Has anyone lost a lot of weight on Lighter life or cambridge diet and kept it off?

[stressed2007]

Just the above really. I am attracted to the quick fix or rather quick start these diets give. Howwver I know several people who have lost lots of weight on these diets and have been unable to maintain it.

So has anyone on here lost significant amounts on either of these diets and KEPT it off for say 12-18 months plus? Thanks

Hi - I did the Cambridge diet and got down to 10 stone 11. I was 12.13 to start with. I kept it off for about 6 months before it started creeping back on again and now I weigh more than I did to begin with.
The other things lots of people I've spoken to about the diet is that you can have hair loss (all the sides of my forehead hair went really thin and mentally, the diet did my head in. I was spitting out food in my 'one week of food'. It really messed with my head. You'd be way better off exercising and eating fewer cals for the rest of your life. It's not particularly safe for your heart either - you must make sure you eat properly in the food weeks as you need to maintain heart and body muscle.

The Cambridge diet and lighter life diet is an incredibly dangerous starvation diet based on an element of treatment employed by surgeons who needed patients to lose large amounts of weight prior to life saving heart surgery. The rational being, that the irreparable damage caused to the body was preferable to death.

As a personal trainer, nutritional advisor and weight management consultant for Sussex Police, i would advise all but those recommended this diet by a coronary specialist to steer well clear.

From my own experience:
One of my clients was trying lighter life without telling me. She had amazing weight loss results. However, it became clear the damage being done when her hair started falling out and her periods stopped.

Lighter life gives you 500-800 calories per day to survive on. The average female base metabolic rate (BMR- the amount used to keep you alive:breathing, brain function, digestive and immune systems) is around 900cal.

Contact a personal trainer or nutritional advisor for valid and safe information

I'm so glad you posted chrispt - the dream of the end goal isn't as much fun when your hair starts fallling out, you can't focus properly and you crave spoonfuls of Nutella. And then as soon as you stop the diet, all the weight piles back on!

It really screws with your head!

have youdone this personally luciemule?

Yes - lol - didn't you read my post (the one after your's)?

My sister did lighter life and was extremely successful on it. I think it depends very much on where you are in life and how committed you are. She certainly didn't crave nutella (which she did before she started!) but after a week or two of soup all she wanted was a nice crunchy carrot or crisp apple!

It's not easy. There are a lot of people who drop out. The key to keeping weight off seems to be the management programme afterwards (counselling and accountability).

She also says it seems to make a big difference who the counsellor is (some groups appear to be much more successful than others) so check out real people in your area who have done it before you pay out for it.

I wouldn't say it was dangerous (sis was monitored by GP with blood tests etc... every couple of weeks) and TBH, the packs are so vitamin rich that her hair got shinier, thicker, eczema cleared up and asthma improved. In fact, there are loads of stories of people who are 'infertile' suddenly becoming pregnant whilst using light life!

There is a negative side though. My sister lost 4 stone (and has kept it off) but she is still not happy with her body. Losing weight won't tighten up your skin and her GP has told her that they only way to get the rest of the weight off (another 1/2 stone or so) would be surgery, as it's not fat, it's excess skin. This is not available on the NHS and would be very expensive if she decided to go for it.

The fact is, if you are very obese and need to lose weight for health reasons, it will work (if you are committed), but you may not end up looking like the sculpted model you hoped too.

People with stories about hair loss etc... come form every diet programme, but I suspect they are not doing it right. If you had all the packs you were required to eat, you would have no problems.

My sister found it hard sitting down to the fourth pack each evening (surprisingly, she thought she'd feel hungrier) but was told in no uncertain terms that if she didn't eat everything she was given both GP and counsellor would know (symptoms like hair loss!) and she would be kicked off the programme!

You're right there gracie. My body was toned as I exercised more when I did the CD, however, I still found it impossible to buy the clothes I had thought it would be easy to buy as I'd lost so much weight. My tiny chest was still out of proportion to my hips and buying jeans was still a nightmare as although I was a size 12 in the thigh and bum, the waist was far too big (currently my problem now but in 14/16 clothes.) I still wasn't happy even though I'd lost 2 stone. Everyone was complimenting me although some said I looked ill.

I did Cambridge and basically only managed just over 3 weeks on sole source. My hair was falling out in clumps, I started to bruise, I lost my short term memory (ie, I couldn't have a conversation in the school yard because I seriously couldn't remember people's names)....it go so bad that I went out one day in the car and couldn't remember how I got from my house to the place I was going to (which was over an hours drive).

I had blinding headaches and the shakes. I lost 10lbs in the first two weeks and then didn't loose a single pound in the last 10-days I was on the diet (shocking given I was only having 400 calories a day and walking for an hour a day).

I would only recommend it to people who have a lot of weight to loose and are VERY inactive. Although I am overweight, I am very fit and have a very active lifestyle with my kids. My body shut down quickly on the Cambridge and I have an extra stone (+ the 10lbs) to show for it!

I am doing lighter life (lite) currently it gives you 800-1200 calories a day and is nutritionally balanced. I have done it for 7 weeks and have no hair loss, no problems, nor do I forsee any. To be honest I feel better on it than I did before!!

I can see that it works really well but you have to remember dieting sucess is only 10% of dieters for any diet.

I quizzed the lighter life counceller and she said 30% keep the weight off, and it is the ones who go on to the maintenance who keep the weight off. With lighter life there are also councelling sessions when doing the diet and some people skip them (these are not the sucessful ones)

I did ask here before I started and got a lot of negative responses... I thnk the main problem is that it is impossible not to lose weight if you follow it but if you don't at the same time sort out the issues that are causing you to overeat you will just go back to square one which a lot of people do.

I think that lots of people who do diets like this are really at the end of their teather as to how to lose weight and many have big issues causing them to overeat. (I personally had a problem at work and put on 2 stone which I have really struggled to lose, I fully understand that if I don't sort out my issues I'm not going to keep the weight off)

I have no knowledge of cambridge but would agree with another poster that you need a good councillor on lighter life....

The last thing is I really have had a surprisingly negative reaction from friends to doing the diet - just remember there are some people who want you to be "the fat one" and have been also told I'm stupid (am anything but and have really researched it very thoroughly before doing it!!)

Hope this helps you....

Lighter life is only a quick fix if you can manage to stick it... I did it for 5 days before wanting to commit suicide!!! It was soooooo socially unacceptable, as you just cant eat or drink anything at all,( only the specially provided shakes or bars and water to drink only) so mealtimes were a nightmare. They also pigeon hole everyone into having an eating problem or issue with food, almost making you feel guilty ( brainwashing you) about your relationship with food. I disagreed with almost everything they said, as my weight was gained through pregnancies and slightly over-indulging and not enough exercise,on the diet you are literally starving, but they say it is a good feeling and to embrace it...hogwash!!!!! You are also not allowed to speak openly about 'cheating' or falling off the wagon, as it is seen as negative, and they only want positive discussion at meetings..... if you want to discuss anything negative you have to do it in private at the end of the meetings.....Lighter life is almost like a cult..........moonies here we come!!!