Cambridge Diet
A liquid diet that may be too calorie restrictive for long-term success.
BACKGROUND
With new diets hitting the market faster than we can lose a pound, it is not too often that you stumble upon a diet that has been around for more than 20 years. The Cambridge Diet has proudly clocked some years under its svelte belt. Developed in the 80s, it still enjoys a very loyal and passionate audience of dieters who have been successful at losing weight and keeping it off.
It is a liquid diet program that involves drinking 3 servings of the signature Cambridge Diet formula each day with or without food. The three servings provide you with protein (either 30 or 50 grams), carbohydrates, fat, fiber and your daily-required vitamin and mineral allowances.
About ten years ago, the Cambridge Diet added an additional product to their 330 Original Product. The 420 Food for Life product contains 100% of the required daily protein needs in 3 servings whereas the 330 Product contains 75% of the required protein. The protein source comes from whey and soy. Both of them are nutritional supplements that do not contain drugs, medicine, stimulants or herbs.
There are four ways for you to follow the Cambridge Diet: - The Fast Track: Consume 3-4 servings of Cambridge a day and no additional food. - The Alternate Program: Use 3-4 servings of Cambridge for one day with no food and then the following day, consume 3 servings of Cambridge with the addition of 400-800 calories of low fat, low calorie health food. Continue to alternate in this manner. - The Regular Program: Eat 3 servings of Cambridge 15- 20 minutes prior to each low calorie meal. Calories should not exceed 400-800 for the entire day. - The Regular Program 2: Consume 3 servings of Cambridge and eat one meal of low calorie food each day. Calories should not exceed 400- 800 calories for the entire day.
PRO
- Cambridge Diet contains all the essential nutrients
- Has a proven success rate
- Safe for diabetics and those with high blood pressure
CON
- Its limited consumption of food may incite excessive eating
- May be too calorically-restrictive for some individuals
- Does not teach you to eat in a healthy and long-term way
- Long-term weight loss may not be sustained
- Calories might be too restrictive for exercise
DIET and NUTRITION
The foundation of the Cambridge Diet is its signature line of shakes. They come in an array of flavors like chocolate, vanilla, eggnog, strawberry, cappuccino, banana cream and many more. The shakes come in two styles: The Original and the Food for Life.
The Food for Life product contains 51 grams of protein, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fat and 140 calories per shake. It also includes 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals. The Original contains 31 grams of protein and contains about 110 calories per shake.
There is also a line of additional Cambridge products like soups, nutrition bars, and super oats.
When taken the prescribed three times a day, you'll only consume 420 calories. If you select to follow a plan that allows for food, you should not consume anymore than an additional 800 calories a day and these calories should come from low-calorie and low-fat foods like vegetables and lean proteins. If you are on the smaller side, it is recommended that you only consume an additional 400 calories on top of the 420 calories for the Cambridge products.
You are also strongly encouraged to drink at least 3-4 liters of water each day.
EXERCISE
Since the Cambridge Diet is so restrictive, exercise should be done cautiously. It is not recommended to start a new strenuous exercise program while on the Cambridge Diet. Moderate exercise like walking or biking is useful once you start to lose weight, providing that it is approached with caution and not done with excess.
CONCLUSION
There is no question that The Cambridge Diet has been around for a long time. And in the process, many have had luck losing weight by following its strict dietary regimen. Since the diet is so low in calories, check with your doctor before starting it, especially if you have an existing medical condition.
The Cambridge Diet devotees swear by the diet's ability to help them lose weight as long as the program is followed correctly. But like most diets that rely on shakes or supplements to shed pounds, its potential for long-term weight loss and for instilling sound and healthy eating habits in you is not that promising.
