Special K Challenge Review

This week many of my friends and members of a dance troupe began researching the Special K Challenge thanks to a review that I found here at Viewpoints.  Most of us don't need to lose weight but some of us knew that we were burning so many calories that we needed to consume healthy calories.  I had my Body Mass Index (BMI) done and I am very lean.  After a 24-hour fasting it was determined (medically) that my body burns approximately 1356 calories daily without any exercise and a daily caloric intake for me is usually somewhere between 500-1000.  Therefore, my dancing 10 hours a week was producing an even greater caloric meltdown and I am still walking 3-4 miles 5 days a week, doing 100-220 ab crunches daily, and some weight lifting. 

So, my doctor was trying to encourage me to eat smaller meals each day just to give my body something to burn off instead of going into starvation mode.  I am not a regular three meals a day eater so it was going to be difficult for me to fathom eating three meals and two snacks.  Mentally I would go back into the anorexic mindset of, "Oh no I'm going to gain so much weight and swell up and look like a balloon."  No one needs to remind me about the distorted body image perception.  I've been treated for anorexia for 20+ years and I could write a book on the subject.  Professionals hate working with me because they are aware that I am also a professional and know what they know.

I began the Special K Challenge today--10 days before I leave for my vacation.  Today I did something for the first time that I haven't done in ages.  I ate breakfast and I ate waffles with syrup.  I never eat breakfast, I don't like waffles, and I don't like syrup, molasses or honey.  But I bought a lite syrup and the Special K original waffles and I did okay.  I am now nursing a bottle of grape Aquafina FlavorSplash water. 

The Special K Challenge is a diet that you can design for yourself.  The good thing about this diet is that each day you can eat one meal (in moderation) with the choice of whatever you want.  So, if you want to go out to eat lunch with friends or coworkers you don't need to worry about "following your diet" use that meal as the "meal of choice" and then follow the diet for dinner.

The Special K Challenge is not a diet that's going to count daily caloric intake.  I believe this diet is designed to teach people how to eat healthy.  The Special K Challenge promises the participant to lose approximately 6 lbs. in *2 weeks.  My doctor said that I may actually gain a few pounds.  Well, muscle weighs more than fat and I am on a vigorous dance and exercise routine right now and I will most likely consume more calories each day than I have in the past.  My doctor says I can stand to gain 12-15 lbs. so she has no concern.  On the other hand, a smaller person may still lose weight with this diet if it balances out a more nutritional lifestyle and exercise regimen. 

You can visit www.specialk.com to design your own plan.  They will ask you a few questions and then give you a list of Special K products to choose from.  All products are not listed so you may find yourself substituting different flavors of choice.  For example, when they suggest red berries; I substitute blueberries.  When they suggest a protein bar with chocolate I substitute a protein bar with peanut butter.  I designed my own meal plan grid and actually put in the product name and I designed a weekly menu for the free meals too and inserted that where it said "My Choice" on the grid.  Also, when they suggested their Special K waters; I substituted different brandnames.  I compared all the nutritional ingredients and discovered that Propel and Aquafina were the same or lower and they were cheaper. 

I spent about $35 by purchasing the Special K cereals, waffles, meal and protein bars.  There is enough to take me into the third week.  You will pay more if you invest in Special K waters and drink mixes.  You also have to buy your fruits, milk, and food for the free meal each day.  I don't think this is going to be an expensive diet.

I began trying some of the products this week to see if I could actually find enough that I would want to eat.  I love the Special K Crackers, the raspberry Bliss bars, and the Cinnamon Pecan, and Blueberry cereals.   I will review other Special K products as I familiarize myself with them. 

In a nutshell here is the diet as advertised from the Special K website:

• Meal 1: 1 serving of Special K cereal (any variety) with 2/3 cup skim milk, and your     choice of fruit.  Or, 2 Special K waffles with 2 tbsp of light syrup and your choice of fruit.
• Meal 2: Special K Protein Meal Bar or another serving of Special K cereal.
• Meal 3: Eat your third meal as you normally do.  Keep in mind, you may choose to make this meal either the first, second or last meal of the day.
• Snacks: Enjoy 2 snacks.  Snacks include Protein Waters and Mixes, Protein Snack Bars, Cereal Bars, Bliss Bars, crackers.  (All were Special K products).
• Consume fruits and vegetables for additional snacks.  Drink beverages as you normally do.

The Special K Challenge isn't actually monitoring your caloric, fat, protein, carb intake but with their products it is possibly lowering your normal intake.  The diet allows for variety and choice.  I think the meal of choice each day is a result of several other meals being limited.  I have heard several people talk about how much weight and inches they lost. 

Is the Special K Challenge for you?  I don't know.  Research it, print up a meal plan and then discuss it with your physician.  Know that all diets don't always deliver typical results.  A healthy diet usually results in an average 2 lb. per week weight loss but someone who is extremely overweight might go into a meltdown mode and lose more weight than usual.  Someone who is smaller or only has 5-10 lbs. to lose may not see results as quickly.  Remember that because muscle does weigh more than fat you might gain a few pounds of muscle weight but still lose inches.  It's not always what's on the scale that matters.  Sometimes it's how you feel in your jeans or mentally.  And remember that dieting is not a quick fix for weight loss.  You must incorporate a healthy and safe exercise regimen and your eating habits must become a lifestyle change.  

I believe this diet will be rather easy for me if I can stick to all the meals because through the years I have already been eating many of the Special K products.  Once they are incorporated into your lifestyle it becomes second nature to eat healthy.

* The primary photo says 4 weeks but now the website and all products are stating 2 weeks.  Because results aren't typical others might follow it longer.  If it works for me or makes me feel better about my eating habits I will probably follow it on a more regular, long-term basis.