Weight Loss With Cereal

Weight loss with cereal can be accomplished by incorporating a bowl of whole grains as part of your diet. Starting the day this way will help you lose weight and have you avoiding unhealthy breakfasts. You may also want to use cereal as a meal replacement to aid with your weight loss. The choice is yours. Eating the correct type of cereal is as important as when you eat it.

Cereals to Eat

• Weight loss with cereal will yield the best results when the cereal is one containing high-fiber content. Fiber fills you up and is a natural appetite suppressant, according to the American Heart Association and USDA. Cereals containing whole grains are high in fiber. A freshly cooked bowl of whole grains will provide you with the greatest amount of health benefits. These include oatmeal, barley, brown rice and/or wheat berries.

  Your best bet is to buy whole grains in bulk or as the only ingredient in a packaged food. Before eating your bowl of high-fiber cereal, add some fresh or dried fruit to add some extra fiber and taste. Sprinkling on some cinnamon and pine nuts will add taste, according to Dr. Mirkin. Be sure to use low-fat milk instead of whole milk.

  If your high-fiber cereal comes from a box with other ingredients, be certain to read the product's label to know for certain what the cereal contains. Purchase only those cereals listing a whole grain as the first ingredient.

Cereals Not to Eat

• In order to succeed with your weight loss with cereal program, avoid cereals that are high in sugar. Also avoid those that are made with refined grains since these contain little nutritional benefits. Cereals containing partially hydrogenated oils, according to Dr. Mirkin, are to be avoided.

Meal Replacement

• You may want to substitute one bowl of high-fiber, low-sugar cereal for a meal to assist you with your weight loss with cereal program. You can do this for either one or two meals, depending upon your preference. Special K, through the Special K Challenge, is a well-known cereal that is promoting this method of weight loss over a period of 2 weeks.

  A study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition Diet states that low-sugar, high-fiber cereals used as part of a meal replacement regiment are well tolerated during a diet. Results showed that the cereal meal replacements did lead to significant weight loss. Participants were eating high-fiber cereal as a meal replacement two times a day and were satiated and content by doing so.

Benefits

• Weight loss with cereal can provide numerous benefits. These include increased energy, improvement in dietary intake and decreased food costs. Eating a high-fiber, heart-healthy meal replacement (like cereal) may also decrease your chances of cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to the American Heart Association.