How To Survive The First Few Days on the Cambridge Weight Plan or VLCD Diet

Tips for the First Few Days on the Cambridge Diet or VLCD Diet

The first few days on the Cambridge diet or Cambridge Weight Plan are notoriously hard.

Why? Because the diet works on the principle of putting your body into a state called ketosis. To explain it in its very simplest terms, ketosis is achieved when you are on a low carbohydrate diet and is the principle components of the Cambridge Weight Plan.

When your body no longer has a glycogen store, or ready access to carbs and sugar stores in your body, it then instead lives off of its fat stores and goes into fat burning mode.

One of the benefits of ketosis is that once in it you do not usually feel hungry. On the Cambridge diet it take 3-5 days to deplete your glycogen stores and go into ketosis. These first few days on the diet can be tough. You’re hungry, you might be experiencing carb and caffeine withdrawal too. Although on the flip side when you are in ketosis you feel pretty fantastic and the weight loss is awesome.

So, what can you do to get through these first few days?

• Drink lots and lots of water. It helps fill you up it helps flush your system and it’s really good for you too. Sparkling water can help fill you up more too.
• Keep yourself busy. I actually think it is easier to do these days when you’re at work and have plenty of things to keep you busy, so you don’t focus on food. I would never start the diet on a lazy Sunday or duvet day for instance.
• Empy the cupboards. Take away the temptation get rid of the crisps, biscuits, fizzy drinks, chocolate. Whatever your weakness is make sure it’s not in the house.
• Read a book, have a bath or if all else fails go to bed early. The evenings are without a doubt the hardest, so have a plan for when the going gets tough. I have actually gone to bed early so as not to give in to temptation and eat.
• Take it easy and be kind to yourself. Excercise isn’t recommended in the first couple of weeks on the diet until your body gets used to the lower calories. So take it easy and focus on that very first weigh-in.
• If you really, really can’t bear it and have to eat something, have protein. Protein will not replenish your glycogen store and delay you going into ketosis. Have some lean chicken, turkey or prawns. If you’re a vegetarian – a boiled egg, some cottage cheese or tofu.

Good luck and look forward to a fantastic weight loss.