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! 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!

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. 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? )

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

:: thread hijack ::

Teapot! What a fabulous new picture!

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
I think Kashi owes alot of us endorsement fees, don't ya think. LOL

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