Let’s do this - restart 27/04/19 💃🏼
- Thread starter CambridgeDiaries2018
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skydragon
Silver Member
I think it might be wise for you to step up to step 2. Please do not add anything other than essential excercise into your day. I’d advise you txt your councillor to let her know. The diet should not be this extreme. Get some really early nights too. You might be coming down with something they call keto flu. I’ve only heard of it on the forum but I believe you can google it. Take care of yourself, we don’t want you collapsing then your mum will be right to be worried xx
Hi, New to the forum but been on Cambridge for a while (7 weeks before holiday, then back on after). Please don't be too hard on yourself for having some 'real food', sometimes your body just needs something and i've found it's better to have something at that point rather than letting it fester and then going off the rails.
I found the 2nd week harder than the first, and even harder after holidays... you're doing fab, be kind to yourself xx
I found the 2nd week harder than the first, and even harder after holidays... you're doing fab, be kind to yourself xx
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Thanks so much Jen, I actually do have a UTI at the moment and I’m on antibiotics since last Wednesday so that hasn’t been helping things either I guess! I finish them tomorrow though. I also have Crohn’s disease which is now in semi-remission but I am still on treatment for it and it does make me more conscious of avoiding constipation! I had a moderate carb and very high fibre meal last night and it has started to push things through already. Prob 3-4lb of water weight and if it knocked me out of ketosis then so be it but health comes first
I’m glad I'm not weighing myself daily as it stops the focus being on the scale! I feel so much better today and have zero hunger all day which is great!I spoke to my consultant today and she recommended to listen to my body and fluctuate between Step 1 and 2, and if I need a Step 3 day (which I prob had yesterday or closer to Step 4) then don’t worry. She is all about it being more sustainable long term which I really like!
How you getting on? Xx
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Hello there and welcome!
Thank you so much for your comment! I totally agree with you and after speaking to my consultant today too I’m going to be kinder to myself. Adding in a bit of healthy real food here and there is still a million times better then what we were having before and for me I want this to be something I can really stick to! As you said if I really ignore my body crying out then I’ll end up totally losing control later on It really did the trick and I’m totally back on track today and feeling so much better overall. I hope I didn’t set myself too far out of ketosis because I don’t want to go through the headaches and all that again but we will see. I think it’s good practice too to learn to eat without completely bingeing on everything!Congrats on your almost 2 stone weight loss - that’s amazing! Must have been tough getting back on track after holidays but well done for getting there! How long have you been back on it since the break? Are you doing Step 1A or 1B? Xxx
AliGal
Eating meat
One of the keto food diets says "the daily intake of net carbs required to enter ketosis could vary from 20 to 100 grams per day (and very rarely over 100 grams per day). Most people, who have experienced ketosis, claim to have reached that state at about 20-50 grams of net carbs per day". My diet (Alevere) specifies only one a day of the "higher carb" sachets - and we have 5 sachets a day so it could be worth checking the relative carbi-ness of your sachets. I 'm not sure dropping a sachet is a good idea - as they are usually timed to keep your metabolism going.
Btw, the keto crew also talk about making sure you have enough magnesium, potassium and salt. Google it to learn more.
Good luck and keep CD-ing on!
Btw, the keto crew also talk about making sure you have enough magnesium, potassium and salt. Google it to learn more.
Good luck and keep CD-ing on!
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Thanks for the advice AliGal, the Cambridge products are actually all relatively high in carbs - 20-25g and one of them even 30g. Unfortunately they are also very low in fibre, only 2-3g in each which is quite annoying because my bowels aren’t happy haha! Some people have 3 products per day but if you are tall like me then you must have 4. This means that some days I am getting 90-100g of carbs which I do feel might be too much! I think it could be putting me into only a mild ketosis or causing me to come in and out of it... this would also explain how one day I feel great and the next day not so much! I also haven’t yet experienced the keto high, bad breath or loss of appetite that I would expect in full blown ketosis! I have done low carb diets before so I know how it usually feels.
