Special K Diet

I know everyone will probably say 'oh no this diet is bad, it's all a scam' blah blah but i'm on day two of the special k diet. I'm only trying it as a two week thing - the main reason is a friend of a friend is coming over to the Rugby Sevens and she slim and gorgeous and i don't wanna feel like a dumper truck next to her.

But i was just wondering how do people only have 1 cup at breakfast and one at dinner??? This is no where enough for me i've been having a bowl which is more like two cups. Will this make any difference to the outcome. I also do 45 mins weight training and 45mins cardio a day.

BTW i'm 5.7, 180lbs.

Thanks.!

It is a scam. The whole thing is designed to sell their products. In the end it's calories in VS calories out. Use the tools on this site, or other sites if you want, to approximate how many calories you are burning, and track how much you are consuming. Then evaluate your diet in terms of nutrition, and how balanced it is. Don't do crash diets, fad diets, etc, change your lifestyle to eat healthy and exercise.

UD

I do use the tools on this site, I do calorie count and I have changed my lifestyle as i said i wanted something noticeable in two weeks. I don't care if i put weight back on after it. I know crash diets don't work in the long run - I never expect them too but i've heard good things about the special k diet and thought i would try it.

Why can't people on the board understand some people will want to try fad diets / crash diets - we hear all the time about celebrities and there fad diets - naturally people will want to follow in hopes on some success. People come to this board for advice, guidance and inspiration but if they don't ask the right question all they get is negative feedback!!!

Original Post by kerrys24:

"Why can't people on the board understand some people will want to try fad diets / crash diets" 

A good number of us are here to achieve overall good health and have successfully reached our targets by eating right and exercising.

Fad diets CAUSE health problems, so they go against everything we're trying to accomplish. If you lose a bunch of weight in two weeks, it will be mostly water, food, and muscle. You're skin will look bad, your face will probably look older, your eyes will be circled in dark rings, and you'll be low energy. So maybe the scale will show a lower number, but your friend will only see a less refreshed and less healthy version of you. She probably won't notice any weight loss because the other affects will be much more obvious.

When someone asks about a fad diet or diet pill, my reaction would be the same if one of my friends asked me if she should swallow broken glass. And that is why you aren't going to get a lot (if any) support on this site for being the hare. Just looking out for you hon.

Special K is one of my pet peves.

Eat just one cup of any cereal 2 times per day and one WILL lose weight. ANY cereal.

But worse yet, there is nothing nutricious about special K (forgive the 5 am spelling)

If you must try a similar diet - skip the special K and eat wheaties or bran flakes instead. You will get MORE vitamins , MORE fiber, MORE protein than if you eat special K.

Special K is NOT a healthy choice.

Original Post by kerrys24:

 People come to this board for advice, guidance and inspiration but if they don't ask the right question all they get is negative feedback!!!

Kerrys, you have received guidance, and there's a reason why people are discouraging you from doing something that is decidedly unhealthy.

Outside of the fact that it is, in fact, simply a scam designed to sell more Kellogs' products, even with two cup servings it does not sound like you're getting enough calories in a day - especially with the exercise you've indicated.  At least choose a more nutritious cereal with some protein and fiber.

Your exercise plan is interesting enough though - weight training and cardio every day?  You may want to check out the fitness forum and look into why weight training everyday is not recommended (depending on the routine), and why too much cardio can counteract benefits of weight training.

This isn't negativity - it's honesty from people who learned a thing or two while here on CC.   Don't let someone else determine how you feel about yourself - you're great the way you are, regardless of whether or not this friend of a friend will be standing next to you.

Good luck, and stay healthy!

My mum gets that cereal all the time. It was sitting on the counter the other day and I saw the so-called "Special K Diet" on the back of it. I find that the diet is very lacking. If you just want an easy way to lose weight, then that's one way to do it. Sad thing is, on that diet, you'll be lacking of essential nutrients your body needs. Short on fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, etc. You could eat a much larger variety of food (who wants cereal for 2 meals everyday?), be more satisfied, and still lose weight. My guess is that at the end of those 2 weeks, you will be feeling like crap and lacking energy. Not fun if you're doing this for a special occasion. The whole thing is shady. It has to be a way to sell more products because people will be going through so much cereal.

As for the negativity... Of course people won't want to respond positively and encourage something unhealthy. The whole purpose of CC is to promote healthy behaviour. I'd rather have the people here totally bash me for doing something unhealthy than let me continue down that path. 

1 cup at breakfast and dinner has to be one of the worst things about this diet. I wouldn't be able to make it through the day on that amount of food, so yes, have your 2 cups. (Could you at least do what the other's suggested and choose a healthier cereal? I'm a huge advocate of Total.)

Many years ago I wanted to lose weight fast because we were going to a special open-air concert (Pavarotti in Hyde Park - that's how ancient I am) and I wanted - like you - to feel good on the day, special outfit, etc.  I basically didn't eat much in the run up and by the concert I felt I looked pretty good.   Got to the venue, had a glass of champagne and the combination of alcohol and lack of food meant I felt horribly faint and pretty sick.  Ruined the evening.

Bottom line.... you're unlikely to lose more than three or four lbs in two weeks whatever you do - Special K or otherwise.    So why not make life pleasant, have Special K for breakfast, light meals the rest of the time, keep doing plenty of exercise and enjoy the Rugby Sevens with your friend?

