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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11th aug hi evryone it was week 2 weigh in 2day and oh the joy i have lost 4lb got scared 4 a moment didnt think i lost any as i stuck the same 4 a couple of days thats 12lb in 2 weeks i am so pleased :) i had my first bar 2day peanut crunch it was ok and felt like i was cheating with it having chocolate on lol but only had half of it at dinner cus started 2 feel a bit sick i put it down to not used to eating, had the other half an hour ago which was nice cus i miss my night time snacks, well keep up the fight guys its so worth it wen u try on old clothes like i did at the weekend and they fit me again :) hopefully they will be 2 big soon, so goodluck every1 xxx
8th aug. hi everyone. for all of you that are disheartend plz dont be. Ok i told you guys i was going to start the diet again this week, well i went for a weigh in and wait for it.........14st3lb. oh my god!!!!!!!!!! so today is day 2 back on the diet and boy am i finding this difficult.I thought that i would find it really easy 2nd time around I WAS WRONG. the first time i started CD i weighed nearly 17st and was a really tight size 20 ( i refused to buy a 22) i hope i dont go back 2 that! Could someone let me know do all of your councilors set a goal with you guys? cos my councilor never has and i find that quite disheartning. also the exercise thing someone said that u shouldnt. well u can after week 2/3 and it does help with the weight loss coz that was how i did it before. Whoever it was that gave the tip of freezing the tetrabrix can u also freeze the banana ones? i cant wait to try it if u can.I'm so glad i found this web page i wish it was here last year i could have really done with the support. U know i dont feel as though i'm struggling on my own anymore it's nice to know you guys are here. take care and good luck xxxxxxx
Hi everyone i had my weigh in last week my conceller has been away for 3 WEEKS! that has been hard but i still lost 7lbs so that is 26 in all over 7wks so not to bad but if i could stick with it over 3 wks with no weigh in anyone can so keep at it because what do you want more food or weight loss? Good luck and be good!!!
hi to u all i have done cd before and i lost 1 1/2 stone in 3 weeks then we had a famliy truma and then a hoilday , yes it went back on just deciding if i can go back on got aleast 5 st to lose im a brieds maid next year dont wont be the ony fat 1
Just about to start CD today - read up on it before starting and sounds good with the fast results - wish me luck
Hi guys, Well it's been a week ... after walking out of my job my diet went totally out of the window and consisted of fish n chips, KFC and Domino's. Hysterically I didn't actually enjoy any of it. So I am now back on the wagon as of today. Wish me luck.
8th aug hi every1 this is day 12 for me and i am also at a low point i find the diet is easy i just keep drinkin water 2 keep hunger at bay but i havent lost any weight for a couple of days my councillor said i could be retaining water HOW DO I STOP IT!!! lol i want my weight 2 go my holiday is in 5 weeks,but on a good note i luv the shakes and i can have the bars next week lookin forward to them, to those who are struggling just keep thinking about wen u have lost the weight it will be so worth it in the end i have about 6 stone to lose but i'm not giving up!!! good luck everyone and keep trying xxxxx
hayley don't get angry with you self yoou have done brilliant with the weight you have lost so far keep it up. i know its hard especially when you have done your best all week, i was the same i had weeks where i didnt lose much and it does get you down but keep thinking iam going to do it i will get down to my target weight. we are all together doing the diet girl power!! sorry if i have gone on speak soon xx
7 Aug - Hi Every one, VIKKI thanks for the encouragement, and congratulations on your success in your first week! You said you wanted to lose 6lb in week 2, this may be possible I think as some people do also lose a lot of weight in their second week, after that from what i have read it seems to settle to an average of 3 or 3.5lb per wk, where some weeks it is lower but some weeks it is higher. If you only lose a few lb do not let this de-motivate you. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED if you have a small or no weight loss on any particular week because the next week or so you tend to see better results. I would encourage you to buy ketostix, you can get them online for about £4 for 50 sticks. They will show you whether you are in ketosis, if the test is positive it means your are still burning fat and are probably just retaining water. HAYLEY, please do not be discouraged, persevere for another few weeks and also measure your inches to see how much you lose. VIKKI, it may be best to take it easy with exercise, I know it is tempting to try to accelerate the weightloss even more, but the Cambridge diet only provides a certain amount of proteins and your body may end up breaking down its own proteins to repair muscles following heavy exercise, this would be detrimental as a lower muscle mass means a slower metabolism. And excess exercise on such a low kcal diet could just lead to exhaustion. Please be careful. (I am not a doctor of course, but this is what I have read up on.) This diet is great, such rapid weightloss on average per week would be hard to achieve elsewhere, I myself do wish it would go a little faster but then I give myself a reality check. 3lb per week on average is great, on other diets I would be lucky to lose 2lb per week! Good luck everyone :-)
