Special K

Research shows that people who regularly eat a low-fat breakfast like Kellogg’s Special K are less likely to be overweight than those who don't. (De la Hunty and Ashwell M: Are people who eat breakfast cereals slimmer than those who don’t?  Nutrition Bulletin; Vol.32 Issue 2)

If you skip breakfast, you tend to get hungrier mid-morning, which means your blood sugar levels plunge and you're more tempted to eat indulgent foods. Starting the day with a good breakfast means that:

1. You’ll have a better nutrient intake.
2. You could be less likely to be overweight.
3. It can help with concentration.

Kellogg’s Special K can also provide you with:

• 6 essential B-vitamins, important for energy release from foods.
• Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that protects the body’s cells.
• Vitamin D essential for healthy bones.
• Iron for energy production.
• Protein needed to transport other nutrients around the body and support body cells.

And if you really can't make time for breakfast before you leave the house, start keeping a box of your favourite Special K cereal at work so you can tuck when you get there!

A few food swaps throughout the day can result in a huge calorie saving by the end of it. And because most swaps can be just as tasty, you needn’t expect to feel deprived either. To give you an idea, here’s a selection of easy substitutions you can make as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

FOOD	CALORIES	FOOD SWAP	CALORIES	TOTAL CALORIE SAVING
Homemade chips (200g)	380	One medium jacket potato (180g)	245	135
250g portion egg fried rice	520	250g boiled rice	355	165
One large croissant	297	2 crumpets	180	117
One large naan	538	2 chapattis	222	316
2 large pork sausages	322	One large chicken breast	197	125
One pint full-fat milk	375	One pint semi-skimmed milk	187	188
40g cheddar cheese	165	40g Edam cheese	133	32
60g cream cheese	263	200g cottage cheese	196	67
150g Greek yoghurt	173	150g low fat yoghurt	84	89
One 35g bag of crisps	186	One 25g bag pretzels	99	87
One 49g chocolate bar	240	One Kellogg's Special K Chocolate Chip Bar	90	150
One jam doughnut	252	One large hot cross bun	205	47
One Danish pastry	411	30g Kellogg's Special K plus 125g semi-skimmed milk	170	241
100g cheese sauce for pasta made with whole milk	197	100g tomato-based sauce for pasta	37	160

Eating out needn’t be a problem
A little careful planning means you can enjoy visiting a restaurant without it spoiling good intentions to eat healthily. Remember, eating out is an event we share with family and friends so it should be a time to relax and enjoy ourselves!

Top tips

• Go off-menu and ask for food to be prepared differently.
• Choose a starter as a main course if the portions are generous.
• Avoid fried, sautéed and battered foods, along with rich sauces.
• Don’t be frightened to leave food on your plate.

The Balance of Good Health model is a handy, at-a-glance guide to each food group and shows the ratio of how much you should eat if you want to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

What each food group provides:

FOOD GROUPS	NUTRIENTS
Bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice	Carbs, fibre, B vitamins, some calcium and iron
Fruit and vegetables	Vitamin C, carotene, foliate, fibre, antioxidants
Milk and dairy foods	Calcium, protein, vitamins A, D and B12
Meat, fish and alternatives	Protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins
Foods containing fats and sugar	Essential fats, fat-soluble vitamins

People gain weight when they eat more calories than they use. It is important to get the balance right and manage what you eat and how much. The choices you make about portion size affect your calorie intake every time you sit down to eat and cutting down on portion size is a simple way to reduce that intake. Here are a few tips to help you control your calorie intake when faced with large portions:

• At home, avoid or minimize second helpings and serve food on individual plates.
• When eating out order two starters or skip a course. Order a small portion whenever you can.
• Place snacks in bowls or on plates rather than eating straight from the packet.
• At a party, avoid standing at the buffet table. Fill your plate with what you want and then walk away!
• Measure food with weighing scales or in a measuring cup to give you an accurate idea of what a portion should be – you can often find portion size guidance on the food label. All Kellogg’s Special K cereals are labelled with a suggested serving size on the front of all packs.

Essentially, the more active you are the more energy you burn. The more you burn, the more you can eat without piling on the pounds. So if you eat fewer calories than you use, you lose weight!

The benefits of exercise:

• Muscles burn more energy than fat. So develop better muscle tone and you’ll burn more calories than you did before, even when you’re resting.
• Certain types of exercise like cycling and rowing are also great for increasing bone density, which helps prevent the risk of osteoporosis in later life .
• Exercise boosts brain chemicals called endorphins, which give you a natural sense of wellbeing .

And if you really want some motivation, set yourself a goal to aim for. You’ll find charity fun runs and walks taking place all year round – an excellent way to get fit and to raise money for a good cause at the same time. Telling people know you’re taking part and getting sponsored makes it so much easier to get up for those early morning training runs! An event like Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 5km run is perfect to get you started – you’ll find all ages and abilities getting involved. Check out their website for a race near you in Summer 2008 – and remember to start training early!

Changing your daily routine can work wonders. And it helps to change your outlook too – remember, nothing will alter if you give up at the first hurdle. Aim to build up from 15 minutes to 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise three to five times a week. The chart below gives you an idea of the number of calories you can burn off through daily activities:

ACTIVITY	INTENSITY	Energy expended by a 60kg adult doing the activity for 30 minutes
Household Chores: Ironing Cleaning & dusting Painting & decorating Hoovering Mowing the lawn	Light Light Moderate Moderate Moderate	69 75 90 105 165
Walking: Strolling - 3mph Brisk walking - 4mph	Light Moderate	75 150
Cycling: Cycling – 10-12mph Cycling – 12-14 mph	Moderate Vigorous	180 240
Golf - walking, pulling clubs	Moderate	129
Swimming - slow crawl	Vigorous	240
Badminton - social	Moderate	135
Tennis: Doubles Singles	Moderate Vigorous	150 240
Aerobic Dancing	Vigorous	195
Running: 6mph (10 minute mile) 7mph (8.5 minute mile) 8mph (7.5 minute mile)	Vigorous Vigorous Vigorous	300 345 405

Remember, while your scales can indicate how much actual weight you’re losing, they can’t give you any information about your frame size, body fat or muscle mass.

One of the best indicators is to see whether a too-tight item of clothing gets looser over time. Because if you're exercising, you may be replacing fat with muscle – and muscle's heavier! Lose weight too quickly and your body will burn off muscle rather than fat; making it harder and harder to keep weight off and stay motivated. Slowly and steadily is the only way to get in shape and stay there permanently.

Be realistic
First of all, you need to be realistic about the size and shape you’ll be even after losing weight, based on the genes you’ve inherited. Also, don't forget that slight fluctuations in weight and shape from week to week are perfectly normal. Ask friends and family for support and encouragement when you’re having a tough day. The occasional lapse happens to all of us – just keep going afterwards!

The little things
It’s often making a number of small changes, rather than one big change, that can really be effective in improving your diet and lifestyle long-term. For instance, try to listen to your body – eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. If you tend to reach for a dessert or seconds as soon as you've finished your first plate, wait five or ten minutes – it takes the brain that long to register you’re full.

Make it measurable
Set small goals towards the bigger overall goal and feel good about yourself with every step you achieve. And define those goals more clearly, too. Instead of saying a general “I want eat more fruit”, say “I’m going to eat an extra piece of fruit every day”.

Review your goals
Work to a realistic timeframe. Review your goals every two to three weeks and look back and see how you’re doing with when you started out. Sometimes, it’s just the incentive you need to keep motivated – it’s easy to forget the changes you’re making when they’re happening gradually day by day. This is where ‘before’ photos can help – you might be surprised to see how your shape is slowly changing.