They promise a 6 pound gone in 2 weeks, right? What annoys me is the commercials, one time it was this skinny mother wearing a red robe and her kid mistook her for Santa and the other one was another skinny mother who felt as fat as the snowman her kid built. Really now?

You can't be serious!  Do you really buy that factory created crap and eat it?  There's nothing in it but chemicals.  Of course it's a scam - created for the sole purpose of selling you their products.  You don't really think that Kellogg's cares about your health do you?

There is no magic formula or crash diet that works for long.  If any of them work it's because they restrict calories.  You can do that eating healthy foods (for a lot less money) in balance and forming good habits for life. 

Switch to oatmeal for breakfast.

Several years ago a friend of min did the diet, she would stick to 1/2 cup morning and lunch and eat a normal (portion control) dinner and always a tiny desert!  It worked for her, but eventually she just got tired of it, also cereal is not CHEAP....and you do go through it a lot faster like this.  I do have to side with think long term life change....be happy with making mini goals along the way and celebrate them don't look for instant or even short term drops....we all have to remember we didn't just wake up one day and are 25 plus over weight it took time putting it on it will also take time taking it off.  Hang in there I feel for ya!

I wouldn't go as far as calling it a scam, but it's a clear marketing ploy to get people to eat twice as much of their product by eating at two meals.

If you're eating around 2 cups per serving like you said, why not trying to have a more nutritious dinner that's only 200 calories - for example a grilled chicken breast and 2 cups of steamed broccoli would be about 200 calories if you cook it right and it would likely promote weight loss much better than empty carbs

If the question is will the diet work under the circumstances that you're using it (eating 2 cups as opposed to the rules of the diet, which seems to be one cup), I think the answer depends on your calories burned per day. I don't know how many calories a bowl of Special K has but if you're burning more than you're eating then yes. it'll do what its supposed to do.

But as other members of this board has said, any cereal would work. Oatmeal would probably work. Special K doesn't contain any special fat burning abilities. You could possibly eat a sausage link for breakfast and dinner and it would work too. I call it the "Sausage your fat away" diet. It has amazing results.

Sarcasm. Sorry. I do that at times.

I think the instant harsh reaction to diets like the special k one is because it seems like deception. They aren't being truthful. They aren't trying to help you lose weight. Yes, you COULD lose weight, but they're goal is cash and they prey on people who just want to slim down a bit and feel better about themselves.  I don't blame you for wanting to try it. I've wanted to try so soooooo much, but when i look at the science and logic behind them it doesn't make sense.

Good luck in whatever you do.

Original Post by jay_breaze:

 You could possibly eat a sausage link for breakfast and dinner and it would work too. I call it the "Sausage your fat away" diet. It has amazing results.

OMG!!!! I tried the sausage diet and I lost 92 pounds in 6 days!!! I just ate one link for breakfast, another for lunch and a sensible dinner! LMAO .... toooooo funny!

this is a fad.. the main purpose here is portion control... i'd rather have a cup of vegetables and grilled chicken versus a cup of cereal... more nutrients, better health benefits.

I can understand why you are frustrated in feeling that you are getting negative feedback.  I had a friend who tried the special K diet and you could tell a difference after 2 weeks, as promised.  But here's the thing:  if you count up the calories in having 1 serving of their cereal 2 times a day (160 calories per serving which includes the milk) and 2 of their snacks (which range anywhere from 30-90 calories), you are looking at probably right around 500 calories.  When you add on a "sensible" meal (usually recommended to be a huge salad or large serving of veggies with some lean meat) you are going to be weighing in at right around 900 calories each day. To jump start your diet, you will lose weight in 2 weeks with anything that you do that invovles cutting back to 900 calories each day.  But, a lot of this will probably be water weight and eliminating "food stuff" from your system.  Will losing 6-8 pounds in water weight make you look trimmer for your event? HECK YEAH!  But, at the end of the next week after you've gone back to eating like normal, expect to see your weight right back where you started, if not a bit heavier because limiting your calories that much that fast could (and probably will) temporarily slow your metabolism.

One of the big problems with using a cereal to substitue calories is that you will create a huge lack of nutrition.  Why not use a more balanced cereal like Total with dried fruit?  You could also just do the 800 calorie restriction (if that is what you are set on doing) with a more healthy combination of foods.  Have a plate of fruit for breakfast, a huge salad with vinegar as dressing for lunch, and another huge salad with a side of steamed veggies and a lean chicken breast or some fish (no sauce) for dinner.  You will get the same effect as the Special K diet while keeping a better nutritional balance for your body.

Good luck! 

P.S.- the people on this site really are quite friendly... sorry you got a bad impression!  :)

I didn't last anyway - Chicken Chow Mein for tea last night and a Asian noodle salad for dinner today. i ended up with with stomach ache and the trots from all the fruit and veg. At least i can say i tried it now. It's all experience.

The weights and cardio things was interesting though. I'm thinking of swapping the weights a couple of times a week for swimming instead now the weathers warmer.

G.I Janes - The rugby sevens is an all day event (drinking included) so i definatly don't want to be passing out after a pint. I dyed my hair instead of worrying about my weight. Sorry if i was arsey yesterday 'time if the month' thing.

:-)

That's the way to go.  Do things that you can accomplish in two weeks that will make you feel hot.  Hair, nails, clothes, hell get some spanx.  You cant force your body to change in two weeks, but that doesn't mean you wont be hot