Breakfast Question
 

I feel I'm finally getting control over my eating and I'm definately moving more, so I'm on track, but....

Every article I read, and even on the threads here too, it says how important it is to have breakfast. Well I haven't eaten breakfast on a regular basis since I was 12. That's more than 15 years of not eating when I get up.

I was thinking that adding more food to my day will automatically add more weight. Is there anyone out there that didn't start eating breakfast until they started on a weight loss/exercise program? How did this reflect on your weight loss goal?

Any feedback would be appreciated!

~Dee

As you probably read, eating when you get up starts your metabolism going. Try eating a really small meal that includes a protein, good carb and fat. Before I go workout, I usually have 2 Tbl. FF cottage cheese, a little bit of fruit (5 blueberries lately), and 3 green olives. It's balanced and I find that I work out better than I used to when I didn't eat anything before going into the pool or to the gym (I don't work, and this is where I go first thing in the morning). Since you're revving up your metabolism, adding something like this shouldn't add more weight. Plus it's more likely that you'll reduce the amount you eat at your next meal.

I never ate breakfast probably longer than you. However when I started on my weight loss journey I read the same things you are reading. So I decided to start eating breakfast. I have done wonderful with my weight loss and do believe that eating breakfast really helps your body burn more calories and fat during the day. I have also been eating five meals a day instead of 3. That way I don't get that starving feeling and want to go hog wild. I also drink 32 oz of water first thing in the morning. I think you should try it and see how it works for you.

I now love my breakfast and would not want to go without it. Kashi with blueberries YUM!

I was never a breakfast eater before I started trying to lose weight. It always made me feel sick to eat too soon after waking up. But I knew I needed to as a part of my plan to get healthy so I started off with oatmeal because I knew I could probably tolerate that in the morning. Let me just say what a huge difference eating breakfast has made! In fact it's the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning, that and my beloved coffee, of course! My breakfast of choice is Kashi Go Lean Crunch, this stuff is da bomb! I love it so much I even measured out a portion and took it camping with us a few months ago instead of having the usual campfire fare. Eating breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism for the day and gives you the energy you need to start your day out right. I believe the body works so much better when it's being fueled at least every 3 hours, so I never let myself go too long in between snacks or meals, I just eat smaller portions more often. Eating breakfast every day only gave me positive results and it definitely worked for me, so I highly recommend becoming a breakfast eater, and I'm sure your body will thank you for it.

Beverly

Hey, Dee! Adding breakfast doesn't have to add calories at all. The same studies that show that people who lose weight and keep it off eat breakfast show also that the people who eat breakfast eat fewer calories in the course of the day.

The idea is that by adding a healthy breakfast, you not only increase your metabolism and give yourself more energy throughout the day, but you are not nearly so hungry at lunch and during the afternoon.

For someone like you, who's hasn't eaten breakfast in many years and has weight to lose, it's important to realize that you can approach this successfully by first establishing how many calories you should eat to meet your body's needs and also lose weight; second, identifying a healthy, relatively low-cal breakfast that you'll eat consistently and supports your lifestyle and weight loss goals; and third, figuring out how to apportion the remaining calories throughout your day.

A lot of overweight folks tend to skip breakfast, eat an off-plan lunch because they're so hungry by then, and then overeat at dinner because they're still playing catch-up. By investing the calories (and remember CALORIES = ENERGY, literally) in the beginning of the day, you give your body the fuel it needs to move with more power and umph during the day, rather than dumping the majority of them in the latter part of the day, when you don't have as much time to benefit from the energy and then burn the fuel through activity.

I would encourage you to change your way of thinking about breakfast calories; you're not adding to an existing routine without modifying your eating behavior; instead, you're modifying your eating behavior to include giving your body what it needs when it most needs it.

