Let's talk breakfast. I've always been a breakfast eater. Always. It's probably because I'm a morning person & I like to get up, eat, watch TV, check my email, etc. I have lots of friends who forego breakfast for coffee & a cigarette, or coffee & an apple, slice of toast, etc. Coincidentally, these friends are also typically much thinner than I am.
John got me a coffee machine for Christmas this year, so I thought, let's try this. I'll drink coffee instead of eating breakfast. I also rejoined Weight Watchers & started tracking my calories. I immediately lost 10 lbs. Voila! Mystery solved. The secret to weight loss is coffee & not eating breakfast. Or so I thought.....
Fast forward 3 months. Have lost no additional weight in weeks/months. Also, started eating breakfast again, briefly. Gained a few pounds. Cut breakfast back out. Yeah, I know.
I came across this article today & feel like I need to go back to eating breakfast. I can definitely tell a difference between days I eat breakfast & days I don't. On the days I don't, I'm starving by lunch, snack on crap in the afternoon & way overeat at dinner. On the days I do, I snack less & eat less overall. But I also tend to gain a few pounds. See my frustration?
Also, I feel it's important to point out that when I do eat breakfast, I'm eating 1 of 3 things: 1) oatmeal with a little butter & walnuts, sliced almonds, or berries; 2) organic frosted mini wheats with organic lowfat milk; 3) slice of toast with peanut butter. So it's not like I'm eating the freaking sunrise sampler or anything.
Do any of you struggle with this? Any good breakfast ideas? General thoughts/suggestions?
6 comments:
i love breakfast foods and i try to eat breakfast every morning. what i eat depends on if i'm at home or at the office. office days usually involve an apple or grapes or a whole wheat english muffin whilst driving, and some greek yogurt shortly after i get to work. at home, i wait 'til i'm hungry to eat - sometimes it's right when i get up, or sometimes it's noon. usually cereal/almond milk or oatmeal. i usually reserve things like pancakes and waffles for 'special' times but now that i have that waffle iron i may make 'em more often (i saved the leftovers and ate those for a few days). coffee is a daily thing for me - usually 1-2 cups.
PS: i miss bacon.
i am a big proponent of breakfast. i've never not eaten breakfast, so i can't vouch for any changes in weight regarding eating or not eating breakfast. i've always eaten oatmeal and/or cereal, but i've been trying to switch it up over the past couple years as i pay more attention to what i eat. lately, especially, i've been trying to add fruit to my breakfast. here are my favorite breakfast recipes:
1. fruit smoothie (my dad bought me a personal smoothie maker on year that cost less than $20): frozen berry mix, fresh (or frozen) banana, yogurt, milke and/or oj - i've tweaked this recipe in lots of ways, and always find it to be really filling and quick. plus, my smoothie maker came with a travel top, so it was easy to eat in the car on the way to work.
2. half a chopped apple (warmed in the microwave for 30 secs - 1 minute), oikos yogurt, honey bunches of oats, and a sliced banana. also easy to change your quantities based on your preference. i did notice that i get hungry sooner, but i think that's because i try to limit my portion for calorie intake.
3. i heart a bowl of grape-nuts with some sugar on top - not the healthiest topping, but i like the sweet milk at the end.
i am a full believer in the importance of breakfast, and demand that my patients eat it (esp the pregnant ones), but i am such a bad example. ive never eaten it regularly, especially on weekdays. i am the opposite of a morning person and sleep until the last possible moment in order to make it to work on time. i even shower at night. in my defense, though, when i do try to have breakfast early in the morning, it kinda makes me nauseous and i usually gag at least once (graphic, i know). its like my body is just not ready, which i definitely use as an excuse. i really dont get hungry until lunch, unless someone tempts me with a bagel or something around 10am. however, i KNOW that this is bad and sabotages my weight loss goals. it is a known scientific fact that people who eat a healthy breakfast are generally thinner and healthier.
i say if you are able to get up early and do it, then definitely do it. change other things to lose weight, but dont cut out breakfast.
Girl. You gotta eat breakfast. It jumpstarts your metabolism for the day. Personally, you can not fill me up in the mornings and that has always been a problem. When Ryan and I did the Delta boot for our wedding 5 years ago, we learned how to eat. Ever since, I eat a 200-300 high fiber breakfast. my personal faves also are cereal or ezekial bread w/ pb and half banana. And then I eat a 200 calorie snack mid morning. my fave is cottage cheese w/ yogurt and fresh fruit. However, during session that has to change b/c no one wants to sit by me in cmte while I eat it (but i did have a yogurt and banana in small business sub today). Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I always have a bag full of snacks. It keeps me from making rediculously bad decisions at real meals.
you know me---and you know this B likes to eat. and I have ALWAYS been a breakfast person. always. eating is the first thing i think about when i wake up, and usually am thinking about it when I go to bed..."what will i eat tomorrow..?".
I am a firm believer in bfast kicks your insides into gear and getting that metabolism going strong. and coffee, if you like it, is a good follower.
being a fellow 9-5'er, i eat all my weekday breakfasts at work, and luckily am able to just keep all my supplies here.
english muffs in freezer.
granola & yogurt w/ fruit.
pb & J w/ milk.
smoothies.
'micro' eggs w/spinach. (and veggie sausage on those hangover days)
always keep a big thing of oatmeal and dried nuts/fruits.
and then coffee helps it all go down and settle, and well, you know what comes next;)
Thanks, everybody! These suggestions are tres helpful. I'm going grocery shopping today. I'll report back.
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