Brenda Khan
The Cambridge Diet is a very-low-calorie meal replacement diet that was developed in the 1960s by biochemist Dr Alan Howard at Cambridge University, England. The diet has been characterised as a fad diet due to its starvation-level calorie intake, extreme weight loss, and rapid rise and fall in popularity in the 1980s. The core concept of the diet is to replace most or all meals with specially formulated meal replacement products, such as shakes, soups, bars, and porridge, which are approximately 200 calories or under. The diet has six stages, with total calories gradually increasing from around 500 to 1200 kcal per day before the maintenance stage is reached.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Calories | Very low-calorie diet, with daily intake increasing gradually from around 500-600 to 1200 kcal per day before the maintenance stage is reached. |
| Meals | Meals are replaced with shakes, soups, bars, porridge, noodles, skimmed milk, and other calorie-controlled products. |
| Weight Loss | Quick weight loss is likely due to the extreme calorie deficit. |
| Stages | The diet follows six stages or "steps", with total calories gradually increasing before the maintenance stage is reached. |
| Sustainability | The diet is not a sustainable or healthy long-term approach and can negatively affect your relationship with food, your social life, and mental well-being. |
| Adverse Effects | Possible adverse effects include bad breath, dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, constipation, hair loss, and muscle loss. |
| Cost | The diet can be costly as people must buy at least two weeks' worth of products at a time. |
| Support | The diet includes a 'personalised consultant' who provides support and helps to create an individualised diet plan. |
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What You'll Learn
The Cambridge Diet is a very-low-calorie meal replacement plan
The core concept of the diet is to replace most or all of a person's daily food intake with 35 specially formulated meal replacement products, such as shakes, soups, bars, and porridge. All of these products are approximately 200 calories or under. The diet follows six stages, and total calories gradually increase from around 500 to 1200 kcal per day before the maintenance stage is reached. The first step consists of 3-4 products totalling at least 600 kcal per day.
The Cambridge Diet works by pushing the body into an extreme calorie deficit, where you burn more calories than you consume during the day. This forces the body into a state of ketosis, where you burn fat for fuel rather than food. This is a process that other weight-loss diets, like the ketogenic diet, also aim to create.
The Cambridge Diet has been criticised for not being a sustainable or healthy approach to weight loss. Critics argue that it does not teach participants how to put food together or cook from scratch, and that it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes. Additionally, very-low-calorie diets can lead to undesirable side effects, such as fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, muscle loss, and constipation.
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It was initially used in hospital weight loss programs
The Cambridge Diet was initially used and developed in hospital weight loss programs in the 1960s by Alan Howard at Cambridge University, England. It is a very-low-calorie meal replacement diet. The diet was launched with different versions in the US and the UK. The US version filed for bankruptcy and shut down shortly after the deaths of several dieters. The UK diet has also been known as the Cambridge Weight Plan but is now known as The 1:1 Diet.
The Cambridge Diet plan falls into the 'fad diet' category. It is a very-low-calorie diet where regular meals are replaced by shakes, soups, bars, and porridges. The diet follows six stages, and total calories gradually increase from around 500 to 1200 kcal per day before the maintenance stage is reached. The first step consists of 3-4 products totalling at least 600 kcal per day. The core concept of the diet is to replace most or all of a person's daily food intake with 35 specially formulated meal replacement products. All of these products are approximately 200 calories or under.
The diet works by putting the body into ketosis. In the absence of carbohydrates for energy, the body starts burning stored fat, leading to a reduction in weight. While there is some evidence that these types of diets result in short-term weight loss, there is little evidence of long-term benefit. There are also concerns about the cost as people must buy at least two weeks' worth of product at a time. The British Dietetic Association lists the possible adverse side effects as including "bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and constipation".
The Cambridge Diet has evolved into the 1:1 Diet with the addition of a 'personalised consultant' working with the dieter to create an individualised diet plan. This extra support provides accountability and has been shown to help increase success rates. Ingredients and meal replacement ideas are provided (at a cost), and dieters continue to see their consultant once a week for a review and to order more meals.
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It has been criticised for being a fad diet
The Cambridge Diet has been criticised for being a fad diet due to its starvation-level calorie intake, extreme weight loss, and rapid rise and fall in popularity in the 1980s. The diet has been described as a "starvation tactic" for the body, with the number of calories consumed being so low that it is likely to deplete energy levels and weaken the immune system.