The sachets are fortified so I do get over my daily allowance of potassium, magnesium and sodium from the products but maybe not enough to compensate for all the electrolytes that are lost in water weight at the beginning of a VLCD.
How do you find the Alevere diet? Have you been doing it for long? I had never heard of it but I just had a look at the website! I am from Ireland and it seems to be only UK
5 products a day seems cool too - I feel I would struggle if I was more petite and thus only allowed 3 Cambridge products LOL! How many calories and carbs in total in the 5 sachets?
Best of luck on your journey! Xx
AliGal
Eating meat
The sachets are more like dietimeal ones - 100-130 cals per sachet and often very low carb too, plus we have low carb veg & salad (mostly green stuff that grows above the ground like lettuce, celery, spinach, fennel) and a limited amount (200g max) from a list with slightly higher low carb veg and berries - like tomatoes, onions, swede etc. Alevere can go low as it's supervised by GPs - and monthly blood tests, and weekly LPG and ultrasound to help the skin tighten and shape. I'm hoping it will work as well as it did 6 years ago - when I had no loose skin. I will stay on monitoring this time (for life?) - weigh-ins at the clinic every 4-6 weeks. I've proven I need the external assistance!
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Wow it sounds great and I love that it is medically supervised! So important because I don’t think people realise that VLCD can cause issues. I do feel Cambridge should require a doctor’s letter perhaps. I guess it can just completely vary depending on your consultant too though! I love mine but she was unaware of basic science of ketosis etc. and she was also encouraging exercise, which some consultants say is a definite no!
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Day 12 and I’m feeling much better after my little ‘refeed’ at the weekend! Low carb meal on Saturday and a carb meal on Sunday Pretty proud of myself for not having an all or nothing attitude this time!
I checked my scales today (I know I said I wouldn’t but I couldn’t control myself!) and I’m down exactly 1lb since my weigh in on Thursday, which I’m actually VERY happy about given all the extra carbs.
I am 99% sure now that I was never in ketosis or a deep ketosis because the carbs would have had a much bigger change in my weight if I was! I’m eating around 90g carbs per day on CWP with only 10g fibre. I’ve decided to order some Exante products to try out - it is possible to get 45-50g net carbs with 25g of fibre in 4 of their products if you choose the best fibre sources! Xx
Pretty proud of myself for not having an all or nothing attitude this time! I checked my scales today (I know I said I wouldn’t but I couldn’t control myself!) and I’m down exactly 1lb since my weigh in on Thursday, which I’m actually VERY happy about given all the extra carbs.
I am 99% sure now that I was never in ketosis or a deep ketosis because the carbs would have had a much bigger change in my weight if I was! I’m eating around 90g carbs per day on CWP with only 10g fibre. I’ve decided to order some Exante products to try out - it is possible to get 45-50g net carbs with 25g of fibre in 4 of their products if you choose the best fibre sources! Xx
Hello there and welcome!
Congrats on your almost 2 stone weight loss - that’s amazing! Must have been tough getting back on track after holidays but well done for getting there! How long have you been back on it since the break? Are you doing Step 1A or 1B? Xxx
Hi, how you getting on?
I lost 2st 4.5lbs in 7 weeks before i went on holiday, didn't put too much on in a 2 week all inclusive (no idea how?!) but really went to town in the couple of weeks after i got home. I really felt like Cambridge had 'reset' the way i thought about food and it was good food i was wanting rather than all the rubbish, no idea how that all went out the window on that flight back!! I was so strict in those 7 weeks, altho i did have the odd day off when i had something planned. Really wish i could get back to that now, the mind is such a powerful thing eh, i just need to sort my head out then it'll be all good. I'm not hungry when i'm reaching for the odd thing so why on earth do i eat it?! Tomorrow will be my 3rd weigh in since coming back, not expecting much but even tho i've been 'bad' in those 3 weeks i still managed to lose 13.5lbs. Had always said i'd only go on it for a couple of weeks again but i'm liking the discipline and i'm starting to sort my head out again. So, gonna stick with it but will have the odd day off again when i feel i need it or have something planned. I'm on 1A, but have days where i do step 2 as i'm struggling with the taste of the dinners this time so quite often put some protein in veg in my meals. I could have one of the products i like but i'm trying to keep things as normal as possible as i have a 4 year old in the house and don't want him thinking it's fine to 'not eat', so we're all still having dinner together
Anyway, sorry i'm going on, this is your post! How are you feeling now, antibiotics helping? Any more dizzy spells? I got injections before hols, Cambridge recommended that for a day before and a week after i should move to step 2 as my body would need the calories to help fight the injections, maybe it's the same with an infection? xx
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Wowww that is an amazing loss in just 7 weeks and 13.5lb since you are back on track is incredible too! How did weigh in go today? In your first 7 weeks did you find the losses to gradually slow down or were you consistently losing good numbers each week?
