THE DIETCambridge Diet is a diet invented by a scientist at, yes, you guessed it Cambridge University.
It is what is known as a VLCD (a very low calorie diet). In fact it’s so low you can only do it for 12 weeks at a time, then you have to increase your intake again for at least a week before continuing.
While you are on the diet you only consume around 500 calories a day, and live off your body weight (fat) instead.
This is my 3rd week on the diet an so far i have lost
10lbs = first week
8.13lbs = 2nd week
(total of 18lbs or 9kg)
*I think why i lost so much is because i have lot of fat to loose ... lol*
Cambridge themselves specify you should usually expect an average of a stone (14lbs or 6.35kg) a month.
Fed up of losing a pound here, and half a pound there, this was the main thing that attracted me to this diet. I wanted quick, decisive results. But that is not to say other conservative diets are not good and may work better for you.
There are six steps to the Cambridge Diet, with the first step being divided into A and B:
Step 1: A Sole Source:
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This consists of 415-554 calories acquired from 3 or 4 shakes or soups per day (depending on how fast you want to lose weight, your gender and your level of willpower). No other food is consumed although you should drink a minimum of 2.5 litres of water.
OR
Step 1: B Sole Source Plus:
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This consists of 615 calories and involves either 3 soups/shakes plus a 200kcal meal OR 4 shakes/soups plus 200ml of skimmed milk.
Sole source should be followed for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 12 weeks as it is a very low calorie diet (VLCD).
Step 2:
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This consists of 810 calories and requires the dieter to consume 3 shakes/soups plus additional protein rich foods, skimmed milk and some vegetables.
Step 3:
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1000 calories from 2 shakes/soups plus skimmed milk, breakfast, salads for lunch and dinner.
Step 4:
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1200 calories from 2 shakes/soups plus skimmed milk, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Step 5:
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1500 calories from 1 shake/soup plus skimmed milk, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.
Step 6: Maintenance
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1500+ calories from healthy diet plus your choice of using shakes/soups or not.
THE FOODThe Cambridge Diet is a primarily a liquid diet consisting of shakes and soups. I won't lie to you and say that it's tasty. Some of the soups are, frankly, disgusting, and some of the shakes are much too sweet, but it is tolerable and my tastebuds got used to the flavours after the first week. It is trial and error as to which flavours you may prefer. I have tried most of them apart from banana flavour, which I despise in all things. As well as the shakes and soups there are two porridge flavours, plain and cinammon and apple flavoured. Apparently these are really popular, but I found them very floury and too thick so I just stick to the shakes and soups. There are bars too, but I have yet to try these. I'm worried that eating chewable food may set me on the path to ruin so will resist these for a while yet.
The flavours:
Shakes can be mixed with hot or cold water. I prefer mine as hot drinks. The flavours I have tried, with my own preference ratings are listed below:
Chocolate 4/5 If left too long this gets a thick skin on top which is not nice.
Cholcoate Mint 4/5 Also develops a skin. The mint is very subtle and quite artificial in flavour.
Chocolate Orange 3/5 Much too sweet.
Strawberry 3/5 Best cold. Very sweet but no mistaking the strawberry flavour.
Butterscotch 2/5 Much too sweet and smells artificial.
Cappucino 2/5 Like many of the shakes, very sweet. Apparently this is better made hot and mixed with coffee. And it's my favorite.
Soups:
Spicy Tomato 4/5 takes a little getting used to.
Cheese and Broccoli -2/5, Yuk, yuk, yuk. Smells like baby poop and doesn't taste much better either.
Vegetable 3/5, quite creamy but has a strange artificial smell. Blindfolded I would not know this was vegetable, but am not sure what I would think it was either!
Lactose free Leek and potato 3/5, this was my favourite but now when I have it I am overwhelmed by the saltiness. Must be a sign of my tastebuds changing.
Chicken and Mushroom 4/5, this comes with tiny slices of mushroom in it.
I'm sure I've missed some of the flavours out, but you get a general gist.
As well as the packet soups and shakes that you must mix for yourself (add hot or cold water) there are also tetra boxes of ready made shakes. These come in Banana, chocolate and strawberry flavours. I take chocolate and strawberry tetra boxes to work as it saves the hassle of mixing during my lunch break. These are slightly different in flavour to the shakes that you mix yourself. They are thicker and smoother and it is recommended that you increase your water intake if using the boxes. I certainly find them less filling that the packet shakes, but that is partly because there is less in them than the shakes I make at home.
MAINTENECEFinally and perhaps most importantly I want to tackle the issue of maintenance. One of my biggest concerns when I went for my first consultation was if I lost the weight quickly, would I put it back on just as fast when I begin to eat normal food again.
I plan to try and exist on the Cambridge liquid diet for six months in total, after which I will hopefully have lost enough. Now, after six months of abstinence, you cannot simply start eating normally again. Cambridge have a 7 step programme to introduce food back into your diet slowly. By the end of this programme you will be on your recommended daily allowance of calories. Teaching you how to eat healthily and and about portion control.
However, after 2 weeks on this diet. I’ve already began to learn some very interesting things about myself. My relationship with food. Its amazing how this diet teaches, now when i pick up that noodles, i will like to know how many calories is in a pack. Yes its difficult doing the diet here in Nigeria but its possible, Am begining to learn how to count calories on our local nigerian foods.
SUMMARYThe Cambridge Diet is a very fast and effective means of weight loss. But, it’s not for everyone. It’s not a wonder diet, it has side affects that you need to consider before you start. There is something very exhilarating about losing weight rapidly, and seeing a difference in yourself and clothes right from the very first week.
If you’ve tried other diets unsuccessfully and don’t believe a diet can work for you, this one may very well do.
DISCLAIMERI’m not a scientist & I’m not a weight-loss consultant, this is simply my interpretation & experiences of this diet also culled from different people's experience and blogs. I recommend that if you’re seriously considering doing it you read the
Cambridge Diet website thoroughly and meet with a Cambridge Consultant.
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