Special K Challenge

[BEARFACE]

Hi everyone:)

 

Well I went out food shopping and came across the Special K snack bars...the chocolate ones. I purchased one box and tried it and they were very good. My only fear doing this diet is that I will always feel hungry. I actually had two of the bars, felt like I ate nothing though. Have any of you experienced hunger doing this plan. What is hard on my part is that I do not like fruits and veggies I only have with dinner. Anyway, hope everyone is doing good on their diets and looking forward to hearing your success this week.

 

Have a good day all:)

 

Laura

[misty57]

Bearface,

I have to say that I have had moments when I was hungry, but I make sure that I have a snack then, whether it is fruit or a snack bar. Do you not like any fruit? Bananas? Try the protein water. It is surprisingly good and filling. It kills my hunger. I am always hungry and ready for my one regular meal. If I still need something else I have some 94% fat free popcorn. It's not on the plan, but it's better than chips or cookies:D . Three more weeks and I can have desert!!! ( on the cruise that is..)

I'll weigh in on Monday and post the 2 week total loss.

[BEARFACE]

Hi Misty

 

It would be real nice if we could use our first names...so much nicer then using screen names. You can call me Laura, I don't mind;) If you would rather not leave a first name, that is okay too.

 

Looking forward to hearing your weight loss on Monday, good luck:)

 

Laura

[misty57]

Hi Laura,

(my youngest daughter's name too:) )

You can call me Chris. Screen names are rather cumbersome.

Don't you wish they made Special K ice cream?:D

[BEARFACE]

Hi Chris:)

 

Thank you...it is always nicer using first names and I am glad to share my name with your daughter;)

 

Yes, I wish they had Special K Ice Cream...now wouldn't that be nice:p The special K bars are better then I thought. I will start the whole diet in two weeks and see how it goes.

 

Have a good day and hello to everyone else too!!:)

 

Laura

[BEARFACE]

Hi:)

 

So, how is everyone doing on their diet??? I hope all are doing well. I've decided to hold off on doing the Special K Plan for now. I would like to start this in the Spring. Right now the temps are pretty cold here and is not motivating me to get out and walk. I do alot of walking in the Spring and Summer though. I would like to incorporate exercise as well when doing this diet. Also, I do not cruise until October and I know I would make every effort to lose the weight a month or two out before the cruise. I still purchase the Special K Snack Bars so at least I am staying away from regular chocolate and they are very good.

 

Again, once the weather is better here I will start the plan. I do not think I would lose much if I do not incorporate the walking into the plan. And walking is my only form of exercise. I hate the gym, had quite a few memberships that did not last and my DH would kill me if I even thought about joining another gym LOL.

 

I would still like to hear how everybody is doing on the plan though.

 

Have a good day all:)

 

Laura

[misty57]

It's almost time for me to pack ! 2 1/2 weeks to go. I am not reporting my weight today. I think I must have swallowed a sponge! It has to be water weight. I have "cheated a little" but not enough to gain anything just might inhibit losing.:( So.. I'm hitting the water today again. I just don't drink water at work. We're not allowed to have anything in the unit, and I just can't get much from the water fountain! I have only a few weeks to shave a little more weight off so I have to be very good from now til then.

Special K... cheerios.... lettuce..... soup.... then cruise! ( I might get on the stationary bike too. Laura I think your'e right about the excercise. At my age I guess I'll never be able to lose 20# in 2 weeks like I did when I was 21:mad:

[BEARFACE]

Hi Misty (Chris)

 

Sorry to hear you are not losing as much as you would have liked. I know all about water retention;) It is hard when we get older as in my case being over 40, but keep at it and I am sure the pounds will come off. Try real hard before your cruise in 2 weeks...you must be getting real excited, I would be too.:) It is a shame you cannot drink water in your unit...I would definitely have a problem with that and would probably tell my boss/supervisor that it is a medical issue and I need to drink water throughout the day. I am not really allowed either to drink any beverages at the store but I do drink my water and I really do not care what they think. To tell somebody they cannot drink fluids is crazy!!! I try and drink 4 bottles of water a day (16 oz ea) and it is so good for you...really flushes everything out and great for weight loss.

 

My problem is sweets. I crave something sweet everyday and I think it is the caffeine I am craving. I do not drink soda/coffee so I think the chocolate keeps the energy levels up. I haven't had soda in years.

 

Anyway, I am rooting for you, hope you lose more before your cruise and let me know how you do before the cruise.

