CAMBRIDGE DIET club...anyone like to join? xxx

[mrspoppins]

Hi!
I'm a nearly forty mum of two beautiful girls who has reached that point I needed to reach to realise that I am worth fighting for and want to change...FOR ME!!!
I am 10 stones overweight and started the Cambridge diet yesterday! So far, so good.
I have a friend who is also doing this with me beginning today. She is also 10 stones overweight so we'll hopefully be on it together for the long haul!!
Join us! Let's post weekly updates and offer help to each other in our quest for a better life for ourselves.

xxx

mrspoppins your a gem Thanks for the encouragement.

yay! just spoke to a counceller we are going to see her next weekend, but I have to get the doctor to sign my form, hope he agrees.

cant wait now

Hello - I am a newbie. I have been reading the past posts on the C diet - I am desperate to lose some weight as we are trying to get pregnant with no luck. I just can't seem to stick to any diet - I am fine till about 2pm then I just can't stop myself eating! I am thinking of doing this diet while ttc (although I know that if by some miracle we do then I have to stop the diet). I am having real difficulty motivating myself and it would be great to do this with some support - so you may have another newbie soon too. Meb

Meb,you'd be very welcome..xxxKaren

Just spoken to the counsellor and have an appointment for next Saturday. I am so excited.

Happy new and healthier Year to us all !!!

xxxKaren

thats great juuuule me and dh have appt mext sauturday as well assuming I get my form signed we start that day

my counsellor has suggested we cut down on refined carbs this week to minimise the headaches from withdrawal in the first few days, are you doing this too? I am guessing she means bread, pasta, cake, crisps biscuits etc so I am going to try

No, my counsellor never said anything about that. If yours has said it reduces the headaches, I might do that anyway, then. Mine did say that the first week can be really difficult for some people, so anything that makes it easier sounds like a good idea to me. I don't know about you but I can't wait to get started now. Feel a bit in no-mans land at the moment so if I cut out some carbs at least I'll feel like I'm doing something.
Happy New Year, All

I was advised to cut down on carbs before starting but am afraid I couldn't. In fact, I took the "last meal" approach which I know isn't very sensible.

Anyway ..... I was lucky enough not to suffer any major problems in my 1st week. I had just 1 headache which is 3 less than I used to get eating rubbish all the time. Headaches can often be a sign of dehydration, so ensure you keep drinking lots of water.

My friend told me about cutting down on carbs, so when i spoke to counsellor on phone i asked and she said that if i want to start diet on friday when i see her, then i should try to cut down this week!

Will be seeing my doctor on wednesday to get form signed, hopefully.

I'm so excited, i can't wait to start.

Hi everyone,

Thanks Karen for the pointer here..I was thinking I was all alone on the CD diet...

I have just started on CD this morning. Haven't weighed myself yet but guess I am around 14st so to get to the top range of healthy weight I need to get down to around 10st. I have tried everything and just cant stick to a low calorie diet..I think just one chicken nugget wont hurt blah blah so this time I have gone for the no eating solution!!! I have got to do this. I just feel so fat and unhealthy..none of my clothes look nice now.

I had my first shake today...a hot chocolate for breakfast..and a black coffee. It was ok, bit sweet for brekkie but edible.

Hope everyone else is doing ok ...im sure there will be a few more newbies as its new year.

Jenna

Can I join you please? I am starting CD today but feel I have to add my story here - I'll try to keep it short! I was nearly 18 stone before I started Lighterlife on 4 April 2005 (Lighterlife is basically the same as CD plus organised counselling) and had lost more than 8 stones by mid-September. I then did their management (ie maintenance when you start eating again) programme for 3 weeks but did not go the full recommended 8 weeks because I was so excited and, now that I look back, in denial about not going back to my old habits. I think the fact that I had a really crap 'counsellor' didn't help (she got sacked around the time I gave up Management!). Anyway I slowly put back on some of the weight, tried to do CD to get it off, but it just messed with my mind and I swore I would never ever do it again!

But I find myself back here, over 3.5+ stones heavier (although to be fair I have put on loads in the last 2 or 3 weeks because I had decided that I would be doing CD in the New Year ) and back in the right frame of mind. It's the only thing that has ever worked for me, I now accept that. I am an all or nothing person and feel happy knowing that, whether the scales show it or not, I am losing weight every day. I already feel in a much happier frame of mind today. I am still nervous about keeping the weight off when I get there, but hopefully I am a little bit wiser this time round.

I was lucky first time round in that I didn't get many headaches in the first few days, but it takes me about 5-7 days to get that energetic and non-hungry feeling. I also had the clearest skin ever and no period pain, as well as losing quite quickly so am hoping it's the same this time round!

