Thread: Em's weight loss journey 2013

Hi everyone,

I've just completed my first week on the Cambridge Diet and thought I would start a diary on here to keep a track of things

I've been dieting and trying to lose weight on and off for most of my life and by Christmas 2011 had finally managed to reach my goal weight of 10st and was over the moon. But after a tough 2012 I have piled on the pounds again and find myself back at square one, which is extremely frustrating but whats done is done. Since Christmas I've been trying to get myself motivated to get back into healthy eating but it just wasn't working. So I decided to give the Cambridge Diet a go, even if to just give myself a bit of a kickstart. My start weight on Monday 25th Feb was 13st 12lbs, and my goal weight is 10st, so 54lbs to lose.

Week 1
Week one was a bit up and down. Some good days, some bad days, some horrendous days. Some yummy shakes and some disgusting shakes. But I made it through 100% SS, 3 shakes a day and I have lost 7.5lbs when I weighed in this morning. Also did some quick measurements and I have lost some inches as well. I am really pleased, but just being at the start of a new week is quite daunting and I'm really really hoping these bad feelings go away soon because I'm starting to struggle a bit. Everyone seems to say they go after the first few days, but day 8 and I'm still not feeling right. I did a VLCD before and the horrible dizzy/headachey/nausea/hungry feelings never went away so I'm really really hoping its not the same again this time because that will make it really hard.

Here's to another 100% SS week

Hello Emily I took ages to feel okay on this diet, Im on week 4 and still get pretty faint in the mornings and hungry. I was lucky and didnt have headaches at the start but do get the odd bit of nausea. You just have to remember your body is not used to such a low calorie in take and your body is constantly adjusting. You will come to love the water!! just keep drinking.. Ive even fell in love with the fizzy water just as I feel a little fuller. .

Well done on your previous loss, and don't get down about it as you said what is done is done but it just shows that you can do it again! I did exactly the same 3 years ago I lost weight on weight watchers and now since Uni and a new boyfriend I put weight on again and more! I started on Weight watchers again but just couldnt control the food, making 'allowances' and 'this is okayy... ' food choices and by going on cambridge I lost the same amount in one week than i did in 4 months on ww!!!!

Good luck!! cant wait to see how your journey pans out

Hi,

I'm now on week 3 and have to say week 2 was a lot easier however I do still get dizzy and hungry from time to time especially if I try and do anything energetic :-) Hope your feeling better soon!

Thank you so much gottakeepsmiling and Juniper77 for your replies I definitely found that week 2 was slightly easier in terms of feeling ok. What I'm really struggling with now is the mental side of it I guess, I REALLY miss food. It makes it even harder when my hubby is eating all these bad things like pizza and McDonalds right infront of me, the smell of it drives me crazy! lol. But I just daydream about food all day. I suppose its good in a way though because as much as I would love to eat those things now, I really really want to succeed on this diet and I find myself thinking 'One day I will be able to enjoy eating those things again once I have lost weight, but it will be in moderation.'

Week 2
Week 2 was ok, started to feel more 'normal' again and finding the shakes that I enjoy the most and actually look forward to having sometimes. Cappuccino shake blended with ice, OMG yummmmmm! I was almost 100% SS all week. I say almost because on Friday one of our staff made us all a homemade traditional curry and I tried a spoonful of rice and picked a couple of bits of chicken out of it. It was very very nice and I'm proud of myself for being able to just taste it and not scoff the lot lol. Then on Sunday, Mothers Day, I went to my parents and we did a roast. So I had a SS+ day and had weighed out some chicken and broccoli so that I could eat with everyone at lunchtime. It was really nice to have something to eat, and it turned out that 170g of chicken was A LOT more than I thought it would be, so I was a bit like OMG how am I going to eat all of this! It was so hard having all the other bits like roast potatoes and sausages and gravy all around me but I resisted. Then there was apple crumble for pudding and cakes and biscuits for tea! ARGH!!!!! Normally I would have eaten a bit of everything, so it was a real challenge and I found it pretty hard, but I'm glad I managed to stick to the diet.

Weighed in this morning and I've lost 3lbs which I'm relieved about because I wasnt sure if I would lose much after having eaten yesterday. So I've lost 10.5lbs in 2 weeks Fingers crossed I might be able to reach 1 stone at next weeks weigh in, although I've seen that people say week 3 can sometimes have lower losses.

Hope everyone has a good week

I'm feeling really fed up and down today and feeling like I just want to cry Its week 3 and I feel like I'm struggling. I am kicking myself for having the meal I had on Sunday, even though I stuck to SS+ I just feel like it has really affected me and thrown me off track because everything was going to well up until now. I felt headachey yesterday, I've got really bad heartburn, I feel bloated, my trousers are tight again, this may be TMI but I havent been to the bathroom properly since Sunday. I'm drinking at least 3 litres of water a day and thats not including the extra water in shakes or tea. I've been 100% on my 3 shakes a day. You know when you just know you haven't lost weight because you can feel that you havent? The first two weeks I could FEEL the weight coming off, my clothes felt loser, my stomach looked smaller. I know its bad but I thought I would have a quick peek at the scales this morning because maybe it was all in my head, but no, the scales haven't moved at all and neither have my measurements. I just feel like its gonna stay the same all week and I know people say week 3 might have low losses but that doesnt make it any easier when I'm trying so hard. My losses so far already seem to be less than others who had about the same starting weight or even a lower starting weight, and I know I shouldn't compare myself to others coz everyone is different, but its just so frustrating when I know there is nothing more I can do because I've been totally 100%. The only thing that keeps me going is seeing the scales go down, and on a diet like this how can they possibly not go down! Just feeling really rubbish and disheartened right now. Its going to be a long day and a long week.