The diet's extreme calorie deficit and rapid weight loss claims have led to concerns about its sustainability and health implications. Critics argue that it is not a healthy or sustainable long-term approach to weight loss and can negatively impact an individual's relationship with food, their social life, and mental well-being. The diet's restriction of calories and specific food groups goes against the general recommendation of combining healthy eating and exercise for weight loss.
The Cambridge Diet has also been criticised for being a one-size-fits-all approach that does not consider individual differences in dietary needs, influenced by factors such as genetics, metabolism, and lifestyle. This lack of personalisation may lead to adverse health outcomes, as it does not take into account the nutritional status, insulin sensitivity, circadian rhythm, or gut health of each individual.
Additionally, the diet has been criticised for not teaching participants how to prepare meals or cook from scratch, which is essential for maintaining healthy eating habits after the diet is completed. The cost of the diet has also been a point of criticism, as individuals are required to purchase Cambridge Diet products, and there are concerns about the qualifications of the local consultants providing support.
The Cambridge Diet, with its very low-calorie intake, has been the subject of warnings from health organisations. Modern guidelines recommend that diets with less than 1000 calories per day should not be followed for more than 12 weeks without medical supervision, and those with less than 600 calories per day require medical supervision. The British Dietetic Association has listed adverse side effects associated with the diet, including bad breath, dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and constipation.
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It has been linked to adverse health outcomes
The Cambridge Diet has been linked to adverse health outcomes. The diet has been criticised for its starvation-level calorie intake, which can lead to rapid weight loss that is not sustainable in the long term. It can also negatively affect your relationship with food, your social life, and your mental well-being.
The British Dietetic Association has listed several adverse side effects associated with the Cambridge Diet, including "bad breath, a dry mouth, tiredness, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and constipation". Additionally, very-low-calorie diets can lead to sudden death by cardiac arrest. As a result, modern guidelines state that a diet of less than 1000 kcal/day should not be followed for more than 12 weeks, and a diet of less than 600 kcal/day should only be undertaken with medical supervision.
The Cambridge Diet has also been characterised as a "fad diet" due to its extreme weight loss and rapid rise and fall in popularity in the 1980s. In 1987, a UK government Health Department report expressed scepticism about the diet's effectiveness in achieving protein sparing and preserving lean tissue during weight loss. Furthermore, the diet's one-size-fits-all approach may not address individual differences in dietary needs, as influenced by genetics, metabolism, and lifestyle. Victoria Repa, a certified Health Coach, CEO, and founder of BetterMe, a health and wellness platform, agrees that the Cambridge Diet may not consider important factors such as the nutritional quality of food and individual nutritional status.
The diet's extreme calorie restriction can also lead to undesirable outcomes such as fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, and muscle loss due to inadequate nutrition. It is important to note that long-lasting change requires a holistic approach that goes beyond just food. The human body is designed to survive, and dieting may not be effective in the long run as the body will eventually adapt to calorie restriction to prevent starvation.
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It is now called the 1:1 Diet
The Cambridge Diet has been characterised as a fad diet due to its starvation-level calorie intake, extreme weight loss, and rapid rise and fall in popularity in the 1980s. It is now called the 1:1 Diet.
The 1:1 Diet is categorised as a very-low-calorie diet. The diet plan has six variants or "steps", with the first step consisting of three to four products totalling at least 600 kcal per day. The core concept of the diet is to replace most or all of a person's daily food intake with 35 specially formulated meal replacement products, such as shakes, soups, bars, and porridge. All of these products are approximately 200 calories or under.
The diet works by putting the body into a state of ketosis, where, in the absence of carbohydrates for energy, the body starts burning stored fat, leading to weight loss. While there is some evidence that these types of diets result in short-term weight loss, there is little evidence of long-term benefit. In fact, it is not a sustainable or healthy approach and can negatively affect your relationship with food, your social life, and your mental well-being.
The 1:1 Diet is now accompanied by a 'personalised consultant' who works with the dieter to create an individualised diet plan. This extra support provides accountability and has been shown to help increase success rates. Ingredients and meal replacement ideas are provided (at a cost), and dieters continue to see their consultant once a week for a review and to order more meals.
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Frequently asked questions
The Cambridge Diet is a very-low-calorie meal replacement diet developed in the 1960s. It was initially used in hospital weight loss programs in the UK. The diet has evolved and is now called the 1:1 Diet.
The Cambridge Diet consists of replacing meals with 35 specially formulated meal replacement products, including shakes, soups, bars, and porridge. These products are designed to be low in calories, creating a significant calorie deficit, but still high in essential nutrients.
The Cambridge Diet works by putting the body into a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This is achieved by creating a large calorie deficit, where the number of calories burned is greater than the number of calories consumed.
