The Cambridge Diet Review
What You Should Know
The Cambridge Diet is a liquid-based diet popularized in the 1980’s in the United Kingdom, originally intended for morbidly obese patients. Based on the VLCD diet, otherwise known as the “Very Low Calorie Diet”, the Cambridge Diet combines low calorie shakes, soups, and meal replacement bars in their complete diet program. Most of the dieter’s calories are obtained through liquid supplements, and the diet is continued until the person meets his or her weight loss goal. During the weight loss period patients eat between 400 to 800 calories per day. In the United Kingdom, you need to meet with a Cambridge Diet counselor before starting the program.
The Cambridge Diet is begun with a counselor, who will determine if this is an appropriate diet for you. From there, you will need to purchase meal replacement shakes and bars, which usually range between $13.99 to around $40.00 per package. There are no free samples or money-back guarantees, but you can discontinue the program at any time. They do not say how much weight loss is expected, but patients typically report losing over 30 lbs. per month.
Ingredients
There is no ingredient information available about any products associated with The Cambridge Diet.
Product Features
The Cambridge Diet is based off the VLCD diet, which was popularized in the early 1980’s. The VLCD diet uses extreme calorie restriction combined with nutritionally-dense liquid supplements to enhance weight loss, and this method has been proven to work. Most physicians do not back the VLCD or the Cambridge Diet however, since it allows for a very small, unrealistic amount of calories per day. Patients typically consume less than 800 calories per day, and most doctors recommend consuming 1200 calories minimum for any diet.
The Cambridge Diet also claims to use the power of ketosis to speed up weight loss. It claims that by putting the body into ketosis through liquid replacements and calorie restriction, it will allow the body to burn more fat and lose weight. Ketosis occurs when the body does not receive enough calories or nutrition to function optimally. The body uses its fat stores to burn additional fat as a survival mechanism. Although ketosis does burn off additional fat, it also burns additional muscle during this process and it is generally considered unhealthy by the medical community.
Advantages
- You do not have to exercise while on this diet.
- All meals and drinks are supplied pre-prepared to you.
- They offer allergy-free drinks and bars.
Disadvantages
- The Cambridge Diet is one of the most expensive diet programs available.
- Its caloric intake is lower than the recommended standard — doctors consider this a very dangerous diet that brings users close to starvation.
- You must follow a strict diet plan without any substitutions.
- This diet is not ideal for those with heart problems or a history of eating disorders.
Conclusion
The Cambridge Diet is very risky according to doctors and medical professionals. Extreme calorie restriction is a constant source of controversy, and diets based on calories restriction have been proven to work while also easily resulting in dangerous side effects. People who embark on this diet must be in good health mentally and physically, but still need to lose excess weight. Although the cost of this diet is extremely expensive, it might be an ideal diet to discuss with your doctor, especially if you feel that your clinical obesity could lead to other health complications - Cambridge Diet counselors strongly recommend discussing this with a doctor before trying it.

