What do you think of a "Cereal Diet"

[SlimWithin26]

My friend at work is on a "cereal diet". What is weird is that she has lost 12lbs in 3 weeks. She only eats 1 particular kind of cereal (sugared oat cereal) and skim milk 3-5 times a day. How safe is that? I would think that would mess w/ your blood sugar or something?

[AllieCat0817]

How much of her 12 lb loss is muscle mass?
How hungry is she?
How healthy is it?

[emijan]

I say what ever works for her......I think the main reason to do a more wholesome diet (woe if you rather) is to learn to eat the right way so you do not gain it back. I did Atkins using tons of veggies and didn't go crazy with the fat either and lost 17lb in 7 wks. I did induction pretty much the whole time and didn't learn to incorporate other low carb foods and even some fruit. Needless to say that I went back to eating the way I used to, but this time with a taste for high fat foods and the combination of high fat and high carb is deadly for me.
Personally I hate cereal but I have toyed with the thought of a soup diet (some soups that are yumee but low cal) since the options of lc fods isn't helping my self control....to each his own...

[ProudTruckersWife]

An old co-worker of mine lost over 100lbs eating 3 meals a day of frosted flakes, skim milk and an occasional snack of pretzel sticks. She of course gained her weight back in 1/4 of the time it took her to lose it. Let's face it..it's not healthy and it's not realistic.

[Lachesis]

Originally Posted by SlimWithin26

My friend at work is on a "cereal diet". What is weird is that she has lost 12lbs in 3 weeks. She only eats 1 particular kind of cereal (sugared oat cereal) and skim milk 3-5 times a day. How safe is that? I would think that would mess w/ your blood sugar or something?

An all cereal diet would probably be better than an all french fries diet. But doesn't most cereal generally have a high glycemix index? At least that's what I read on http://www.glycemicindex.com.

[Mrs.Johnson]

O....M.....G sugared oats eh.. well i know there is more sugar in a bowl of cornflakes w skim milk than there is in a mars bar...

I would imagine that this poor woman must be hungry all the time with insulin spikes like those all day!

I think she's torturing herself for some reason.

[Tilla]

You can lose weight in all kinds of ways. The problem is, when she goes back to eating other things, the weight will come back. A "diet" has to be sustainable. In order to enjoy permanent weight loss, you have to learn a healthier way to eat that you can do forever.

[whitelighter1968]

My father lost a load of weight eating a huge thing of penut M&M's and walking 5 miles a day.. when he was younger....
(insert applause)

Now he is about 350 pounds at 5'10 and is out of breath when he walks and has a hard time putting on his shoes..

FOLKS... IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS. It's about creating a healthy life and choosing to be in control of the body instead of letting the body control you!!!!

TIMOTHY

[Mary McD]

How long could she possibly eat nothing but cereal? Not for the rest of her life, that's for sure. As soon as she goes back to eating "normally" she will gain the weight back. This is just a temporary weight loss. Anything called a diet is usually temporary.

[jskn]

She is losing well because her calories are low. 3500 calories = 1 lb. Create a defecit and you will lose no matter where your calories come from.

[lori121]

No offense. but ewwwww... I use to be able to eat it. but not anymore.

[pinkpetals]

Originally Posted by whitelighter1968

FOLKS... IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS. It's about creating a healthy life and choosing to be in control of the body instead of letting the body control you!!!!

I agree, that cereal diet reminds me of the sorts of things I would do in high school and college ... coffee for breakfast, an apple for lunch and then dinner was one a serving of junk (a happy meal or a candy bar or an ice cream cone) I lost a lot of weight that way... a lot of times!! (...YOYO!!)

All I can say is that only cereal for 3 weeks is NOT treating one's body like a temple.

[dae_tona]

Special K promotes that cereal thing on TV. You know, replace 2 meals with cereal and lose 6 lbs in 2 weeks. Something like that. But they never say how much cereal, how much milk, etc. And then a sensible dinner. So you know it's cutting calories that is helping with that. Reminds me of slimfast. 2 shakes and then a sensible dinner. But can you live like that for the rest of your life?

Have a friend who lived on an apple and a yogurt a day and dropped 20 pounds within two months time. (she's taller than me-5'6 and got herself down to 110 lbs) And she worked out 2 hours a day. But now, she has finally learned to eat to live and is now eating mostly organic foods, enjoying it and losing weight at a good pace (she just had a baby and has dropped 18 lbs in a 3 month spand) So you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. You just have to change how and what you eat.

[JuliaL]

So what is she going to do, eat only cereal for the rest of her life? I suppose she wouldn't die from it, but she wouldn't be getting enough nutrition either.

