Cereal (Special K) Diet??

marii92

Hi

I'm thinking of starting this diet on Sunday/Monday, but I want feedback on whether it would be healthy and safe or not. Anyway, I'm not going to be eating Special K, it looks bland and plain and to be honest, I really like my morning meals chocolatey xD So I was thinking Nestle cereals as they are whole grain and a whole lot healthier than Kelloggs, as they contain less sugar and more fiber and stuff.

Breakfast - Nestle cereal with 125 ml skimmed milk (around 200 calories)

Snack - Half a carrot (20 calories?)

Lunch - A slice of bran bread with half a slice of low-fat cheese (50 calories)

Snack - Cucumber with peel (45 calories)

Dinner - Nestle cereal with skimmed milk (around 200 calories)

Snack - Green tea and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon (17 calories)

Plus a minimum of 8 bottles of mineral water (Aquafina).

Obviously I won't eat like this everyday, I'll change cereals and fruits/veggies, but it's just to give an idea of what the diet would be like.
And then if I finish my 'homework' early, I'll try to race walk for 20-30 mins as well as jog for 5 (5 days a week). And I'll try and slip in some strength training, maybe three days a week.

I don't know if this is important but I'm 17, almost 18, 5'3 and was 135 lbs, but I weighed myself today and now I'm 140 lbs.
I want to get down at least 20-25 lbs. And as is recommended, I'll only be doing this for 2 weeks, to 'jump-start' my weight loss. After the 2 weeks, I'll try and maintain the weight by eating 1000 - 1200 calories a day, and increase the cardio from 30 minutes to maybe an hour, 5 times a week and strength training 4 times a week.

Is it a good idea? I don't wanna 'jeopardise' my body, lol. I want to do it safely so I don't gain the weight back/end up in hospital, like my brother did. (He lost 8 lbs in 1 day and passed out - scared us to death). But his goals were different to mine, he wanted to lose weight and gain a whole load of muscle, so he drastically cut his calories back and over-exercised...sorry, gone off topic.

So, thank you in advance, for any feedback
And I'm extremely sorry for the shamefully long post

M

Edit: Ok, I realise this a really low calorIe diet but if I was to include more vegetables and fruit? If not, please could you guys suggest alternatives to make it healthier.
Thank You

slm638

That is not enough fuel for your body to function! You will burn more calories than that just existing. You should check more of the posts on this site as there is lots of good information. The calculators in the tools section will help you as well. You are young and with exercise and a balanced diet, you should have no problem meeting your goals. You might want to check out Canada's food guide as well...you will want to make sure there is enough nutrition in what you are eating as well.

Good luck!

MirandaJayne

Ummm... have you done the math? That is 532 calories a day!!!!!!

You should never be eating less than 1200 cals a day.

You yes will lose weight doing this diet, but you will also lose all your energy as you don't have enough food to fuel your body on this few calories a day, also you will be grumpy and miserable to those around you

Great so you've done the special K diet on 532 calories a day and lost hwoever much weight you want to lose, you'd better not start eating normal again cuz watch that weight climb back up.

What you are describnig is a CRASH DIET. DO NOT DO THIS, IT IS NOT HEALTHY, REALISTIC OR MAINTAINABLE.

Maybe I would recomend that you make another post asking for alternative ideas and meals to help you lose weight.

mhotch

Back when I was 18, all I had to do to lose weight was to think about it, and the weight fell off.

You don't need to jump start anything. Eat a healthy diet with at least 1200 calories, along with exercise and the weight should fall off of you. Don't forget strength training with your cardio . Stay away from fast food, greasy fried, and nutrient -deprived snacks, and you should be ok.

SHBoss1673

yeah, you asked if this was healthy, I can tell you straight up that the answer is "NO", as others have already stated, you need to eat enough to keep your body from shutting down (and I mean that literally!).

pinktoque

I don't post often, but you're eating a dangerously low amount of calories with what you've posted for your daily plan for 2 weeks. Dangerously low. You should never go below 1200 calories a day. Check out some of the other posts around here about eating below 1200 calories - you're basically putting your body into starvation mode when you eat under 1200 calories a day, and instead of losing weight like you'd think you would... your body is actually holding on tight to what fat/calories you have because it's afraid of starving... so the weight won't come off, anyway. Not healthily, at least. That would do a terrible disservice to your body.

I remember the Special K diet was to replace 2 meals a day (like breakfast and lunch) with a serving of cereal with skim milk and some fruit or something, and then eating as normal (obviously trying to stay on the healthy side, not fast food) for dinner. The Special K diet is not telling you to eat below 1200 calories.

My other concern is that you're eating so few calories AND ALSO working out a lot. Which means your body is in an even deeper calorie deficit. Which is even more unhealthy.

Please consider following the goals that MFP sets and eating AT LEAST 1200 calories a day - more if you plan to exercise - and then stick to your exercise routine. The weight will come off in a natural and healthy way, with no concern for your health and safety.

