Cambridge Diet?

Hi

(Lets make this clear now, I am NOT doing the Cambridge Diet, and I have no intention of doing so!)

My mum is, as of tomorrow, on the 'Cambridge Diet'.  She's a 5'7 woman who weighs around 150-155lbs.  For those of you who don't know, the Cambridge diet is a VLCD, where most days you eat 500-1000 calories.  She's been recommended it by a 'nutritionist', who also said I could stand to try the Cambridge Diet (fyi, I'm 5'8.5, 145lbs and 17 years old).  

I have tried to convince my mum that this isn't a good idea, but naturally she doesn't believe me.  Can anyone put my worries to rest? I'm worried about her health from a selfish perspective, but I have younger siblings that would be much more affected if anything were to happen to her (god forbid).  

Why in God's name would a nutritionist say that a growing 17 year old...who isn't even overweight to begin with IMO...to restrict their calories that much.  That tells me that this "nutritionist" is a quack!  Your mom may loose wieght at first but I gaurantee that she will gain it all back and then some when she finishes this "diet". 

Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders!  Keep up the healthy attitude. 

I guess this doesn't really qualify as advice, but in my experience: hopefully, the diet won't last long enough to cause significant problems--back before I knew better, when I tried stuff like that I always blew it on the weekends by eating thousands of calories of crap.  Finally my frustration caused me to talk to my medical doctor and establish more realistic guidelines and expectations.

With any luck, after a few days of starving herself she'll be miserable, and after a few binge/starve cycles, she'll think to get a second opinion.

Hang in there!

Is her 'nutritionist' registered?

I have taken a few college classes in nutrition, but would never call myself one.

thanks for all your replies!

She sort of went out of her way to find a nutritionist that would allow her to do the Cambridge Diet - she'd seen my auntie do it and lose ~50lbs, so I doubt the guy is properly registered or anything

Its just such an awkward situation, because as her daughter she thinks that she immediately must know more than me, which in this case just isn't true! Hopefully she'll do what you think, amwilmarth, and this diet will only last 2-3 weeks.

She wants me to do it with her, and keeps trying to get me to join her, its so annoying - I know the second she loses 3lbs or whatever on this diet, she's going to rub my nose in it! I keep reminding myself that the long term consequences probably wouldn't be worth the short term benefits...

Why does your mom think you need to lose weight in the first place?  You are healthy.  Maybe you should direct her to some websites that will show her proper nutrution for someone your age and that you cannot possibly get enough eating the little. 

Tell her that it's not a diet that you're going to do, but if she insists on doing it she should try to find a buddy on CC.  Then we'll slam her with info and advice not to do it. 

Or tell her that you'll try it for 2 weeks if she'll first try a 500 calorie deficit with mild exercise for 2 weeks and doesn't lose weight or inches...of course you'd cheat on it if you did it, but she doesn't need to know that.

Ah, comes the dawn. 

If your mom "went out of her way" to find someone to approve her for this ridiculously extreme diet then I can understand why she doesn't want to listen to reason. 

VLC diets are really, really tough to stick to so hopefully she won't be able to stick to it for very long.  If she does, though, she should consult a REAL doctor.

Going out of her way to find someone who agrees with her does not sound good.  At this point, she's too stubborn to listen to reason (or at least, she is if she's my mom).  Hopefully she'll stop before she harms herself.

Good head on your shoulders there!  I know way too many people who would have joined their parents in that diet, and been miserable.

Your Mum is of a healthy Weight for her height, i don't understand why on earth they have recommended it for her!  Your have to be a stone over your ideal weight to be accepted??

I know A LOT about the Cambridge diet, it is 100% nutritionally complete so you don't need to worry about her not getting what she needs.  IF you follow the diet to the end, food is reintroduced step by step and you learn how much you can eat without putting in weight, you should also introduce more exercise as you go.  

My Step Mother is a GP and she recommends the Cambridge Diet to come of her overweight patients because the dangers of being over weight are FAR higher than this diet - in fact there are no real risks if you are over weight enough to actually be on the diet.

I did the diet myself 3 years ago and lost 3 stone in 3 months and kept it off, I just got bored and caved in so I have put on about a stone.  I started again 5 days ago to shift the last 3 stone and I have lost 5lbs already.  

The other benefits I find are the loss of cellulite and if you can get past the first 2 weeks then you will feel really great.  The other major benefit is the drop in cholesterol. 

P.S. There are different levels of the diet so you can actually take the 3 Cambridge shakes/soups and have meals as well, it just depends how fast you want/need to lose the weight.

If you Mum MUST do the diet, make sure she does the one with a meal included and make sure she drinks lots of water (at least 4 pints per day and upto 6)

It would be dangerous for you to do this diet.  And if you don't have fat to lose (which I cant imagine you have, you will just lose lean muscle tissue, and you really don't want that, you will look like a skeleton).

Please explain to your Mum that she is trying to make you do something that is very bad for you in particular, or just drink the shakes with her then go out for lunch with your mates!!

I thought I'd update you all on how things are going...

Anyway, its been 2 months now since my mum started the cambridge diet, and whilst I've been doing things the old school, slow way, she's been on the cambridge diet.  Whilst I've lost 5lbs, she's lost 25. And now officially weighs less than me.

A fact that she mentions on an hourly basis.

I try not to get upset about it - after all, she's two inches smaller than me height wise - but she's now just taken to continuously pointing out that she can fit into smaller clothes sizes than me, and keeps pointing out the areas of fat on my body followed by the sentence 'you know, I can talk to my cambridge dietician about getting you involved'

ARGH

No sign of her stopping. She's 5'7 and 135lbs now.  (I'm 5'9 and 143, for the record).

alicandra - but at least you know that you'll be able to continue with what you are doing, and when you reach your goal (you can't be far from that, at this point) - you'll be able to maintain it.

In the long run, do you believe that she'll be able to maintain her goal?

Just another lesson that parents are in fact human, and don't always know better than their kids.

Keep up your good work and remember that you are doing great.

I am a pretty fit and healthy woman of 40, 5'6" tall and weighed almost 12stone, I have been on cambridge diet (sole source plus) for the last couple of months and I am absolutely fine.  Sole source plus is where you have 3 shakes or soups or a combo of both so long as only three with small meal consisting of 120g chicken/200g white fish with 2tbs of green veg essentially. 

They say constipation - but actually you are eating so little without being tactful there is very little waste so therefore you do poo infrequently - about every 2-3 days.  In the beginning i did feel light headed and i did have headaches but nothing unbearable. 

If i want to eat something more I don't punish myself and i do, but ensure that it is protein - ie little cheese or cooked chicken.

I have lost two stone - and have just come back from a body pump class and have loads of energy.

I have a four year old, and lots to do and I feel absolutely fine about it and feel well, and have received loads of compliments. 

Equally there is the cost - this probably equates to what your mum would spend in a week in shopping so it won't make much of a difference there. 

If your mum feels that she needs to lose weight she has chosen her method and she needs support to reach her goal.  If she is sensible with cambridge she will be fine