Friday, June 4, 2010

What Was I Thinking?

As I shared about a week ago - I was going to try some Special K Regina-ized two week long diet.

Then the holiday weekend happened.

And baseball season.

And work meetings.

And this is the problem with diets that don't really include "real / normal food".

It only took me about 3 minutes when reviewing the Special K diet online to realize that their suggestions were filled with HFCS, lots of sugar, not lots of fiber (even when they said it was a high fiber item), and little to no veggies / fruits. And even a little sprinkling of "insignificant" amounts of trans fats!

I guess if you were consuming fast food in super sized quantities every single day - this would be a good change. But even then, it wouldn't be long lasting and it is DEFINITELY NOT the road to a healthier YOU!

I thought this would be a good idea for me because in this season - I often don't want to eat at all. Or I want to eat something cold. (And while ice cream for dinner can happen on occasion - I would not suggest you try it for weeks on end.)

In the Regina-version of this Special K diet. I did eat a good amount of cereal. I do not own a single bowl that makes the box suggestion of a "serving" an easy thing to measure out (and by the way, it varies by flavor of Special K that you are eating)...but isn't this the problem with everyday food intake? The box says 5 crackers - and 10 crackers aren't enough to seem like a snack? Must learn portion control.

Also, you would think I would know better...several years ago I had a gum graft ( a midevil procedure where they take skin from the roof of your mouth and add it to the gum line - yeouch!) and since then the top of my mouth has been very sensitive. I don't like soggy cereal. So this means that meal after meal of crunchy flakes= my mouth feeling very assaulted.

I will continue to replace a meal here and there with cereal - it's not the easiest thing to pack for my desk. And sometimes a girl just needs real food - you know?

What I should have done instead - is branch out even further from the Special K diet. I should have done the Baked Oatmeal diet - high fiber, low sugar, fresh fruit. Serve it warm or cold! I am still considering this - as I simply do not get tired of this food item. And if I wanted cereal - who's to say that a higher fiber cereal wouldn't work just as well as a meal replacement?

Needless to say - with the decreased fiber, the holiday, the concession stand at baseball games...the numbers are not moving in the right direction. So 1 week in and I'm already sick of the plan!

How many times must we be doomed to re-learn the basics? Fruits and veggies first. Moderation everywhere. Smaller serving sizes. More calorie free drinks. And a healthy - moving lifestyle.

Can you say "duh"?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you're going to eat cereal - might I suggest Kashi's Original Puffed Wheat cereal? At 80 calories FOR AN ENTIRE CUP, it's a good pick - it will let you throw in some fruit and milk (or fat-free yogurt, which is how I like my cold cereal - makes it wet and soft without making it soggy) for the same calorie count as Special K alone.

Plus, it tends to "puff" up in your stomach, making you feel fuller. And, no sugar, no salt and no HFCS in it.

Just my thought.

asithi said...

I second the Kashi cereals. Sometimes I get tired of chewing and stop eating before I am full. Since it takes much longer to eat Kashi cereals, at least your stomach have more time to spend the signal back to your brain to stop eating before you overeat.