Good luck.

courtney_love2001

There really is no need to "jump start" your diet. I don't know what kind of benefits it would have really. I think you might even be setting yourself up for failure. Can you really maintain this bare-boned diet for 2 weeks? You will feel lethargic and weak, as you aren't getting enough calories, and then you will probably be discouraged and quit. Just start on the 1200 calorie diet that MFP recommends and you WILL lose weight. It worked for me and countless others on here without the "jump start" at the beginning.

And also, just to prepare you, those that post after me will say the same and might call you crazy so just start eating healthier, hit the gym, and you will lose. No need for a fad/crash diet; this is a lifelong change you are making! :flowerforyou:

pamh5555

Bad Idea.

I actually eat a cup of special k and a 1/2 of whole milk with some fruit every morning. They have a lot of different kinds including a chocolate one i thought. Around 300 calories

Lunch is usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - I only prefer white bread, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of Jelly/Jam of my choice. Around 300 calories

Dinner - i usually have a cup of vegetables, 1 pat of butter for vegetables, 1/2 cup of whatever type of noodles for dinner(Knorr Pasta sides used to be lipton) and then about 3 - 4 oz of meat. usually around 400 calories.

Drink the water and i try to have at least some small snacks. Vegetables or 100 calorie pack of snack on hand for when I just need a little boost.

This keeps you around 1200 calories per day. which is what 99% of us need to just stay alive. If you exercise then, you need to plan to eat at least 1/2 of those calories as well.

This is the smart safe way to lose weight. no drastic diets- they just hurt your body and metabolism. If you make the healthy change in your lifestyle now and keep at it, you will be at your goal weight before you know it. You will get a lot of support from this site from everyone. Use the tools here - food tracker, check ins, communtiy, etcs.

Rebecca__Lynn

The misconception is...you CAN eat..and you need a healty balanced diet....dairy, meat, bread, veggies, fruit...you NEED all this daily. Just to fuel your body so that it can function and burn....you don't want to start losing muscle babe. Follow the program here, it's a lifestyle change..that will continue..and exercise. You will be healthy, feel good, engergized and be losing FAT...not muscle.

Ashia1317

I don't post often, but you're eating a dangerously low amount of calories with what you've posted for your daily plan for 2 weeks. Dangerously low. You should never go below 1200 calories a day. Check out some of the other posts around here about eating below 1200 calories - you're basically putting your body into starvation mode when you eat under 1200 calories a day, and instead of losing weight like you'd think you would... your body is actually holding on tight to what fat/calories you have because it's afraid of starving... so the weight won't come off, anyway. Not healthily, at least. That would do a terrible disservice to your body.

I remember the Special K diet was to replace 2 meals a day (like breakfast and lunch) with a serving of cereal with skim milk and some fruit or something, and then eating as normal (obviously trying to stay on the healthy side, not fast food) for dinner. The Special K diet is not telling you to eat below 1200 calories.

My other concern is that you're eating so few calories AND ALSO working out a lot. Which means your body is in an even deeper calorie deficit. Which is even more unhealthy.

Please consider following the goals that MFP sets and eating AT LEAST 1200 calories a day - more if you plan to exercise - and then stick to your exercise routine. The weight will come off in a natural and healthy way, with no concern for your health and safety.

Good luck.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Amen.

You're also starving yourself of very important vitamins and minerals needed for your body, mind, muscle, skin, etc. Please take what these friends and supporters are telling you. This is not a balanced "diet". Please reconsider.

shanerylee

I wouldnt do it, but will support you if you do, just bump up your calories a little with more protein

sdirks

yeah, you asked if this was healthy, I can tell you straight up that the answer is "NO", as others have already stated, you need to eat enough to keep your body from shutting down (and I mean that literally!).

This is Banks. Read his posts. It will take about 30-45 minutes to read all of the major ones. Then you will understand WHY 600 calories a day is so dangerous and unhealthy. You will also be armed with the knowledge to lose weight in an effective, healthy and lasting manner. We don't condone starvation or other unhealthy diets; it's just disrespectful to your body. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to be willing to permanently change your lifestyle.

marii92

Firstly, thank you guys for your input I'll try to up my calories and maybe have a chicken salad/ noodles or something high in protein for lunch (around 300-400 calories) and for snacks have 2 or 3 fruits (100 - 200 calories). Would that be better?

And thank you, as well Shanerylee.

If I increase my calories to what I've just said, will I have to increase my exercise too? Or should I continue to do what I stated in my original post?

M

jennylynn84

My best advice to make this healthier is to not be so hard on yourself. I've had a tough time adjusting as well, as it's sort of in my mind that to lose weight you have to be hungry. You have to not eat much and work out a lot, etc. But it's just not true!

You need to hit at least 1200 calories a day or you will throw your body into starvation mode. Aside from the possibility of ending up in the hospital you will also not lose weight. You need to add some more protein and, yes, even a little fat to this diet. The calorie, fat, carb and protein goals that MFP sets up for you are actually a pretty good rule of thumb.

