[MalibuBeachBound]

I'm new to the forum and am trying a technique derived from the Special K diet. I cannot eat 2 bowls of cereal every day (one for breakfast and one for lunch) so I have decided to have 1 bowl of special K for breakfast and a lunch not exceeding 200 calories, which is the same amount in a bowl of cereal.

For breakfast I will have Special K, for lunch I either have egg beaters with peppers and onions or hash with peppers and onions. If I am looking to vary it, I eat tuna with a TINY bit of mayo and miracle whip and celery. Anyone have any luck with this?

I don't require much food during the day though I often feel hungry. At dinner is when I eat more. Thoughts?

[want2wearbikini]

that's pretty much what I've started doing. I tried south beach. It was great for learning foods that are "good" for me. I have always been a terrible eater. But I just didn't stick with it and ballooned back up again. Now, I'm tracking everything in a journal-including exercise. It sure is easy to see all the reasons I gained weight. If I have to write it down, I'm not as likely to indulge!

[jtammy]

Hi Malibu,

I think it's a better idea to balance your food and calories throughout the day more than that. 200 calories for breakfast and then again for lunch is pretty low. The "Special K diet" was just invented to sell Special K cereal. There are lots more healthy and filling choices that you could make. If you love Special K and can't live without it, that's another story; otherwise I would try to find something with protein and with more fiber.

I've always had a problem eating so little during the day. By the time I make it home, I'm ravenous. I would end up grabbing something quick and high calorie or eating far too much, or both. I think that is a potential way to fail for a lot of us, although YMMV.

Eggbeaters and tuna are both good sources of protein. How about adding some fiber in there with vegetables or some whole grains?

[PhotoChick]

This is *just* my opinon ... take it for what it's worth.

Any diet that means you have to substitute a real meal with some single item food ... for me, that's not a SUSTAINABLE diet. That means that I might be able to keep it up long enough to lose some weight, but as soon as I'm "done" with the diet part of it, I'd be so sick of the cereal that I'd go back to a regular breakfast and probably gain back at least some, if not all of my weight.

I personally cannot do the exact same one bowl meal over and over and over and over again. I mean, I tend to have the same thing for breakfast (yogurt and fruit) every morning, but I can change it up with the type of fruit, add granola, or oatmeal, etc. ... whatever I want. There's not a *rule* that I can only ever have one thing ... which I would kick against. Cause the minute you tell me I have to have something, I don't want it any more.

The other concern I have here is that if you have 200 cals for breakfast (cereal) and 200 cals for lunch (omelette or whatever) ... are you planning on eating over 1000 cals for dinner? Because at your weight and height, going lower than about 1400 seems like a recipe for disaster - you'll wind up starving and not be able to sustain it long term.

Again, this might work for some people, but for me, this type of diet is not sustainable as a lifetime way of eating.

.

[ddc]

I would say divide up your calories and try to have them more even throughout the day also.
You say you don't require much food throughout the day but you often feel hungry.
To me, if you feel hungry (physical hunger, not emotional hunger), then you should eat.
Depriving yourself through the day may lead to bingeing at night.

Best wishes

[AnAbsoluteDiva]

"I don't require much food during the day though I often feel hungry. At dinner is when I eat more. "

Read that sentence. It's an oxymoron.

You MUST be requiring much food during the day. Otherwise, you wouldn't be hungry.

You've answered your own question. Take your total number and distribute evenly throughout the day.

[MalibuBeachBound]

Thanks for your replies, everyone. It seems as though this forum is VERY friendly, helpful and understanding. It is funny because I am a dental student and no matter how many physiology classes we take, no matter how much they teach and one understands the mechanistics of exercise, diet etc... when you try to put it into practice, it is much easier said than done. I'm glad I found this forum. I think fiber with protein is also a good idea and from what I have heard, it lasts longer too. Thanks.

BTW... All I meant before is that when I am in school, I rarely have time to eat unless it is just to grab a quick granola bar...so I grow accustomed to having less while I am on vacation. While spreading out calories, I agree, is ideal, it isn't always practical in my case

[jasmine721]

I am trying the calorie counting. I've done Weight Watchers, I've watched fat grams in the past and all that happened was that I lost and gained the same 3 pounds over and over for six months. I never lost 3 pounds and kept it off. So, I thought I'd try to count calories. The hardest part for me has been in writing it all down. Then when I remember to do it (like from the day before) then I see how many calories I ended up eating. So I'm trying to get better about writing it down so that I can start changing my intake if needed. I started the calorie counting last week and I lost 2.2 pounds this week when I weighed myself (same day as last week). And I'm also doing portion control big time. Unfortunately I haven't been able to figure out what type of exercise I can do since I'm in an immoblizer boot - it's too uncomfortable to walk on the treadmill or outside with this thing on. So about all I'm able to do at this point is some ab exercises and I've been doing some bicep curls and stuff like that. I'm going to have to have surgery on this foot and will not be allowed to put any weight on it for 3 weeks.

[lorilove]

I say that plan is not sustainable. Gimmicks like the Special K diet is fine for someone who wants to drop 5-10lbs and only needs to stick with the plan for no longer then a month. I suspect the typical Special K dieter goes straight back to eating the same and regains their weight.

For those of us with more than a couple of pounds to lose and those that want to get off the yo-yo cycle and lose the weight for good need a better plan. Develop something that you can stick with for the long run. I have been at this for 16 months.

Lori

[FreeSpirit]

If you really love special K, why don't you try having a bowl of special K with some fruit and yogurt? Or with some scrambled eggs? Something to make it more filling, then bring a Fiber 1 bar with you to school or something, then for lunch have more than 200 calories. Maybe a nice tuna sandwhich on whole wheat bread? Anything that will sustain you longer and keep you feeling full, while still spreading out your calories.

[MalibuBeachBound]

Well I also wasn't aware until about a week into this diet that you are allowed to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want during the day as well (except for... I believe bananas) I have been eating grapes and watermelon in between occasionally but the quantity I have likely doesn't even add to 100 calories.

I had dropped down from a 33.5 to a 31.5 inch waist... and lost a few pounds in the process but then I went back to NY for 4th of July week and gained 2 lbs over the 4 I had originally lost. I just got back yesterday though so I guess I'll see how much of that is water weight tomorrow morning. I'm sure I didn't gain 6 lbs in 7 days when I only wasn't careful about what I ate for about 3 of those days.