Newbie Concerns

[Clarabel]

Hi there.

I have my first appointment tonight, but I have to say I am very nervous about it. I have a few questions and I hope you realise that I am not trying to bring CD down – I just want to understand a few things.

There is quite a bit of negative comments about CD especially from medical professionals who say that it’s a really bad choice to start and is dangerous – why did you even after all this decide to go ahead with it?

When does the hunger stop? I hate being hungry (I guess why I am so large in the first place) and am concern about the feelings of hungry that other people have spoken about. Has anyone used this in connection with Reductil?

Do you pile the weight on again afterwards? I see so many people re-starting and re-starting and I am worried if this is because as soon as you stop you just pile it all back on and more.

How tired am I going to be? How long does that normally last?

Thanks
Clara

 

[kazz]

Hiya

Personally, I believe that people who claim VLCDs are bad are those who are uneducated and ignorant about what they are referring to.

The fact is, you will receive all your RDA of vitamins & minerals that you need to survive if you use all your mealpacks on a daily basis. Ketosis is not your body going into starvation as some people claim, its your body going into fat burning mode.
I am sure someone who cn explain the whole thing better than I can will come along!

You wont be hungry or tired after 3 or 4 days, and you should have some water in the first few days to stave off the hunger pangs-its worth it. Once ktosis kicks in you will be fine & have tonnes of energy

I am restarting basically due to my own stupidity, I lost weight and didnt change. What I mean by this is you cant simply go back to your old eating habits & expect not to gain weight. I also didnt follow maintenance at all, which most people will tell you is the key to weight loss success on ANY diet.

VLCDs dont suit everyone, but they do work. CD, LL, LT, W8, all of these diets are based on years of nutrition experience, and are a life saver for a lot of people. Personally, I have tried WW, & I cant be dealing with counting points. I have tried healthy eating but it never works for me. VLCDs take food out of the equation & the plans that include conventional food are strict about what you can & cant have.

 

[sumayyah]

hi clara,

well cambridge was designed by a doctor, has decades of research and is supported by NICE ( national institute for clinical excellence ) and complys with the COMA report. when i went to my gp he actually had no knowledge at all of cambridge but once he had read through the leaflet called information for gp's he was more than happy for me to go on it

once into ketosis physical hunger goes away.
i have been on anti obesity meds from my gp and they made me hungrier than ive ever been in my life

cant comment on re starts as ive been ss'ing for 8 weeks but my advise would be to stick to the plans, they work

 

[mandye]

Hi have been on cd for 12 weeks now and have to say it works.I have never felt so healthy and well .I have similar concerns about going back to food but have spent 12 weeks researching what i should and shouldnt be eating my biggest problem arnt chocolate or sweets .they are portions and carbs so ive been looking at south beach diet books for ideas and have talked to dr about seeing a dietian .Set about your plan on how to keep your weight off now its all part of the journey xxxxx

 

[corinne_j]

Hi Clara, welcome to minimins x

I did a lot of research before starting Cambridge, I found far more positive feedback than negative, believe me I was one of the people who said "it's just a crash diet, it won't work". I've now lost almost 4 stone and have never felt healthier. I certainly don't feel tired, although before the diet I felt constantly sleepy.

As far as hunger, I can quite honestly say for the first 2 days I was absolutely starving and thought there was no way I would ever keep it up. However I woke up on day 3 feeling great and haven't felt hungry since. Drinking plenty of water certainly helps.

I can't comment on restarting as I've been doing it for 11 weeks without stopping, and I intend to keep it that way! I've thought long and hard about what I'll do when I stop the diet - I'm going to work my way up through the plans slowly to gradually re-introduce food, then I intend to eat a balanced healthy diet from then on. Like any diet, if I go back to my old eating ways then yes I will put weight back on - I see Cambridge as a means to get to a healthy weight so I can then eat healthily for life, rather than any more fad diets. It is a physical impossibility that I will immediately pile 7 stone back on in a week just by eating "normal" food, although several people are telling me that that will happen

Only you can make the decision if Cambridge is the diet for you - it does work as long as you stick to it, I promise!

