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Everyone who uses Cambridge should follow the four stages of every programme:
1. preparation
2. weight loss
3. stabilisation
4. maintenance
This will help to ensure that you will successfully manage your weight - over the long-term.
The Cambridge Diet is only available through independent Cambridge Counsellors who provide a personal screening and advisory service - a major factor in maintaining motivation and achieving success. The Counsellors are accredited after a period of training and they agree to follow a Code of Conduct when dealing with customers.
Click here to find your closest Counsellor in the UK
Click here to find distributors in other countries.
| Ebay Warning | |
|
Unauthorised people are using eBay to sell the Cambridge Diet. The Cambridge Diet is only available through a network of company trained and accredited Cambridge Counsellors. There are medical conditions which have an impact on whether someone should use a Cambridge weight management programme. For example someone who is pregnant or breast feeding cannot use the Diet to lose weight. So it is vital that everybody meets with a Cambridge Counsellor before they start any of our programmes. |
Dependent on the mix of products bought, a week’s supply of Cambridge Diet in the UK costs around £34 - £39 (for a woman using the Sole Source® programme; for a man it is slightly higher) and this includes the support of a Cambridge Counsellor. We have seen Cambridge Diet for sale on eBay in the UK at “£285 for a month’s supply (£71.25 per week). Please note that in other countries, the price of Cambridge Diet programmes through appointed Cambridge Distributors may vary for a range of reasons. If you wish to use Cambridge with the help and support of an accredited Counsellor, please click here for further details. |
Cambridge Diet Programmes are based on nutritionally-balanced sachets, bars and Tetra Briks.
Sachets Each sachet contains about 138kcal of powder, which is mixed with water (cold or hot) to provide sweet-flavoured shakes or soups. Each sachet, or serving, produces a Cambridge meal when mixed with 227ml (half pint) water - either hot or cold. Sachets are sold in cartons of 21 servings.
Flavours: Banana, Butterscotch, Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, Fruits of the Forest, Strawberry, Toffee and Walnut, Vanilla, Broccoli and Cheese, Chicken and Mushroom, Oriental Chilli, Spicy Tomato, Vegetable.
Lactose-Free sachets are available in these flavours: Chocolate, Chocolate Orange, Cappuccino, Vanilla, Mushroom, Leek and Potato.
Click for a typical formulation of a sweet flavoured sachet. These may vary in other countries due to local guidelines.
Bars For those who miss chewing, one of your Cambridge meals each day can be in the form of a chocolate-covered meal bar. Some people cut the bars into smaller pieces which then allows them to "snack" throughout the day.
Flavours: Caramel, Chocolate, Orange, Toffee, Cranberry Crunch, Peanut Crunch.
Bars have additional carbohydrate, so only 1 should be taken per day. To make up for loss of fluid, we recommend that an extra 227ml (half pint) water is drunk with meal bar.
Tetra Briks The Cambridge solution is also available in two ready-to-drink flavours. These are in sealed cartons, complete with a straw, for the ultimate in convenience.
Flavours: Banana Bliss, Chocolate Velvet
To make up for them having less fluid (200ml), we recommend that an extra 227ml (half pint) water is drunk with every Tetra Brik.
Mousses The addition of Mix-a-Mousse granules will transform ANY sweet flavour into a meal you can eat! The Mix-a-Mousse makes a delicious mousse out of your favourite flavours, and adds just 20 calories to each serving.
'Cambridge', 'Cambridge Diet', 'The Cambridge Diet', the 'Mortar Board' device, 'Tetra-Brik', 'Mix-a-Mousse', 'Tried, Tested & Trusted Worldwide', 'Fibre 89', 'Cambridge Health & Weight Plan', 'neuCD', 'Het Cambridge Dieet' , 'Fitness with Cambridge' and combinations / translations thereof are trade marks or registered trade marks of Cambridge Nutritional Foods Ltd or associated companies, in the UK and elsewhere, and must not be used without permission.
Your first meeting with a Counsellor will establish a number of important factors: whether the time is right - and the programme you should follow.
Although you may want to manage your weight, this may not be the time: your background – employment, family circumstances; weight history – will all have an impact. You will need the full support of friends and family.
Getting Ready
Use the Preparation phase to reduce food intake gradually, especially if you will be using ‘Sole Source’ or ‘Sole Source Plus’ to lose weight. Reduce the levels of carbohydrate, fats and sugar before you start.
