Cambridge diet

[ChihuahuaMistress]

Has anyone ever done the Cambridge diet? I've got about 5 stone to lose! I've always struggled with normal diets, having tried every club going, and even dukan! I just don't like meat enough for dukan! I have PCOS so I really need to lose weight if I ever want to have another baby - my son is 3 and a half now! I have bought some slim fast to try and see if taking the temptation of food choices away helps, but I was wondering if anyone has tried the Cambridge diet - especially if you have PCOS?

How much does it cost? I looked at lighter life but I can't justify £60 a week and I liked the look of the Cambridge diet plans better as well, but not sure how much it costs, or if you have to have GP check ups or anything?

Any info will be greatly appreciated! :-)

I did the cambridge diet (CD) last year and lost over 3 stones, however, due to illness have ended gaining a fair bit of it back and have just embarked on weight watchers.

The diet itself is easy to follow - there are different plans you can go on from sole source (only shakes/bars) to the 1500 plans which is one shake a day and food.

I did Sole Source and then worked up the plans. The diet itself is easy to follow although the first few days of shakes can be hard. I loved the shakes (used to have them hot) and the bars.

The products are around £2.00 each (depending on your consultant) and you have to buy them directly from your consultant. If you were on 3 shakes a day it would be £42 a week but if you stick to it it will work and you will get quick results.

Some people do get side effects from it, my hair got thinner but that stopped once I started working up the plans.

If you think you can stick to it without the support of a consultant there is a shake diet called 'Exante' you can buy and follow it yourself.

Hope that helps - I was going to train to be a consultant with Cambridge but due to health issues it hasn't happened but I do like talking about it lol!! Any more questions please ask.

I am seriously considering this too so I hope you don't mind if I jump on your thread to ask questions too.

My biggest concern is how to fit it around our social life. Eating out and drinking wine is something that DH and I both enjoy immensely and I don't know how I will feel turning down invites to dinner parties etc. Is it common to regain weight? I am wondering if WW might be a better option for me.

It is common to regain weight if you start eating the way you used to! You need to take this opportunity to rethink how you eat. I was unwell and ended up taking drugs which made me continually hungry if I didn't eat I felt sick that is my reason, only reason not going back to Cambridge is due to health issues.

Shakes come in cartons which I found handy for being out. I think if you are better off turning down the invites while you slim down then go for it again. Weight Watchers is good but alot slower!

Thanks for the replies! I will look into exante as well, but £42 a week is not too bad,it's almost half the price of lighter life!

Roughly what rate was your weight loss? Like I said,I struggle with motivation if the results are slow, especially because I have a lot to lose!

I have done the Cambridge diet every summer for 3 years. Lost 3st approx each time.

Every winter I gain 4st+, I'm now on Slimming World and a hell of a lot happier!

I struggle to see why anyone would pay such a lot for a diet unless they appreciated that the weight will just go straight back on unless they do some sort of maintenance diet once they have lost the weight. I hadn't appreciated how expensive these diets are.

Each time you lose weight you lose (some) muscle mass alongside the fat, which means your basal metabolic rate lowers and its even more easy to put on weight than it was before.

I understand the need to get fast results especially if you really are overweight.

petitdonkey Regular wine is not really conducive to losing weight but on a regular diet (calorie counting / clean eating / weightwatchers etc) occasional meal out with friends isn't a problem as long as you exercise some sort of restraint. I drink diet coke or fizzy water when out socialising. Have got used to it.

chihua I mantained 2lb a week weight loss on a relatively strict proper food diet for weeks on end, (along with daily exercise), this kept motivation high. The last stone was slower but it didn't matter as people commenting how good I looked, and my thin clothes fitted etc. Its 3 months since I moved onto my maintenance phase, but I think vigilance will still be needed for a while longer.

mermaid I agree SW very sensible and more realistic to maintain that way of eating longer term.

the trouble with things like cambridge diet and LL is that when you start to eat more solid foods again the weight comes back on.

Stick to sensible eating plans such as WW or SW, take on a sensible fitness regime - that is the only way the weight will come off and stay off!

The slower the weight comes off, the longer it stays away, a 1-2 lb weight loss a week is perfect, obv a bit more if you have more to lose .

I lost 3 at in 2 months on the Cambridge and got pregnant which is why I stopped.

I found that it really helped with the psychological side of eating as I stopped thinking about food all the time. If you have a good councillor you should be able to work back up to normal eating as it has proper stages. The key is to keep it going with support. My councillor also did life coaching which really helped.

The food is actually quite yummy, particularly the carton shakes.

I will be back on as soon as I pass the 3 month postnatal point because I think it was the best diet I have ever done in terms of nutrition and the way I think about food.

I did Cambridge and lost 2 1/2 st in 9/10 weeks. I can honestly say it was thoroughly miserable (i disliked most of the products) and one year on I have piled back on the majority of the weight I lost. My dc were unhappy that I wasn't eating with them too. It is a 'quick fix' but if you are a yo-yo dieter like me it won't offer any long term solution I'm afraid.
If you want to lose weight so that you can get pg it will get the weight off but be prepared to put it all back on and more while you are pg. Sorry to be so negative
I do know one person who did Lighter Life and has kept it nearly all off for a couple of years so there are exceptions but everyone else has put the weight back on. HTH.

well, after saying above I was doing weight watchers the lure of Cambridge was too much and I started back on SS yesterday. Thin me here I come - and am actually addressing my eating issues this time lol.

My weight loss previously was 6lb first week 6lb second week then 2lb then 4lb and stayed around 2-4lb a week until i finished.

Am hoping to become a counsellor myself when I finish (if that won't be an incentive to keep the weight off I don't know what will!)

I did Cambridge a couple of years ago and lost about 6 stone - if you've got loads to lose it is great because it is so quick. People who have never had more than a couple of stone to lose don't understand how soul destroying it is to be told on WW etc that you should only be losing half to 2lbs a week - it all just seems never ending and unachievable. Beyond the first couple of days I honestly didn't feel at all hungry and as posterofawolef said, it actually stops you thinking about food. I've tried and failed at so very many diets in the past, but I think it was the total strictness of Cambridge that helped me as I knew that if I cheated even a tiny bit I may as well not bother! If you do decide to do it, make sure you drink all the water they advise - it's crucial!