by Tim Rosaforte
© 1996 Sports Illustrated

Earlier this year, when Jack Nicklaus noticed that he weighed more than 200 pounds: "I hadn't been that heavy since I was a kid," Jack says -- he decided to do something about it. Several weeks later, thanks to a diet that features cabbage soup (all you can slurp), Nicklaus has dropped 17 pounds and now weighs in at 185 (left), one pound less than when he won the Masters in 1986. Nicklaus received so many requests from other players at last week's Legends (even from his partner, longtime health nut Gary Player) that Barbara Nicklaus had copies of the diet, and her recipe for cabbage soup, passed around the locker room. "I'm thinking of charging a dollar," she says.

Fat-Burning Cabbage Soup

• 1 or 2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 6 large green onions
• 1 large can beef broth
• 1 package Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 head cabbage, chopped
• 2 cans green beans
• 2 green peppers
• 2 lbs. carrots
• 1 bunch celery

The Daily Meal Plan

Day One: Eat only soup and fruit. (Any fruit except bananas. Cantaloupe and melon are the lowest in calories.)

Day Two: All the fresh, canned or raw vegetables and soup you want. No fruit. At dinner, reward yourself with a buttered baked potato.

Day Three: Eat all the soup, vegetables and fruit you want. Do not have a baked potato or bananas. If you have eaten as directed, you should have lost three to seven pounds.

Day Four: Eat at least three bananas and drink as much skim milk as you can, along with the soup. Your body will need the potassium, carbs, protein and calcium to lessen a craving for sweets.

Day Five: You may have 10 to 20 ounces of beef and as many as six tomatoes. Eat the soup at least once.

Day Six: You can have as many as two or three steaks if you like, with green leafy vegetables. No potato. Be sure to eat the soup at least once.

Day Seven: Brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juices. Again, be sure to eat the soup. You should have lost 7-14 pounds by now.