Special K Challenge

[misty57]

OK. I'm a fan of WW. I lost 40lbs on the plan a few years ago. I went off the plan and slowly ( in the wake of many life challenges) gained almost all of it back:( . I went back on WW. Nothing buged! Not an ounce! I also had a hard time sticking to my points range which is probably the reason nothing happened, but even when I was really careful, I lost nothing. I bought some Slim fast thinking that I just needed a jump start, but I couldn't bring myself to open the can! I started the Special K lose 6 lb in 2 week challenge. I hesitated because of all the carbs, but I am amazed! I have lost 3 lbs in less than a week, I don't get hungry and I don't crave things. I've even been able to cut way back on diet soda. I'm wondering how long I can stay on this plan and if anyone else has had success doing this?

[BEARFACE]

Hi Misty,

 

Congats on your weight loss:D I've heard of the Special K Challenge but never bothered trying the diet because as you stated about all the carbs involved... but I guess it does work. How exactly does the plan work? what do you eat throughout the day? Correct me if I am wrong but is it a serving of cereal twice a day and then a healthy dinner? Would really like to know, was thinking of trying this myself. Also, are you exercising as well or just doing the diet alone.

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated:)

 

Laura

[misty57]

The plan is printed on the back of the cereal box. For breakfast you can have a serving of Special K cereal( I like the chocolate delight) with 2/3 cup of skim milk, or a serving of Special K waffles with 2 Tbs of lite syrup. You can have a serving of fruit with this.

You replace another meal with Special K Protein Bar ( I haven't tried these yet) or another serving of the cereal with milk. Your third meal you eat as you normally would. You can have 2 Special K snacks during the day. Cereal bars( pretty good) snack bites, Protein snack bars or Special K Protein water and mixes ( very good). The fine print says to consume fruits and vegetables for additional snacks and drink beverages as you normally would.

I know that it's probably the decrease in calories that account for the weight loss, not something special about the cereal, but so far I feel like its working and even if I can't stay on it, I think I will try to at least replace one meal a day with the cereal after the 2 weeks. I have a lean cuisine or WW smartone for lunch on work days, and have the cereal for supper when I get home. I think I will continue that because it's easy and keeps me from overeating so late in the day.

I can figure the points in for the day when I return to WW, and have more food earlier :D . Sometimes on WW I would have saved points and then not been able to get them all in by the end of the day, and I think I decreased my metabolism doing that.

[misty57]

I forgot to answer your question about excercising. I haven't been doing anything other than my normal activity. I rarely sit during the day at work ( I'm a nurse:) ) and my treadmill just broke down:( , so I haven't done any work outs but I do plan to use my Get Moving DVD from WW until my machine is fixed.

[BEARFACE]

Misty,

 

Thanks for the info. I plan on trying this in a couple of weeks. I hope it does not backfire;) and I end up gaining weight instead:eek: ..again, I think of the carb consumption and my systems does not react well to too many carbs. I will give it a try though.

 

I work in a supermarket and stand on my feet most of the day so that is a good thing too.

 

Keep me posted and let me know how you are doing on the Special K...please:)

 

Thanks again

Laura

[navybaby1113]

I'm slowly working my way into this because I figured it would be perfect to lose some quick weight. I eat a bowl of cereal every morning, but I'm always hungry in a couple of hours.

[BEARFACE]

Hi NavyBaby:)

 

I will be trying the Special K in a couple of weeks. I am also afraid of being too hungry throughout the day but I will give it a try. At least you have one meal of the day that is to your liking, provided you watch the calorie intake.

 

Hoping to hear from Misty and how she is doing on this diet.

 

Let me know how you are doing also.

 

Laura

[misty57]

Hi Bearface.

 

Tomorrow it will be a week on the plan but I decided to wait until the two weeks are up to weigh again. I had a few days (like today) when I wasn't able to follow the plan but tomorrow I'm back on it and am drinking my water. I found that if I'm hungry I'm satisfied if I have a piece of fruit or drink some of the Spec. K Protein water. The good news.. I wore some pants and a sweater to church last night and they fit better than 2 weeks ago:D . I had to go to the store tonight to restock. I found a new Spec K snack bar Orange Bliss. They have it in Rasberry flavor too but I don't really like rasberries. I bought the vanilla almond cereal tonight too and some meal bars so I can have those instead of Waffles on work days. I like having one regular meal a day when I don't have to count points or anything. Today was kind of bad though, our daughter and son in law took us out to lunch and I had a huge meatball sandwich and fries:eek: . I will make up for it tomorrow though and make my one meal very low cal with lots of veggies. I think controlling the late evening snacking is going to really help.

One week down and one to go:) I hope I can stay on this until our cruise in exactly 4 weeks!!!!

Good luck and please post your progress!

[McCabe]

Does Special K have very much sugar in it?

[misty57]

Does Special K have very much sugar in it?