Good luck to you all.

Oh what an honest post, My turn... I so need to do something about my weight. Having been 9.5 stone only 18 months ago one baby and nearly a year off I am 16 stone (shocking isn't it!!!!!!) and a size 22. I am back at work in 3 months and dreading the fact that I look like a different person - I can just imagine the looks now. Oh yes and I forgot to add we are ttc but I think little chance while I am this size.

I did LL many years ago and went down to 10 stone but I don't think I could sit round with a group of chubbies again discussing how deprived we all feel - it kind of made me feel worse when I was n't feeling deprived(no local counsellor now) but it was helpful to have others to egg you on - you never wanted to let the group down.

How many are on this CD thread? is this the only one - I am a bit confused as there seem to be lots of CD threads? and is there anyone out there who could find the time to give me some encouragement just to get me going - I so need to do this.

Mexican big tasty Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
crinkle fries Mmmmmmmmmmmm
Cheese and onion baguette mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
baked potato Mmmmmmmmm

Sorry just hyperthetically eating here

munch munch

blimey I want to eat....Im not hungry, Im not hungry, Im not hungry...first day of CD..not physically hungry just wanting to eat.

Brekkie was hot chocolate
lunch was tom soup (which was a bit powdery despite being mixed with an electric whisk, any pointers?)
haven't decided on the gastronomic adventure for tea yet..maybe strawberry...big decisions.

This diet had so better work!! (especially as I just brought some jeans that don't even do up yet in the sales!!! lol)

Hope its going well for eveyone else

Jenna

Jenna ..... you're as bad as me.

I hit the sales today and came back with 3 cookery books, which I've just been looking through. Talk about torturing yourself ! Last night I read through Nigella's "Feast" book .... still there's obviously no harm in reading about food.

This diet does work .... I lost 21lbs in 3 weeks (I am due my next weigh in next Monday, the first for 3 weeks, with a week off over Xmas, so goodness knows if I will have lost any this time or not - am hoping at best I will stay even). However, like any diet, you need a strong dose of willpower. The big selling point for me is that weight is lost at about twice the rate (or more) of a "normal" (eg: calorie controlled) diet. Seeing a big loss each week really is a great feeling and I'm sure I can last out for about 14 weeks when hopefully I'll be at goal.

However, I won't lie and say it's easy. I can honestly say I've not felt hungry doing this but I have felt very bored. Like you, I found the tomato soup very weak and powdery ... the chicken soup slightly less so .... but hardly comparable to good old Heinz Tomato or lovely soup like Covent Garden. I am trying to tell myself (over and over) that this is a temporary state of affairs and that it's the quickest way to get me where I want to be. In the past, I have always given up on dieting after about 5 months and bit by bit, it all creeps back on. It was like I was getting nowhere fast and therefore developed a "sod it, I need a treat" attitude ....

..... this time, I hope that because I will get somewhere "fast", the motivation to stay that way will override my tendency to be a greedy pig. I fully intend to go through the maintenance phase of the diet (rather than think "whoopee, I've done it, now I can pig out") and hopefully, this will educate me about portion sizes and enable me to discover exactly how many calories I need each day to maintain my weight. Once I get there, I do NOT want to go back.

I think it's great that more and more people are adding to this thread. The more of us there are to add thoughts, tips, moans and successes, the more likely we'll be (IMO) to see this through. It's NOT altogether easy but it does bring great results (inch loss too as well as weight) and I think discussing the process with others experiencing the same thing will be a great help.

Meb, this is the main CD thread which Mrs Poppins started a few weeks back. She's planning to start new parts at the start of each month I think so it doesn't get out of hand.

Meb - I conceived ds when I was around 16 stones so don't despair! Did you put the weight on gradually or quite quickly? I actually liked the group aspect of LL - felt I got more from the members than the counsellor tbh. Hopefully we have both learnt something from getting to target and then putting on again. Today I have learnt that I can be hungry but not give in to it.

First time round I was completely obsessed with food. I did not cheat once but I used to spend my time baking fantastic desserts and dishes for everyone in the family - I even baked bread fgs! And I bought loads of cooking books and magazines. This time I shall try and occupy myself differently because I need to stop being so obsessed by food when I'm bored (or upset or happy etc etc).