Omg you deserve an award for not going off the rails with the all inclusive options! I don’t think I’d be so strong! Coming home from a holiday is always hard and definitely takes a while to get back to normal. But the damage would probably have been a lot worse if you decided to start eating as soon as you left the country so don’t beat yourself up - you are doing your very best! It's great to hear that you can eat normally without gaining tons of weight too as long as we choose healthy options because sometimes I worry this diet will totally mess up my metabolism! But it’s just about making proper choices and learning WHY we overeat etc. to ensure we maintain afterwards.
I can totally relate to reaching for things just for the sake of it - I think it will just take time and a lot of effort to retrain our minds! I’ve found that drinking a big glass of water and then telling myself to wait a half hour to see if I’m actually hungry does help. By the time the half hour is up I can tell myself that whatever I wanted would have already been gone by now anyway, and usually the urges go!
I love that you are still eating with your family - it’s SO important to teach kids that! I seriously have so much respect for people like you who do this with children, it must be 100 times harder. I am so lucky in that I’ve no responsibilities and only really need to worry about myself! Having to cook for others would be a big challenge when you can’t eat but I guess it will make you mentally stronger in the long run!
I’m feeling so much better now, thank you! Some slight dizzy spells when I stand up but nothing like at the weekend. I definitely needed to eat that food and while it has prob slowed down my weight loss a little, I still am losing so I don’t mind as long as it’s going in the right direction! I thought the carbs would set me off major cravings but they didn’t at all and I’ve been easily on Step 1 since. Like you said I prob just needed a bit more to fight that infection. It’s interesting for me because Step 1B is the same calories and actually more carbs than Step 2! I imagine I would lose more on Step 2 then?
Have a great day and best of luck at weigh in!
XxCambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Another successful Step 1 day done and I’m feeling really good these past 3 days! Hunger is much less and dare I say I’ve a reduced appetite - I’m almost afraid to say that in case it’s too good to be true
I’ve just ordered some Exante products to try out and wow they were cheap when compared to Cambridge! They’ve a great deal on at the moment - 42 products of your choice for £35 (€41 for me). I got a selection of shakes, bars and some porridge. However they have big problems with stock on their website - from what I’ve read online it’s an ongoing issue - so I wasn’t able to get a massive selection but 6 shake options and 4 types of bars!
I’ve no plan as of yet to leave Cambridge or anything but just interested in trying out a lower carb and higher fibre range - when they arrive I’ll probably mix them with my Cambridge stock for some variety!
Hope you’ve all had a great day! Xx
I’ve just ordered some Exante products to try out and wow they were cheap when compared to Cambridge! They’ve a great deal on at the moment - 42 products of your choice for £35 (€41 for me). I got a selection of shakes, bars and some porridge. However they have big problems with stock on their website - from what I’ve read online it’s an ongoing issue - so I wasn’t able to get a massive selection but 6 shake options and 4 types of bars!
I’ve no plan as of yet to leave Cambridge or anything but just interested in trying out a lower carb and higher fibre range - when they arrive I’ll probably mix them with my Cambridge stock for some variety!