It is listed as the third ingredient. The snack bars and meal replacement bars list 17g of carbohydrates and the cereal as 22-25g. I guess that's quite a lot but a serving of bread is 13-17g and Luna bars ( I used to eat those for breakfast) have 25 g, so I guess if you are eating those things, the Special K isn't so bad. I also have fruit with it so that increases the carb count of the meal. The protein amount is supposed to be more in these products too so that helps. I don't plan to stay on this plan totally anyway. I needed a quick jump start that I could tolerate:D , and then I will go back to the WW plan.( I do think I will stick to the cereal in the evenings when I come home from work because it is usually 830pm before I have dinner, and I tend to overeat because I'm tired.

[BEARFACE]

Hi Misty,

 

Your clothes are feeling looser...very good!! I plan on starting this in 2 weeks...going through that time of the month now so I will wait. I work in a supermarket so I am wondering how to work this. I usually eat breakfast and then something sweet while I am at work (no lunch) and wondering if it would be okay to have the cereal in the morning, snack bar during the day and then come home and have dinner. Then have the last bowl of cereal later in the evening? Another question is where do I find the special K snack bars. I did not see them by the cereals. 6 lbs. in two weeks sounds awfully good to me. I used to do Jenny Craig but it is not in my budget right now and I really would love to drop at least 10 lbs. right now and especially for my cruise this coming October.

 

You must be very excited about your upcoming cruise:) What ship are you going on and where are you going. So, keep me updated on your progress and I will do the same once I start this plan.

 

Hi McCabe...Will you be starting this plan as well. Good luck!!

 

Laura

[McCabe]

Oh yes! A quick jumpstart is all you need sometimes to keep you going. It is so hard when you start working out and eating right when you don't see results but it seems if you see results you are that much more motivated to stick to it.

[McCabe]

I hope I am not re posting this. My internet kept showing the thingy was loading so... Anyway, I guess you are right, regardless of the sugar or anything else, all you need sometimes is a little kick start. It is much easier it seems to continue working out and eating right if you are actually seeing results. Much more motivating than doing those things and barely seeing a difference after a month. I might give that a try.

[misty57]

I usually shop at Meijer ( do you have those in NY?) and the snack bars are in the same aile as the granola/breakfast bars and poptarts. I didn't find the meal replacement bars there, but went to Superwalmart and found them in the diet section with the slimfast products. Snack bars were in both places :confused: , so I guess it depends on the store.

The plan calls for 2 Special K meals, 2 snacks and one regular meal, so I don't think it would matter when you ate these.

 

I AM excited about our upcoming cruise. We're on the Voyager out of Galveston. I hope the weather cooperates. You never know what to expect in the midwest:p

[misty57]

Double post:( My internet is really slow tonight.

[BEARFACE]

Misty,

 

Thanks for the info. It is too bad one cannot eat eggs everyday because I would rather try the Atkins/South Beach and try and give up carbs for awhile but I would not have any idea what to eat for breakfast then. I could eat eggs and bacon every morning if not for all the cholesteral:eek: and I need to keep my numbers down. This past summer was the first time my blood workup showed all numbers in the normal range in quite awhile so I would like to keep it that way;) I am not big on cereal but if this plan allows for a 6 lb. weight loss in two weeks it is worth getting a taste for cereal;) Too bad the plan didn't call for Cheerios...one cereal I do like.

 

So you are getting on the voyager, how nice. What itinerary are you doing? I am looking forward to my cruise this October, doing the repo cruise aboard Celebrity Constellation and I am excited because it includes Bermuda...we go to Bermuda every year but this is so much nicer. It is an 11 night cruise and also includes Aruba, St. Martean, Labadee, Haiti

 

McCabe,

 

I agree, it is always nice to see results quickly, keeps you motivated...but sometimes it takes a couple of weeks.

 

Laura

[DKDL]

I just came across your posts. I started the Special K diet about a week and a half ago. I didn't weigh myself (for fear of seeing the numbers) but am sure I was between 138 and 140. Just weighed myself this morning and am down to 132!!! I eat the cereal for breakfast, and for lunch if at home eat the cereal and if on the road eat one of the protein bars. I try to eat fruit for the snacks but do enjoy the snack bars after dinner. That's when I really crave something sweet. The taste like rice krispy marshmallow bars with a drizzle of chocolate or vanilla or whatever kind you get. Quite tasty and if feels like a dessert. The hard part is cooking a healthy dinner that the hubby and child will like, but I try and do that anyway. I also just started doing Winser Pilate's which I did about three years ago and got in the best shape of my life! I highly recommend them.

 

I would love to keep in touch with you guys and have post buddies for support. My cruise is coming up fast!

[BEARFACE]

Hi DKDL:)

 

Glad to hear the diet is working for you. I am getting more excited about trying this myself. I will probably start this in 2 weeks. I hope I like the cereal, not much of a cereal eater, but I do like cheerios. The hard part for me will be deciding what to make for dinner too. I know chicken and veggies is a good dinner but I do not want to eat that every night. Any other suggestions for a healthy dinner? besides salmon and fish. They both tend to be high in sodium and I retain sodium, although I drink water throughout the day. So it sounds like you lost anywhere from 6-8 lbs in the last week and a half, that is great. Sure, by all means keep us posted and welcome to our thread.

 

What cruise are you doing? what line, ship and itinerary? Looking forward to hearing about it.