Week 3

Another week 100% and I lost 3.5lbs, so managed to reach the 1 stone loss that I was aiming for this week which I am happy about And back in the 12 stones again which I haven't been in a while. I should be over the moon about, and I am happy, but I still cant help feeling that my losses seem to be slower than a lot of people in the first few weeks. I'm still motivated to stick with it though as I really want to be thin and happy again, that is what is keeping my going at the moment, although some days it is really really tough.

My next mini goal is 12st 7lb which will be 10% loss, so will probably take a couple of weeks for that. I'm just looking forward to losing a dress size, then I will really start to feel and notice the difference because at the moment although I've lost a stone I cant notice it and my husband is hopeless and cant notice anything either.

Have a good week everyone

Hello Well done on your weight loss you're doing brilliantly! remember its always better to loose slower as it means you are more likely to keep off in the long run, I didnt even loose on my 3rd week as my body was adjusting to everything so youre doing great!!!! Remember the ideal amount per week is 3lb to loose
It also may be because you don't have to loose as much as other people - so basically the bigger you are the faster you initally loose the weight.. as youre body gets closer to a weight it 'wants' it is harder to loose so the last stone is always going to be the hardest! Also are you exercising? this may be affecting it as your muscles retain water when they have had a work out so the scales will say heavier than you have lost, don't be put off by this mind as your body will apprieciate the toning! I am hoping to start doing this when I am off SS as I feel like I only have enough energy to do my current activities than any extra!!

Keep your chin up youre doing fantastic!! yayy!!! xxxx

Week 4
Really really struggling. Week 4 was pretty rough, I don't think I had a single day where I felt ok and I am using all my willpower not to give up right now. After such an awful week I was absolutely dreading my weigh in this morning and when I got on the scales I had lost 2.5lbs which I cant help being disappointed with after feeling so awful. I then had a shower this morning and just felt horrendous. After I got out of the shower I just sat on the bed and cried. I don't understand why my body cant respond to this diet like other people do. You hear people say 'Week 1 is horrible but once you get through it you feel great and have so much energy'. I have never had that, I seem to be feeling worse and worse each week that goes by. My CDC suggested that I start adding some meat like chicken or tuna or something this week which should give my metabolism a bit of a boost, but I'm afraid of doing that because I don't want my losses to slow down even more. I feel that I might not have a choice though because I cant carry on like this, there is no way I can feel like this for another 8 weeks.

You're not alone- I sailed through the first 3 weeks and have only recently started to struggle. This week it got te better of me and was making my m.e. worse. So for 4/7 days I've had a 2 egg omelette. My home scales are showing a significant loss- and it makes you feel less like death. Perhaps a little bit of chicken- or an omelette like me can help??

I've never had big losses-you can see on my signature. But if my home scales are accurate I may have lost 3lb this week- and that's with the extra food! Xx

Week 5
Thoroughly fed up and am on the brink of giving in completely. I have lost 2lbs this week, my losses just seem to be going down and down each week that goes by. If I felt ok on this diet and it was just a case of mind over matter then it wouldn't be a problem, I would just accept the loss and move on to the next week. But I feel awful all the time. I am really weighing up whether it is worth feeling as awful as I do just to lose 2lbs a week. I feel weak all the time, I am constantly tired and sleeping for ages, I have to take Dulcolax once or twice a week just to make thing 'happen', I have been on TOTM constantly for the last 3 weeks and counting (I never have TOTM as I am on the pill). I haven't cheated not even once in the 5 weeks I've been on Cambridge, I drink water like a fish at least 3 liters a day. Last week my CDC suggested adding some meat or fish in the evening so kind of SS+ to see if that helped give me a boost but it hasn't, its just made my losses worse.

I just don't understand why this diet doesn't seem to be working for me. The way I'm feeling at the moment it feels like I'm just meant to be fat my whole life. I'm really really fed up and down

Listen , don't get upset and don't beat yourself up either ! Xx the fact is ... You are losing weight !! It is coming off !! Would you really be having such losses on other diets as quickly??? Probably not , you need to change your mindset and stop compairing your weekly losses to other peoples ! Rome wasn't built in a day !But look how far you have already come ! You've done amazing!!! Keep reminding yourself why your doing this ! Think how bad you will feel if you blow it all now & be back to square one in probably less time than it has taken you to get this far ! C'mon find that inner strength! Dust yourself off!! You can do this any loss is a loss!! Be proud !!xxx good luck xx