Special K Dieting...

jesska224

Doing a special K diet... eating bowl of cereal for breakfast + dinner, and having a good solid lunch + healthy snacks during middle of the day. Not doing it for a long time but at least to try to get my appetite down at night. Anyone do this before? Does it help?

Brim__

I gained weight doing special k diet a couple of years ago . . . but then I again, I fell asleep when I took speed back in college . . . .

Hendrix7

Doing a special K diet... eating bowl of cereal for breakfast + dinner, and having a good solid lunch + healthy snacks during middle of the day. Not doing it for a long time but at least to try to get my appetite down at night. Anyone do this before? Does it help?

I can't imagine it will to be honest.

You are hungry at night because you have not eaten enough during the day.

Making 2 of your daily meals cereal, which is devoid of protein and healthy fats really is not the answer.

Would be interested to know what your healthy snacks are also.

jesska224

Hmm. Do you think you followed it the way you were supposed to? I tend to not have success with things when I don't do it right. Gosh gaining weight AND having cereal for dinner? LOSE LOSE! hhaha

TeaBea

I tried this years ago ... was hungry often.

Special K ORIGINAL has a decent protein count .... but very little fiber. All of the other Special K flavors are LOW protein and low fiber. Not much there to keep you full. There is (was?) a high protein Special K ... that might be worth a look.

jesska224

TeaBea, thanks for the advice. I'll check to see if they still have the high protein option still. I'm sure they do.

Hendrix, some snacks I regularly do are fruit (apple, banana, cherries, peaches), vegetables (usually carrots), yogurt, a string cheese, or I'll do an english muffin w/almond butter or peanut butter on it. Do you have any high protein suggestions for snacks?

I'm not a "dieter", and one of the reasons I'm here is to change my lifestyle. So I completely understand that the special k diet is not "the answer", but I need a way to cut my appetite at night and consume a small amount of calories. I've tried a lot of things. Any suggestions?

Rilke

That is a marketing ploy to get you to buy more Special K. It is not a healthy, sustainable, or realistic approach to eating.

Hendrix7

TeaBea, thanks for the advice. I'll check to see if they still have the high protein option still. I'm sure they do.

Hendrix, some snacks I regularly do are fruit (apple, banana, cherries, peaches), vegetables (usually carrots), yogurt, a string cheese, or I'll do an english muffin w/almond butter or peanut butter on it. Do you have any high protein suggestions for snacks?

Like i said before, you are hungry at night because you have not given your body sufficient nutrients during the day, it's re;ally that simple.

The snacks you mention are ok, but again, fruits are almost entirely carbohydrates so add that to your 2 bowls of cereal you have a diet that is nearly all carbs and way too low on protein and fats, the 2 essential macronutrients.

Better ideas for breakfast would be
eggs
mackerel
have a protein shake with some greek yoghurt
eat some lean meat

Make some marinated chicken the night before and snack on it during the day, this will keep you fuller for WAAAAY longer. Cereal is a poor choice nutritionally,despite it being sold to the masses as 'health food'.

Just google, high protein snacks/meals for some ideas

FatStoatLondon

That is a marketing ploy to get you to buy more Special K. It is not a healthy, sustainable, or realistic approach to eating.

THIS.

jesska224

Hendrix, thanks. I'll check it out. I actually feel like I had a great solid meal for lunch today, a turkey sandwich and a spinach salad. When I make my own meals, I don't regulate as much as I should and that's why I'm talking about a bowl of cereal for dinner as it's a small portion of food that is controlled. Should I go protein shake w/some meat instead?

Listen all, I know what it is. I know it's a gimmick, but aren't all food products? Thanks.

WhatAgirl_

bump

Rilke

Listen all, I know what it is. I know it's a gimmick, but aren't all food products? Thanks.

Last time I checked, the farmers I buy my produce and eggs from aren't telling me to eat nothing but their foods for two of my three meals a day. Though it would certainly mean I would run out of their food more quickly and would have to purchase more!

You seem intelligent. If you are truly looking to change your lifestyle rather than "diet", then don't go for the gimmicks. They aren't that hard to spot.

Hendrix7

Hendrix, thanks. I'll check it out. I actually feel like I had a great solid meal for lunch today, a turkey sandwich and a spinach salad. When I make my own meals, I don't regulate as much as I should and that's why I'm talking about a bowl of cereal for dinner as it's a small portion of food that is controlled. Should I go protein shake w/some meat instead?

Listen all, I know what it is. I know it's a gimmick, but aren't all food products? Thanks.

whole foods are not a gimmick.

Eat less stuff that comes out of a box, eat more stuff that used to run around, swim, grew out of the ground etc.

You lunch sounds pretty decent, makes your other 2 meals more like that and you will be on the right track.

