Just how difficult is the Cambridge Diet?

[Nancy10]

I would like to hear from anyone following this diet. How much can you expect to lose per week. I want to lose 2 and a half stone. And be honest, how hard is it?

I did it two yrs ago - I lost just over 2 stone however started losing hair and looking quite poorly so didn't follow the proper amintenance prorgramme and gave up too soon. Gradually, as I allowed myself more and more carbs, the ewight crept back on and now I weigh almost 2 stone more than I did when I started the diet!
I think it was the hardest thing I've ever done but the speed of the achievement is amazing, however, the side effects aren't good. My hair thinning was awful and my skin looked pasty. Once you get into the shakes thing, it becomes addictive and you feel okay in ketosis once you've passed the "god, I'm starving" phase. I cheated by having spoons of Nutella (not good)but managed to keep myself in ketosis just so my loss wasn't as fast as it could have been.When you're not eating solid food for a month at a time, it did drive me a bit loopy; I used to spit out food when I did eat as it felt weird to have something solid in my mouth.
Since doing the diet, I've read about a couple of people dying on the Lighter Life regime and as it's so similar to CD, I am too scared to retry. However, if I hadnb't read about the women dying, I think I would probably have tried to do it more successfully again.
Ps - I survived purely on the mint flavour shake (the others were rank) and I always put lots of crushed ice in first then the shake. That was the only way I could down them! I once tried a broccolli soup and almost vomitted.

Forgot to say that the CD is basically 'almost starving' and so when you begin to start eating in the maintenace programme, you have to be very careful otherwise your body will try to hold onto whatever fat you eat as it thinks you're going to starve it again.
You'd be better off to eat properly (especially smaller portions) and exercise but I guess that it is possible as long as you follow the maintenace programme to the letter and then stick to it for life.

I tried it and it was so gross that I couldn't stick with it as I couldn't stomach the drinks and shakes. I did however lose about 9lbs in my first week.

I don't however know anyone who has managed to do it and then maintain - know about 9 people who have done it - all of them have put all weight lost back on and more. Although obviously some people do it, i.e. the people who sell it.

Nancy I was tempted by CD/LL last summer when I spoke to a couple of colleagues who'd been very successful, then I realised the cost and decided I could save the money, do it myself and spend the money on new clothes, so I have lost just over 2st since June, most of this by November. All I've really done is cut out bread and other refined carbs, eaten lots of fruit and salad/veg, alos plenty of protein, no alcohol mid week, lots of water

and to back up ewe and lucie, the colleague who had lost loads have regained at least part of their loss

Exactly ducky - it's the replacing of white, processed carbs and increasing the protein portion that really makes a great difference. I'm impressed how you've so well since last year. That's fab and think of all of that money (over 20 quid a week)you've saved.

Well done on the weight loss ducky fuzz! I've been thimking about it all week but to be honest I just can't justify parting with that amount of money on a diet. And as you mentioned try to save the money I would have spent on CD for new clothes. I'm horrified by the hair loss and as much as I'd like to be thinner, I don't want to half kill myself in the process!
I'm not going to bother, healthy eating and exercise is probably the best way!

Another option is having something like slimfast shakes for brekkie and lunch and a proper dinner with fruit as snacks in between. You would defo lose and it's much healthier than CD

Cambridge Diet... and all other meal-replacement-with-a-shake type diets are pretty useless at teaching you how to mange your food intake and eat less. They just teach you how to drink shakes.

Losing weight is a relative doddle. Maintaining the loss is actually the hard part. Unless you're planning on drinking shakes for the rest of your natural it's a lot better to go down the path of a healthier diet, portion control and regular exercise. Short-cuts never work.