Begin one or two steps above your weight loss programme. For example, if Step 2 (810 kcal) were going to be used for weight loss, start on Step 4 (1200 kcal) for three days, then move down to Step 3 (1000 kcal) for four days before starting the weight loss proper.
Gradually increase the amount of water you drink - especially important for those who have a history of constipation. This kind of structured preparation is far better that the common scenario of starting a diet at 7am on a Monday morning – after one last massive fling over the weekend! This is just about the worse thing anyone could do, because decreasing carbohydrate intake so sharply could lead to withdrawal symptoms, including headaches and can increase tiredness and hunger. It is also very unhelpful because it will load glycogen stores and delay real weight loss.
Get Serious
Making a serious attempt to manage your weight is a big undertaking and represents a huge change in lifestyle. Use this stage to pinpoint the causes of your overweight: record typical daily intake; levels of activity; type of lifestyle – whether your job keeps you confined to a desk, or a car etc. Your Counsellor will help to identify those factors which can be changed, and will help you decide whether now is the time to change.
Losing weight is probably the easiest part of the weight management process. Having chosen the day, look forward to it with pleasure. Try and stick to the chosen Cambridge programme and the menu.
Step 1A & B Sole Source & Sole Source Plus (Step 1)
On the Sole Source programme, you will have three Cambridge meals every day (or four if you are a man or above 5ft 8in) – and no other food! You should also drink plenty of water (We recommend at least eight glasses per day).
On the Sole Source Plus programme you can choose between having three Cambridge Diet meals a day plus a 200kcal meal OR four Cambridge Diet meals a day plus 200ml skimmed milk. The number of Cambridge Diet meals in this programme is regardless of height or gender. Your Counsellor may advise you to use the ‘four plus milk’ option until your weight loss is well-established.
The Government’s COMA report into the use of Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCDs) in 1989 concluded that no one with a BMI below 25 should use a VLCD to lose weight. To provide extra protection, Cambridge has therefore stipulated that Cambridge Counsellors should not allow dieters to begin either the Sole Source or Sole Source Plus programme unless they have at least one stone (6.3 kg) to lose before getting down to BMI 25. The NICE Guidance on Obesity published in December 2006 further stated that people who wish to follow a diet of less than 600 kcal/day should do so under clinical supervision. Your Cambridge Counsellor therefore will notify your GP if you choose the Sole Source Programme (415 - 554 kcal/day), so that your GP can decide how close that supervision needs to be.
| Allowable fluids: | Forbidden fluids: | |
|
(Note that so-called ‘zero drinks’ are often ‘zero added sugar’ and not ‘zero calorie’. They often contain some natural sugar and hence some calories too.) |
The first few days will be exciting, as you lose weight every day. It is highly motivating to continue. You will feel better and healthier than you have ever felt in your life because your body is receiving everything it needs, and nothing else.
You may feel hungry during the first three days, particularly during the evening. Either do something to keep your mind very occupied or go to bed early with a good book (or partner!). After a few days you will not feel hungry. Remember that if you do eat, you will feel very hungry, because any extra food will stimulate your appetite. Make a commitment to lose weight and be determined!
First Weeks
Losing weight can be frustrating and regular (weekly) visits to your Cambridge Counsellor can be a great help and may make the difference between success and failure. If you have any problems or want advice, contact your Counsellor.
You can indulge in all your normal activities but you don't overdo it. If you feel tired, then take a rest. You should try to ensure that you always weigh yourself at the same time of day - most people chose to weigh themselves when they first get up in the morning. You will be delighted with your progress and be very excited with it. This is the real motivation that makes you want to continue.
You may experience several days when you do not lose weight. If so, do not become discouraged. It is very likely that you are losing fat but retaining water; this is known as a plateau. You may be losing girth faster than weight, which is why we recommend that you use a tape measure to record your vital dimensions in addition to your weight. Have faith in the Diet because the weight loss will restart once you lose the water you have been retaining.
Stage 3: Stabilisation - The last few pounds
The higher-level Cambridge programmes (not Very Low Calorie) - from 810 to 1500cal - can be used for stabilisation as well as weight loss. In Stabilisation, you will supplement Cambridge meals with selected foods. This will help to ensure long-term weight maintenance, but will also prevent short-term weight regain. This stabilisation builds towards the final level of energy intake required to achieve a long-term stable weight.
Stabilisation should not be hurried. A minimum of a week should be spent on each Step – two weeks is better. The basic plan is to start stabilisation on the Diet Step above the one used to lose weight. For example, if you used the Sole Source programme (Step 1A) to lose weight, you should start stabilisation with Sole Source Plus (Step 1B), then move to Step 2 – 810 kcal and so on. The longer you spend at this phase, the more successful you will be in achieving a long-term stable – and sustainable – weight.
