The Cambridge Diet

The Cambridge diet is a commercial very-low-calorie diet (VLCD). The diet was first used only in weight-loss clinics in the United Kingdom. In the early 1980s, the products associated with the diet (powder mix, meal bars, and liquid meals) started selling commercially in the United States and the United Kingdom. Formulations of the Cambridge diet in the United Kingdom differ from that sold in the United States. In both the United Kingdom and North America, the Cambridge products are available only from distributors; they cannot be purchased over the counter at pharmacies or supermarkets.

Origins

United Kingdom and Western Europe

A scientist at Cambridge University in England, Alan Howard, initiated the research that eventually lead to the development of the Cambridge diet in the 1960s. Howard became interested in obesity as an increasingly common nutritional problem. He worked together with Ian McLean-Baird, a physician at the West Middlesex Hospital, to create a formula diet food that would allow people to lose weight rapidly without losing lean muscle tissue, create a mild ketosis (a condition in which the body begins to use fat rather than carbohydrates as a source of energy), and contain enough vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients to maintain health. Howard and Mc-Lean Baird also organized the first national symposium on obesity in the United Kingdom, which was held in 1968.
The formula that satisfied the researchers” goals was successful in helping people in hospital obesity clinics lose weight, but was not particularly appetizing. The researchers collaborated with food technologists to improve the flavor of the formula. After further testing with clinic patients, the Cambridge diet was marketed commercially in the United Kingdom in 1984, four years after it was available in the United States. In 1985 the Cambridge diet became available in Germany, France, and the Scandinavian countries, and in 1990 in Poland and Eastern Europe. The British company, Cambridge Manufacturing Company Limited (CMC), which manufactures the diet products as well as the Cambridge Health and Weight Plan, were owned by the Howard Foundation between 1982 and 2005, a charitable trust established by Alan Howard to offer scholarships to international students and to fund research in obesity and nutrition. In 2005 the Cambridge Manufacturing Company was sold to its three senior managers and became Cambridge Nutritional Foods Limited.
The present Cambridge diet products available in the United Kingdom are sachets (packets) of powder, Mix-a-Mousse granules, liquid meals, and meal bars. The sachets are intended to be mixed with a half-pint of water (hot or cold) to produce a shake or soup. The sachets, which provide about 138 calories, are sold in boxes of 21 servings, a week’s supply. There are 12 different flavors including banana, mixed fruit, and chicken mushroom. The dieter may also purchase Mix-a-Mousse granules that add 20 calories to the powdered formula but give it a thicker texture. The liquid formula is available in a ready-to-drink version packaged as Tetra Briks—sealed cartons with straws. Tetra Briks come in banana or chocolate flavor. There are four flavors of chocolate-covered meal bars (caramel, chocolate, orange, and toffee), one of which can be consumed each day.
Each sachet or liquid formula contains enough nutrients to be used as a complete meal. The meal bars can replace a meal as well but have extra carbohydrates and should only be eaten once a day. The Cambridge diet products can be consumed exclusively as meal replacements or used in conjunction with regular food (e.g., sachet for breakfast, Tetra Brik for lunch, and normal dinner).

Description

British version

The British version of the Cambridge diet cannot be used without the supervision of an official counselor, who “provide[s] a personal screening, advisory, monitoring and support service.” The counselors are trained and accredited by the company, and must follow a code of conduct in their dealings with customers. According to the company, most counselors are people who have successfully used the Cambridge diet themselves.
The British version of the Cambridge diet is for adults over the age of 16 and has four stages:

• Preparation: The dieter is asked to reduce food intake gradually over a week to 10 days before beginning the diet.
• Stabilization: After four weeks on the Sole Source program, the dieter can add a meal of 3 oz lean white fish or poultry, cottage cheese, and a portion of green or white vegetables to the basic Cambridge meals for a total of 790 calories per day. The dieter can then return to the Sole Source regimen for further rapid weight loss. There are other options allowing the dieter 1,000-1,200 calories per day that are better suited for gradual weight loss.
• Weight maintenance: Begins at an intake of 1,500 calories per day.

