Pros and Cons.

[laurenmay]

This message might be a little jumbled, just cause that's how my head is right now too.

I'm torn between doing CD or plain old calorie counting..

The pros & cons of CD for me are:

Pros -
o It's a definite way of losing weight pretty instantly, no messing around trying to find the perfect calorie number.
o It's strict and regimented which I like.
o I could possibly lose the 5 stone I have to lose within 5 months, in time for summer.
o I have a sweet tooth and really like the shakes.

Cons -
o Drinking water, not a huge fan.
o Consuming nothing but shakes for a long period of time.
o No treats or days off.
o Worry about exercise - I've recently started back at the gym & am really enjoying it and don't wanna give up, but I'm concerned that working out will hinder my weight loss & I won't get big losses.
o Maybe only losing 2-3lbs a week which I know I'd lose on calorie counting.
o Hair thinning or losing hair, and the bad breath.


Somebody please help me make my mind up?

[Lily]

Cons -
o Drinking water, not a huge fan.

So don't drink your 4 pints as water! Have a pint of water and 3 pints as black tea or coffee. It all counts towards water intake - it doesn't all have to be water.

o Consuming nothing but shakes for a long period of time.

Yep, it's boring. But it gets easier once you're a fortnight in. Eating becomes something you just don't do. And you can always mix it up by having mousse, bars, soup and porridge.

o No treats or days off.

Let's face it, that actually applies to all diets. It's not the odd day that matters, it's trying to get back on track afterwards - and that's tough no matter which diet you do.

o Worry about exercise - I've recently started back at the gym & am really enjoying it and don't wanna give up, but I'm concerned that working out will hinder my weight loss & I won't get big losses.

Then don't give up. Trust measurements with a tape measure more than you trust the scales. Exercised muscles retain water so that they can heal and strengthen but that water does come off eventually. You'll still lose the same amount of fat.

o Maybe only losing 2-3lbs a week which I know I'd lose on calorie counting.

No you wouldn't. If you lose 2-3lbs a week calorie counting you wouldn't even be contemplating doing Cambridge. No one consistently loses 2-3lbs a week doing calorie counting, SW or WW. But if you really believe you do, stick to calorie counting. Think you'll soon find out it isn't the case!

o Hair thinning or losing hair, and the bad breath.

Hair thinning can and does happen on any diet. It's temporary, it grows back thicker and stronger. And bad breath can be sorted by drinking plenty, using a minty mouth spray and keeping teeth nice and clean.

Somebody please help me make my mind up?

You're the only one who can really make your mind up. You have to be determined to see this through the first couple of weeks, no matter what comes up, no matter what evenings out you're invited to. After the first couple of weeks it all gets lots easier and the sheer thrill of watching your body shrink gets you through the bad times. But you can't really hope to do this diet if you're already planning how to tweak it to suit and assuming that you're going to find it too tough. It is tough but it's doable.

Good luck with what you decide! x x

[lostpolarbear]

This is the only diet that works for me. I get bored of calorie counting after a few weeks and the. Gradually go back to eating how I did before. I like to cut food out completely and retrain myself how to eat properly. After week 2 it's easy and the bars are delicious! It's your choice though. X

[S-L-W]

Tough decision to make.... I did ss for 8 weeks and lost a stone and a half. Shortly afterwards I developed gallstones and had to have my gallbladder removed ( could be due to the vlcd it is in the listed side effects. ) also my hair thinned a lot. I piled the weight back on not long after and was back to square one. I joined slimming world in January and have lost half a stone from just changing the way I cook. Not really a calorie counting diet to be honest I'm enjoying it! Having said all that I have a friend that did cd and she lost the weight and kept it off. So it's all down to what you think you're capable of really.