[2cheezygurl]

have anybody tried kellog's k special? do they work?
I heard a friend someone lost a bulk of weight being on kellog's diet. I tried but it is not working for me. Due to hectic lifestyle, i am kind of dependent on packaged food and snacks. Any good wholewheat packaged food?
I have also used Weetabix and i feel they were kinda better.

[nelie]

There is nothing special about Special K. Kellogs created an ad campaign plain and simple 'encouraging' people to eat 2 bowls of Special K per day. It seems to be a somewhat successful ad campaign. The diet works due to calorie restriction. So I would suggest you count calories if you want to lose weight.

[Misti in Seattle]

Real whole oats (or other hot healthful cereals) take 3 minutes to cook in the microwave. With a handful of dried cranberries, or some fresh fruit thrown in, they are hard to beat. It is a myth that prepackaged foods are necessary.

But in answer to your question, I agree completely with nelie. It was a great ad campaign to sell cereal. Most prepackaged cereals are loaded with sugar, salt, chemicals, etc.

[LAgreeneyes]

I have been seeing the commercial for the Special K cereal challenge a lot on tv and I am curious to know if anyone has tried it and does it really work? I want to try it to see if it really works but I think I would starve.

The Special K Diet was created by the Kellogg’s breakfast cereal company.

Basically it involves eating a bowl (45g) of Special K with ½ cup of low fat milk for breakfast then another for lunch OR dinner for two weeks.

Kellogg’s quotes the results of a scientific study supporting their diet, which showed that 3 out of 4 dieters achieved a slimmer waist and hips and lost up to six pounds over a two-week period.

Scientists at the university reached the conclusion that most of this was due to fat loss.

Special K Diet Basics

Eat two serves of Special K cereal a day and ½ cup low fat milk for breakfast and either lunch or dinner.

The third meal should be a low fat and nutritionally balanced meal.
Snacks may include fruit, vegetables, low fat yogurt or a Special K bar.
Beverages may be consumed as normal with no strict limits required as long as alcohol is avoided. Water and diluted fruit juices are recommended.

Although calorie counting is not required the actual calorie intake is in accordance with requirements for weight loss for most individuals.

The participants in the study mention above consumed an average of 1590 calories per day. This was calculated to be a reduction of their normal calorie intake of 27% and of fat intake by half.

Sample 1 Day Meal Plan

Breakfast
1 bowl of Special K Bliss Strawberry and Chocolate with 125mls skimmed milk
Coffee or tea

Snack
Apple

Lunch
Bowl of Special K Red Berries with 125mls skimmed milk

Snack
Carrot sticks, sugar snap peas or a Special K Bar

Dinner
Grilled salmon, boiled new potatoes, broccoli, carrots and peas

Dessert
Banana and low fat yogurt or
Fresh fruit salad


Exercise Recommendations
Exercise is mentioned as being important as part of a healthy lifestyle with 30 minutes of daily activity recommended in accordance with government recommendations.

These exercises can be used with The Special K Diet.

Costs and Expenses
There are no costs involved as all the details of the Special K Diet along with menu plans, meal suggestions and recipes are available on the Special K Challenge website.

Pros
No calorie counting necessary.

Simple and easy to follow.

Scientifically proven to be effective for 75% of people.

Breakfast has been shown in many studies to produce a wide variety of health benefits including lower cholesterol levels, improved memory and concentration and a higher intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

One large study showed that people who ate cereal for breakfast had a lower body mass index than those who skipped breakfast or had eggs for breakfast.

Cons
The lack of variation in this diet may lead to boredom as well as potentially compromised nutrient intake. Even though the breakfast cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals it is questionable as to the degree that this can make up for nutrients that would otherwise be obtained from a wider range of whole foods.

Special K is not based on whole grains and is not a particularly good source of fiber. It is necessary to consume an abundance of fruit and vegetables during the day as well as to include a source of whole grains such as brown rice or legumes in the other meal in order to meet daily minimum fiber requirements.

Hunger is likely to be a problem for most people. Special K is high GI and high sugar which can actually trigger an increased appetite for many individuals.

The weight may be regained easily when a normal diet is resumed after the two week period.

http://www.everydiet.org/diet/special-k-diet

[nelie]

I merged yours with the other one, it is simply an ad campaign. It might 'work' but only because calorie counting works.

[2cheezygurl]

Okay thankyou very much for this information. It was very helpful. I might stick to real food and not the packaged ones. And ofcourse, start a food journal