Common Misspellings
cambrdge Diet, cambradge diet, cambridge deit, camebridge diet, cambridge liquid diet, cambridgediet.com
Related Diets: Cabbage Soup Diet, Juice Diet, Liquid Diet, Master Cleanse Diet, New Lifestyle Diet, Slim-Fast, Isopure Shakes, 21 Pounds in 21 Days
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hi guys hows eveyone doing hope your all having a good week. i lost 1lb on sat. im now doing the 1200kals and its very interesting some nice food and a bit more for lunch and it is something different and still have 2 cambridge a day just feel like im eating too much! just feel my wt loss has gone a bit slow still determined to shift the last few stone hope you all have a good week xx
hi everyone, im on day 2 on ss and am finding it ok.. feel a little bit tired but nothing i cant handle.. need to loose 3st 3lbs so hopefully wont take me long. my councilor says il have it off by christmas if i stick to it which i am.. i cant wait to get back in to my skinny jeans, its been far to long lol !!! reading all your comments really do help so thankyou everyone.. got my first weigh in on monday so wish me luck xxx
hi, everyone, it took me two days to read all your comments, and this has motivated me to ring up a counsellor.i will be starting CD next week.Right now, im weighing in at 17.5 stones, and i need to loose about 3-4 by christmas (how possible is this)...Got blown up after my baby last summer, and cant wait to shift the pounds......this forum has been so encouraging......ill keep u guys posted. wish me luck
Hi Gemma - don't seem to be able to leave my email address - tried twice but has not come up. Here is the receipe for muffins: Any sweet flavoured shake Muffin 1. Put a little hot water into a ramekin dish, or whatever you have - thick mug or similar (about 2 desert spoons to begin with - you can add more later if necessary) 2. Add the pack (whatever flavour you desire) and mix it to a thick paste, so thick you think it’s too thick! 3. Put into the microwave on high for just over a minute - if it looks a bit soggy in the middle put it back for about 10 seconds or so. BE CAREFUL IT DOESN’T BURN Variation: You could also add some of your nut crunch bar (LL) to make a Brownie! You could add a teaspoon of coffee. ENJOY CHEWING!!!!
Hi guys, had my 3rd weigh in on saturday and have lost 25lbs so far and i am so please with myself, for those of you u in the first couple of days i just want to say stick with it, it does work and it will get easier..... vicx x
Hi Vicky did you do route to management with Lighterlife?
hi - have been on cd for four and a half weeks now (2 shakes and a meal at night) and have lost four stone. (this also includes 3 weeks of all inclusive holidays!!). So I am pretty pleased with myself - almost half way there. However, have now noticed quite a lot of hair loss - I know some of you have complained of this befiore - any ideas on how to help? or do I need to take any vitamins?. Any of your advice would really help. Thanks, and bye for now.
Wow, the stories here are very inspiring. I have to admit, today is my first day on SS. I got my CD shakes from a friend who had to abandon the programme for health reasons. I lost 160lbs on a low cal diet with exercise, but gained backed about 5 stone after having my giant daughter and have failed to shift any of it. I became depressed and ate more, which hasn't helped... I am going on holiday in a week, so don't plan to drink CD while I'm there - I know that's not the attitude, but I intend to scoff sensibly and exercise a lot more. I have been on the programme since 8am, it's midday and I am having erotic day dreams about a bacon cheeseburger!
Hi All, Just a quickie... can anyone give me some advice please? I have been v. naughty the last 2 evenings and had chips and pizza... my next weigh in date is in6 days time... will i be able to recover from my naughty 2 evenings and lose any weight???? Would really appreciate a reply guys... cuz im feeling so so so guilty! (but not hungry after eating the pass two evenings) Look forward to your reply! Thank you xxx
Hello all. I am on day 3 of s/s and feeling pretty ill! I lost 3stone,8 lbs last year with lighter life, over an 11 week period and was OVER THE MOON! went from 14.0-10.6. (im 5'5") But guess what.......couldnt maintain it, beat myself up every time i gained a lb or 2. and within 4 months started cambridge at 11.3 (11lbs heavier)-found a GREAT counciller called Jo Merrett and she really helped me get focused again! just wish I had found her before I did l/life, as could of saved ££££££££'s and had TRUE support! i managed to get down to 10.3 in about 8 weeks so a stone. I found it sooooooooo hard to do without food all over again-its soooo extreme, why do we put ourselves through this??? we all know why-cos were desperate!!! so as i started again 3 days ago i was 11-7! so not impressed, very dissappointed with my weight gain. my aim yhis time(3rd time lucky) is to get back to about 10-6 and MAINTAIN it! any tips? tried hypno and no luck. this site is great, we all need support dont we! x x x
LisaW - Would you please be able to give me your email address, as would love recipes.