Hope you’ve all had a great day! Xx
AliGal
Eating meat
Wow it sounds great and I love that it is medically supervised! So important because I don’t think people realise that VLCD can cause issues. I do feel Cambridge should require a doctor’s letter perhaps. I guess it can just completely vary depending on your consultant too though! I love mine but she was unaware of basic science of ketosis etc. and she was also encouraging exercise, which some consultants say is a definite no!
I think many people would benefit from knowing about keto flu and potassium, magnesium and salt. The non medics supporting vlcd clients can't be seen to recommend them. We also take an evening calcium supplement and mineral drops.
The Doc was very clear about the risk of gall stones - she says it's rare but told me if I was feeling pain or throwing up, to go straight to the hospital.
I'm always fascinated by people who start a vlcd and change various other aspects of their life too - especially re exercise. So much easier to add in later after shedding some pounds (and cheaper - as you may not need extra sachets).
Wowww that is an amazing loss in just 7 weeks and 13.5lb since you are back on track is incredible too! How did weigh in go today? In your first 7 weeks did you find the losses to gradually slow down or were you consistently losing good numbers each week?
Omg you deserve an award for not going off the rails with the all inclusive options! I don’t think I’d be so strong! Coming home from a holiday is always hard and definitely takes a while to get back to normal. But the damage would probably have been a lot worse if you decided to start eating as soon as you left the country so don’t beat yourself up - you are doing your very best! It's great to hear that you can eat normally without gaining tons of weight too as long as we choose healthy options because sometimes I worry this diet will totally mess up my metabolism! But it’s just about making proper choices and learning WHY we overeat etc. to ensure we maintain afterwards.
I can totally relate to reaching for things just for the sake of it - I think it will just take time and a lot of effort to retrain our minds! I’ve found that drinking a big glass of water and then telling myself to wait a half hour to see if I’m actually hungry does help. By the time the half hour is up I can tell myself that whatever I wanted would have already been gone by now anyway, and usually the urges go!
I love that you are still eating with your family - it’s SO important to teach kids that! I seriously have so much respect for people like you who do this with children, it must be 100 times harder. I am so lucky in that I’ve no responsibilities and only really need to worry about myself! Having to cook for others would be a big challenge when you can’t eat but I guess it will make you mentally stronger in the long run!
I’m feeling so much better now, thank you! Some slight dizzy spells when I stand up but nothing like at the weekend. I definitely needed to eat that food and while it has prob slowed down my weight loss a little, I still am losing so I don’t mind as long as it’s going in the right direction! I thought the carbs would set me off major cravings but they didn’t at all and I’ve been easily on Step 1 since. Like you said I prob just needed a bit more to fight that infection. It’s interesting for me because Step 1B is the same calories and actually more carbs than Step 2! I imagine I would lose more on Step 2 then?
Have a great day and best of luck at weigh in!
Morning!
Glad you're feeling a bit better. Don't worry about the odd bit off food here and there, my consultant was telling me that she doesn't notice much difference between people on step 1 and step 2, so if the wee bit of food helps i think it's worth it. I've mostly been on stage 2 since being back and as much as i need to think about food more, it does help. People think i'm crazy when on this as i'm still cooking for family and enjoy the smell of food, and still talking about it. People feel like they have to hide their eating from you but i seem to be eating through other people
Weigh in wasn't great - 3/4lb off. To be honest it's more than i deserve with the terrible week i've had, even been eating chocolate and everything! So unlike me as i was so focused last time. It's been the kick up the bum i need tho, back to doing it properly from now on, unless i've got time off for some reason. Discovered i really need a goal as i think having Mexico the last time really helped. So i'm breaking it into small chunks. First one being a 40th i'm going to at the end of August - bought a jumpsuit that doesn't quite zip up and i really really want to wear it!!
These were my weigh ins in the 7 weeks.... 7 1/4 off, 9 1/4 off, 1 1/2 on (i was beyond gutted as had been 100% on it!), 3 3/4 off, 4 1/4, STS, 9 1/2 off... so really varied. In that time i had 2 days and a weekend off plan
Totally understand what you're saying, i really felt like i had retrained myself in those 7 weeks and i wasn't even looking for the bad food, it was chicken and eggs i was craving hahaha
When's next weigh in? Interested to see how the exante products are
xxCambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Morning!