 

Laura

[DKDL]

Hi Laura,

 

I just realized it's actually been a little over two weeks rather than a week and a half. Anyway, I was justs curious and wondering why you are waiting for two weeks to start? I hope that doesn't sound rude. For me and dieting, just like when I quit smoking a few years back (thank goodness) it's all about getting into the right mind set. Once I'm there, I'm pretty good. In the past I kept putting it off because of a birthday or holiday was coming up and I knew I'd pork out. I just finally have to decide - now! No more excuses. Having a cruise coming up is great motivation! We're going to the Mexican Riviera on the Pride March 9th. Have you done that cruise?

 

Kari

[BEARFACE]

Hi Kari:)

 

I do have things planned for the next couple of weeks that could sabotage this diet so that is why I am waiting for now.

 

Nope, never been the Mexican Riviera. If you take a look at my signature you will see the cruises I have taken and the destinations. As you will see I love Celebrity and they will continue to be my number one choice for cruising. Have you ever tried Celebrity?

 

Have a good day and keep us posted here.

 

Laura

[DKDL]

Wow! You have been on a lot of cruises! It looks like you have done the same destination more than once, lucky girl. As for cruise lines, Carnival seems to be the cheapest. We can get a balcony on a seven night cruise for the three of us for around $2000. Tell me what you like about Celebrity? Have you done a Carnival cruise? I think another reason I stick with Carnival is for the goal of reaching ten cruises and getting VIP status.

 

Off to the store now to restock my Special K!

 

Kari

 

PS - Are you on the East coast? I'm out of Seattle.

[gerif]

Don't let the fact that you might not like Special K keep you from trying this - just compare the nutrition on a box with that on a box of Cheerios - bet you can do a substitute with no problem as Cheerios are whole grain and do not contain added sugar.

 

For those sick of grilled chicken - I just made some chili last night with ground white meat turkey. Just browned it in a non-stick pan with chopped onion, garlic, lots of chili powder, canned tomatoes and beans. I'm allergic to bell peppers so don't use them, but adding them would make it even more low cal - and, it's virtually fat free. DH likes his with rice, so I make brown rice on the side. I like tortilla chips but get the baked kind. You can add some fat free sour cream and shredded low fat cheese if you want.

 

Just try to get creative with some of your family favorites - substituting ground turkey for beef (DH has yet to figure this out), using non-stick pans to eliminate added fat, adding extra veggies, etc. Also, try going meatless - spaghetti squash with low cal marinara sauce is really good. Use low fat mayo in crab cakes and bake rather than fry - 4 oz. of crab is only 45 calories! Stuff it in a big mushroom cap and it's even better.

[BEARFACE]

Hi Geri,

 

Thanks for the dining suggestions...the chili sounds good. I always have a hard time deciding what to make for dinner even without dieting;) I really do wonder if switching cereals would make a difference or maybe I should just go with the Special K variety...maybe there is a reason using this particular brand. How are you doing on the Special K plan?

 

Kari,

 

Yes, we are on the East Coast...we are about 25 miles Northwest of New York City. And yes we have been to Bermuda plenty of times since 1998...if you saw my credit card balance:eek: you would not think I am so lucky but we did enjoy every single cruise. Celebrity has a product we enjoy, wonderful service and crew. I know food is subjective but I find it to be very, very good on Celebrity. I like traditional dining and having the opportunity of dressing for formal nights. We've done a few Norwegian cruises as well and had a nice time too. We've never done Carnival and honestly was never our choice for cruising...but we are all different and that is why we are offered so many choices. Every line has their pros and cons.

 

Hope you stocked up on your Special K and let me know how you do on your next weigh in. Have a good night

 

Laura

[DKDL]

Hi Laura,

 

Tell me about Celebrity! We have always gone with Carnival because I thought it was the cheapest. Our last cruise in October to the Caribbean with a balcony cabin was about $2,000 for the three of us. The Mexican cruise is costing about the same, which my husband thinks is not a good deal since there are only three stops and it's Mexico! The other thing is I like the idea of becoming VIP status after ten cruises. Hopefully my hubby won't feel soured on Cruising after this cruise. Right now he is not to happy about it cost wise when you consider you have to pay an additional $5 per day per person for fuel! Is Celebrity doing that?

 

Kari

[BEARFACE]

Hi Kari

 

You should really try Celebrity...you wouldn't be disappointed. As I said the service and crew are excellent, the food is excellent and they treat you wonderfully. Their ships are beautiful. All I can say is we have a cruise booked for this October on Celebrity Constellation for 11 nights and with airfare it is only costing a little more then $2000 for 2 people...now that is a deal. And our Bermuda runs are not much either...although we do go in September or October when the rates are lower and it is hurricane season but we have to stay within our budget. You should give them a try sometime. Honestly Carnival does not interest us because I've heard it is just a drink all day, all night ship (party ship) and although we have our share of drinks throughout the week we are not looking for this type of atmosphere, plus although I love children I do not want to vacation with 500-1000 kids onboard...just being honest!! If there is anything in particular you would like to know about Celebrity, ask away.

 

Have a good day:)

 

Laura