Chicken/tuna/salmon/turkey/eggs etc

neverstray

This is the stupidest diet in the world. ANYONE WILL LOSE WEIGHT EATING THAT LITTLE OF ANYTHING. Replace the cereal with twinkies and you'll still lose weight. It's a stupid diet and I wish someone could sue the holy hell out of that company for their ridiculous marketing plan.

jesska224

Thanks for the advice Riike. I'll look into alternative options. What fills you up for dinner?

jesska224

Hendrix, not trying to cause an argument by any means, but rather just a question. Are you talking about "Whole Foods" the supermarket? I LOVE Whole Foods but I don't agree with you that it's not gimmicky. I wouldn't say they are of the same magnitude as other companies, but they are certainly on the dollar train. Everyone is.

Rilke

Thanks for the advice Riike. I'll look into alternative options. What fills you up for dinner?

The bulk of my dinner is almost always green veggies with some fat, protein, and sometimes a starch. Here are three of my usuals:

- Big serving of sauteed kale or collards dressed in olive oil and garlic, 3-4 oz marinated grilled chicken, half cup of wild rice
- Enormous green salad (my dad and I call them brontosalads) -- baby greens mix, grape tomatoes, sliced bell pepper, maybe some chickpeas if I'm in the mood -- dressed with homemade ranch or green goddess dressing, topped with steamed shrimp and some sort of cheese
- Roasted brussels sprouts, broiled wild salmon, side of pasta with pesto or marinara

The key with all of these is that the servings of chicken, cheese, pasta, etc are much smaller than the servings of veggies. I go nuts on the veggies.

Rilke

Hendrix, not trying to cause an argument by any means, but rather just a question. Are you talking about "Whole Foods" the supermarket? I LOVE Whole Foods but I don't agree with you that it's not gimmicky. I wouldn't say they are of the same magnitude as other companies, but they are certainly on the dollar train. Everyone is.

I am certain he meant whole foods as a concept, not Whole Foods the place.

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

LemonSocks

I haven't actually seen the Special K diet advertised in the UK for over a year. I wondered if they'd been banned from advertising it (speculation - I have absolutely no idea if that is the case).

In any case you could be eating things with a much better nutritional content for the same amount of calories (for example a poached egg and some smoked salmon for breakfast).

And remember that Special K is a sugary cereal and not the best way to keep your body full - you'd be better having weetabix with yogurt and fruit to keep you going.

caraiselite

when i snort special k (ketamine) i have zero appetite.

Hendrix7

Hendrix, not trying to cause an argument by any means, but rather just a question. Are you talking about "Whole Foods" the supermarket? I LOVE Whole Foods but I don't agree with you that it's not gimmicky. I wouldn't say they are of the same magnitude as other companies, but they are certainly on the dollar train. Everyone is.

LOL no I am not.

I mean whole foods as in, food that is as close as possible to it's natural state.

Egg, lean meats, fish, vegetable etc as opposed to man made cereals, cereal bars (which again are mostly terrible despte being sold as a healthy option) processed meats etc.

JesterMFP

Hendrix, thanks. I'll check it out. I actually feel like I had a great solid meal for lunch today, a turkey sandwich and a spinach salad. When I make my own meals, I don't regulate as much as I should and that's why I'm talking about a bowl of cereal for dinner as it's a small portion of food that is controlled. Should I go protein shake w/some meat instead?

Listen all, I know what it is. I know it's a gimmick, but aren't all food products? Thanks.

Thing is, if you "don't do diets" and you're trying to make this a permanent lifestyle change, wouldn't you be better off learning to regulate your portion size with proper meals? The problem with any meal replacement plan is that it doesn't help you figure out portion control yourself. It is hard for a lot of people - me included - but getting into the habit of eating healthy amounts of real food gives you much more freedom from "dieting", and control over your lifestyle than any commercial diet can.

Coco_Puff

Hendrix, not trying to cause an argument by any means, but rather just a question. Are you talking about "Whole Foods" the supermarket? I LOVE Whole Foods but I don't agree with you that it's not gimmicky. I wouldn't say they are of the same magnitude as other companies, but they are certainly on the dollar train. Everyone is.

Whole foods, as in, whole grains in place of white. Otherwise, you may get constipated. Oh and healthy fats help with that too!

Lkoblara

I don't think it sounds like a healthy diet.... weight loss or no. To be healthy you need variety.

And I think for it to be effective you'd have eat that Special K 2 times a day forever. Usually with those kinds of diets once you go back to normal eating you gain it all back (sometimes more.)

jesska224

Riike, that's what I figured but I wanted to clarify.

Also, thanks for the advice. I will try the veggies > meat portion control and see if I like it.

jesska224

Jester, thanks for the input. Like you read before, I am not good at portion control and that is why I said I wanted to try this for a few days. It sounds like what you are saying is that I need to eat a "healthy" amount of food for dinner still. What do you eat for dinner?

WadeyLady

Hi Jess I think the Special K diet is fine and works dependant on several things. First your starting weight, if you have lots to lose it will more likely work. Second, sticking to JUST the 2 weeks and third, making sure the snacks you eat and your main meal are varied and nutritious.
As with all advertising the Special K ones are misleading, but I think we're all smart enough to realise the slim curvy girl in the ad didn't get there eating Special K!
x

jesska224

Wadey Lady, thank you for your perspective.

WadeyLady

You are very welcome