Cambridge Diet

Catty212

Hiya everyone. Im kind of having a break from CD at the moment. Well not full but Im working odd hours and my CDC is ill so havent been to WI this week. Im doing 1 or 2 shakes per day with a meal when I am at work. Otherwise it's 3 shakes each day when I am off. New job is so hectic and daren't start with toilet problems or tiredness. I know my weightloss will be slower, but as long as I am still losing its all good.

Im still avoiding carbs and sticking with healthy food and even refrained froma kebab on night shift at work the other night :j

mrs_t_10

Well done welsh cake, you are doing fab.

4lbs loss for me again tonight so i am over the moon. 16lbs in 4 weeks. Its been my totm for 3 of those wi's too!

Dont worry about your break catty, thats life. At least you are being sensible and not having a major blow out. Well done on the willpower

Poggy

Hi everyone. Glad we all seem to be having a good week. Had my 2nd WI tonight and another 4.2lbs gone forever! Feeling v happy now...even my CDC said shes amazed as I came from another TFR diet. Need to lose another 3 lbs to get into the 12's which I haven't been for years! Heres hoping for another good week and I should do it by next WI...Yay!

Claire xx

(Land_of)_Maz

well done claire!

Well done Mrs T!

Winjackie

Hi all

Can anyone give me any feedback on the Cambridge Diet? I have read through a couple of pages and you all seem to be doing so well! :j

I have never tried this diet before, have tried WW (lost stone and put it back on!) and also tried losing it on my own but can't seem to shift it. I know two people who have done it with great results but I'm a little worried about how I'll cope with lack of food (assuming you feel hungry, one friend said it wasn't too bad). I also love a cuppa at least 4 (maybe 5, 6, 7.....) times a day :eek:

Also I have read that you can suffer from headaches, constipation, tiredness etc. And could someone also tell me what "ketosis" is?

Any feedback/advice would be great, really want to shift this weight!

TIA

Jackie

goldfinch68

You basically have three shakes a day (you mix the sachet with water and I use some ice too and whizz it all up with a hand blender) or there are soups as well. Once you have been on it a few weeks you can have one meal bar a day to replace one shake. If you drink the suggested amount of water each day you shouldn't be constipated but as you aren't actually eating food, you do end up doing strange rabbits droppings!! Ha ha! You can get a headache for the first few days but this is carb and caffeine withdrawal, it soon goes away and by the second week you feel really well.

You don't actually feel hungry once you go into ketosis - this is the side effect of the fat burning process although you do still crave things sometimes, you aren't actually ravenous! You do lose weight really quickly on the Cambridge Diet, but you need to go through the maintenance stages at the end to help keep it off. Something I didn't do and over the last few months have put a fair amount back on again which is why I am starting again as of today!! Most people seem to maintain their new weight. I've copied and pasted information on ketosis below:

"During ketosis the body switches from primarily using glucose for energy to primarily using stored body fat and dietary fat sources for energy. We’ve evolved to store fat efficiently for times of need and ketosis is the process by which we can live off that fat for survival.

While you’re on the Cambridge Diet you’ll consume fewer kilocalories than you require, so you’ll have to use energy from your reserves. First you’ll use up glycogen stored in your liver. Once this is depleted, after one to three days, you’ll start to use body fat.

When this fat is broken down, the resulting fatty acids are used by your liver to produce ketones. These are a water-soluble form of energy that can be used by most tissues as fuel. Ketones can also pass across the blood-brain barrier to be used by your brain as its primary source of energy when glucose levels are low. Any excess ketones will be excreted in your blood, breath and urine."

When I read up on it, there was some information on the internet saying it can be dangerous if you are in ketosis for a very long period of time, but for the short term to get the weight off its fine and of course your health benefits in the end from shedding the excess flab. I would definitely recommend it - go for it. Who wants to count points all week and then turn up at Weight Watchers to find they've only lost 1 lb. Been there - done that!! Have a look on the Cambridge website, there are lots of counsellors near you in Dagenham, I'm in Hornchurch not far from you. The other thing to bear in mind is that although £35 a week sounds expensive, its quite easy to spend nearly that much on food and drink for the week and the weekly WW cost of £5.50 or whatever it is now and I tell myself I am investing in my health when I write out the cheque ha ha!!