No one can sustain something like that, so what's the point? As others have said - you just end up gaining the weight back.

[HaliciaW]

some people do a bowl for breakfast and a bowl for lunch then a simple supper and it works for them.
My problem is taht it is a diet not a woe that you can do for life. There is nowhere I go that I can't eat lc if i choose

[rainabear]

Wow, that sounds really nutritionally deficient. Imagine all the fatty acids, B-vitamins, and fat-soluble vitamins she's missing out on.

If the cereal diet worked, my husband would be at a normal weight. Some days that's almost all he eats. Seriously, though, that's how tons of fad diets work, pick a few foods to eat and you get so sick of them that you eat a lot less.

[AllieCat0817]

I always laugh my hiney off at the 'sensible dinner' part. lol. WHAT is that?

If I had 2 bowls of cereal all day or two shakes all day, a 'sensible dinner' would be 10 #1 combos from Wendys plus 10 frostys, then a whole pan o brownies.

[DiamondDeb]

Originally Posted by whitelighter1968

My father lost a load of weight eating a huge thing of penut M&M's and walking 5 miles a day.. when he was younger....
(insert applause)

Now he is about 350 pounds at 5'10 and is out of breath when he walks and has a hard time putting on his shoes..

[COLOR="Red"]FOLKS... IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS. It's about creating a healthy life and choosing to be in control of the body instead of letting the body control you!!!![/COLOR]

TIMOTHY

ITA

[SlimWithin26]

I agree, but she will not listen to me. She says that she is not hungry. She said she uses fruit as fillers if necessary.

And she had the nerve to tell me that her "diet" was just as healthy as my "woe" (I'm on Atkins). I told her she was SO MISINFORMED. But in the end, she'll see that my weightloss will stay off but her's, thats another story.

[neverwhere]

Cereal is something I binge on. Seriously, like 3 bowls at a time. Scarfing is a more appropriate word than eating

Ok, forget about the obvious nutritional no no of this diet...imagine if all you ate all day long was the same exact cereal????? Sometimes I throw my hands up and say "damn I'm so sick of meat" (or eggs, or something) and look at all the variety we have. Imagine if all you had was the same...box...of...cereal.

[Dharma]

The following was written by Sally Fallon:
I haven't eaten cereal since I read this!!

Packaged Cereals
Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.

In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt has tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

The only advances made in the extrusion process are those that will cut cost regardless of how these will alter the nutrient content of the product. Cereals are a multi-billion dollar business, one that has created huge fortunes.

With so many people eating breakfast cereals, you might expect to find some studies on the effect of extruded cereals on animals or humans. Yet, there are no published studies at all in the scientific literature.

The Rat Experiments
Let me tell you about two studies which were not published. The first was described by Paul Stitt who wrote about an experiment conducted by a cereal company in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given only water. A fourth set was given nothing but water and chemical nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on water alone lived about a month. But the company's own laboratory study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks---they died before the rats that got no food at all. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.

Results like these suggested that there was something actually very toxic in the puffed wheat itself! Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the pressure of the puffing process may produce chemical changes, which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance.

Another unpublished experiment was carried out in the 1960s. Researchers at Ann Arbor University were given 18 laboratory rats. They were divided into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the corn flakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The last corn flake rat died the day the first box rat died.) But before death, the corn flake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. The startling conclusion of this study is that there was more nourishment in the box than there was in the corn flakes.

This experiment was actually designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny. The results were never published and similar studies have not been conducted.

Most of America eats this kind of cereal. In fact, the USDA is gloating over the fact that children today get the vast majority of their important nutrients from the nutrients added to these boxed cereals.

Cereals sold in the health food stores are made by the same method. It may come as a shock to you, but these whole grain extruded cereals are probably more dangerous than those sold in the supermarket, because they are higher in protein and it is the proteins in these cereals that are so denatured by this type of processing.

There are no published studies on the effects of these extruded grains on animals or humans, but I did find one study in a literature search that described the microscopic effects of extrusion on the proteins. "Zeins," which comprise the majority of proteins in corn, are located in spherical organelles called protein bodies. During extrusion, these protein bodies are completely disrupted and deformed. The extrusion process breaks down the organelles, disperses the proteins and the proteins become toxic. When they are disrupted in this way, you have absolute chaos in your food, and it can result in a disruption of the nervous system.

[AllieCat0817]

Which is why I cant bring myself to buy 'lc' cereal either (such as Hi-Lo, etc)
I used to eat the Atkins kind and did love it... but it just didn't seem right.