2nd day of the CD and its great that im not hungry but just find it dull. im almost depressed that there is LOTS i cant have - always done Weight watchers before and found it soooo much easier. Im hoping the weigh in will bring me good results as its been hard. I hate drinking so much water and find peeing every half an hour a pain, just quite a restrictive diet. Weight always comes off quicker, the bigger you are, so if you arent hugely overweight (i.e need to loose under a stone) then dont expect mega quick results. Think Ill be going back to WW after this week......
Hi On day 6 of cd - not to bad weigh day tomorrow think it will be about 10 - 11lb loss!! wow. - has anyone tried making muffins with the shakes - came across idea on the cd website forum - have a whole load of recipe ideas for the shakes and soups if any one interested email me and i will send to you - made a muffin from the toffe and walnut shake - YUMMMY!! eating was amazing nice and full now!!
Hi all! Just a quick update on mt 1st weigh in! Ive lost 1 stone exactley!!!! 1 stone in a week! Im sooooo pleased! Its been v. hard work, but defo worth it!!!! Thanks for all your incouragement... only 4 and a half to go! :) xxx
12.09.09 Hi guys, well i'm on day 13 and on my last (first)weigh in i had lost 15pounds... i was amazed! I have not cheated once and im doing my boyfriends head in as we dont seem to do half the things we used to do like eating out or going out but he's been really supportive. He's started eating foods that he knows i dont like to help me out so i dont feel like i want to grab his plate and scoff the lot and this has really worked wonders for me bcause i know if he was sat next to me eating pizza or chips iwould secretly wishing him dead...... lol. I deffinately know what you guys mean about feeling the cold, the past few nights i have been freezing and have had to unearth my massive winter dressing gown but i'm learning to live with it. At the beginning of this week all i could think about was how long i had left to go and thinking about the time in weeks and days was killing me but all those doubts seem to have passed now and i'm just settling into the soup and shake routine. Another weigh in tonight, i dont feel like i've lost anything and refuse to go on scales during the week but will let you know.... fingers crossed.
starting today 13/9/2008 will let you know how i get on!
13/09/08 - 2 weeks in on day 15 an so far i've lost 17 pounds!!! feeling pretty good about myself, have tried to leave a message on here before but for some reason it didnt show up so fingers crossed for this one. I think this site is fab and i'm really glad i can read all your stories and know that there are others going through the same thing...... keep smiling guys x vicx
I lost 7lbs in the first week and although it was really hard the rapid weight loss really has encouraged me to continue. i've done various other diets before but the thing i like about this one is i dont need to think about what i can eat. its great for us comfort eaters as you simply cant over -indulge. Day four was hard coz i felt so hungry and had to increase from three to four CDs a day. I would say you need to rest a lot in week one and avoid food altogether. I really feel i can stick with this diet!
Hi guys, reading this spurred me 2 get onto the diet, im in day 3 now and have lost 10 lbs, i cant believe it, it really has given me motivation, i lost 5 stone 3 years ago but have put it all back on so need to stick to this, this site is really helping me, good luck!!!!!!!!!
hi guys hope your all still doin well this week! loopylau thats fantastic keep up the good work your doing brilliant!! it does get easy ish as the weeks move on there are times when you could just eat anything but you just have to stay focussed and keep saying i can do it!! ive put old photos up of me when i use to be 9 stone so i can keeping looking and saying yes iam goig to be that weight again! im still doing the 1000 kals and i love it! i just cant believe i let myself get bigger especially when i know how hard ir is to get off! jackie 68 you doing really good fantastic what you have lost just keep up the good work i havn't tried the poridge il stick to the fruit, toast n egg and shreded wheat. aylin how long did it take you to lose that much weight? how have you managed to keep the weight off? have a great weekend speak soon x
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