A number of "cereal diets" promise you'll lose weight by replacing one or two of your daily meals with a bowl of cereal. In a 2002 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, women who did this lost an average of 4.4 lbs. over a period of two weeks. However, this wasn't because of some magical attribute of the cereals. Instead, it was because switching to cereal reduced their overall caloric intake by about 640 calories.
Step 1
Choose which meal you'd like to replace with a bowl of cereal. Replacing lunch or dinner might be better, since those are likely to be your biggest meals.
Step 2
Choose a low-sugar, high-fiber cereal such as bran, shredded wheat or plain oatmeal. Avoid anything with added sugar. Diet Bites recommends avoiding granola and multi-colored cereals to keep calorie and fat content under control. If you like your cereal sweet, add an artificial sweetener like Splenda.
Step 3
Use skim milk or unsweetened soymilk. Don't just throw milk and cereal into a cereal without measuring them. Read the labels to see what constitutes a serving and stick to that amount. Depending on the cereal, it could be anything between 1/2 cup and a full cup.
Step 4
Keep your other meals of the day on the small side. Avoid eating fast food and highly-processed items. For breakfast, have a piece of fruit and some yogurt. For lunch or dinner, eat some lean protein such as a piece of chicken or fish, along with 2 cups of steamed, grilled or baked vegetables.
References
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Ready-to-eat Cereal Used as a Meal Replacement Promotes Weight Loss in Humans; Richard D. Mattes, MPH, PhD, RD; 2002
- Diet Bites: Can Cereal for Dinner Help Me Lose Weight?
- Diet Bites: What Are the Best Breakfast Cereal Choices?
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