Corinne x

 

[Dutch]

Hi, I'm an early bird too, only done 11 weeks but I know this is a lifestyle change, I've not once felt hungry even in the early days, I know it's just 'my time' to lose. I personally don't intend to ever be any more than 7lbs overweight again. I am all geared up to a new healthy me and since starting this I've felt great, sometimes buzzing so much I don't sit down till I'm putting my little one in bed and sit to read him a story. DH is very pleased as the house is spotless.

Good luck with your journey, if you want to do it you will, and I think you'll find the re start people will admit to it being them being naughty, not the diet, there's hundreds who maintain, look at icemoose for great inspiration xx

 

[Sambucca]

Hi Clara, welcome to Mini's

I think the concerns you are having are only natural and most of us on the diet will have had our own concerns before we started.

I think its fair to say that most of us on CD are here out of desperation. Most of us have tried "normal" diets and either they dont work or we cannot stick to them.

I did CD for 14 weeks and lost over 4 stones. Then I stupidly thought I could go back to eating what I wanted. I regained about 10lb and am now back on a restart.

Again, I think its fair to say that the restarters are those who either didnt reach their initial goals, or thought they could go back to their old habits. As with any diet, if you go back to bad habits you will put weight back on.

CD has been around for something like 30 years now. There are other "copycat diets" such as Lighter Life, Lipotrim and more recently Weight Matters which are all VLCD Meal replacement diets.

It is a tried and tested method of weight loss but in the first week or so it is very very hard and requires 100% commitment. However, once you are into ketosis the physical hunger disappears completely. It is then just cravings that you have to beat to stay on the right path.

Good Luck Clara. Keep posting. Minis is a wonderful source of support. xx

 

[Ruthlet]

Hello and welcome to minimins Clara.

I had all the same kinds of concerns when I started CD too.

I agree with Kazz that most of the the criticisms you hear regarding Cambridge and other VLCD's is in many cases is down to lack of knowledge about the diet.

VLCD's are now becoming more well known and there is even a section on the NHS website about VLCD's which even directs you to the Cambridge site! How to keep the weight off

After you have met with your CDC if you still have any reservations perhaps you may find reading the book about the Cambridge Diet enlightening - I think you can buy it from amazon.

 

[Fuzzys Angel]

Hi Clara welcome to minimins x

All previous replies have said it all really, i just want to add before switching to CD i done LL first. LL you have to get your GP to sign a medical form & my GP was very happy for me to do a VLCD he told me that he knew of several patients of his that had done these type of diets with great success. He was behind me 100%, as are many doctors that i work with at our local hospital.

Good luck...xxxx

 

[Clarabel]

oh thank you so much for your replies.

That have almost managed to stop the nerves....I'll let you know how I get on and I'm sure I'll be back for more support.

 

[SoonToBeGorgeous]

Cambridge is the best diet on the planet.

Dive in and give it a go - you won't regret it!

 

[ponypony]

I'll second S2BG - it's amazing!

I'm a veterinary surgeon, so it really made sense to me from a physiology/biochemistry standpoint, where I could never get my head around the whole SlimmingWorld Food Combining thing.

The important thing is to use food abstinence as a sort of 'therapy' - I had time to really assess what has made me go so wrong in the past. I am an emotional eater, I binge like there's no tomorrow. After eating a bit over Christmas I have learned that, actually food makes me feel slow, tired, bloated... So I am cutting my ties with it so far as any emotional attachments go. Eating isn't a way to make everything better!! I'm not quite there yet, but hoping by the end of my journey I will be. HAving dropped all that weight so quickly I am also able to be more active, which again, will hopefully go a long way to keeping me skinny once I get there.

Good luck, this site is wonderful inspiration and has really helped me so keep checking back & letting us know how you do.

 

[ninababes]

Hiya Clara andwelcome to minimins hope you got on well with your CDC, this diet is amazing....even on the non SS route i'm still having good losses when i stick to it and it is very goodat re-educating you on your relationship with food and i think,like pony, i'm just beginning to comprehend that food doesnt make you feel good and that you can still enjoy it but remain healthy. Good luck hun!!! xxx