I know I'm feeling more optimistic because I have bought Grazia for the first time in ages and shall pore over the clothes soon (not that I can afford too many new ones but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it....)

woo hoo, my appointment has been moved to tomorrow so thursday is the big start day. Managed to find a counsellor a bit closer to me so that has helped too.

cant wait to start, although today did have some doubts about how big a thing this diet is, I mean, no food, at all

but I will do it, I must cos at the moment I am one great big fat heifer and I really dont want to be the fat mum at nursery anymore

Gingernut I'm so

meb2006 I'm sure you'll get plenty of encouragement on here.

I'm hoping i do as well.

Start mine on friday, so long as doctor signs my medical form tomorrow!!!

moonshine Well done on losing 8 stone first time round.

You must have felt like a totally different person.

At leat you're doing the right thing by going back onto CD to do it again.

Well done for that.

JennaJ my friend who's been doing this diet for two months has told me that a hand blender is the best thing to use to get the lumps out!!!!

Unless anyone has any other suggestions, i'm off out to buy a good one tomorrow.

Good luck everyone, i know i'll need some when i start!!!!!!!!!

I'm new here & am gonna be a real damp squib I fear!! Sorry!
I am bigger than all of you but, the only diet that I have ever lost weight on was the Cambridge diet , & it followed the same pattern as your messages.
I lost 4 stone in 4 months. However, once the Cambridge dieting stopped, literally within just ONE MONTH, I had put it ALL back on again, then some!
I guess the adage that the slower the weight loss the longer it stays off is true but I think this is based on it taking sooooo long that you cannot help but change your eating habits.
I don't mean to be a killjoy or dampen your spirits but it is more a warning IF the bump does come!
Of course, everyone is different & I sincerely wish you all the very best. But having battled my weight for 30 years, there isn't anything I haven't tried.
Hey guys, you are what you are - live with it!
Just think, you could get to your dreamed-of weight, jump for joy, fall in the road & get by a bus ... what a waste of those years!!
And hey, think of all those healthy nuts out there that are one day gonna die of ... well, nothing!

Good morning all

That was a cheery message to start the day ditzeangeluk Im sorry you didn't manage to keep the weight you lost off. My personal theory for me with diets is that the hardest thing to do is to get the weight off as I lose so slowly..once the weight is off I will set an upper weight boundary and NEVER cross this boundary. Provided I stick to this I can't put all the weight back on...a diet is for life not just for new year!!

I WILL NOT accept that this wobbly blobby person is who I am and I cannot be happy with my body the way it is..Im happy with the rest of my life just not all this blubber, I can't run around with the children..I can't even run for a bus! Im in a musical theatre group and costume fittings are always really bad!! Im just not having this blubber any longer.

Day 2 of CD and I feel totally fine....was craving food like mad yesterday but have woken today with a resignation that I can't eat...and its ok....for the first time in years I haven't gone racing down the stairs for my butter laden toast.

Hurrah

Its great there are so many of us on this thread. Can't wait to weigh in at the end of the week

Have a good (food free) day everyone

Jen

Meant to say...FUSSYMUMMY im using a hand blender already. It worked ok on the chocolate shake but the strawb and tom were still a bit powdery..

Is this normal girls or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks
Jen

I use a hand blender too (I knew it would come in handy for something one day though it's been languishing in the back of the cupboard for around 10 years). However, though it does get rid of all the lumps and bumps (I did my very 1st shake with a fork .... can you imagine how disgusting that was ?!) the powdery taste does remain. I also find that with the tomato soup in particular, you get a big layer of froth which is quite offputting. I'm now tending to stick to shakes and bars with only the occasional soup as they're really not that nice. Probably explains though, why I'm really craving savoury things (asw opposed to sweet). I would kill for a curry.

hello all,i'm here to join you if you will have me.. lol
I was on cambridge last year and lost 4 stone from January to April taking my weight to 9 stone 6 I maintained my weight with ease until December .. I have put 15lb back on! To be honest I didn't even notice until my jeans couldn't do up any more.
So here I am back again maybe only Soul sourcing for a month but maintaining still.
If anyone needs any help please feel free to ask , I feel I am an expert at this diet.. lol.
I find the best thing in making the shakes is to use a kenwood smoothie maker. It makes them thick ,creamy and delicious. A hand whisk is perfect if you want your shakes hot.
I am on day 3 now.. second time round is soo much harder. I really cannot wait for the bars.
Good luck everyone let me know how your getting on.

I am SO rubbish

Ive quit Cambridge...on day 2 !!!

Just can't do no food at all..had to cook all day yesterday and all day today (mum and childminder)..shakes are frothy and soups are powdery and all taste a bit grim tbh Just couldn't face anothe rone for lunch.

Going to go the slow low fat route again....at least I can eat something that way.

Sorry girls

Wishing you all the very very best, will lurk to see how you are all getting on.

Jenna