 

Have a good day:)

Laura

[Dihead]

May I join in on this challenge?

I need to lose about 30 lbs.. We just got home from an eastern caribbean cruise on Carnival, and I look very bloated in my pictures :( I'm not happy with the way I look at the moment.

I started eating right and drinking only water the day we got back home from the cruise (except for one cup of coffee in the morning, which I need or I'm a monster) and so far I've lost 9 lbs.

We have another cruise booked for January '09 on the Freedom, and I would very much like to wear my cute sundresses and my white pants I've worn on previous vacations.

 

So if its okay, I would like to join you guys.. :o

[DKDL]

Welcome aboard! We did the Triumph in October '07, followed by T-giving, Christmas, etc. Always something! I really decided to buckle down mid-January with our next cruise being March 9th! The SK diet is a good way to get started. I didn't weigh myself when I started but I know it was between 138-140. I am now down to 130 and fitting into pants I haven't worn in 2 years! I also added daily exercise (20 minutes of Windser Pilates). I must admit that I did not stick to the diet 100%, but enough to stray off of it on occasion and still maintain the loss. Sounds like your already well on your way with 9 lbs!!! Keep the faith:)

 

Kari

[Dihead]

Welcome aboard! We did the Triumph in October '07, followed by T-giving, Christmas, etc. Always something! I really decided to buckle down mid-January with our next cruise being March 9th! The SK diet is a good way to get started. I didn't weigh myself when I started but I know it was between 138-140. I am now down to 130 and fitting into pants I haven't worn in 2 years! I also added daily exercise (20 minutes of Windser Pilates). I must admit that I did not stick to the diet 100%, but enough to stray off of it on occasion and still maintain the loss. Sounds like your already well on your way with 9 lbs!!! Keep the faith:)

 

Kari

 

Thanks :)

I'm gonna start tomorrow morning! Let's hope this works!

[BEARFACE]

Welcome Dihead and I wish you much luck in your weight loss effort.

 

Kari,

 

Congrats on your weight loss...wow, you lost just about 10 lbs. Maybe I should do this plan sooner. I wonder though if exercise is not a part of it will I still lose the weight. I really do not have alot of time to exercise and walking is really my only form of exercise and it has been pretty cold here...not very motivating. Do you think you would have lost as much without the exercising. Keep us updated. I would like to try this plan in the Spring when the weather is better for walking. I do quite a bit of walking in the Spring and Summer months.

 

Are you still on the plan?

 

Laura

[DKDL]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I think the exercise really makes a difference. The pilates workout really focuses on your 'power house' or 'core'. Combined with the diet you develop muscle in place of fat. My biggest problem is a 'muffin top'. Next would be toning up my butt and thighs. Pilate's make a huge impact when I did them 3/4 years ago, so I'm hoping it will again.

 

I have been at a plateau of 130 for the last week but am still working at it. I really am not hungry so much during the day so the plan is pretty easy for me. It's the after dinner snacking that is the problem. For my evening meals this last week I've even had pie and ice cream 2 nights and a scoop of ice cream Monday. This is probably why I've stayed at 130! But it's good to know that I can still have treats and maintain my weight.

 

With our cruise in only 18 days I'm going to really work on losing 5+ pounds. (When I went to a trainer last year she told me I should be at 115! For a 47 year old at 5'5" I haven't been like that since my 20's!!)

 

Happy dieting ladies!

 

Kari

[Chigirlcruzin]

With our cruise in only 18 days I'm going to really work on losing 5+ pounds. (When I went to a trainer last year she told me I should be at 115! For a 47 year old at 5'5" I haven't been like that since my 20's!!)

 

Happy dieting ladies!

 

Kari

 

My experience has been that most trainers really don't know what they are talking about, and it sounds like you had one of those. You are at a healthy weight for your height and age. Now if you want to lose more for you, that's your decision. I really wouldn't listen to what this trainer said. I had a trainer tell me I needed to consume 500 calories a day to lose weight:rolleyes:

[DKDL]

I'm not going by what the trainer says or by what the charts say. I'm going for what I feel good about. The hardest thing is trying to get rid of this muffin top! I don't care if I can get into a small size pant. I'm not going to feel good about myself when I got a roll of fat hanging over my belt!