7 Aug - Hi Every one, VIKKI thanks for the encouragement, and congratulations on your success in your first week! You said you wanted to lose 6lb in week 2, this may be possible I think as some people do also lose a lot of weight in their second week, after that from what i have read it seems to settle to an average of 3 or 3.5lb per wk, where some weeks it is lower but some weeks it is higher. If you only lose a few lb do not let this de-motivate you. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED if you have a small or no weight loss on any particular week because the next week or so you tend to see better results. I would encourage you to buy ketostix, you can get them online for about £4 for 50 sticks. They will show you whether you are in ketosis, if the test is positive it means your are still burning fat and are probably just retaining water. HAYLEY, please do not be discouraged, persevere for another few weeks and also measure your inches to see how much you lose. VIKKI, it may be best to take it easy with exercise, I know it is tempting to try to accelerate the weightloss even more, but the Cambridge diet only provides a certain amount of proteins and your body may end up breaking down its own proteins to repair muscles following heavy exercise, this would be detrimental as a lower muscle mass means a slower metabolism. And excess exercise on such a low kcal diet could just lead to exhaustion. Please be careful. (I am not a doctor of course, but this is what I have read up on.) This diet is great, such rapid weightloss on average per week would be hard to achieve elsewhere, I myself do wish it would go a little faster but then I give myself a reality check. 3lb per week on average is great, on other diets I would be lucky to lose 2lb per week! Good luck everyone :-)
7th aug, day 10 been on it for 10 days now, not enjoyin it at all, 1st week was fine didn't feel hungry at all, but i only lost 4lbs and my councelor was shocked!lol said its the lowest shes seen, but after she measured me said she was happy with the inch loss as iv lost 3 inches off my hips n bum area n she said thats rare for a 1st week. got another weigh in on monday, must admit so close to givin up :(
Its my first day on the diet and I am over struggling. The bread and ham in the fridge is calling my name. I feel lightheaded and tired. I slept for 2 hrs this afternoon and dreamt of food- lol Trying to stay strong but def need encouragement.I have 7 stone to lose and know if I get over this hurdle I can get achieve it. I feel like I am drowning in water- urgghh-not a big fan without the help of vimto or orange flavour. I know I sound like a big baby- but feeling pretty sorry for my self- But need to snap out of it-lol...but the ham- urgggggghhhh Help!!! Any tips will be welcomed
Hi Everyone, I am really hacked off today. Week one I lost 8 pounds - brilliant. Week 2 I lost 1.5 - not so brilliant and I stuck to it 100% and now 2 days before my weigh in I have not lost anything. I can't understand it
My sincerest congratulations to Jackie, Sibelle and everyone who has been losing. Had my first weigh in last night and I lost 11lb's!! It was hard but the thing I found the hardest was that I really did not enjoy the packet soup and shakes and struggled to get them down. HOWEVER. I have started week 2 on tetras and bars and I look forward to the ice cream treat that Sibelle and my counsellor have mentioned. I really want to lose 6lb this week so will be off swimming and walking and focusing. I hope that I am having the bars does not slow down my weightloss. Is anyone else on bars and tetras? Or sole source plus? How much are you losing a week? I just couldnt stomach the powdered packets at all. But I feel really positive and the bars are very tasty and a good size and not to mention really filling. No side effects, managing to get the water down fine, any people reading this that are overweight and unhappy even if you have quite a few stone to lose I reccomend you try this. I feel positive about what Im doing to improve my self esteem and health. Good luck to everyone with their weigh in's and keep me updated. My thoughts are with you all. Vikki x
6th aug hi guys just a quick note i am now on day 10 and av lost 10lb so a lb a day is good goin i reckon keep up the good work everyone and stick with it,and remember if u av an off day just come on ere and read the posts thats wot i do wen i feel a bit down it really does help, goodluck xxx
Just had week 8 weigh in and lost 1.5lb im 0.251b of losing 2 stone.Now on 1200kal week only 2 weeks left.In total now lost 23inch.
