Anyone else starting the Cambridge diet this week?

[hattiejacques]

I'm starting CD on Tues. My main worry is how my body will adapt after being on a vlcd? Anyone due to start soon or have any experience of maintaining their weight loss on CD

Hi all,

do you mind if i join you?

I have been inspired this very weekend to get to grips with how I deal with food. I think i need a complete break from it as i seem to be stuck in a cycle of overeating. Reading this post and others has made me realise i need to take drastic action now.

2littlins-you describing how you got started is exactly how i feel right now so i have this morning emailed 3 counsellors in my area.

Does anyone have any advice for what I can do in preparation for starting i.e while i wait to hear from the counsellors?

thanks sarah x

Hi all,would also like to join this thread.

I started the CD on Wednesday and have to say I am really struggling so far but I'm trying to remain positive and am encouraged by your stories.

I started off at 12st 4lb so come wednesday I will let you know of my loss.(if any!)

IMGENS-The hardest part for me has been the caffiene withdrawal so Id say that if you are used to drinking a few cuppas a day,start cutting back gradually before you start the diet properly.Thesame goes for carbs really,the more you cut down before the diet the less you will crave them.Anddrink plenty of water,the more the merrier,apart from anything it will help with the headaches you tend to get in the first few days.I am drinking between 8-10 pints a day.

Hi imgens and ash.
Good on you for getting the new year off to a great start.
Did you know you can have a pint of coke zero a day.Just in case the caffeine withdrawl is too hard.
Imgens you are at the right place to give this your all. You will see the results in 2 weeks so its really worth the effort.
Ash you must be living in the loo with 10 pints a day!!!!!
Stick at it, you're doing great.
x

hi,
I would love to join a thread of other Cd'ers. I started SS a week ago and this morning had lost 9 1/4 lbs. Its been tough going at times as I still prepare the family meals 100%.

Does anyone know how long you can sole source for? I am now 12 1/2 stone and want to get to 9 1/2, could I ss all the way?

i still have another 3.5 stone to go to get to goal and my hubbie is aiming for the same. i am back in size 16 for some things (although i think vanity sizing is coming into play in some shops) and the rest is a happy 18. i once read maureen lipman make a comment about being overweight and she said all she wanted was for her clothes not to leave marks on her body anymore! well i would be a very happy girl if i can get to wear a size 12 without any marks!
good luck to all those who are new - i found real inspiration from updating on here and also the weigh ins. at ww i used to dread the weigh ins but i think with this they are a lot more positive.
ps - my cdc said to keep my caffeine intake about the same so i haven't abandoned my daily cuppa.

Hello everyone

I'm soo excited I have just spoken to a lovely counsellor that is just up the road from me and i have an appointment for tonight!

I feel so ready for this!

Ash - Im hoping the caffiene wont be too bad as over the past couple of weeks I had naturally cut back on the tea/coffee as I found each cuppa I was having had a biscuit or 3 for company.

Over the weekend I started to read through this thread and I have to say you had me in tears because I was so inspired by all your weight losses and it finally made me realise just how bad I felt about myself.

I broke down and had a long chat with DH and he said do it and we would find the money. This was the last stumbling block for me as if i didnt have his support (especially financially) I could'nt do this.

Sorry if this is a lot of waffle but i want this as a reminder for when im struggling and having a bad day.

Right im off to get some water & avoid the mince pies my mum has left out in the kitchen for me.

Sarah x

Imgens-thats the first step over with then!Good luck!!

Have had a terrible day today and just want to blow off steam so feel free to just ignore my rant!
I work in the care sector,in a day centre where we have no breaks,just eat with the clients at mealtimes.Today was my first full day back at work since starting the diet.As I think I said last night,I am struggling with the diet as I'm sure everyone does in the early days,have been having dizzy spells and am really crabby atm.I am enjoying the shakes though and the water isn't bothering me too much(except for peeing all the time!!)
Today I was halled into the office and given a grilling by my manager about this diet and how unhealthy it is and that it may affect my work and result in me going off sick and that she thought it very unsociable of me to sit there with my shake whilst everyone else was having thier meal.All I've had all day,off all my collegues are constant comments and digs that I shouldn't be on this diet and trying to put me off my shake saying that it was foul(not that they even tried it)I am so bloody sick,I have come home and just burst into tears and to be honest expected a lot more support from them,especially as they know I have no confidence with my weight being as it is now.
In the end I flipped and told them to stop banging on about it and mind their own business,they didn't take a blind bit of notice.
When I was leaving work my manager said we were taking the clients out for a pub lunch tommorrow so I'd have to have something to eat as it was inconsiderate of me to have my shake in front of the clients in a pub.I told her food was forbidden and that I'd be happy with my shake or a bar which she refused to accept and said no,even if it's just soup of the day I have to eat!

