oh that makes a lot of sense. my CDC shouldn't have let me start on SS (think i was BMI 47ish), but she did - but made me start on 4 sachets - which, apart from the pint of milk, is what Cambridge are now recommending. I dropped the fourth pack around week three, i think.
I would guess that a lot of people who wanted that abstenance from food were put off by the insistance of starting on a 'with food' plan - and were therefore turning to exante or one of the other internet vlcds.
good stuff - although now i'm officially under BMI 40, i'm 'legal' anyway.