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Question: Is the special k diet good?

(Posted by: Hello!! on 2010-03-09 11:20:43)

I am 14and i want to lose weight, i don't need to lose a lot just a size or so. so i was just wondering will the special k diet work for me? do i need to exercise at the same time? has anyone done it? how do you lose in 2 weeks or should i do it for 4? thanks

Posted by: Meg on 2010-03-09, 11:23:07

It's not good nutrition wise. You can have Special K for one meal but you shouldn't have it for two meals. You could pick another type of cereal if you want cereal for two meals a day. It's better to have a well-rounded diet. If you count your calories you should be able to lose weight.

Posted by: LeonM on 2010-03-09, 11:34:43

The key thing is to limit your calories while still eating healthy. Whether you do it with Special K, campbell's soup, or subway sandwiches it doesn't matter. If you eat a bowl of special K instead of a stack of pancakes, then you are on your way. Or if you eat a subway sandwich instead of a bigmac and fries. That's why people lose weight on these various diets, there's nothing special about those foods, they are just better choices than the alternative higher calorie foods. Just eat cleaner foods like chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef, veggies and even eat more treat type foods like PB &J sandwiches or cereals in moderation. Don't drink sodas and don't pig out and you will lose weight. If you want to do it quicker then you will want to count calories.

Posted by: ny on 2010-03-09, 11:38:15

Kelloggs' Special K brand have been promoting their very own Special K Diet Challenge (for a number of years now). Not to be outdone, Kraft have "lose 10 pounds " emblazoned on virtually the entire line of "Post " brand cereals (called Eat 2 Lose 10) Both cereal "diets " are bold and upfront with their claims: "Lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks! " shouts Special K. Is this for real? Is it valid? The Special K Diet • Eat a serving of Kellogg's® Special K®, Special K® Red Berries, Special K® Vanilla Almond, Special K® Fruit & Yogurt or Special K® Low Carb Lifestyle Protein Plus cereal with 2/ 3 cup skim milk and fruit for two meals a day. • Eat your third meal as you normally do. • For snacks, choose from fresh fruits and vegetables or a Special K® Bar. • Consume beverages as you normally do. Special K claim that the diet is "based on valid research conducted at leading universities ". In typical hard-sell fashion, they fail to provide the reference or provide a link to the "valid research ". After some digging, I found the aforementioned study. Yes - People Lost Weight It made interesting reading, and effectively backed up some of the claims from Special K. According to my reading, the mean weight loss was less than 2 kg (4.4 pounds) in the 2 week period. A basic low fat diet So what's the magic? There is no magic. The women in the study ate less than they normally did. According to the study, the women in the Special K group were eating about 2200 kcals per day. When they started substituting the cereal meals they dropped daily intake by about 640 kcals per day. Furthermore, a lot of those calories were from fat (~39 grams or 351 kcals). Good or What? Personally I think incorporating some cereals into your diet can be good - but there are some caveats here: Satiety - From experience, I've noticed that wolfing down a bowl of cereal doesn't always curb the hunger pangs. However having a bit more protein in the mix does keep the pangs at bay. Nutrition - The simple truth is - Special K is better than what most people eat, but it still contains such gems as High Fructose Corn Syrup. Serving for serving, it has less potassium and fiber than oats, and more sugar. Compare here and here. The Claim "Lose 6 Pounds in 2 Weeks " The Interpretation "If you currently have a poor diet, but substitute it with our cereal - you may lose 4.4 pounds over the first two weeks. You will be probably feel very hungry while restricting your calories, and will may find eating cereal for dinner or lunch to be untenable after a while. Boredom could well set in. History shows that a low-fat, higher-carb diet can work, but in the long run it may backfire ". That said - you could do a lot worse than eating cereal, skim milk, and fruit - it's a lot healthier than the average American meal...