I'm totally livid and really upset,this diet is no-ones business but my own and I have been made to feel like a complete freak today and now I'm worrying about what I'm going to do tommorrow.have explained the whole ketosis thing and they're really not interested.

ash

I'm just home from seeing my counsellor and I cant believe what a bad day you've had!

Your manager is completely out of order - she cannot force you to eat food for show. What if you were on a resticted diet for a medical condition?

I know its hard but keep going. Can you take the booklet in to work and ask that they at least have an idea of what they are talking about before running their mouths of? or give them the website address?

If your manager persists then all i can suggest is perhaps a letter from your GP in support of what you are doing. This will incur a cost so you could enquire at your surgery and inform your manager that if she wants this kind of reassurance she can pay for it!

Im not back in work until wednesday and im not going to talk about the diet unless directly asked as im not prepared to have people slating what they dont understand. Im not sure of the reaction I'll get as I'm a medical secretary so it could be worse or it could be better!

Chin up and dont forget there's plenty of support on here if they persist in knocking you.

Sarah x

ps I have a bmi of 32 for the last time ever as this 4 stone is going!

Oh thanks for cheering me up,although I did try to explain the diet to them properly,show them the leaflet and even said my G.P had given consent(a little fib!)so I'm just going to have to ride this one out I think and hope they get bored of giving me grief.

My BMI is also 32,I was actually very shocked and i had no idea I was classed as OBESE at 12st 4 size 16,had hoped I just came under the overweight category!

The trouble is unless people have been in this position i.e being obese and unhappy they are not going to fully appreciate the nature of the relationship you may have with food and how meal replacement can help.

I have spoken to a couple of people in RL about doing the diet and i get the same reaction: oh thats not safe & you'll only put it back on and more when you eat again.

Well it's nutritionally balanced and yes i will put the weight back on IF I continue with the bad eating habbits that got me 4 stone plus over weight.

Sorry im ranting but I feel like I'm on the brink of sorting myself out once and for all!

Just point out this post if i even hint at sniffing a choccy biccy in the next few weeks!

Hope you have a better day tomorrow - just keep thinking how close you are to that first week weigh in.

Ive started on the water today so got to run again!

Take care

sarah

Ash I literally had my jaw on my chest reading your sad post.
How absolutely horrific for you that your manager is behaving in such a dominating way.
I hope it has gone ok for you today and you stuck to your guns.

I don't think it is in your job description to be bullied or force feed whatever your manager decides they want to shove down your neck, if you were vegetarian would they be harping on at you and forcing you to eat meat.
No one can make you swollow anything you don't want to .... and in 8 weeks they will change their tunes a bit I guarantee it..Don't let their opinions change your resolve!!!!!

MM nice to see your back here.I had a big chat with my cdc today and I don't feel so bad about it all now.I think if I look at the grand picture 6 stone is a huge accomplishment to lose and if I am happy now I should look at doing maintainence instead of staying on ss. I had heard the last stone was the hardest to lose and now I know why.I am going to just see how it goes over the next couple of weeks.

Keep going everyone you are doing great.

Ash you will get all the support you need here if not getting it at work.

x

Hello!

Glad to hear everyone is ok.

Sorry to hear about the situation at work, Ash.

I've been on the CD since 22 dec and have lost 1st 5 lb. I was 15 st , BMI 32 and I'm now 13st 9lb, BMI 27.9.

Really enjoying it but seem to have hit a bit of a wall. went out for a meal with a load of friends on saturday- was quite good- had grilled chicken and salad. but don't seem to have lost weight since then and i'm feeling fat and bloated again even tho been on the cd since then.

is weight loss supposed to slow down after a couple of weeks on SS? and do you think i should skip the AAM week next week to get back on track?

thank u!

Peta

Thanks for your support girls,unfortunately it didn't go well today

We(or should I say THEY) decided to go to a fish and chip restaurant instead of a pub to which I said well thats fine,I'll have my shake.
I was flatly told no I would have to eat with the clients,as they have dementia they would get upset at me not eating a meal with them and also the fish restaurant would not allow a non-eating customer to bring in their own meal!!

In the end,I ordered a stripped fish on it's own,no chips which I picked at and ate a few bits of just to keep them quiet.I feel like I've been forced fed and now am worried how this will affect ketosis.I only had a shake for breakfast,didn't have the lunch or tea one so hope I havn't slipped up too much!

That's terrible, Ash. Un-bloody-believable.

I was on the thread pre-Christmas and I'm going to jump right back in next week.

Really thrilled to hear Hattie's news - what a star!

