Overview of the Special K Diet Plan

Special K Exposè

You've seen the commercials for years. 'Lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks!' the Special K box proudly boasts. Does it really work??

Special K, a cereal product of Kellogg, has been promoting their 'Special K Challenge' as a quick and safe weight loss alternative for years. Let's take a look at the details behind that claim...

Exactly what is the 'diet'?
+ Eat a serving of Kellogg's Special K cereal with 2/3 cup skim milk and fruit for two meals a day.
+ Eat your third meal as you normally do.
+ For snacks, choose from fresh fruits and vegetables or a Special K Bar.
+ Consume beverages as you normally do.

What's special about Special K cereal?
Nothing. It's a little better for you than some of the marshmallow filled sugar-encrusted cereal choices on the shelves these days, but not by much. Special K cereal is made with high fructose corn syrup, and it actually contains less potassium and fiber than some other breakfast choices. It's not magic food; it's just cereal.

Does the Special K Diet work?
Technically, yes it does. People who manage to stay on the plan the whole two weeks, lost about two pounds a week in studies. It's not the most effective plan, but losing 4-5 pounds in two weeks is more than some people have managed on other plans.

How does the Special K Diet work?
It works by making you starve. Yes, really. That's the 'secret' to the Special K diet. It's a drastically low-calorie diet compared to what most people are normally eating. If you eat nothing but a small bowl of cereal (around a hundred calories), when you're used to eating 800, 1000, or more calories for breakfast, then your body has no fuel!! Do that for two meals a day and you'll lose weight simply because you're not eating as many calories as you're using up each day.

What about the one 'regular' meal at night?
By the time you get to dinner, you're going to be so hungry that you will probably overeat, which is why you end up only losing a couple pounds each week. If you could keep your supper intake at the same calories level you were eating before the Special K diet, you would lose even more.