It didn't sustain me for long! (Kellogg's Special K Sustain)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Kellogg's Special K Sustain
Date:	22/10/07 (187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none!

Disadvantages: costly and tasteless and doesn't do what it claims to do!

I've always enjoyed eating Kelloggs Special K as a breakfast cereal and have probably been very loyal to the product over the years. I have occasionally tried another cereal but have always returned to Special K as I enjoy the taste and the fact that it is good for you as well. With all of this in mind, I was really looking forward to trying the new Special K Sustain cereal particularly as it promises to fill you up more and curb your appetite between meals! Well this would be a godsend for anyone trying to stick to a diet. That is of course if it works! Read on.....

The first thing to mention is that, at least in my local Sainsburys, Special K Sustain only comes in one size of packet which is 375g. This is smaller than the normal Special K packets which are either 500g or 750g. Also, having said this, if you compare prices between the two, the Sustain variety does not come out at all favourably. The 375g packet costs £2.89 whereas the 500g original Special K packet only costs £2.57! Now I might expect to pay a little more for this product but this pricing really does seem out of proportion. Also, it seems that they are trying to fool the shopping public by selling in two different sizes so that the price gap does not seem so bad!

Anyway, in my quest to lose weight I was prepared to pay the extra, and if it worked it would be money well spent I thought. So I duly bought a packet of Sustain with my weekly shop. On the packet it states its claim very boldly - 'A special balance of fibre and protein to help keep your hunger at bay!' It then details all the usual amounts of calories, fat, etc. It tells you that for a 40g portion there are 135 calories, 8g sugar, 0.8g fat and 0.5g salt. These are all reasonable and compare well with the original Special K although it is difficult to make a direct comparison as with that we are given details for a 30g portion.

This led me to think 'Hang on a minute! Are they saying that a typical serving of Sustain is actually 10g more (or a third) of the original? Well, if this is the case, it is more likely to sustain you for longer isn't it??

Anyway moving on to the actual product.. When you pour it out into a bowl it does look pretty similar to the Special K I am used to but not quite! The wheaty flakes are similar in their size, sort of oval shape and ruffled texture, but they seem to be shinier suggesting they are coated in something! They probably look more attractive but unfortunately this does not lead to a better taste experience! I was so disappointed when I took my first mouthful. I was expecting something similar to the original wheaty Special k taste that I really enjoy, but this was nothing like that. To me it felt a bit like eating tasteless cardboard - not an enjoyable experience at all! Actually when you look at the list of ingredients it is not very surprising that they taste so different as most of the ingredients are different from the original. The main ones are wholewheat and brown rice and then there are cereal and honey flavour soy clusters. Now I'm a bit baffled as to exactly what this means but it doesn't sound particularly appetising but I wondered whether it's this that contributes to the shiny coating.

So so far, I'm feeling a bit disgruntled about the price, particularly as with 40 gram portions I'll get through the packet really quickly. Also, I'm not enjoying the taste, but I'm still thinking that if it does what it states on the packet and stops me being hungry all morning, I'll go with it! After all, as they say - No Pain, No Gain!' So did it work, I hear you asking. Did I manage to get through all morning without wanting a snack of some sort? Well in a word - NO! By ten o'clock I was starting to feel hungry and by ten thirty I was desperately trying to stop myself snacking. To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. I have also tried the cereal more than once and the result is always the same - I'm just not full up enough! Now I'm not saying that other people will all feel the same, but for me it just didn't work! So in future, just give me the normal Special K I know and love!

Summary: I'm sticking to the original from now on!