 

Kari

[misty57]

Well the special K plan is only a quick temporary bandaid. I did get on the scale in the spa the last day and gained 10lb! Of course that was after dinner and at the end of the week. I decided that I am sick of worrying about the weight and found a book in the bookstore called Ultra-Metabolism. I don't think I can follow all the suggestions in the book because my family wouldn't eat half of the foods recommended, but the suggestions about type of foods and timing of eating makes a lot of sense. According to the book, I have been well on my way to becoming a sumo wrestler ( in appearance anyway)!!!! After reading about 25% of the book, I would not recommend the Special K plan.... I guess I'll see if this way of eating makes any difference. No counting points or calories!

[BEARFACE]

Hi Misty:)

 

Thanks for the info...been struggling on whether to try this plan or not but after what you stated here maybe not a good idea. From the start I could not see how losing weight could be so easy on this plan considering the carb count involved. I find I lose weight easier giving up the carbs and high calorie sweets. Just yesterday I decided to give up any kind of bread and for sweets I am eating the Weight Watchers (Smart Choice) selections. The cookie dough is very good. Well from yesterday morning till this morning the scale dropped 2 lbs.:D I know this is initially water weight but I am going to try and keep up with this and just eat protein, veggies and the WW treats. Also I am back doing the egg beaters with fat free cheese. Oh, and I always drink water throughout the day.

 

Anyway, thanks again for the info. Let me know how this new plan works out for you.

 

Laura

[misty57]

Hi Laura,

2 lbs!!! Don't you love results? Water loss is ok.... it has to go!! I too am giving up the bread and sweets, also the potatoes and diet Pepsi. I drank diet Coke all week on the cruise and thought that I might as well go cold turkey because dp is different than coke. I had a slight headache, but I don't really crave any soda, and I'm drinking lots of water too. I guess I shouldn't say I'm giving up bread.. just limiting it to whole wheat WW bread once a day. My DH uses eggbeaters every day so I can just use his!! We raise beef here, so it's going to be hard to limit our intake of that, but I'm going to try to add in more fish and chicken.

Now if I can just make it downstairs to the elliptical....

We have 3 inches of snow on the ground now.. came down fast and furious. It's hard to adjust to that after getting a sunburn in 87 degree weather!

Good luck with your efforts as well

Chris

[misty57]

Laura, I was just looking at all the cruises you have taken... wow!! Are you a TA? We just completed our 7th cruise. It is addicting! This is the first time we have booked another one onboard and I like it !!! Much less of a let down when the vacation is over!:D

[BEARFACE]

Hi Chris,

 

Very funny!!!;) No, not a TA, just became a cruise addict after the first one. I always tell people taking their first cruise that they are in trouble and will need to cruise over and over. Our next cruise is on the Norwegian Dawn this October to Bermuda:D as always looking forward to it.

 

As far as the diet, yes I was very pleased this morning when I saw the 2 lb. drop. I know it was water weight but seeing the number go down started my day off good. For now I will continue not eating any bread and continue with the egg beaters for breakfast and my weight watcher snacks. For dinner it will either be lean beef, chicken or fish with veggies. I need to lose at least 20 lbs. Right now I am not exercising but once the weather improves I will be out there hitting the pavement. Walking is my only form of exercise.

 

Anyway, keep in touch and let me know how you are doing with your weight loss efforts.

 

Take care for now

Laura

[Staraj]

Hi Chris,

 

Very funny!!!;) No, not a TA, just became a cruise addict after the first one. I always tell people taking their first cruise that they are in trouble and will need to cruise over and over. Our next cruise is on the Norwegian Dawn this October to Bermuda:D as always looking forward to it.

 

As far as the diet, yes I was very pleased this morning when I saw the 2 lb. drop. I know it was water weight but seeing the number go down started my day off good. For now I will continue not eating any bread and continue with the egg beaters for breakfast and my weight watcher snacks. For dinner it will either be lean beef, chicken or fish with veggies. I need to lose at least 20 lbs. Right now I am not exercising but once the weather improves I will be out there hitting the pavement. Walking is my only form of exercise.

 

Anyway, keep in touch and let me know how you are doing with your weight loss efforts.

 

Take care for now

Laura

 

Hi Laura,

Hope you don't mind my butting into your topic here. I saw your name and thought I'd say hello.

 

How are you and Kevin doing? I see you are taking the Dawn to Bermuda this year. It looks like Norwegian is the only choice these days. We are going to Alaska in June (HAL) and probably won't be able to afford another cruise, so no Bermuda for me. It hasn't stopped me from looking at the options though - :D . I'm really going to miss my Bermuda fix.