Glad you're feeling a bit better. Don't worry about the odd bit off food here and there, my consultant was telling me that she doesn't notice much difference between people on step 1 and step 2, so if the wee bit of food helps i think it's worth it. I've mostly been on stage 2 since being back and as much as i need to think about food more, it does help. People think i'm crazy when on this as i'm still cooking for family and enjoy the smell of food, and still talking about it. People feel like they have to hide their eating from you but i seem to be eating through other people
Weigh in wasn't great - 3/4lb off. To be honest it's more than i deserve with the terrible week i've had, even been eating chocolate and everything! So unlike me as i was so focused last time. It's been the kick up the bum i need tho, back to doing it properly from now on, unless i've got time off for some reason. Discovered i really need a goal as i think having Mexico the last time really helped. So i'm breaking it into small chunks. First one being a 40th i'm going to at the end of August - bought a jumpsuit that doesn't quite zip up and i really really want to wear it!!
These were my weigh ins in the 7 weeks.... 7 1/4 off, 9 1/4 off, 1 1/2 on (i was beyond gutted as had been 100% on it!), 3 3/4 off, 4 1/4, STS, 9 1/2 off... so really varied. In that time i had 2 days and a weekend off plan
Totally understand what you're saying, i really felt like i had retrained myself in those 7 weeks and i wasn't even looking for the bad food, it was chicken and eggs i was craving hahaha
When's next weigh in? Interested to see how the exante products are
Hello there!
Yeah my consultant said the same - Step 1A, 1B and 2 are basically the same in terms of losses but some people just find staying away from food altogether much easier to stick to, which I can totally understand, especially at the beginning! But doing Step 2 properly will still give great losses and in my opinion it’s probably actually better for your metabolism, digestive system and overall relationship with food
I don’t think I would stay on Step 1 for more than 4-6 weeks as I would like to learn to eat real food without going crazy if that makes sense so I’ll transition to Step 2 before goal, especially because for me both are 800 calories anyway. But I’ll just take things day by day and really try to listen to my body This week I’ve not wanted anything other than my products so that’s what I’ve been doing! Well done on your weight loss! -3/4lb is better than gaining weight so don’t beat yourself up! The metabolism increase from the chocolate should give you a good loss next week too if you stay on plan haha. We also fluctuate so much depending on our monthly cycle so that might be at play too! I always find I’m much heavier just before my period, sometimes by a good few pounds! I’m also always a lot hungrier and craving all the sugar so maybe that adds to things too hahaha!
Wow I can imagine that going to Mexico was a great motivation! I would looove to go there! Was it amazing?! Goals really are so important for us to stay on track and it’s great that you’ve the 40th and the jumpsuit for some motivation! My main goal is that I’m studying to be a doctor at the moment and in September I’ll be starting my placements in hospitals as a medical student, which means wearing scrubs a lot of the time. They are so unflattering and clingy on everyone and I just want to be able to grab some without them being tight on my hips/ass/tummy. I want to really be able to focus on the work instead of being self conscious and worrying how horrible I feel about myself! I also want to be a better role model for the patients that I see because there’s nothing worse than a chubby doctor giving out weight loss advice lol!
Today is my day 14 so tomorrow I will have my 2 week weigh in at home.... aghhh! I lost 11.5lb last week so I’m not expecting a huge number, especially after the carbs on Sunday. I would be incredibly happy with 2.5lb as this would bring me to exactly 1 stone in 2 weeks but we shall see in the morning! I meet my consultant on Thursdays but I couldn’t make it today - I can collect my products from the office tomorrow but she won’t be there to weigh in!
How did you get on today? Xx
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
TWO WEEKS DONE, woohoo!
Had my WI this morning and in week 2 I have lost 3lb, adding up to 1st 0.5lb loss in total so far. Feeling really happy with that, especially because I wasn’t perfectly on plan at the weekend! But it hasn’t seemed to affect things too drastically anyway.
