[Mattt]

I just can't fit into my calories restrictions that I'm setting to myself....
Just can't
I'm exceeding it everyday (300 cals minimum).
I thought that maybe cutting breakfast can be the solution since all this bread and cereals are full of calories....
What do you think ? can it be the magic solution to restricting cals ?

[kaplods]

Not likely, for most people skipping breakfast makes them hungrier at the next meal. For me, eating soup for at least one meal has helped alot. I'll often even eat a bowl of soup for breakfast. Fewer calories than milk and cereal and the lot, and keeps me full longer.

[fitbyforty]

Bad idea to skip breakfast.

[jtammy]

Matt, It didn't work for me. I went 26 years skipping breakfast and when I started eating breakfast again I weighed 346 lbs. Of course, that may sound extreme, but I know that one of the keys to successful weight loss for me is to eat breakfast EVERY day. One of the common attributes of a successful maintainer is that they eat breakfast.

I wouldn't do it if I were you. Maybe you should look at the types of foods that you are eating instead. Are they whole unproccessed foods? If not, that is probably a better way to cut calories than to skip a meal. Good luck!

[Kashi]

The trouble I always had with breakfast was that I loved cereal, but it left me hungry again in an hour. Even if I wasn't hungry, those simple carbs left me craving more, more, MORE! Over my weight loss journey, I think I've constructed the most balanced (for me) and easiest breakfast that leaves me full and satisfied for at least three hours afterwards:

Omelet:
- crack one egg and one egg white into a bowl, whisk together, and microwave on high for about a minute
- remove from microwave and add 1/4 cup non-fat cottage cheese and put ~50 calories worth of cheddar cheese on top; nuke for 45 seconds or until cheese melts

AND

Oatmeal:
- 1/3 cup oats + 2/3 cup water; 1:45 in the microwave, add some splenda and cinnamon and you'll get a nice, thick oatmeal that'll stick to you for hours.

I eat both of those, every day. It comes in at 345 calories, 28g carbs, 14g fat, and 28g protein. All the protein and the complex carbs are what keeps me full for so long, and because nothing is too sweet, I don't end up craving more of the sweet. Another thing that might help you is to brush your teeth after breakfast, which often helps people forget about cravings. If you really think you need to remove calories from your diet, take them out of your later meals. Breakfast is essential to start you out for the day and give your body the fuel for the things it needs to do all day. I know, I know... you're not that hungry at breakfast, but you're always hungry at 8pm at night? Me too. :P And since I eat what seems like such a big breakfast, sometimes I wish I could just skip it. But I'm telling you... I have good days a lot more often when I have a good breakfast. Maybe it's mental, but it seems to work for a lot of people.

[aphil]

Mattt-
There is no magical solution for restricting calories, other than restricting them at each meal and snack, and choosing foods that get you the most bang for your buck.

A plain bagel, depending on the brand, can be 200-300 calories each. That is plain, and would be a pretty boring breakfast. For 300 calories or less, you could have:
~1 egg, fried or scrambled (70 calories)
~1 cup of berries-any kind (40-80 calories)
~1 cup of yogurt (100 calories on average)

Total: 210-250 calories (depending on fruit chosen)

or:

~1 serving of oatmeal (plain from the cannister, not instant-150 calories)
~1/8 cup raisins for the oatmeal (65 calories)
~1 glass skim milk (80 calories)

Total: 295 calories

or:

~1 cup yogurt (100 calories average)
~1 banana (110 calories)
~1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved (45 calories)

Toss in blender with a couple ice cubes for a smoothie...
Total: 255 calories


There are a TON of breakfasts that you can have for under 300 calories, if you sit and think about it, and plan ahead. Having a few breakfasts in mind and planning them around a certain calorie range ahead of time is the key.

[QuilterInVA]

Cutting breakfast is the worst thing you can do - if you want to eliminate a meal, cut dinner. Your body needs fuel to run, just like your car doesn't go far on empty. Eat healthy and don't try cutting meals. It never works.

[buttercup777]

It wasn't that good !!!!
At 10:00 I was so hungry I usually began grabbing snacks and other garbage.
Believe me - you better cut other things - not a whole meal...

[rockinrobin]

I skipped breakfast for so many years thinking the longer I held off on starting to eat the better - WRONG.

I eat a small breakfast everyday since I started this journey and I think it has been a big factor in my success. It gets that old metabolisim MOVING. It keeps me satisfied so that I'm not a lunatic come lunch time and grabbing everything in sight. I usually eat 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal, 1/2 cup fiber one and 1/2 cup of skim milk. I like starting my day with protein, fiber and carbs. Total of 173 calories.

[marzbe]

Matt,

I always had the same problem, I would eat a starch heavy breakfast then blow the calories for the day. What I've found is when I have protein and fruit early on, I'm good for about 4-5 hours before I need any more food in my system. What about doing peanut butter on toast for breakfast, it's easy low calorie and quick to make.

I love my morning omlets, but let's be honest the only time I got to eat one of those was when I had the freshman eating paln and was living in the dorm!

[fiddler]

I often skip breakfast simply because I'm not hungry that early in the morning and I don't believe in eating when I'm not hungry.

When I do eat breakfast, I don't eat traditional breakfast foods. I eat the same thing I would eat for lunch. But then I usually end up skipping lunch because I'm not hungry by lunch time.

[senorita]

Well I'll be different and say what I do - namely I have a similar issue with breakfast because pyschologically, I like looking forward to having a good meal at the end of the day. After work and the gym, I like to look forward to my carbs. I don't know what experts would say to this (maybe some ladies can give me their thoughts?) but I solve this by having veggies for breakfast!

Seriously, because they're low cal, reasonably filling and it gets them out of the way for the rest of the day... then I know that the rest of the day I can have tasty food like my wholegrain sandwich with cottage cheese, my fruit and things without feeling bad because I had no veg or skipped breakfast.

[buttercup777]

Skipping a meal, no matter which one, Is a very bad idea !!! Youll just feel soooooooooooooooo hungry at 10:00 AM that you won't be able to resist junk food and snacks....

[jillybean720]

They say "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" for a reason. Aside from the fact that skipping breakfast could just make you hungrier later (and being too hungry means you'll reach for just about any food, healthy or not), breakfast helps to prepare your body to be awake all day. You just spent 8-10 hours eating NOTHING (sleeping), and your body's metabolism slowed down during that time (you burn fewer calories sleeping than while awake). Breakfast gets your metabolism revved back up for the day, and skipping it only means your body will continue to burn fewer calories to conserve energy while you're awake without eating anything.

And, as others have said, you don't need to eat "breakfast foods" for breakfast. Sometimes I make my own smoothie, sometimes have cereal, or sometime have leftovers from the prior night's dinner. If you think you're eating too many calories, then just have a piece of fruit and a glass of skim milk or something--breakfast doesn't have to be the biggest meal of the day.