If the recommendations are followed to the letter, you should continue to shed a little more weight during this period of stabilisation. For this reason, there is no need to go below target weight to allow for rebound weight-gain.
Stage 4: Maintenance
Maintenance usually begins when weight loss stops, and can start at about 1500 kcal per day. However, it will vary because the recommended daily energy intake figures are 2000 kcal for women and 2500 kcal for men, so some people may still lose some weight if their intake is below these levels.
The real danger is – after the 'exciting' Weight loss phase – that all the old reasons for being overweight could return. The Cambridge four-stage process helps you to understand the reasons for your original overweight, and the Stabilisation phase adds selected healthy food choices. In the Maintenance stage, you can continue this healthy eating and increasing the levels of activity. Many people continue to use Cambridge once or twice a day – not only to control energy intake but to carry on getting the benefits of good nutrition.
Keep a regular check on your weight. When your body weight is increased by more than five pounds above your ideal weight, it is time to take prompt action. This can be done by cutting out a conventional meal and having a Cambridge meal instead. As time goes by, people who have been plagued by being overweight for most of their lives become slim, and attain great confidence. The Cambridge Diet is a very powerful tool with which you can control your weight.
Cutting Down on the Calories
• Avoid fat • Restrict salt • Eat fibre • Restrict sugar • Restrict Alcohol
• Avoid Fast Food • Eat Healthy foods
A Permanent Change
An occasional criticism of the Cambridge Diet is that it does not change people's eating habits in the long term and is therefore ineffective for maintaining weight-loss. However many successful dieters know otherwise. For the first time many of them are able to realise that vast quantities of food are not indispensable to life. And whereas many diets actually make you concentrate more on food, by counting calories or eating as much as you like of a particular food, the Cambridge Diet teaches you to live without having food continually on your mind. This experience has a beneficial effect on most people and gives them the motivation to not only succeed in the short term but to conquer their longer term habits that led to the problem in the first place. There is ample proof that the Cambridge stabilisation and maintenance plan achieves excellent results in returning the dieter to long-term healthy eating principles.
The Cambridge Diet is a flexible product that can be used as the Sole Source of nutrition for fast, predictable weight loss with nutritional assurance, with conventional food for more gradual weight loss, weight maintenance or nutritional supplementation.
Sole Source of Nutrition
If you decide to use the Cambridge Diet as the sole source of nutrition, it is essential to take no fewer than three full portions, and to drink at least 2.25 litres (4 pints) of calorie-free liquid each day, in addition to the water used to mix your Cambridge meals. You are allowed to follow the Step 1 A & B (Sole Source and Sole Source Plus) programme for a maximum of 12 weeks at a time.
Notes: To be sure of obtaining your complete nutritional requirements, whilst following Sole Source (Step 1A) you should take four portions if you are a woman over 173cm (5ft 8in) tall or a man. A portion can be a sweet or soup sachet, a ready-to-drink Tetra Brik, or a Cambridge bar. No more than one meal a day should be a bar. Your 2.25l (4pts) of calorie-free liquid can include water, black coffee or tea; for each Tetra Brik or meal bar you use instead of a sachet add a further 200ml (half pint).
Your Counsellor will advise you how to proceed if you have further weight to lose or if you are ready to maintain your new target weight.
With Conventional FoodPart of the attraction of The Cambridge Diet is that it is part of a flexible range of programmes which allows it to be used with conventional food in a series of Steps (810 kcal, 1000 kcal, 1200 kcal or 1500 kcal). These help the user to stabilise after weight loss and to gradually increase the intake of conventional food and move back to a normal eating pattern.
These steps are also important if you begin with either Sole Source or Sole Source Plus programmes: once you have reached BMI 25, you must move up to Step 2 - 810 Calories. You may also use The Cambridge Diet together with conventional food to lose weight more gradually.
In any of these cases, you should follow the advice of your Counsellor.