 

Anyway, to keep this post on topic - I've found that if I eliminate white foods like pasta, potatoes, Italian bread (all my favorites!) I lose weight quicker. I'm very unhappy, but I drop pounds;) .

 

Take care and say hi to Kevin for me.

 

Carol

[BEARFACE]

Hey Carol:)

 

What a surprise!! How are you and Jerry? we are doing fine here. So Alaska, how exciting. It is one of Kevin's dream to get there...maybe one day. Yes, we are doing our annual Bermuda trip...looking forward to it. Believe this, but in two days from now we were supposed to be boarding Galaxy doing the Southern Caribbean but we had to cancel back in December:( But we are looking forward to our Bermuda cruise. The Norwegian Dawn is a beautiful ship with great crew and service so I am sure I will not be disappointed for a second time:) I hope you have a wonderful time on your Alaska trip and I guess you are happy with (Hal).

You take care for now.

 

And back on topic, I will get back on the scale next week and hopefully see the drop. Giving up bread is not a problem for me, it is the sweets that are my weakness. I have traded in the daily hershey bar for the Weight Watchers sweet entrees. I would be thrilled to lose at least 20 lbs. before our next Bermuda cruise...bikini, here I come;)

 

Laura

[Staraj]

Hey Carol:)

 

What a surprise!! How are you and Jerry? we are doing fine here. So Alaska, how exciting. It is one of Kevin's dream to get there...maybe one day. Yes, we are doing our annual Bermuda trip...looking forward to it. Believe this, but in two days from now we were supposed to be boarding Galaxy doing the Southern Caribbean but we had to cancel back in December:( But we are looking forward to our Bermuda cruise. The Norwegian Dawn is a beautiful ship with great crew and service so I am sure I will not be disappointed for a second time:) I hope you have a wonderful time on your Alaska trip and I guess you are happy with (Hal).

You take care for now.

 

And back on topic, I will get back on the scale next week and hopefully see the drop. Giving up bread is not a problem for me, it is the sweets that are my weakness. I have traded in the daily Hershey bar for the Weight Watchers sweet entrees. I would be thrilled to lose at least 20 lbs. before our next Bermuda cruise...bikini, here I come;)

 

Laura

 

Bikini?! Those days are long gone for me! :eek: Go for it Laura!

 

Have you ever tried the Skinny Cow ice cream products? They look good. We usually buy Edy's Slow Churned for our sweet treat...although my real downfall is salty snacks like pretzels and chips. Oh, by the way - I just spent 2 hours+ making eggplant parm (I used part skim cheese:p ). I thought of you...

 

What a shame you had to cancel your Caribbean cruise but at least you have another booked to look forward to. It helps a lot, doesn't it.

 

We cruised with HAL last year on the Noordam and really loved it. For Alaska we were going to book a Celebrity ship but our TA, who has done Alaska a ridiculous amount of times, recommended HAL. She really loves Alaska and is even giving a seminar next week that we are attending. Honestly, I'm kind of dreading going somewhere cold.

 

Carol

[BEARFACE]

Hey Carol,

 

This might just might turn into our own personal thread LOL...I don't mind if you don't;) I read some good reviews about HAL but I doubt we will go with the line any time soon. Yes, today we would have been on Galaxy...I was a little gloomy while at work today but I knew I would be. I became very close to a few gals on the roll call for that cruise and I was so looking forward to meeting them. They sailed a few hours ago, I hope they kept their promise and toasted both Kevin and me. I'm sure once you see how beautiful Alaska is you will forget all about the cold.

 

Just for the record, Kevin and I always enjoyed spending time with you and Jerry. I always thought it would have been nice to get together off ship...maybe one day.

 

I hope the seminar goes well. I'm sure your eggplant parm came out delicious...:p send some this way. Yes, I've heard of skinny cow but never tried it. I use the WW entrees. You take care for now and keep in touch.

 

So, how are you doing on your diet Chris:) Please keep me posted as to how you are doing. Haven't had a slice of bread since Monday...that is easy for me, the sweets are a challenge for me. I hope to see the numbers change on the scale next week. Have a good week.

 

Carol, say hello to Jerry and Kevin sends his best too!!

 

Laura

[misty57]

Hi Laura,

 

Things are going well!! I am back at my pre-cruise weight... which I guess means most of the weight was water retention, but it's nice to see the scale go down instead of up. I have my stack of weightwatchers magazines out and tried a few new recipes which is kind of fun. I'm back to work full time tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes.

Have a great week.

 

Chris