Sunday, October 26, 2014

Tips for Those New To Cambridge, part 1 of 2

          
         
Some of you are new to Cambridge and may not have heard these suggestions before so they are worth repeating I think          
         
1) Be SURE to have all 3 of you Cambridge servings a day. This is extremely important, even if you are doing the regular program and adding food. You are only guaranteed a safe weight loss experience if you have your 3 a day. Otherwise you are on a "crash" type diet and you could harm your health.          
         
2) In your first week you are going through lots of adjustments. One of them is entering     ketosis. You can read about ketosis on my web site on the Q&A page. Until you enter ketosis you may experience hunger. If so, feel free to have additional Cambridge if you need them. Have whatever it takes to get you through the first few days without breaking your diet. You are better off having additional calories of Cambridge then regular food that may get out of control.          
         
3) If you find that you are feeling hungry between your Cambridge meals, you can break up your servings into half servings and spread them out over the day. For some this seems to help, especially in the beginning. You will eventually be able to just have your 3 or 4 whole servings at regular intervals with no feelings of hunger except at meal times.         
         
4) It is encouraged that you try for 2 solid weeks of SS, meaning you substitute ALL your food with Cambridge. This gives you the best start and allows the body to adjust while giving you the benefit of natural appetite suppressant and good energy that comes from being in ketosis. If you are going to add regular food to the diet, try to stick to lean proteins and low carb veggies. This will have less of an effect on your appetite. High sugar foods like fruit might stimulate your appetite, but you can try and see. Some people add fruit to the shakes and do fine, others find it makes them hungry. SS is best so give it a good try!         
         
5) Drink water! Lots of water! More then you likely drink now. Double it! I have a 32 oz bottle that I fill at least 3 times a day. It helps with weight loss and fluid retention.          
         
6) Take a good "before" picture. This will become very important to you as you are losing. I found that I had such body image problems that I could not see the weight loss in the mirror. I had to keep taking Polaroid's (before cell phone cameras!) to compare the difference. It is amazing to see the progress in pictures!          
         
7) Try not to be a slave to the scale. Remember that scales are weighing the entire body, not just the fat. Your body is in a constant state of change and it is unrealistic to think that what you see on the scale is in any way an accurate measure of fat loss. Try to weigh once a week and then have someone hide the scale from you!          
         
8) Exercise is not a requirement to lose on Cambridge, but it certainly does keep things moving along and helps to tone and firm as you lose. The health benefits are tremendous, both physically and mentally! Walking is a good way to start and light weights should come next.          
         
9) If you have a large amount to lose, try not to look at the big picture. Take it in mini goals, 10 pounds, one size, etc. Before you know it you will be at goal!          
         
10) You will probably have lots of well meaning friends and family tell you that what you are doing is bad for you. Try to listen and understand that it's possible and not unusual for people to be talking only to please themselves, not you. Obviously, you have done your research and have determined that Cambridge is a safe effective and nutritious way to lose weight at the fastest rate possible. They should respect that. Thank them for their concern and then suggest they go have this conversation with one of their friends who is considering gastric surgery.          
         
11) You will probably go through some emotional trials as you lose. None of us got this heavy because we were hungry! We got obese because of an inappropriate relationship with food based on an emotional need. You might be confronting these issues as your weight goes down. This is part of the healing that is taking place and should be embraced, not avoided.          
         
12) Remember to come to visit the Support Board at 
http://members5.boardhost.com/pam140/
when you need help or encouragement, or just need to brag! We will cheer for you, we will cry with you, we will educate you, we will understand.          
         
13) Finally, try to think of this as a gift to yourself. Others will benefit indirectly... family, loved ones, etc..but this is all about you! This is the time to be selfish in the best way possible. Do not let other's needs override your own. No one will suffer if you don't go to that BBQ or have any of that birthday cake. You will not offend anyone if you refuse to go out with the people at work to celebrate a promotion or a retirement. Send a card or flowers, just don't send yourself! 

Check back 10/28 for part 2

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