I plan out my meals for the week in advance. I always put a breakfast that usually consists of a whole bagel with light cream cheese or two pieces of toast with light butter, a fat-free yogurt cup, and non-dairy creamer and splenda for my coffee.
The problem is that during the work week (not on the weekends), I don't have anything but coffee in the morning because I'm not hungry for any of the food. It's rare when I am hungry enough to eat something in the morning. On the weekends, I'm just lounging around the house so I end up eating a bagel or something for breakfast and I usually don't have coffee.
I have always heard that it is bad to skip breakfast. Is this bad for me to be drinking coffee at work and not eating? How do I make myself eat something I am not hungry for? Do I have to?
I've always heard that eating breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism. I don't think coffee, since it's a liquid, can do that on its own. What about a granola or cereal bar that you could eat in the car or as you check your email or something? It may not be super substantial as far as breakfast goes, but if you can find a good, natural breakfast bar or something, it is certainly better than nothing! I have a hard time finding time for breakfast in the morning as well, but I wake up five minutes earlier now, spend a few less minutes lounging in the shower, and eat my cereal as I check my emails before I go to school. I used to skip breakfast all the time too, because I was never hungry in the mornings. It seems that my body now expects breakfast, as I wake up hungry now, so you might be able to "train" your body to want to eat so that you have to find time to feed it!
Speaking of your bagel - my mom toasts hers and puts butter on it, and then wraps it in tin foil after she's cut it in half (so there are four pieces). She takes this is in the car and eats it when she is sitting at a red light or stuck in traffic, as she often is on her way to work. She does the same thing with English muffins I think, but I imagine the peanut butter might get a little messy. You could do that some mornings as well.
Last edited by freedomreins; 02-25-2008 at 09:27 AM.
Breakfast IS the most imp. meal of the day. It sets the tone for your weightloss by kick starting your metabolism.
Just think, your body hasn't eaten in OVER 8 hours..between dinner and sleep. When you wake up your body is in starvation mode. If you don't eat until lunch, then all that you eat at lunch is stored as fat because your body feels as if it's been starved for HOURS.
You're more likely to overeat at lunch and at dinner because you skipped breakfast. You should have between 300-400 calories for breakfast EVERY morning. I have to force myself to eat breakfast in the morning even when I'm not hungry.
Hmm...that makes perfect sense. I never thought of it that way before. I guess I'm also kind of scared to start since so far I've lost 15 lbs. not eating breakfast. So I'm nervous that if I start making myself eat breakfast, I'll gain or just plain old stay at the current weight. BUT if it's true that my body is holding on to what I eat at lunch, this shouldn't happen...so starting tomorrow, I'm going to force down a breakfast! Thanks for the great advice. I'll let you know how this goes for me!!
If you eat breakfast, you won't need to eat so much at lunch maybe, so if you have a smaller lunch, you'll still be getting the same number of calories as you had been when you were losing those 15 lbs. Does that make sense? Good luck! I bet you'll find you're a bit more awake after eating breakfast too. I certainly find I am, like it's something I need to get ready to face the day, you know?
Hmm...that makes perfect sense. I never thought of it that way before. I guess I'm also kind of scared to start since so far I've lost 15 lbs. not eating breakfast. So I'm nervous that if I start making myself eat breakfast, I'll gain or just plain old stay at the current weight. BUT if it's true that my body is holding on to what I eat at lunch, this shouldn't happen...so starting tomorrow, I'm going to force down a breakfast! Thanks for the great advice. I'll let you know how this goes for me!!
Having something helps keep metabolism up. Don't feel like you have to force down a 3 course meal at breakfast time. I usually just have a Mini Thomas' 100% whole wheat square bagel & cottage cheese. (With my coffee & splenda that is! lol) Some people enjoy big breakfasts, but I'm not one of them. Again, as long as you're having something solid, that's what counts.
Yeah, as long as you're not ADDING 300-500 extra cals on to your day by adding breakfast, the weight loss should continue (and potentially improve as your metabolism becomes more efficient). Take calories away from your lunch/dinner to provide for breakfast -- spread them out more evenly.
On mornings when I don't have time to eat at home or if I find I'm not hungry during the 10 minutes I spend in the kitchen each morning preparing lunch for work, I will fix something for breakfast and take it with me -- and english muffin with an egg or peanut butter, for instance. Or I'll throw a handful of oatmeal in a tupperware and bring that to work. That way I can delay breakfast by 30-40 minutes, and I find I'm always ready for breakfast by then.
If you're really not a breakfast person, try adding small things into your mornings for a while. If you jump full-force into eating a substantial breakfast you might get discouraged because it makes you feel too full or your body just isn't used to it. Start with small things -- a yogurt, or maybe a piece of fruit, or a piece of toast -- and work your way up to eating a normal-sized breakfast. That way your stomach can adjust to the thought of early-morning food and will probably start requesting it more often.
If you eat breakfast, you won't need to eat so much at lunch maybe, so if you have a smaller lunch, you'll still be getting the same number of calories as you had been when you were losing those 15 lbs. Does that make sense? Good luck! I bet you'll find you're a bit more awake after eating breakfast too. I certainly find I am, like it's something I need to get ready to face the day, you know?
I plan out all my meals so I'm eating the right amount for lunch and dinner, just was not eating the breakfast. I don't know why but just not hungry for breakfast and I'd still eat the right amounts for lunch and dinner and not be any hungrier. Everything seems to satisfy me just fine how I'm doing it but I know it's too few calories and then the whole kick starting the metab. thing.
