Oh hello, That was strange seeing my name up there!!!
Where do I start!!
After my 3rd child in 4 years I was at my all time high of 15 stone ( I'm 5 ft 1")
I tried Weightwatchers, Slimming world, Paul Mckenna etc, and managed to lose 3 stone between August last year and August this year. I had just given up trying, and was yo-yoing binging on toast and biscuits in the evenings. I'd heard about lighterlife, and looked on the internet, then saw there was the Cambridge diet, which was the same, but half the cost due to there not being any "counselling".
In a nutshell (Before this turns into an epic) I called my local counsellor from the Cambridge website www.cambridge-diet.com/newfiles/findacounsellor.html.
Its really important that you find a good one, as there's several crap ones in it for the money kind of thing.When you phone they should sound enthusiastic, and answer all of your questions, also ask whether they weigh you each week. ( they are meant to, but again some don't)
The diet itself is called a vlcd (Very low calorie diet) and is 415 calories a day. This means that your body goes into ketosis and starts to use up it's own fat stores, as it cant take the energy required from the calories from food.
This means a very rapid weight loss (woo!) and I didn't believe this-but it is true, when in ketosis, you feel full of energy and no physical hunger. You get great skin from all the water you drink, and you lose inches by the week.
You have 3 shakes a day (they are nutritionally balanced), in savory and sweet flavours-some better than others! and after 3 weeks you can have Cambridge diet bars which are proper chocolate and in 5 different flavours. Every 4 weeks, you have Add a meal week and have a portion of meat, tofu or Quorn and a whole 2 Tablespoons of green veg!! This is once a day on top of the shakes for 7 days, then back to soul Sourcing. For drinks, you can have black coffee, black tea, and peppermint, and nettle, and water which you need at least 3 litres a day.
I'm on my 6th week, and have gone from 11 stone 10lbs to 9 stone 9. Thats A size 16 to just squeezing into a size 10 this week!
Ive had a couple of "blips" too,not due to hunger but wanting to eat for comfort (it didn't work either!).
I cannot rate this diet enough- it is mentally hard at the beginning, not being able to eat "proper" food,I also found it hard making the childrens food, but after the first week things are so much easier. The results every week on the scales keep you going. My PMT has virtually vanished, and for the first time in years didn't need to take prescribed painkillers for period pains!!
I just wish Id known about it last year!!
Cost wise its £33 apx (some counsellors charge more/less) per week, and that is for a weeks supply of shakes, so 21 to choose from and about 12 flavours, that you choose from each week.
Hope that's more than enough for you, sorry for the ramble!!
Please ask if you want to know anything else, and let me know if you do decide to go for it,
Best Wishes
Vicky