What Is the Cambridge Diet?

The Cambridge Diet is a popular eating plan in the United Kingdom, and one that has gained a lot of attention due to many individuals who have literally lost hundreds of pounds on this diet. Still, many questions remain about whether or not this weight loss plan is safe, and if it should really be used or not.

The Cambridge Diet is a very low calorie diet that is set up as a multi-tier eating plan. It is very important to note that because of how low the early daily calorie counts are, this plan is only used with very overweight people whose BMI marks them as dangerously or morbidly obese, and it is only undergone with weekly medical supervision.

All dieters on this plan begin on the first tier, which is either 450 or 550 calories depending on if you're started on section A of the first tier or section B. This lasts at least a week, but never more than twelve. Most of the time, doctors will want the dieter to move off this tier as quickly as possible, but all the calories from this section come from very specific soups, shakes, and mush that are designed to have high amounts of nutrients to help off set the low calorie totals – although it's always a good idea to take a multi-vitamin each day.

Once the dieter moves off this phase, they still always eat the base 450 or 550 calories from specific Cambridge Diet supplements and food, but bit by bit more calories from normal food is allowed in until eventually the diet gets up to 1,500 calories at the "maintenance stage."

There are some obvious knocks on this diet. Many dieticians and weight loss experts don't like diets that are this low calorie because that's well below the daily recommended minimum amount, even for dieters. Most healthy diet plans insist on an absolute minimum of 1,200 calories a day. The argument on the other side is that since this eating plan is only for the dangerously overweight, the immediate weight loss is necessary to ease pressure on the heart and try to get the dieter to the point where they can engage in even moderate physical activity.

While there is still controversy surrounding the Cambridge Diet, this is an eating plan in the United Kingdom that is going to find its fans and will continue to be used in reducing dangerous levels of obesity.