I actually have Special K for breakfast; a lean cuisine (I know, SODIUM, but I never go over my allotted amount) or a ham or turkey sandwich on wheat with a cup of yogurt or a fruit for lunch; and then a fairly normal but low calorie dinner. I have a few cookbooks that have things like pasta primavera, eggplant parmesan, sloppy joes, all sorts of good food that you can actually enjoy and all of it (if you have proper serving size) comes in under 500 calories. And be sure to have more calories on days that you work out.

Definitely work some protein into the diet though. Instead of having cereal for two meals and pretty much nothing for the third - cook a piece of fish (in oven or grill). Low fat and good healthy protein. Whole wheat pasta is hardly different from the regular kind and in reasonable amounts is not too high in calories.

It's hard to believe, but you have to eat to lose weight. So enjoy it!

Nikki_Marz

As you've already seen above, I totally agree with everyone else who has spoken. This is a BAD idea.
You've outlined a diet that consists of just over 500 calories. Your brain alone uses 550 calories a day just to run its processes. You mentioned homework and I can guarantee that your thinking processes will slow down, be affected, and you're homework will suffer. You may begin to 'see things' as the optical nerves will be affected, your balance will be affected and you'll want to sleep all the time, but the sleep won't be restful, as your body slowly shuts itself down to try and conserve energy. Hormonally you'll be affected as well as your diet has little protein or fat in it, and many of our body's processes need both.
You can forget about exercising. You won't have the energy or motor function.
And with any weight you DO lose, 25% of that will be muscle tissue, which means that when you come off the diet, you're now likely to gain more fat more quickly because you have less muscle to burn calories naturally.

I know all this because I did it once. I gained almost twice as much back and really have no idea what I was thinking of at the time to jeopardize my body so.
Do it the right way, eat right, eat enough, and exercise!

jennylynn84

If I increase my calories to what I've just said, will I have to increase my exercise too? Or should I continue to do what I stated in my original post?

The more you exercise and the more calories you burn the more you should eat. You should try to eat at least half of the calories you exercise off. That's my goal, at least, and I've been losing pretty steadily/quickly. But if you eat 1000 calories and exercise off 1000 calories your body is still working with nothing. I use some of my exercise calories to have a yogurt, or a Skinny Cow ice cream on occasion, tea with honey, milk, etc. Normally I indulge with a slightly more high-calorie dinner or my heavy workout days as well.

marii92

Hi Thanks for the alternatives, but I don't eat fish or lamb/beef. I only eat chicken, can't stand anything else.

If you don;t mind me asking, can you give me some low calorie (preferably around 400-500 calories) recipes? I've searched on google but I can't find any nice simpe ones...

M

jennylynn84

Sure! I'm at my office right now, but I can get you some ideas. Also a good place to look is www.eatingwell.com. They have information on health and nutrition so you can see what foods give you what essential nutrients. Also you can type in their search bar "chicken recipe" (I did this yesterday, my husband and I go through a lot of chicken breasts cuz they're not very $$$) and it returns a TON of ideas, including some in the "cheap," "easy" categories which I LOVE cuz I never have much time for cooking. They also have some great sounding vegetarian dishes, which you also might be interested in.

marii92

Thank you sooo much I'm checking the website out right now, maybe I'll test out a recipe right now, I'm starving anyway, so... :P

godblessourhome

Breakfast - Nestle cereal with 125 ml skimmed milk (around 200 calories)

Snack - Half a carrot (20 calories?)

Lunch - A slice of bran bread with half a slice of low-fat cheese (50 calories)

Snack - Cucumber with peel (45 calories)

Dinner - Nestle cereal with skimmed milk (around 200 calories)

Snack - Green tea and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon (17 calories)

Plus a minimum of 8 bottles of mineral water (Aquafina).

Edit: Ok, I realise this a really low calorIe diet but if I was to include more vegetables and fruit? If not, please could you guys suggest alternatives to make it healthier.
Thank You

here is a healthy alternative using cereal:

breakfast, using the 1 cup nestle cereal and 3/4 cup milk, one hard boiled egg and one banana is <400 calories [dairy, grain, protein, fruit]

snack - 4-5 baby carrots

lunch, using 1 cooked cup of wheat pasta, 4 oz of baked salmon, 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese, 1 cup spinach, 12 cherry tomatos was 400 (i also added the juice of one half squeezed lemon with salt and pepper for dressing for 6 additional calories for a total of 406) [grain, protein/healthy fat, dairy, veggies]

snack - 1/2 cup cucumbers

supper using the 1 cup nestle cereal and 3/4 cup milk, nuts and one orange is a tiny bit over 400 calories (for the nuts, i used 1 oz almonds for 160 calories, or you could go with 1 oz sunflowers for 165) [dairy, grain, protein/healthy fat, fruit]

snack - green tea and a tablespoon of ground cinnamon

the grand total is under 1300. in fact you may need to eat a bit more if you work out.

hope this helps - dawn

godblessourhome

oops, i just saw you don't eat fish, so replace the salmon with 4 oz grilled chicken breast instead.