American version

The American version of the Cambridge diet is divided into five separate programs:

• Regular: Designed for a weight loss of 2-5 lb per week, the Regular Program provides 820 calories per day: three servings of Cambridge Food for Life formula plus one 400 calorie conventional meal. The dieter is advised to drink a minimum of 8-10 8-oz glasses of water each day. Tea and coffee are allowed, but not as substitutes for the water. There is no stipulation that the Regular program is limited to four weeks.
• Fast Start: Similar to the British Sole Source program, the Fast Start program is to be followed no longer than two weeks at a time. The dieter is advised to return to the Regular Program and contact a physician if they experience headaches, nausea, or vomiting.
• Physician-Monitored: Recommended for persons who need to lose 30 lb or more, or who are under a doctor”s care for other medical conditions. It is essentially the British Sole Source program with the added provision that the dieter should switch to the Regular Program when he or she is 10-15 lb from their goal weight.
• Maintenance: Uses the Food for Life nutrition formula as a foundation, while adding conventional foods until a caloric intake is determined to maintain an ideal weight.
• Lifetime Nutrition: The Food for Life company recommends using the Cambridge diet products as meal substitutes for one or two meals a day, or as snacks indefinitely. This maintenance program is not endorsed by any government agency.

Function

The Cambridge diet claims to be a flexible plan that can be used as a VLCD for rapid initial weight loss and then modified to serve as a maintenance diet.

Benefits

The Cambridge diet offers a rapid initial weight loss that compensates (for some dieters) the low calorie intake and other food restrictions. The American version also offers a peer support network and a self-instruction program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) called Control for Life.

Precautions

People under a physician’s care for high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, or who need to lose more than 30 lb should consult their physician before starting the Cambridge diet or any VLCD The Cambridge diet should not be used by adolescents under the age of 16, and should be used by elderly persons, pregnant women, or nursing women only with caution.

Risks

VLCDs in general should not be attempted without consulting a physician, and the Cambridge diet is no exception. The diet is not suitable for people whose work or athletic training requires high levels of physical activity. One physical risk from this diet, as from other VLCDs, is an increased likelihood of developing cholelithiasis, or gallstones.
There is also some financial risk to using the Cambridge diet. Although the American website states that the Physician-Monitored version is less expensive than VLCD hospital programs, all forms of the Cambridge diet cost $95–100 for a 15-day supply of the Original 330 Formula or $85–89 for a 15-day supply of the Food for Life formula. A case of six cans of the Original 330 Formula, supplying a total of 126 servings, is about $160. Although the cost per meal is between $1.25 and $1.45, the fact that the dieter must purchase at least a two-week quantity at a time is a risk for people who may not like the products well enough to remain on the diet.
A common criticism of the Cambridge diet, as of all VLCDs, is that it does not teach the dieter how to make wise food choices or the other lifestyle changes necessary to maintain weight loss. The British website states rather defensively, “To these armchair critics [the Cambridge diet] is just another fad diet. Nothing could be further from the truth as anyone can vouch.

Alternate Day Fasting - the Pros and Cons

Alternate Day Fasting – introduction

Welcome to the Alternate Day Fasting .org website.

When it comes to diets, the idea of being able to eat absolutely anything you want one day, then have a reduced calorie intake the next day, but still lose weight and be healthy, is a pretty attractive one isn’t it?

There are a lot of myths and half truths out there about Alternate Day Fasting, so this site is an attempt to separate fact from fiction and give you an frank and detailed overview of Alternate Day Fasting.

Alternate Day Fasting – what is it, in a nutshell?

In a nutshell, Alternate Day Fasting is a method of dieting and calorie control. To summarise, when you are following an Alternate Day Fasting program, you eat whatever food you like on day 1, and on day 2, you consume a very limited amount of calories (typically less than 400 calories for women, and 500 calories for men). Then on day 3, you eat whatever you like again, and on day 4, again consume a limited amount of calories again. This pattern is simply repeated over and over again.

