The Cambridge Diet is often characterized as a very low-calorie diet. It follows a very restrictive caloric intake by replacing all meals with shakes, soups and other pre-packaged products to promote rapid weight loss. Like other very low-calorie diets, this weight-loss plan is only recommended for people considered obese or morbidly obese.
Calories
On the Cambridge Diet, you only eat pre-packaged foods as a way of reducing your caloric intake. For the first four weeks, it is not uncommon to restrict your caloric intake to no more than 400 to 500 calories a day. This is far fewer calories that what’s often recommended by the National Institutes of Health, which is 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men. After the initial weight loss period, your caloric intake is then increased to anywhere between 700 and 800 calories. This is soon followed by the next phase of the diet where you increase your caloric intake to 1,000 calories a day.
Nutrition
Though the Cambridge Diet is highly restrictive in nature, the products do, however, provide you with 100 percent of your Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA, of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, notes Diets In Review.com. The shakes and other liquid-based products also contain ample amounts of carbohydrate and protein, roughly 54 g and 51 g, respectively, with a minimal amount of fat.
Food
Some plans on the Cambridge Diet do allow for foods. In this situation, you add another 400 to 800 calories to the 400 to 500 calories seen in the initial phase. These foods must be low in calories and low in fat, usually focusing on vegetables and lean protein. No other foods are allowed.
Exercise
Unlike standard weight loss plans, the Cambridge Diet doesn’t recommend exercise. The highly restrictive nature in calories doesn’t necessarily accommodate for the energy expenditure needed to preform such physical activities. However, an important facet to weight management after losing weight is regular exercise, so another weight loss program may be better suited for long-term results.
Recommendation
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends using a very low-calorie diet only under the supervision of a doctor. The reason for medical supervision is that this type of diet produces more rapid weight loss than standard techniques, often providing a 15 to 25 percent loss of pounds from their initial weight. With such significant results, you’re at a greater risk of developing gallstones as a result of increased cholesterol levels. Medical professionals should monitor your health during the course of treatment to prevent and treat this and other potential side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, constipation and fatigue.
As with any very low-calorie diet, you shouldn’t use this weight loss plan with a body mass index, or BMI, under 30, unless you’re suffering from a medical condition linked to your excess weight, such as high blood pressure. Your doctor can determine if the Cambridge Diet is right for you.
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