Yeah, as long as you're not ADDING 300-500 extra cals on to your day by adding breakfast, the weight loss should continue (and potentially improve as your metabolism becomes more efficient). Take calories away from your lunch/dinner to provide for breakfast -- spread them out more evenly.
On mornings when I don't have time to eat at home or if I find I'm not hungry during the 10 minutes I spend in the kitchen each morning preparing lunch for work, I will fix something for breakfast and take it with me -- and english muffin with an egg or peanut butter, for instance. Or I'll throw a handful of oatmeal in a tupperware and bring that to work. That way I can delay breakfast by 30-40 minutes, and I find I'm always ready for breakfast by then.
If you're really not a breakfast person, try adding small things into your mornings for a while. If you jump full-force into eating a substantial breakfast you might get discouraged because it makes you feel too full or your body just isn't used to it. Start with small things -- a yogurt, or maybe a piece of fruit, or a piece of toast -- and work your way up to eating a normal-sized breakfast. That way your stomach can adjust to the thought of early-morning food and will probably start requesting it more often.
I think that's what I'm scared of. I've been losing weight on what I'm currently eating but I'm eating too few calories by skipping breakfast. If I add breakfast on, I'm nervous those extra calories will stop the weight loss. And I can't take away from lunch or dinner since those meals are exactly what they should be in starch, meat, veggies, etc. and in calories... I think your suggestion to start small may work. I could start by making sure I eat the yogurt and then maybe add in a bag of cheerios to snack on in the morning at my desk if I'm hungry enough. That is probably do-able and wouldn't add on too many calories to my current intake. I know I'd still be under the calories I can have for the day too....
Ah, I didn't realize your concern was also that you're getting too few calories. That's another matter. In that case, definitely don't take away from your other meals to make room for breakfast!
What is your current rate of weight loss?
Weight loss at too low of a calorie intake rate is not sustainable, nor is it healthy. You need to fuel your body's internal furnace -- the more you feed it, the hotter it burns. You know? If you've been severely restricting your cals for too long and then switch to a healthy, maintainable level, you probably will see a gain. BUT -- you have to TRUST that it's not fat you're putting on, and that it will even out in time when your body adjusts to a regular level of intake again. You have to be patient with your body -- your metabolism sadly isn't linked to your brain and so the one can't tell the other, "hey, I'm gonna start feeding you enough on a regular basis so you can go ahead and speed up, okay?" The body just goes, "hey! food! energy! glucose! Prepare for next stretch of deprivation, store store store!" It'll figure things out eventually but much slower than your brain would wish.
The other thing to keep in mind -- are you willing to eat at a too-low level of cal intake for the rest of your life? Think about what will happen when you hit maintenance. This whole WL thing is practice for maintenance -- you can't expect to eat, say, 800 cals a day to lose weight and then once you reach your goal up it to 1600 or 1800 and expect not to gain the weight back.
So look at upping your cals, whether or not it temporarily stalls your weight loss. The key word there is temporarily.
Last edited by suitejudyblueeyes; 02-25-2008 at 10:31 AM.
I have the same problem because I'm not very hungry in the morning and the first thing I do is work out. My trainer said I absolutely cannot skip so what I do now is eat a protein bar. It's not enough to make me full or anything but it is enough to give me some of those nutrients/protein/fiber/carbs to get my body going.
If you're not getting enough calories but still losing weight, you're more than likely loosing your muscle--which means that when you get off plan you will gain all of that weight back. There are 3 different kinds of calories that your body takes from, if it takes from your carb calories only and not your fat calories (which is what happens when you don't get enough calories, because carbs are a substantiel form of engery) then you will definately gain all of the weight back. It's only a quick fix to lose weight and it's not helping your lifestyle change.
If you eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day but stay about 1200-1500 calories you will continue to lose weight, especially if you add exercise.
Goodluck with everything and remember, the weight isn't the biggest thing--it's being healthy. There are skinny people who are unhealthy, which is better for you?? skinny or healthy?
I was going to suggest something like a protein bar as well. It's at least something, and most have like 150-200 calories, so your body doesn't think it's starving.
My problem is that I hate breakfast. Anything I eat in the morning, I detest, thanks to morning sickness throughout 3 pregnancies.
Aw, you guys are so great and so smart! Thanks for all the advice. I suppose as scary as it is to potentially gain some weight, it's scarier to think that I could continue to lose and then have it all be for nothing when I put it all back on!!! I don't think I'm under my calorie level TOO severely but I definitely need to sit down and figure it out. It has to be at least 200 under since I do occassionally eat a yogurt or something extra after dinner but not enough to make up for the entire breakfast. Wow, I have so much to learn and figure out. Thanks again for all your help. I'm going to get to work figuring out how much I currently take in verse what I need to be taking in.
Breakfast is a must when maintaining and losing weight I am told for your metabolism. I have never been a bfast person ever til I started WW. I usually make a pot of coffee and have a 2pt WW bar or a bow of oatmeal. Then at 11ish if I am hungry Ill have some fruit.
Breakfast
Thanks for the great advice. I'll let you know how this goes for me!!
I think your suggestion to start small may work. I could start by making sure I eat the yogurt and then maybe add in a bag of cheerios to snack on in the morning at my desk if I'm hungry enough. That is probably do-able and wouldn't add on too many calories to my current intake. I know I'd still be under the calories I can have for the day too....
So look at upping your cals, whether or not it temporarily stalls your weight loss. The key word there is temporarily. 