I didn't eat breakfast either, but when I started to eat on plan in March of last year, I knew I had to. Prior to that, I fell in with the majority of fat folks with the above-mentioned M.O. I set my calories, and then spread them out over 5 meals a day -- it's hard to get hungry when you're eating something every 2 1/2 - 3 hours! Because I count calories, it was important to me to choose meals that were low in calories and high on energy and all the rest of stuff that a body needs. In so doing, I lost about 80 pounds in 8 months, and I was slow to consistently exercise. (That was the hardest part for me.)

For the record, my breakfast of choice is:

--> ½ cup Kashi Go Lean with ½ cup All Bran Extra Fiber and 8 oz. skim milk
--> Protein Drink (no carb, no sugar, no sodium, 22g protein) with 8 oz. water
--> 16 oz. water

Hope this helps! :)

Heck, before joining Weight Watchers I hadn't had breakfast since they invented oatmeal! :p Okay, well maybe not quite that long...but for at least a few decades. I didn't think I could stomach eating as soon as I got up. Actually, I considered a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette breakfast. :^: Anyway, after I quit smoking, that first coffee of the day seemed lacking so I gave it up as well and started drinking tea instead. When I joined WW and learned how important breakfast was in reving up the metabolism I added eating whole wheat toast with a tiny amount of peanut butter to my morning cuppa tea. I found I wasn't starving by the time lunch rolled around, so it likely contributed to me eating less in the middle of the day, plus I had more energy and probably burned calories because of that.

I eventually found Kashi Go Lean cereal and that, with low-fat milk, became my staple breakfast because of the fibre (always a great help with weight-loss) ;) and protein content made for a filling meal, plus the milk gives me much needed calcium for my post-menopausal bones (add a few berries and you've got a great balanced brekkie). I've changed things up lately by having "smoothies" made with low-fat milk, yogurt and fruit. I find them really filling and satisfying. After over three years of breakfast daily, I can't imagine starting my day off without breakfast now! :D

Dee,

I totally understand your hesitation. Why would eating more calories make me eat less? However, as a non-breakfast girl myself, I have noticed a huge difference. Mainly with hunger.

In the morning, I'm not hungry. I just can't really think about food. Plus, I'm running around trying to get out the door and I don't have time to try to make myself eat. So, I skip it.

That's where I run into trouble! Sure, my stomach (and brain) aren't hungry but soon enough, they start getting there. By lunch I'm hungry!

But here's the weird part, I don't FEEL like I'm hungrier than when I have breakfast but I've journaled it, I know. I am likely to:

1. Eat more.
2. Cheat.
3. Stay hungry longer.
4. Be unsatisfied with my normal lunch.

So now I always eat a power bar (around 200 calories) as a late breakfast (between 9-10AM). Yes, a power bar is not as good as real food. I admit it. But for me, it's portable and it does the job.

::Me raises hand::

Like you, I never ate breakfast. I couldn't (and still can't) bear the thought of eating solids that early in the day. :barf: Anyway, since I started this diet, I've taken to making a banana shake (banana, ice, 0% milk, plain yogurt, vanilla extract) to have first thing. Though difficult at first, it's been great because it serves several purposes:

• It gets the metabolism started;
• It fills me up--I reckon I eat less food later in the day because I'm not absolutely ravenous by lunchtime;
• Because it's liquid, it doesn't feel like food :);
• It gives me dairy which I wouldn't otherwise get.

I've had this almost every morning since I started, and I've dropped 31 pounds in 12 weeks, so I must be doing something right. :) I've got more energy and better skin than I've had in years.

Thank you everyone for your feedback - your advice won't be ignored. It will be a new start tomorrow, breakfast included!

Since I haven't really ever ventured down the breakfast cereal aisle in the grocery store, I'll have to incorporate that into the plan as well. I definately have to find this Kashi that everyone here is raving about (I've never heard of it before).

~Dee

In some stores, Kashi is shelved in a special "health food" section rather than with the Kelloggs, etc. cereals.

I also loooooves me some Kashi for breakfast, with berries! My husband, who usually doesn't like "health food" also really likes it! They have at least three different kinds that I've tried: Go Lean, Good Friends, and Crunch.