Hello. Have just read this thread and am sooo intrigued. A friend of mine who I hadn't seen for a couple of years had done CD and she had lost so much weight and looks amazing. I need to lose, I am guessing, around 4 stone, although would be more than happy with 3. Just wondering with CD, do you have to sign a contract for a minimum term or anything? Plus, I am at home with my DS all day and then work evenings, do you think the CDC will mind if I take my DS along to the weigh-ins, as I have no-one to look after him during the day. I think you have all done remarkably well, but one question that may be really daft, do you think it has been life-changing, because that is definitely what I am after. Have done WW and SW and to no avail and just need something that is going to work now.

Hi Overtiredmum. My CDC lets me take both my children with me (both under 2)and doesnt seem to mind at all. Also when I started I brought only a weeks supply to see how it went and was told if I didnt like it or really couldnt stick to it, then she would refund me for any shakes I returned unopened. I couldnt say fairer than that. I have found it great. it is hard the first couple of days but then you stop even feeling hungry. It takes all the stress out of dieting as to what you can and can't eat.
I lost 9 1/4lb last week on my first week its in now day 10 and not even the tinest bit of food has passed my lips so still on track and going well.
Good luck to you

Just checked back to see how your day went yesterday ash.
If your clients have dementia you can always tell them you ate aready.
You should start keeping a diary of the dates, who said what and why. Don't be forced to do anything you don't want to do.

They can tell you when to eat but they can't tell you what to eat.

If you do end up being pushed out of your job from stress or unfair dismisal, then you would have serious grounds for compensation....lets hope its stops and doesn't go this far though!!!

I don't think its a good idea to skip shakes as that will make you hungry. You would be surprised at how little damage a little bit of protein does so if you just picked I am sure you are still in ketosis.

overtired mum, I have had to take my DS to weighins a couple of times as there was no one to look after them and it wasn't a problem. I don't think there is a tie in with CD where you have to join for X amount of weeks. If you contact your local councilor via the CD website they are usually really nice and more than happy to answer all your questions.

If looking in the mirror and seeing yourself instead of a swollen unrecognisable person can be considered lifechanging then my answer would be YES it is lifechanging.
The cd gave me the tools to seriously change my life/ wardrbe/ happiness levels in an extremely short amount of time. 12 weeks of 100% commitment is definately worth the results.

Take care all
x

Thanks CayKon and 2Littlins. Think I may well give it a go. Only reason I asked because money is a little tight and I can't afford to start it if I needed to sign up to six months or something. My DS is poorly at the moment so may wait and give CDC a call next weeks when hopefully he is better and I have more time to talk. The email link isn't working for some reason on my system, but think it may be set up differently because it a work computer. Just not sure how/if I can manage to not eat for anything for weeks on end, although I am sure it would be easier in a way, cos at the moment, cos I work evenings, I cook my DH and DS something for their dinner and prepare myself something different for me, at least I guess it does away with all that

Am taking the plunge (as it were) and am meeting the CDC on Monday morning! No doubt I will be on here Tuesday begging for support!

Overtiredmum - im sure you will be fine

Im on day 5 now and feeling great! The best bit of advice i can give is start drinking the water now in preparation for your start and cut the carbs.

I did this and i do beleive it made a big difference as all I noticed in the first two days was feeling a bit strange/dizzy but no headache etc.

Got my first weigh in on monday and i cant wait!

Hope everyone else has had a good week x

good to see all doing well - keep up the good work. i really struggled with my first week back after Christmas, eating things I really shouldn't have - including daughter's pasta leftovers. i was really lucky that i didn't suffer as a result and was totally chuffed to lose 8 lbs this week. almost lost what i put on in my 4 weeks off (what a great 4 weeks) and determined to get on. have cottage cheese in the fridge so if i do get the nibbles i have something that's not going to kick me out of ketosis and is low cal. ever since my first add a mouthful week i have really struggled to kick protein nibbling. will be good tomorrow.....

Well thats me signed up and first day nearly over and feeling good. I am feeling excited, although slightly nervous at the same time. I have 3 stone to lose to be back within healthy BMI, which I was expecting to be honest, although that still gives me scope to lose more, may just see when I get there. Day 1 and am determined!!

good work over tired mum. good luck for the rest of week 1 and here's to a great first weigh in next week. sending lots of positive thought your way

Thanks MM, am feeling pretty positive and felt pretty good today. Have had shake at 10am, soup at 2pm and will have another shake at around 8pm. Have drunk around 4 pints so far today and usually do another 2 whilst at work. Have also had about 4 cups of coffee (black of course!) so think I am well on target for fluid intake.

Overtiredmum - sounds like you are doing well, keep it up & you will be at that first weigh in before you know it.

Had mine on monday and my CDC had a scale problem so it was recorded as a 4lb loss but my scales say 7lb. Either way its a loss and I'm so happy doing this diet.

Met with friends last night and got a grilling. Stuck to my guns and had my first yummy banana tetra pack while they drank wine!

How is everyone else getting on?