans-fats are a lot worse than starch and fiber. Fiber is very important to keep the digestive tract working properly. Low-carb and protein rich diets are not healthy in the long run. The digestion of proteins creates some toxic by-products and the kidneys have to work hard to eliminate them in form of uric acid. Portion control is a big factor in any diet. Eating a wide variety of healthy foods and watching the total calorie intake is the best method of losing and/or maintaining weight.

I bought the liquid lecithin at my local health food store. I really don't know how important it is to the recipe. I know that many bakers advocate adding it to baked goods. According to Pleasant Hill Grain.com, "As a 100% natural emulsifier, lecithin improves moisture tolerance and uniform suspension of ingredients and shortens mixing times. Bread texture and elasticity are improved, and crusts are more tender. Fats and oils are stabilized, reducing rancidity and prolonging freshness." I've also included a link to the Bob's Red Mill fact sheet about lecithin. I wanted to experiment with adding it to my homemade breads, but never got around to purchasing it. When I saw it listed as an ingredient in the Laurel's Kitchen recipe, I finally decided to break down and visit the health food store. I'm assuming that the dry milk powder adds some body to the butter spread and the lecithin helps emulsify & stabilize the spread a bit. Here is a link that might be useful: Bob's Red Mill Facts about Lecithin

I lost 40 pounds last year and the most important thing I learned was portion control. I ended up using a lot of frozen meals - Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, Honestly Good, etc.They are good, and there are a lot of choices now, and the calorie and fat counts are reasonable. And they are more interesting and tasty than most of the meals I would make myself I know some of you will snarl and post a few snarky comments, don't waste your time. I found these to be much more cost effective, filling and kept my daily calorie intake at about 1450 calories. I cut WAY back on meat, and used a lot of meatless meats, since I also needed to cut back on fat and cholesterol. One egg a week, max. Buying ingredients and not using them is so wasteful, and I can't afford to throw away food/money. I made my own breakfast - oatmeal or my own egg, cheese muffin or PB&J on toast. Lunch, at work, was a frozen meal, or some soup. I used the frozen meals for dinner. It was usually about six when I got home, I don't like to eat late. When my DD and her family moved it, it was a bit harder, since I was doing most of the cooking initially but I did it. I found a smartphone app called "My Fitness Pal" really helped. I've used it for about a year and a half and now I'm pretty comfortable with the portion sizes and do a pretty good job day by day. Good luck. This post was edited by momj47 on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 23:54

This is the recipe for the soup and the instructions on how to make it, but there is also a diet plan that goes with it if you are interested. Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe You can keep changing the ingredients used, so that you don't get bored of the same recipe. Cabage Soup Recipe 6 large green onions 2 green peppers 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole) 3 Carrots 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms 1 bunch celery 1/2 head cabbage 1 package Lipton soup mix 1 or 2 cubes bouillon (optional) 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional) Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder, etc. Note: You can modified the recipe anyway you like. In order to loose weight you have to burn more calories then you consume. We highly recommend The Negative Calorie Diet(TM) book. This book is based on scientific research and more than 100 foods requiring your body to "BURN" more calories processing them through your digestive system than the actual calorie content of the food itself. This results in your body burning up the excessive stored fat! Learn how to eat healthy and loss weight regularly by choosing the right foods with The Negative Calorie Diet(TM) book Directions: 1.Slice green onions, put in pot and start to sauté with cooking spray. 2.Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take seeds and membrane out. Cut the green pepper into bite size pieces and put in pot. 3.Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, put in pot. 4.Clean carrots cut into bite size pieces put in pot. 5.Slice Mushrooms into thick slices (otherwise they will disappear in the soup). Put in pot. 6.If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of cayenne pepper (red pepper) now (1/3 teaspoon is quite a bit as the soup will get spicier as it cooks further). 7.You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasoning's they have all the salt and flavors you will need. 8.Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time (two hours works well). 9.Taste and then season to taste with salt and pepper. 10.Eat all the soup you want, whenever you want.