(Doesn't it sound like we work for Kashi, Incorporated on here? :lol: )

I also love steel-cut oatmeal (also with berries), but it takes forever to cook.

:: thread hijack ::

Teapot! What a fabulous new picture! :D

SARAH!!! Did you lose another pound and not tell us?? Crazy girl!! :) Good job!

I almost never ate breakfast before I started "healthifying" my life. Since I've been eating breakfast each morning I've been dropping 1-2 lbs each week!

I too am a fan of Kashi cereals. Love the Kashi GoLean Crunch the best as it has no fiber twigs:p
I think Kashi owes alot of us endorsement fees, don't ya think. LOL

Happy am I!
 

Yep, sure did! :o You, with your attention to detail! :lol: Ok, I guess I'll go over and make a general announcement over at the weekly weigh-in thread! :p

Does eating around 10 am still count as breakfast even though I wake up and workout at 6am? I have never really been a breakfast person either but once I really got serious I started drinking homemade fruit smoothies with oatmeal and flax seeds in them but lately I've ran out of fruit so I have to ante up again.

Well I did it this morning! I didn't get to the store to have a look for the Kashi but I had a few whole wheat crackers with peanut butter and apple slices on them. And of course - my morning coffee.

Thank you everyone for the input!

~Dee

I don't mind eating breakfast. When I'm home, it's easy to do. But I'm usually rushing out the door, with my 15-minutes-from-bed-to-door routine, and so I throw my cottage cheese or yogurt and fruit into my bag and I don't eat until I get to the office. With over an hour of commute, I don't really get anything into my system until 9ish. I've been thinking I may want to add a cup of milk or a few spoonsful of cottage cheese in my mad dash routine. I don't like to drink anything, because there are no potties on the Metro. But maybe only a cup of milk won't kill me. And I think it would be nice to start the work morning without my usual hunger headache...

MrsD --

The longer you go without food, the worse the effects. Personally I would say that going 4 hours after waking up without anything, especially if you work out, isn't a great idea. Not only are you extending your nighttime fast by a significant amount (thus robbing your body of some metabolism-revving) but your body NEEDS carbs and protein soon after a workout, especially if you are doing any weight training. If you don't feed your deleted muscles some fuel and protein within 30 - 60 minutes of a workout, the muscle gains you might get from that workout are significantly diminished.

Could you work in some sort of protein shake or protein smoothie after your workout? Or some cheese and fruit? Egg and toast? High-protein cereal and milk?

Good for you, Dee! That sounds like a healthy way to start your day.

Well said, funniegrrl. It's important to keep the body properly fuelled.

Good going, Dee!

I'm reading a book that says that people who eat breakfast live longer than people who don't. :)

Count me in for never eating breakfast until starting this new way of eating. 20 years probably and I couldnt stomach the thought of breakfast but sure could down a tremendous amount at lunch and even more at dinner. to make my long story short, I am now like most of the others, eat breakfast every day and try to eat every 3 hours, at least something with protein inbetween meals. It helps tremendously. I've lost 60lbs in 14 weeks and eating breakfast hasnt slowed down weight loss for me. Except one thing, i tried the Kashi Go Lean after reading about it on here for weeks. I didnt like it. I must be the only one though. And it had so many carbs that with my insulin resistance I immediately felt a sugar crash after eating it. I only consume about 35 carbs in a day. The cereal was like my carbs for the whole day almost.

But eat breakfast!!

Kim

Oh, Kim... I thought I was the only one who didn't like Go Lean! :o I didn't dare admit it here! :eek: :lol:

That's a tremendous amount of weight you've dropped. Wow!

