Thinking of starting, need some advice

Nellyphant

Silver Member
Hello everyone

I've spent the last couple of hours trawling through all the Food Replacement Forums wondering which one would be best for me.

I tried LL 5 years ago and spent 5 weeks constantly dizzy with blurred eyesight etc. Am considering going back to them as I know it works and I think they've increased their food packs to 4 a day instead of 3.

What is CD like? Can anyone give me some advice please? Do you get some sort of counselling with it to stop weight gain afterwards?

Thanks.
 
Hi Nellyphant, welcome to our brilliant forum!

I looked at several different options when I wanted to start my diet and came to the conclusion that CD was the one for me. It's half the price of LL for a start. I have a one-to-one with my counsellor each week, and she comes to my home for it and a weigh-in (though not all of them do home visits).

If you look at the official CD website you can see the different steps. I do sole source (SS) but some do 810 which is 3 shakes plus a small meal or milk to start with. You gradually build up through steps as you get towards goal so that you reach goal eating a healthy diet which you can maintain your weight-on. I've a long way to go for that but it does look very good. I recommend the website as it explains it far better than I can! Hope you decide on CD - might not be for you though if you like to go to a group session for counselling, although this forum makes for a brilliant group session:D Hope this helps.
 
Hey nellyphant, i am new to this forum, i have been using the cambridge diet for 4 weeks not and i must say its wonderful! My sister is on Lighterlife shes had about the same results so far but at double the cost! Cambridge offer more flavours etc and the pack actually taste nice!
My CDC is fantastic its so nice having someone to sit down and speak to on a one to one basic every week. I am currently on sole source, i love the shakes! I think i'm addicted to the the Spicy Tomato soup after i had done 2 weeks on sole souce my CDC said i could have replacement bars which are also lovely! I just cannot fault the diet its wonderful and the results are amazing!

Hope that all helps!

Good luck

Hannah
 
As the others said, one of my reasons for starting CD instead of LL was down to the cost, I am currently paying £37.50 per week and I know thats cheaper than LL. There are a good range of flavours sweet and savoury, a bit of variety I think keeps you from getting too bored with it. And as Minxie said, you work your way up the food plans with the help of your CDC so as to introduce food gradually in the right way. I've definately made the best choice in a bid to get my weight off quickly and easily. Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
Im on CD and although theres no counselling with cambridge and the counsellors aren't trained as they are for LL there are other options for the 'head work' that needs to be done alongside a diet. Im just back from the GP and theres no cognitive behavioural therapy available for me in my area but he suggested some online workbook resources, this will probably suit me better as I can do it when DS is sleeping instead of having to worry about childcare.

Whatever you decide, good luck with your journey!
 
Thanks for your replies. It does help actually. I'm wondering whether the milk in the evening would be helpful. I don't want to add in a meal as food got me to where I am now! :rolleyes:

Do you find that you have a set time between each food pack before you get wobbly?
 
Hello Nelly.. I'd been on lighterlife too for 2 weeks, 2 years ago, but like you, it made me feel so ill, I came off. I decided to do CD, end of April, and started beg of May. First couple of days you are tired, you will feel the light headedness, but thats only for half a day or so and thats the carbs coming out of you system really.

I'm quite a slow looser compared to others on here, but I added a meal in week 5, as moved from ss (just shakes and bars) to 3 shakes and a small meal, ss+. I prefer this and my loss is the same as it was while on ss too. I've lost 23lb now in 7 weeks, that was a holiday away for a weekend off plan too plus I was on for 28 days as well. But the inch loss is more motivating for me, I've lost (week 5 measurement) 18 inches all over. Will get that checked again on week 10. My typical meal each day is:

Shake - Bfast
Shake - Lunch
200 cal meal - Dinner
Bar (chop it into pieces, so feels like i'm eating sweets)

Also 2.5 - 3 litres a day of water, plus gym twice a week, where I walk on treadmill for 15 - 20 mins and do lots of toning exercises. Tone as you loose is really good, boosts your metabolism too.

You can start on the ss, ss+ plan, or 810 plan if you wish which is more like 300 cal meal plus shakes and bars.

Re your question about wobblyness between meals, if you drink lots of water, you won't feel hungry anyway. But what some ppl do to overcome this feeling if they do get it is to half their shakes, so.. morning half, then mid morning another half. Lunch half, mid afternoon anohter half and so on.. Could be by end of the day, you still have half owing, which you can have before bed to keep you full.

Whatever you choose, will be the right one for you, good luck Nelly. xx
 
Hi Nellyphant
If you feel like you need a complete break from food then SS is the answer! Yes, its tough, but it has to be in order to deliver some quite spectacular results. I am in the middle of week 4 now and have lost (officially) 17lb but own scales suggest more like 19. Definitely down a dress size, too, which is hugely encouraging.

The different plans offer variety and also, I think, a little bit of space in which to 'flex' if you need to without going totally off plan. For example if you wanted to join in at a family event you could do so by having the small (SS+ or 810) meal just as a one off. I find that having that option helps me stick to SS, in a funny sort of way - I don't feel deprived, I could if I wanted to, etc, rather than a Big Fat No.

If you are over 5'8 you have 4 packs a day anyway on CD or you could choose to do the SS+ option with 3 packs plus meal (or 4 packs plus milk) whatever your height.

I am looking forward to going up the steps towards the end of my CD journey. I did LL too (4 years ago) and was SS to the very end. Whereupon I failed to do management and fell headfirst into the breadbin, putting all but one of the four stone I lost back on again.

I think CD is a bit more flexible than LL (and has greater variety) and of course costs less. Unless you are wedded to the idea of 'group' therapy type things, I don't see that there's much contest!

Welcome anyway, and good luck whatever you choose.
Lx
 
I've bitten the bullet and contacted a counsellor. I'm hoping to see her this evening, just got to check with my DH as it's at 6.30 and our DD will still be up and as she's poorly I better make sure that he's up to it!
 
Oh I meant to answer your point about do you get wobbly...

To start with, yes, sometimes. I get to feeling a bit low-blood-sugar ish and know that I need to have my shake/bar/whatever. I am still somewhat in the mindset of 'breakfast lunch and tea' rather than just any old three shakes any old time of day. As it goes on, I found (this was on LL, by the way) that the need to 'eat' at 'mealtimes' rather goes away. I wasn't working, then, so wasn't expending much energy in the mornings, but I'd often get to about 2pm and realise I'd only had a cup of tea (plus my water, of course) - the whole idea of set mealtimes sort of drifted away.

I am also getting better at recognising that 'wobbly' can be sorted out with a quiet five minute sit down and a large glass of water.

In the last week or so when I have felt a bit wobbly (or indeed just a bit munchy) I've had an extra CD bar in the fridge and just taken a wee bit at a time. Yes, I've had an extra pack over the course of a few days, but I figure that's better than feeling rotten and wobbly and going totally off course.

So to answer the question - sometimes, yes, but there's always a way round it.
 
i was about to post saying that it might be worth seeing a CDC and seeing what advice and support she can offer you, but i see you have so hope you get to go tonight and start your wonderful weight loss journey!!!
I dont get the funny head much now, but i did a bit at the beginning....but the water got me through that and i'm now a very happy chappy! :)
Fingers crossed for tonight!!!

xxxxx
 
Back
Top