I also think I might finally be in ketosis... at last!!! My mouth really tastes quite horrible and cravings are completely gone! Didn’t even feel like I needed all my meals yesterday or the day before. Maybe it just took me longer than most due to the higher amount of carbs in 4 products, as most people here seem to be on 3!
Feeling really excited and motivated for a successful third week now! At the moment I’m 13st 6lb so my next big goal is to get into the 12st something range. Hopefully two more weeks will definitely get me there! Will not be weighing in again until I meet my consultant on Thursday
Ps. Had my first lemon bar today for breakfast and WOW! So much better than I was expecting and I just wish I didn’t get only one now! If you like lemon cakes/cookies then I think you’ll love it and the yogurt coating was closer to white chocolate - or maybe I have just been away from food for too long! Will definitely be stocking up on them on Thurs. Exante products are due to arrive Monday or Tuesday too so will be nice to try some new things from there too!
Happy Friday everyone, hope you all have a lovely weekend! Xx
Had my WI this morning and in week 2 I have lost 3lb, adding up to 1st 0.5lb loss in total so far. Feeling really happy with that, especially because I wasn’t perfectly on plan at the weekend! But it hasn’t seemed to affect things too drastically anyway.
I also think I might finally be in ketosis... at last!!! My mouth really tastes quite horrible and cravings are completely gone! Didn’t even feel like I needed all my meals yesterday or the day before. Maybe it just took me longer than most due to the higher amount of carbs in 4 products, as most people here seem to be on 3!
Feeling really excited and motivated for a successful third week now! At the moment I’m 13st 6lb so my next big goal is to get into the 12st something range. Hopefully two more weeks will definitely get me there! Will not be weighing in again until I meet my consultant on Thursday
Ps. Had my first lemon bar today for breakfast and WOW! So much better than I was expecting and I just wish I didn’t get only one now! If you like lemon cakes/cookies then I think you’ll love it and the yogurt coating was closer to white chocolate - or maybe I have just been away from food for too long! Will definitely be stocking up on them on Thurs. Exante products are due to arrive Monday or Tuesday too so will be nice to try some new things from there too!
Happy Friday everyone, hope you all have a lovely weekend! Xx
Hi im starting cambride in 2 days time, i meet with my cdc tomorrow and get my first week of products, i’m starting off with ss only, i have 5.7 stones to lose, i’d be happy losing a stone a month, i hope i stay on track and keep motivated, as i really lack motivation and love eating, look forward to hearing from you all and seeing how you all get on, good luck everyone xx
Hi, I ‘m Rolo and I am on day 6 of Cambridge. I have 4 stone to lose and my weigh in day is Monday looking forward to seeing the results. I am currently having 3 products a day and lots and lots of water been ok up to now day 5 was my worst day just felt a bit dizzy and energyless! Feeling better today though. Good luck
CambridgeDiaries2018
Full Member
Hey Zohrah!
Best of luck on your CWP journey - you can do it! The first week or so will be tough but once you get past that you’ll be flying it. For me it took about 10 days to get over the hump but 3 products might get you into ketosis quicker than me so you might adjust faster!
A stone a month is definitely doable and you may even lose more than this in the first month. I’ve lost my first stone in 2 weeks - it’s crazy! I’ve 3 stone to goal and 2 stone to a healthy BMI so hopefully about 3 months for me. Then the really hard work of maintaining begins!!!
Not sure if you’ve ever done a meal replacement diet before but I find blending the shakes with ice is a massive help in filling me up. I don’t find them particularly nice just mixed with water but blended with about 10 ice cubes and 250ml of cold water will make a massive creamy milkshake, fills about a pint glass. If you like coffee, the vanilla and chocolate shakes are lovely with a spoon of coffee added. I use a nutribullet to blend mine but any blender or smoothie maker should work for you
Make sure to get in enough water too, I found the recommended 2.5L too little for me to prevent headaches in the first few days. You will be losing tons of water weight in the first week so I would up this to 3.5 to 4 L until you are definitely in ketosis!
Best of luck, let us know how you get on tomorrow! Xxx