The typical contents of a Cambridge Diet sachet in the U.K.
| Ingredient |
per 100ml mix
|
per 40g serving
|
per 3
servings |
per 4
serving |
|||||
| Energy kJ |
219
|
- |
585
|
- |
1754
|
- |
2329
|
- | |
| Energy kcal |
52
|
138
|
415
|
554
|
|||||
| Protein |
5.4
|
g |
14.4
|
g |
43.2
|
g |
57.6
|
g | |
| Carb |
5.3
|
g |
14.1
|
g |
42.4
|
g |
56.5
|
g | |
|
of which
|
sugars |
4.8
|
g |
12.8
|
g |
38.4
|
g |
51.2
|
g |
| polyols |
0.0
|
g |
0.0
|
g |
0.0
|
g |
0.0
|
g | |
| starch |
0.5
|
g |
1.3
|
g |
4.0
|
g |
5.3
|
g | |
| Fat |
1.0
|
g |
2.7
|
g |
8.1
|
g |
10.8
|
g | |
|
of which
|
saturates |
0.2
|
g |
0.5
|
g |
1.5
|
g |
2.0
|
g |
| mono-unsaturates |
0.2
|
g |
0.4
|
g |
1.2
|
g |
1.7
|
g | |
| polyunsaturates |
0.4
|
g |
1.1
|
g |
3.4
|
g |
4.5
|
g | |
| cholesterol |
0.9
|
mg |
2.4
|
mg |
7.2
|
mg |
9.6
|
mg | |
| Fibre |
0.9
|
g |
2.5
|
g |
7.6
|
g |
10.1
|
g | |
| Ingredient |
per 40g
serving |
per 3
servings |
% of RDA
|
per 4
serving |
|||
| Sodium |
0.5
|
g |
1.5
|
g |
|
2.0
|
g |
| Vitamin A |
266.7
|
mcg |
800.0
|
mcg |
100
|
1066.7
|
mcg |
| Vitamin D |
1.7
|
mcg |
5.0
|
mcg |
100
|
6.6
|
mcg |
| Vitamin E |
3.3
|
mg |
10.0
|
mg |
100
|
13.3
|
mg |
| Vitamin C |
20.0
|
mg |
60.0
|
mg |
100
|
80.0
|
mg |
| Thiamin |
0.5
|
mg |
1.4
|
mg |
100
|
1.9
|
mg |
| Riboflavin |
0.5
|
mg |
1.6
|
mg |
100
|
2.1
|
mg |
| Niacin |
6.0
|
mg |
18.0
|
mg |
100
|
24.0
|
mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
0.7
|
mg |
2.0
|
mg |
100
|
2.7
|
mg |
| Folacin |
66.7
|
mcg |
200.0
|
mcg |
100
|
266.7
|
mcg |
| Vitamin B12 |
0.7
|
mcg |
2.0
|
mcg |
200
|
2.7
|
mcg |
| Biotin |
0.05
|
mg |
0.15
|
mg |
100
|
0.2
|
mg |
| Pantothenic Acid |
2.0
|
mg |
6.0
|
mg |
100
|
8.0
|
mg |
| Vitamin K |
40.0
|
mcg |
120.0
|
mcg |
*
|
160.0
|
mcg |
| Calcium |
304.0
|
mg |
912.0
|
mg |
114
|
1216.0
|
mg |
| Phosphorous |
336.0
|
mg |
1008.0
|
mg |
126
|
1344.0
|
mg |
| Iron |
4.7
|
mg |
14.0
|
mg |
100
|
18.6
|
mg |
| Magnesium |
100.0
|
mg |
300.0
|
mg |
100
|
400.0
|
mg |
| Zinc |
5.0
|
mg |
15.0
|
mg |
100
|
20.0
|
mg |
| Iodine |
50.0
|
mcg |
150.0
|
mcg |
100
|
200.0
|
mcg |
| Potassium |
0.8
|
g |
2.5
|
g |
*
|
3.4
|
g |
| Chloride |
0.7
|
g |
2.0
|
g |
*
|
2.7
|
g |
| Copper |
1.0
|
mg |
3.0
|
mg |
*
|
4.0
|
mg |
| Manganese |
1.3
|
mg |
3.9
|
mg |
*
|
5.2
|
mg |
| Selenium |
40.0
|
mcg |
120.0
|
mcg |
*
|
160.0
|
mcg |
| Molybdenum |
80.0
|
mcg |
240.0
|
mcg |
*
|
320.0
|
mcg |
| Chromium |
40.0
|
mcg |
120.0
|
mcg |
*
|
160.0
|
mcg |
Each serving also contains 1g linoleic acid and 0.13g of linolenic acid
Each drink or soup provides at least 33% of the Recommended Daily Allowance given for vitamins and trace minerals in Council Directive 90/496/EEC
* No RDA given in Council Directive 90/496/EEC
This nutritional information will vary slightly in different countries to meet local regulations and requirements.