Cambridge Weight Plan

It has been around 6 months since I gave birth to my baby daughter, and while from the outside it may look as though I’m pretty much back into shape, from the inside it feels like a whole different story. I put on about 17 kilos while pregnant, and for the first couple of weeks after the birth the weight melted away fairly easily through the grueling new-mum schedule of breast-feeding, no sleep and no time to eat! Over the past couple of months though I’ve slowed way down, leaving a few stubborn kilos which just refuse to budge. As a keen devotee of Slim Fast when I was at uni to counter the effects of a little too much over-indulging, I was interested to hear about the Cambridge Weight Plan, which as a meal-replacement system, sounded pretty similar.

The Cambridge Weight Plan consists of products (bars, porridge, milkshakes and soups which each cost around HK20-40 per meal) which are low in calories but nutritionally rich in vitamins and minerals so that you can stay healthy as you substitute them for your normal meals. The main difference though between the Cambridge Weight Plan and other meal replacement systems is that you are helped through the process by a trained consultant.. In Hong Kong, Cambridge Weight Plan HK, run by Sarah Armstrong is the place to go, and I went along for an appointment with Sarah to find out more.

Cambridge Weight Plan is located just around the corner from Pure Fitness in Soho in a walk-up building, and walking into the offices feels a little bit like entering a therapist’s office. Sarah Armstrong has been in Hong Kong for twenty years and exudes a motherly warmth which instantly puts you at ease and makes you feel comfortable to discuss issues and hang-ups surrounding eating and food. Sarah’s approach is all about understanding where weight issues come from in the first place so that your weight loss can be sustainable. After all, anyone can lose pounds with a quick-fix solution, but keeping the weight from creeping back on requires understanding of your behavioural patterns so that you change your life or lifestyle, not just your weight.

Sarah and her trained team of consultants who are based all over Hong Kong (even in Discovery Bay and the New Territories) can supply you with the Cambridge Weight Plan products, counsel you through the weight loss process with weekly check-in sessions, and then best of all, advise you on how to then reintegrate regular food and meals back into your life without putting weight back on. This emphasis on the individual approach seems to be what accounts for the amazing results that people have on the Cambridge Plan. You can check out the testimonials on their website, which are all Hong Kong success stories.

Sarah advised me that I probably didn’t need to do the full-on Cambridge Weight Plan system in my situation where the weight is already (even though slowly!) coming off by itself. It’s clear she’s sensitive to people who may have eating disorder issues, and I found this really reassuring that the business is focused on long-term healthy eating, setting attainable goals and not just a quick-fix solution. I did take away some bars and porridge though from the Cambridge range so that I can use them at times where I would otherwise skip meals through being busy, which of course is bad for our metabolisms. To be honest, I didn’t much enjoy the porridge as it is very sweet, but the bars were totally delicious and I went through my supply in a few days and now need to plan another visit to stock up!

The first consultation with Cambridge Weight Plan costs HK500, but from then on you just pay for the products themselves and the weekly check-in sessions are free of charge.

There are two Cambridge Consultants who are especially recommended for us mamas: Maggi and Raju, who will be covering Hong Kong Island and Kowloon respectively you can contact them using the details below…

Maggi Gough, maggi@cambridgeweightplan.hk, 6479 5388
Raju Jagtiani, raju@cambridgeweightplan.hk, 9314 1176
Alison Barnes, alison@cambridgeweightplan.hk, 9618 1777

Cambridge Weight Plan are also currently running a campaign to find Hong Kong’s Slimmer of the Year 2011. If you have some high weight loss goals and would like to take part in this fun challenge, just mention this when you book your consultation.