[Mrs.Johnson]

OMG that is insane... i'm printing this off for my son, he's almost 19 and invariably eats cereal everytime he's hungry and running late... those of you with semi adult children know how often that is! btw he is a slim 160 at 5'11"

[nonstickpam107]

Originally Posted by AllieCat0817

I always laugh my hiney off at the 'sensible dinner' part. lol. WHAT is that?

If I had 2 bowls of cereal all day or two shakes all day, a 'sensible dinner' would be 10 #1 combos from Wendys plus 10 frostys, then a whole pan o brownies.

Amen!!!

Pam

[Tater Head]

OMG, so the higher the protein the worse the cereal is for you? I eat Special K plus protein with Almond milk on occasion because it's low in carbs and I just want cereal every so often instead of and egg dish. I will be re-thinking this.

[JuliaL]

Originally Posted by SlimWithin26

I agree, but she will not listen to me. She says that she is not hungry. She said she uses fruit as fillers if necessary.

And she had the nerve to tell me that her "diet" was just as healthy as my "woe" (I'm on Atkins). I told her she was SO MISINFORMED. But in the end, she'll see that my weightloss will stay off but her's, thats another story.

Yes, she is misinformed. She probably wouldn't listen to you if you told her, but she is eating a diet of almost pure sugar. Fruit is natural, but it's sugar nonetheless. When all you eat is sugar you end up overproducing insulin which will get stored as fat. Besides the fact that she won't be able to sustain this way of eating, she's wearing out her pancreas and setting herself up for diabetes.

[Jeska]

I think any 1-item food diet (the peanut butter diet, the cereal diet, etc) is usually bad news. Losing weight is just a small part of this journey...

[DisneyPrincess]

Originally Posted by jskn

She is losing well because her calories are low. 3500 calories = 1 lb. Create a defecit and you will lose no matter where your calories come from.

ditto to that


You could go on any food diet and lose if you lower your calories..it is REALLY unhealthy though and she is going to probably stall and lower her metabolism in the mean time

[Claudius]

If it's working for her, I don't see a reason to stop her. As long as she has a good plan for after the cereal diet. However, I doubt that anybody doing a 1-food diet has any kind of plan for health for life.

I know if I were on the cereal diet I'd probably eat several boxes of cereal a day. I did love cereal but have learned that without a doubt my appetite comes from high carb diets.

[Mrs.Johnson]

Originally Posted by Dharma

The following was written by Sally Fallon:
I haven't eaten cereal since I read this!!

Packaged Cereals
Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.

In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt has tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

The only advances made in the extrusion process are those that will cut cost regardless of how these will alter the nutrient content of the product. Cereals are a multi-billion dollar business, one that has created huge fortunes.

With so many people eating breakfast cereals, you might expect to find some studies on the effect of extruded cereals on animals or humans. Yet, there are no published studies at all in the scientific literature.

The Rat Experiments
Let me tell you about two studies which were not published. The first was described by Paul Stitt who wrote about an experiment conducted by a cereal company in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given only water. A fourth set was given nothing but water and chemical nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on water alone lived about a month. But the company's own laboratory study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks---they died before the rats that got no food at all. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.

Results like these suggested that there was something actually very toxic in the puffed wheat itself! Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the pressure of the puffing process may produce chemical changes, which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance.

Another unpublished experiment was carried out in the 1960s. Researchers at Ann Arbor University were given 18 laboratory rats. They were divided into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the corn flakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The last corn flake rat died the day the first box rat died.) But before death, the corn flake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. The startling conclusion of this study is that there was more nourishment in the box than there was in the corn flakes.

This experiment was actually designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny. The results were never published and similar studies have not been conducted.

Most of America eats this kind of cereal. In fact, the USDA is gloating over the fact that children today get the vast majority of their important nutrients from the nutrients added to these boxed cereals.

Cereals sold in the health food stores are made by the same method. It may come as a shock to you, but these whole grain extruded cereals are probably more dangerous than those sold in the supermarket, because they are higher in protein and it is the proteins in these cereals that are so denatured by this type of processing.

There are no published studies on the effects of these extruded grains on animals or humans, but I did find one study in a literature search that described the microscopic effects of extrusion on the proteins. "Zeins," which comprise the majority of proteins in corn, are located in spherical organelles called protein bodies. During extrusion, these protein bodies are completely disrupted and deformed. The extrusion process breaks down the organelles, disperses the proteins and the proteins become toxic. When they are disrupted in this way, you have absolute chaos in your food, and it can result in a disruption of the nervous system.


um this scared me personally,, I emailed it too all my friends and family (many in my fam just had babies--nothing healthier and easier than a snack of cherois right... man that is capitalism at its worst... imho