The Special K diet is a much-publicized meal replacement plan. Called the Special K Challenge by the Special K company, the idea is to make most of your calories come from the Special K products:
Special K cereal: original, red berries, low fat granola, cinnamon pecan, protein plus, chocolatey delight, blueberry, fruit and yogurt and vanilla almond
Special K Protein Shakes: milk chocolate, strawberry and french vanilla
Special K Protein Snack Bars: chocolate delight, chocolate peanut
Special K Cereal Bars: blueberry, strawberry, peaches and berries, chocolatey drizzle, vanilla crisp, honey nut, chocolatey dipped raspberry, chocolatey dipped mocha, chocolatey pretzel
Special K Fruit Crisps: blueberry, strawberry
Special K Crackers: multigrain, seasoned herb
Special K Protein Meal Bars: chocolate peanut butter, strawberry, double chocolate, chocolatey chip and honey almond
Special K Protein Water Mixes: strawberry kiwi, iced tea, pink lemonade
How Does The Special K Diet Plan Work?
Here is the Special K diet plan as directed on their site:
Dinner is usually referred to as "sensible". But let’s face it – if we were eating ‘sensibly’ (whatever that means?) we wouldn’t need a diet in the first place. If dinner is a large sized Papa John’s Meat Lovers pizza, washed down with a liter of coke, followed by a half dozen Krispy Kremes for dessert, it doesn’t make much difference what we eat during the day.
The Low Down on the Special K Diet Plan
The main advantage, of course, is ease. No cooking, no planning – except choosing between the Chocolatey Dipped Mocha or the Chocolatey Dipped Raspberry.
If time is a problem for you, then nothing beats this diet. You can keep a supply of the foods in your car and happily grab and eat while driving to work.
I can see that there is an advantage in not having to think about food. Sometimes choosing between various meals can cause us to start dreaming about food and lots of I – which is the last thing we need to be considering!
What about your health if you follow the Special K diet?
Here are the ingredients in the strawberry bars: Cereal (Rice, Sugar, Whole Grain Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Defatted Wheat Germ, Salt, Wheat Flour, Malt Flavoring, Maltodextrin, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Thiamin Hydrochloride [Vitamin B1]), Corn Syrup, Sugar, Strawberry Flavored Fruit Pieces (Sugar, Cranberries, Citric Acid, Natural Strawberry Flavor With Other Natural Flavors, Elderberry Juice Concentrate For Color, Sunflower Oil), Vegetable Oil (Contains One or more of the Following: Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed and/or Palm Kernel Oil, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Tbhq and Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness), Fructose, Dextrose, Contains Two Percent or less of Nonfat Dry Milk, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Natural and Artificial Strawberry Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Maltodextrin, Natural Yogurt Flavor, Niacinamide, Artificial Flavor, Bht (Preservative), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6).
Notice that there are several kinds of sugar (sugar, fructose, maltodextrin, corn syrup, juice concentrate, sorbitol, dextrose)
There is hydrogenated oil – a definite ‘no no’
BHT – a preservative
The cost of the diet isn’t bad, though. On Amazon, this listing of "Special K Bars, Strawberry, 6-Count Bars (Pack of 12)" is only $31.09, making each bar a meager cost of only $.43.
"Will The Special K Diet Plan Really Help Me Lose Weight?"
If you’re a terrible eater, the Special K diet is a big improvement because the foods are low in fat and calories. For example, if you usually swing by Starbucks on your way to work and grab a Grande White Chocolate Mocha (470 calories; 18g fat) and a reduced fat muffin (380 calories; 8g fat) for breakfast and then go to McDonald’s for a cheeseburger (300 calories; 12g fat) and a medium fries (380 calories; 20g fat) for lunch, then it’s easy to see how switching to Special K can save you a lot of calories.
However, there’s certainly nothing special about Special K products, except for the fact that they are low calorie and get you into a "diet mentality" that causes you to think twice before eating unhealthy treats. In reality, you could do a similar thing with any healthy brand of cereal … and there are several cereals that I would choose over Special K. For instance, Kashi brand cereals are healthier. However, the Special K diet has many more options when it’s time to choose our meal.
Do you like the Special K bars? If so, then this isn’t a bad way to drop some weight and create the motivation to consider a healthier lifestyle. This is especially true if you’re currently eating lots of high-calorie, unhealthy foods. In that case, you might want to consider these deadly foods a ‘once in a while’ treat and focus on the Special K diet for a time. It’s certainly convenient and simple, and includes fruits and veggies, which is always a nutritious choice. Is this the world’s healthiest diet? No way – but it isn’t the worst either.
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