You didn't dare admit you're not fond of Kashi, but have no problem letting us know you eat Marmite?? :p

I know there's lots of Kashi brands in the U.S., but the only ones I've come across here are Go Lean, Go Lean Crunch and Good Friends. I detest Good Friends, both for the twigs and the scary people on the box. Go Lean Crunch is a bit too sweet for my liking, but I luuuuuves me some Go Lean (plain). :T

P.S. - Marmite is salty brewer's yeast extract made into a spread for bread! :fr:

*gasp* SACRILEGE!!! :eek:

I'm with Jill, I'm a purist: Kashi Go Lean for me! I like the flavor, and I LOVE the nutrition! (One cup yields 10 grams of fiber, 13 grams protein, only 6 grams sugar, 20 grams net carbs, a low 85 grams sodium, and 14% potassium for the day?? Love it!) My partner hates it, though, so I accept that it is a possible thing to dislike it, even as it makes me sad. :( ;)

Different strokes for different folks, though -- whatever works! Me? I reduce it to ½ a cup and add ½ a cup of All Bran Extra Fiber, just to boost my breakfast fiber to a whopping 18 grams! It also makes an already low glycemic breakfast even LOWER! A protein powder drink adds no carbs and another 22 grams of protein.

Breakfast. It does a body good. :yes:

Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is Kashi? Reading the posts, i assume they are some sort of cereals, but never seen those in Montreal....:dunno:

Well, Frenchie, Sarah's pretty much described the wonderful properties of Kashi cereal so now all you need to know is where to buy it in Montreal. If you don't see it in the cereal section at the supermarket, try the "health food" aisles, or, here's a friend's suggestion:

"Try "Lobo" on Parc, just north of Milton on the east side beside the little Spanish resto that's been there forever. Its a little fruit/veggie store w/ amazing prices and a great selection of organic/biologique dry goods (his organic (Kashi, Nature's Path, etc.) dry cereal prices can't be beat!), along w/ a lot of cool Middle Eastern things. One of my favourite neighbourhood grocery stores....can't recommend it highly enough!"

I used to be a breakfast skipper, but in the last 6 months, have never missed breaky time. I always have porridge (oatmeal) with berries and a tadge of honey.

However, there is an English book called Fat Girl SLim written by the uncompromising Ruth Watson, who lost lots of weight and never ate breakfast, just couldn't stomach it.

Also the current books about French dieting habits (they are featured on the 3FC homepage at the moment - The Fat Fallacy and Why French Women don't get Fat) make the point that French people don't make breakfast the most important of the day and eat a lot of their calories at night.

I personally find I can't control my weight if I don't eat breakfast, but it is one of those things that falls into the category of whatever works for you.

Kashi also has a line called Heart to Heart that is Cheerios-like and is also very good.

If you sign up on Kashi's site, they have excellent newsletters and will also send you coupons. I got four in the mail for 50-cents off each. Here's Kashi's website. It is so excellent with frozen blueberries and skim milk; the blueberries make the milk really cold and, oh, my it's good. With 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 cup skim milk, it's only 270 calories.

MrsDawsondn, about the flax seed -- I read that it does your body no good unless it's flax seed oil or ground flax seed. If the seeds aren't broken, they go the way of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc. Buh-bye seeds, sorry you're just passing through! ;)

P.S. I'd forgotten just how scary the Kashi Good Friends cereal packages are! The woman on the left looks just a tad frenzied. LOL!

You're right, Jill, it is salty, but Marmite is quite simply delicious, dahling! :) And let's not forget that yeast extract is just about the richest natural source of B vitamins there is, and is exceptionally cheap in both kcals and fat. :yes: The high sodium content is its only downside though others say it's the taste that lets it down. :?: :lol: One thing's for certain, you can't beat it on Triscuits. :T

My sister brought me 6 500 g jars when she visited last year and I'm down to the last one. :( Everything in Canada is giant-sized apart from the jars of Marmite! :tantrum:

[QUOTE=Jillegal]Well, Frenchie, Sarah's pretty much described the wonderful properties of Kashi cereal so now all you need to know is where to buy it in Montreal. If you don't see it in the cereal section at the supermarket, try the "health food" aisles,

Jill, What would i be without you ?:)

Found some in the "Bio" Food section at local Loblaws.....I had the first scoop in your honor!!! Quite frankly they are good!!

:smug: Ahhh......another convert! :yes: