has anyone tried cambridge diet?

[rozia]

is it any good? need to lose a stone at least before holidays in June.

[Sqad]

I will shorten my answer in an attempt to save AB a boring resume of an unresolved medical problem......please bare with me.

\\So you are saying that ALL (99%) of all obese people have diabetes............where did you get that from? \\\

You still haven't answered that....


The DietDoctor is NOT a medical website but is a blog site of a medically qualified person whose views are not widely accepted in the medical world (that doesn’t mean that his views Re incorrect). The blogs are mainly of people who agree with him and there are no references of properly conducted medical research so that we cannot question his comments.

These theories of weight loss ( low carb and high protein) remain unproven, and most experts are concerned that high-protein, low-carb diets can cause a host of problems, particularly for the large segment of the population that is at risk for heart disease. What's more, the plan doesn't permit a high intake of fruits and vegetables, recommended by most nutrional experts because of the numerous documented health benefits from these foods.

High fat/protein depends upon starving the body of carbohydrates and breaking down fat and protein to provide energy and we know that this produces a state of ketosis which may be dangerous in the short term as well as the long term.

How do we know? Because, this situation is created in hyperglycaemia in diabetics and we know that this can be dangerous and even life threatening.

The experts say to achieve permanent weight loss you must change your lifestyle. This means following a lower calorie diet that includes grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables combined with participating in regular physical activity.
In simple terms…….cut down a bit of everything and exercise.

Low calorie plus exercise is the “old school” and low carb/high fat/protein is the “new school”
Which is correct?
There have been no scientific studies to show that the latter has any benefits over the former and I do not consider the blog of one doctor statistically or scientifically significant.

Please if I am misrepresenting the issue and you have scientific studies to show that high fat/low carb is not only better but also a safe way of weight loss……please let me know and I don’t mean further blog sites.

In medicine if a topic has directly opposing views,it usually means that there is little difference between either or that we don’t know the answer.

[Smowball]

You dont need to do the Cambridge Diet, it will make you miserable and you will put the weight straight back on as soon as you stop it. in fact if you manage to lose a stone before your holiday then you will almost certainly put half on that back on whilst you are actually on holiday!
The answer to weight loss is simple - you need to eat less than you are now and move more than you are now. Cut out rubbish,evening snacking,less alcohol(FULL of calories!) and a brisk walk every day and you will be amazed how quickly you will start to lose weight.

[Sqad]

TopKat

\\\\the idea that dietary fat causes heart disease/high cholesterol and is dangerous has been thoroughly debunked.\\\

C'mon.......wherever did you read that?

Questioned YES but "debunked?" NO.

You make an unsubstantiated comment and do not specify if you are talking about animal fat or vegetable fat.

[mrs_overall]

Don't bother with faddy diets, just eat less and exercise more

[pastafreak]

The principles of low carb are not new-nor are they faddish(except when adopted by the media bandwagon). One of the earliest proponents was William Banting-who published his own solutions to his battle with obesity back in the 1860's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Banting

Also-any sensible approach does NOT disclude any food groups,but rather advises limiting certain foods. It is ultimately up to the individual to discover what works best.
Finally...have a look at this video.....fascinating,and informative-an American expert in bariatric surgery endorses the principles of LCHF....and this on a diabetes forum.

http://www.diabetesfo...estman-interview.html

[TopKat]

Well, here goes, Sqad! Hope you don't mind if I take you up on your challenge!

First of all there are references to medical studies on the site and Dr Eenfeldt is a respected physician. But, if you don't consider him so, there are many others - Dr Mary Vernon (specialist in treatment of obesity - you can see her interview on Youtube) Dr Peter Attia (his website is http://waroninsulin.com/ ) Dr Lustig (recently featured on "Sixty Minutes" in the US, also available on Youtube). I could go on ... but hopefully you can start with those. The proof about lc/hf is out there for anyone willing to do the research which you hopefully seem to be!

To start with, the "99%" figure I gave didn't refer to diabetes alone.The far end of the overweight spectrum is type 2 diabetes, but there are many stages along the way - insulin resistance being one. And the fact is, if a person is overweight, they are overweight because they carry too much fat. Insulin is primary hormone regulating the disposition of fat. The only way that most (99%) of humans become fat is if they have a problem with their insulin system whether to a greater or lesser degree.

To take your second point, I'm talking about about a low carbohydrate/high fat diet which is has been proven NOT to increase risk of heart disease. Study after study has shown that your risk of heart disease is directly related to your weight and your triglyceride levels. Both of these are proven to reduce when following lc/hf.

Also, your contention that ketosis is the same as ketoacidocis (not hyperglycaemia, as you stated) is simply wrong. They are not the same thing metabolically. Ketosis is the normal, functional state of the body when eating a low carb diet - the diet our ancestors ate for millions of years before farming made carbs more freely available than nature ever had. Your body will happily run on ketones (i.e. fat) forever - we all do this to a certain extent each night as we fast from dinner to breakfast. The idea that it is dangerous for the long term is also incorrect. I have followed a lc/hf diet for years and, having a very low carb tolerance, live in a state of permanent ketosis. As a direct result I'm slimmer, fitter and healthier according to all the tests my GP has done (blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides etc). Just my personal story? Means nothing? Well, there are thousands of people like me and we're not all keeling over. Unlike those poor souls who try to starve themselves and do more exercise - like I used to - on "low-calorie" diets. I did lose weight on some of my diets - for a while - but like most people, always regained, usually more, as soon as I began to "eat normally". How can that be tolerable in the long term? No one can starve themselves forever.

Finally, you say that this diet is the "new school" but it's not. This was the diet that was generally advised for losing weight more than 100 yrs ago when far fewer people were overweight than today. It used to be understood that carbs made you fat. To cite just one example, as long ago as 1863 a chap named Banting wrote a pamplet giving the low-carb/high fat advice (advice his doctor had given him) in his "Letter on Corpulence". And it was nothing new then. The "low-calorie/low fat" advice is on the contrary the one that is recent. It was brought in around 40 years ago - in the US - and many people now believe it is directly responsible for the epidemic of obesity we face today.

Please check out the science I've pointed you to and see what you think. There are also some very good books on the topic you could read - Gary Taubes' "The Diet Delusion" does a really good job on covering the history, science and causes of the current problem.

And thanks for giving me the opportunity to change your mind if I can!

[joko]

have to agree with topkat.... many people dismissed the atkins etc because they misunderstood it -particularly in the uk - they believed the 2 week induction was actually the whole diet and that you had to do that for life - so they ignored it and medics d ismissed it as dangerous etc...had they learned it correctly they would not have.
the science behind it makes sense and it works

[TopKat]

On the "dietary fat" which I just noticed you mention, Sqad - read this:
http://www.awlr.org/s...-clinical-trials.html
Or this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8836866
Or this http://aje.oxfordjour...tent/127/6/1118.short
As I said, study upon study has shown a direct link between triglyceride levels and heart disease risk independent of dietary fat intake and/or cholesterol levels. In fact, lower dietary intake of red meat etc. is associated with increases in risk of stroke!

[chattykathy]

Topkat - do you really eat a diet like that described on dietdoctor? Other than not drinking beer I think it sounds delicious but I'm afraid to eat that much fat! Would you mind sharing what you eat on a typical day/week?

[TopKat]

Hi Chattykathy - yes I do eat like this and have done for several years. Today for example, I had bacon and 2 fried eggs for breakfast, a chicken caesar salad for lunch (no croutons but lots of sauce!) and for dinner I'm having roast chicken with heaps of mange toute and again a creamy butter sauce. And this is a fairly typical day though in the week I'm more likely to have nuts/cheese for breakfast. I've also been for a brisk walk because I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and burn up some excess energy! Hope this info helps - there are lots of other people's stories out there if you're interested - just look up low-carb/high fat. Got to go now, must get some gardening done!

[boxtops]

So how much have you lost, topkat, over what period of time?

[cupid04]

No, but I've tried the sea food diet, I see it and eat it, LOL!

[TopKat]

I lost 50lbs over about 6 months - and kept it off/am still keeping it off. I was just going into the "obese" category for BMI and starting to have high blood pressure when I discovered this diet. My sister (who is 2 years older than me) had a greater problem and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes - she's lost about 100lb (in about 18 months) and also keeps it off. All her other health indicators are also much better.

[Sqad]

TopKat ....you point your point of view over very well......although you carefully select your references.

Yes, all the physicians that you mention are respected physicians, but equally, there are just as many eminent physicians that would disagree with you as i mentioned in my post. This is not an uncommon situation where there is diametrically opposed opinions by medical men e.g the cholesterol debate and heart disease......the MMR vaccine and bowel problems (Dr Wakefield , later discredited).
The effects of dietary regimes for weight loss are far from established.

You stated quite clearly that 99% of obese patients had an insulin problem...........I didn't make that up and is clearly unproven and unsubstantiated.


\\\To take your second point, I'm talking about about a low carbohydrate/high fat diet which is has been proven NOT to increase risk of heart disease. Study after study has shown that your risk of heart disease is directly related to your weight and your triglyceride levels. Both of these are proven to reduce when following lc/hf. \\\

Agreed but there are also well conducted trials that say quite the opposite.

\\\lso, your contention that ketosis is the same as ketoacidocis (not hyperglycaemia, as you stated) is simply wrong. They are not the same thing metabolically. Ketosis is the normal, functional state of the body when eating a low carb diet\\\

I agree, it is always difficult to know at what level to aim one's response and clearly in your case I aimed too low.

New school, old school were just relative terms not to be taken literally.

My objection to your posts was based on the assumed infallibility of your statements.

I will widen my reading.

[pastafreak]

Here's some of my typical meals on low carb...

Decaf with cream,cheese omelette or cheesy scrambled eggs
Roast chicken salad with cherry tomatoes,home made full fat yogurt with berries,
Slow cooked belly pork with buttered carrots and braised shallots

or

Huge bowl of porridge with a tiny bit of molasses sugar(my one concession to sugar),some blueberries and a drizzle of cream,decaf and cream
big burger with cheesy leeks
fish fillets with buttered spinach,cauli mash,yogurt and berries
Snacks are usually a bit of cheese,or cold meat.

Without bread,I am no longer bloated,and I don't miss pasta. If I eat anything with wheat,I can feel quite sluggish sometimes.I have brown or Basmati rice on occasion if I fancy it.

I certainly don't starve,and I get my 5 a day...some days more than others.
Always some 85% dark chocolate through the day

[rozia]

ok everyone, i have done the eat less move more, and the scales are still at 11stone 3pnd (3 weeks later) its not working. The eat less is healthy stuff and more fruit. The move more is walking every where and even just walking for exercise. It just does not seem to work for me......i have had blood tests etc, a little anaemic and hypothyroidism at 50mcg a day. So therefore i have no alternative but to go on a shake diet, i need it now, its getting me down, and i cry about it every night.........i need help before the holiday, or else im not going, women look great in bikinis, and i sit there in a kaftan and a pair of trousers, boil myself to death because i feel sick to death of the way i look. Thanks for all your replys, but my question was has any one tried it?

[pastafreak]

The advice most of us would give would be-don't do it.
Yes-you may lose some weight-but it can almost be guaranteed that you will gain it all back-plus a bit more when you resume normal eating. Is that what you want? We've discussed other diets here....have a look at the links...read some of the positive experiences....then decide if starving yourself on shakes is really what you want.
Good luck whatever you do.

[ojread2]

topkat, 50lbs over 6 months is about a right amount to lose each week - aiming for 2lbs a week
How you do that will really depend on some likes and dislikes
I would like to eat everything there is in moderation which you can do by following any normal eating plan that doesn't cost the earth and not one that is only available on line by a 'doctor' who's qualifications we have no idea about
There are proven, good, nay, excellent, eating plans out there that have been proven by many 1000's over a long time
Now would I rather follow one of those or some on line 'doctor' I've never heard of?

go figure

[ojread2]

rozia

Many people who are not losing weight at all despite doing ll you have said, are most likely not eating enough
Look again at your diet, write everything down and re-evaluate at the end of a week what you are eating

[LoftyLottie]

Leave well alone. I was reasonably slim when I decided to try it after putting on a stone after childbirth which refused to disappear. The worse thing I ever did. It totally played havoc with my metabolism (as do all silly diets) and I went up much heavier after coming off it. Healthy eating and exercise for life is a much better idea and the odd cheating doesn't matter. If you lose a st one before June, you may well end up 2 stone heavier ultimately.