The theory behind this is that, overall, you are consuming less calories than you normally would, therefore, weight loss is inevitable.

Alternate Day Fasting – benefits

The benefits of alternate day fasting are currently unproven in humans, but have been observed much more in animals much more than human subjects. However, the benefits are thought to be as follows –
- Weight loss
- Improved lifespan
- Improved bodily repair function
- Better survival rate after major disease or trauma

Numerous studies have been done on alternate day fasting. One of the most interesting involved mice, which were studied for 20 weeks. They followed the diet, being allowed to eat as much as they liked on one day, and were not fed the next day. The mice lived longer, and it was also noted that their levels of glucose an insulin were lower than those of mice who followed a normal diet.

Another interesting aspect of the study was that another group of mice were also studied – these had their calorie intake reduced by 40% every single day. This group of mice also experienced similar health benefits – but these were improved upon by the mice following the alternate day fasting diet.

The results of the study seem to support the thinking that reduced calorie intake in any form is beneficial, although some forms are better than others.

The big question is – does alternate day fasting work in humans? This is currently unknown – there are a number of ongoing studies taking place which are looking into this, but these are long term studies, so results might not be available for a while.

One of the other benefits of alternate day fasting over normal diets is that, unlike normal diets, you won’t feel hungry every day – you will only feel hungry on fasting days. It also means that you can plan social occasions such as eating out and drinking on non fasting days, and not feel worried that you will be breaking your diet.

Alternate Day Fasting – downsides

No medical downsides have yet been observed in alternate day fasting, however many people who have tried to follow an alternate day fasting diet have struggled, because cutting calorie intake to a minimal level on fasting days can be quite tough psychologically, due to the hunger involved. Some people have found it easier to adjust the diet and take in slightly more food on the fasting days, in the form of low calorie snacks and drinks, to keep hunger at bay.

Like any diet, it is to be expected that the fasting part will be much tougher than the ‘eating what you want’ days!

One of the possible downsides of alternate day fasting is that, on non fasting days, you may end up gorging yourself with food to make up for the hunger felt on fasting days. For example, let’s say you’re a woman, and your normal calorie intake should be 2000 per day – on your fasting day, you would consume only 400 calories. But on the non fasting day, it’s easily possible to consume 3600 calories – for example eating a big takeaway and several large glasses of wine, plus normal meals. This would mean that you’ve eaten your normal 4000 calories over the 2 days, and would cancel out any weight loss.

Alternate Day Fasting – can I expect to lose weight?

Several limited studies (following less than 15 people) have shown that people following the alternate day fasting diet typically experience a weight loss of between 1 – 3 lb per week. However, it should be reiterated that these studies only involved very small numbers of people.

The best way to test alternate day fasting is to try it for yourself. Weight yourself at the beginning of the diet, and note down the results. Then start following the diet, and weigh yourself every week, and note down the difference. You should weigh yourself at the same time of the day every week – and you should also weigh yourself on a non fasting day (the same type of day you started the diet on) – the reason for this is that your weight may fluctuate considerably between fasting and non fasting days. So for example, if you day 1 is a non fasting day, you would weigh yourself at say 9am on day 1, then weigh yourself again on day 7, which is another non fasting day. You would then weigh yourself again on day 13, a week later, and another non fasting day.

Alternate Day Fasting – finally

Alternate day fasting is becoming very popular, and you should definitely give it a go if you are looking to try out a diet, and other diets have failed for you. The method makes perfect sense when analysed in detail, and although there are no large scale studies on alternate day fasting, the small ones that have been done look very promising indeed. Certainly give it a try, but while you’re at it – don’t discount other ways of dieting – and certainly don’t neglect your general health by avoiding exercise.

http://www.alternatedayfasting.org/