6th Aug - Hi Everyone, I have been doing the diet for 3 weeks now and have lost 17lb in total, i'm so pleased! That's a quarter of the weight i have to lose, another 3 stone to go. For anyone craving ICECREAM, freeze a chocolate tetra and then let it defrost a bit for 30mins or so. Is delicious and eating something solid has really kept me going, almost feels like a proper meal. For the person worried about HAIRLOSS, i read a few people experience this particularly when they start going back onto normal food, apparently it may be because at tht stage people are still eating less (for maintenance) but are not having their CD shakes, so overall the body is getting less nutrients. a good multivitamin at that stage should help! or keep on having a shake or two per day. About BINGING on the weekends, I tried this diet a couple of years ago and had the mentality of 'I'll treat myself on the weekends' - I ended up eating huge amounts on weekends and so the weightloss was slow. It was like taking two steps forward each week and then one step back every weekend. I soon became de-motivated and gave up. Such a waste of time and money, and it was just reinforcing my same bad habits. I am doing the diet properly now and weightloss is so much faster, and EASIER because i KNOW i wont eat so there is no naughty little voice at the back of my head trying to persuade me to pop into KFC! Having said that I have some chicken mini fillets stored in my freezer in case I get any overpowering urges to eat. I had one in my third week and just cooked a mini-fillet in stock and ate it and everything was fine! Also, anyone experiencing low energy levels like me, I have found that it I drag myself out for a walk or a bit of exercise, soon afterwards I am bursting with energy! I also think planning for how to move on after the diet is important, I have decided to use low GI principles after I go back to normal eating to help keep the weight off. I also have a family history of diabetes (insulin resistance may be one of the reasons why I have put on so much weight in the first place! apart from my over-eating of course) so I think a low GI diet will be the way to go for me! I know that was a long post but I hope it has helped out with a few questions anyone might have! Good luck everyone and continue to be STRONG!!
hi guys hope you all having a good week. iwas weighed on sat i lost 3lbs and 3 inches. im still doing the 1000 kals which iam loving. its so nice to start fitting into clothes that i couldn't get in to. i cant wait till i have lost all of my weight so i can go on a good shopping spree hope eveyone has a goog week keep up the good work everyone!!!!!
2nd August - Morning all. Well it it weigh in morning again so please keep fingers crossed. I love the fact that my councillor works on a Saturday as it means I won't binge with everyone else on a Friday night and Saturday I am motivated by my loss so I treat myself to a chicken breast so I don't feel deprived. Where I have not been able to do the usual thing I do on payday - get some films, popcorn, ice cream, chocolate, takeaways etc. I decided to treat myself to something totally different so I don's miss out (and I never would have afforded it before as all money went on "treat" food"). I had reflexology. Next month I plan to have a massage. I think it helps to keep me on tract as I still have something to look forward to come payday. Well done on all your successes!
day five! and i've messed up. was doing so well and family got chinese takeaway and i don't know why i did it but i ate three mouthfulls. feel so rubbish now. gutted. still gonna go back to shakes but bet i won't lose weight this week now.
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