(Land_of)_Maz

Winjackie wrote: »

Hi all

Can anyone give me any feedback on the Cambridge Diet? I have read through a couple of pages and you all seem to be doing so well! :j

I have never tried this diet before, have tried WW (lost stone and put it back on!) and also tried losing it on my own but can't seem to shift it. I know two people who have done it with great results but I'm a little worried about how I'll cope with lack of food (assuming you feel hungry, one friend said it wasn't too bad). I also love a cuppa at least 4 (maybe 5, 6, 7.....) times a day :eek:

Also I have read that you can suffer from headaches, constipation, tiredness etc. And could someone also tell me what "ketosis" is?

Any feedback/advice would be great, really want to shift this weight!

TIA

Jackie

Jackie, well there's not much to add as Goldfinch has given a very comprehensive explanation of it all!

Re the hunger pangs, it's honestly not so bad... and the cravings are more mental than anything else...!!

Re the cuppas, there is a plan where you have 3 meal replacements (4 fora woman over 5'8" tall or a bloke) and you can have an allowance of 200mls of milk a day... i have a couple of cups a day even though i'm not strictly on the allowance now and it hasn't killed me! I doubt you'd want to drink so much tea as you'd still need to drink 2.5l or more of water a day and will be peeing for England for the first couple of weeks!! but your body soon adjusts and gets used to it.... tea doesn't really count as your fluid allowance, neither does water in shakes/soups....

I certainly haven't found it easy all the time, but there are days when i have sailed through it...

Losses can be amazing, average is about a stone a month... sometimes more if you have a lot to lose....

You do need to have at least a stone to lose in the first place....

There's also another website, www.minimins.com which has lots of positive stories, forums and so on where you can get tons of info....

And of course, if we can help, then we will... most of us are on the diet for the first time here and it's going well, so we're biased!! Although there are one or two people have done it before and can maybe offer a more subjective point of view....

personally i do worry about maintainence and keeping the weight off, especially since i've got rid of all my big clothes!! but i've got a way to go yet before i'm there... over 2 stone gone, probably 2.5-3 to go still....!

Duncan0808

WinJackie, the diet is great it works and gives amazing results very quickly.

It is very easy, initially you get no options, no "bad" choices to make just stick to the plan and you will see the weight drop off.
In the first week or two you are likely to suffer with headaches, due to Carb withdrawal, and I would recommend keeping up your intake of caffeine if you already drink it. Caffiene withdrawal is really really hard, I suffered extremely bad headaches.

It is also very very hard, in order to succeed you need to be determined. To have no food whatsoever is harder than you might think. I have failed on this diet twice before because I just couldn't resist snacking, even on protein, it leads to a very slippery slope and ultimately you will lose out.
I find it easier to break into chunks. This time, although I have 4-5 stones to lose I am just looking at the first 6 weeks. First target was to complete the first day, next one is to complete the first week, (now on day 6). Then looking to complete 3 weeks, then six.
If you can convince yourself you want this enough then go for it - its great!
If you are still not sure you can commit go and see a CDC and they will talk you through the program.

These forums are great for keeping up the good work, its easier not to cheat if you know people are waiting to hear from you. I have only just joined but it was reading through the successful posts that inspired me to get back on, and just go for it.

Duncan0808

May I ask for any opinions about the Soups.
I was thinking of trying them, any favourites out there.
At least then I can sit with the rest of the family as though I'm having a meal instead of hiding out the way or taking the dog out!!

I am thinking of Chicken and Mushroom and Spicy Tomato, any thoughts very much appreciated.

Poggy

I haven't tried the spicy tomato but I can't say I was too excited by the chicken and mushroom. I love the leek and potato though and the oriental chilli.