[slow2lose]

The thing I missed most about IP is having my half cup of Tropicana Orange Juice on my way out the door in the morning. I don't have time for breakfast before I leave the house, but this held me over quite nicely until I got to work and I really miss it.

The Phase 3 sheet says you have to eat ALL the foods together, so does that mean I still can't have my OJ when I'm out the door? SO SAD. :-( If not Phase 3, I hope I can in Phase 4.

[Bella73123]

I'm not on phase 3, so someone will have to confirm if this fits the qualifications, but since your talking about cereal and needing protein, what about an RTD or protein drink over your muesli?

[CortneyMarie622]

I bet if you look at South Beach recipes you will find LOTS of options for protein that you can make ahead of time. My mom was on SB for awhile and made some awesome quiche type things that were super easy and kept for a long time. Then you could just add some grain in and that is easy (many people at work keep loafs of bread at work) or you could make a bunch of english muffin type sandwiches and freeze them. I did this all the time on WW. It takes less than an hour and you have food for weeks. You would just have to add the fruit which is easy! I am confident you can do it!

[infoplease]

If you use 1 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt you will get enough protein that you don't have to add an egg or other protein, if you don't want to. That might put you 10 calories over the dairy limit of 120 calories.

You can make oatmeal, the regular old fashioned oats kind, in the microwave. Just be sure your bowl is big enough as it does tend to boil over. Try 1/4 cup raw with 1/2 cup water on high for 2 minutes. You can cover it or not.

Costco sells presliced apples in single serving bags. You could grab those if you don't want to mess with berries, or even just grab fruit without slicing (apple, banana, etc). Take a tablespoon of peanutbutter, using the tablespoon and just wrap a piece of plastic around it. You can dip the apples into it or mix it with the yogurt when you get to work.

Oh, you don't need anything fancy to cook an egg in the microwave. Take any container about the size of a small margarine tub. Spray with Pam, Mr Misto or whatever non-stick item you use. PIERCE THE YOLK! or just scramble it up with a fork. Microwave for one minute. You can add 1/4 cup cottage cheese to it and microwave longer, maybe 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Bella's suggestion on using an RTD for milk is a good one. That could count as some protein, just be sure to consider the calories and carbs. Losinglawyer's suggestion to split the milk & cheese also works. You could crumble the shredded wheat and put it in the yogurt, or just about any cereal really, it doesn't have to be muesli. You could also put some nuts in the yogurt.

You can even cook an egg as you cook the oatmeal. Just crack it into the middle of the water and oats, pierce the yolk (or it explodes), and microwave for 1.5 minutes on high or until it is cooked.

DO NOT do the grab OJ thing and go in Phase 3. You are certainly free to do the OJ thing in Phase 4 as breakfast or on Fun Day. I suspect it won't be as great as it was before IP. I bet it will taste too sweet, and will make you hungry for the rest of your breakfast. You might be OK with portion control (like 4 oz instead of the little tropicana carton) or you might be just fine. You can also have only milk and cereal for breakfast in Phase 4.

ps on my microwave times -- that is really dependent on the wattage of the microwave and the altitude, so the times are more of a guide.

[My2loseW8]

My husband is on Phase 3. I give him strawberries or an apple (though I just found out today it is not listed on the sheet- it might be too many carbs) cheddar cheese, Slice of whole wheat toast with butter spray and wf strawberry jam, 6 Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage links (microwave whole package 1 minute 30 seconds). It is super quick and he is enjoying it. Good luck! Thanks everyone else for some great ideas!!

[slow2lose]

SUPER FABULOUS IDEAS HERE!! Thanks so much, these are the exact kind of ideas I was looking for - stuff I can do in the office and not have to prepare ahead of time. THANK YOU!!!!!

As for the OJ - I can easily have the rest of my BF when I get to the office. I would normally have the 4 ounces of OJ just before I stepped into my car at 8:00 am, and I would be at the office by 8:30 - so just 30 minutes. I really hope I can go back to that on Phase 4. Too sweet? No chance - the only 2 cravings I've really had on IP are Tropicana OJ and cheese - REAL cheese - 10 year old Balderson aged cheddar - not the crappy Light stuff. OK, and pizza. LOL.

Originally Posted by infoplease

If you use 1 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt you will get enough protein that you don't have to add an egg or other protein, if you don't want to. That might put you 10 calories over the dairy limit of 120 calories.

You can make oatmeal, the regular old fashioned oats kind, in the microwave. Just be sure your bowl is big enough as it does tend to boil over. Try 1/4 cup raw with 1/2 cup water on high for 2 minutes. You can cover it or not.

Costco sells presliced apples in single serving bags. You could grab those if you don't want to mess with berries, or even just grab fruit without slicing (apple, banana, etc). Take a tablespoon of peanutbutter, using the tablespoon and just wrap a piece of plastic around it. You can dip the apples into it or mix it with the yogurt when you get to work.

Oh, you don't need anything fancy to cook an egg in the microwave. Take any container about the size of a small margarine tub. Spray with Pam, Mr Misto or whatever non-stick item you use. PIERCE THE YOLK! or just scramble it up with a fork. Microwave for one minute. You can add 1/4 cup cottage cheese to it and microwave longer, maybe 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Bella's suggestion on using an RTD for milk is a good one. That could count as some protein, just be sure to consider the calories and carbs. Losinglawyer's suggestion to split the milk & cheese also works. You could crumble the shredded wheat and put it in the yogurt, or just about any cereal really, it doesn't have to be muesli. You could also put some nuts in the yogurt.

You can even cook an egg as you cook the oatmeal. Just crack it into the middle of the water and oats, pierce the yolk (or it explodes), and microwave for 1.5 minutes on high or until it is cooked.

DO NOT do the grab OJ thing and go in Phase 3. You are certainly free to do the OJ thing in Phase 4 as breakfast or on Fun Day. I suspect it won't be as great as it was before IP. I bet it will taste too sweet, and will make you hungry for the rest of your breakfast. You might be OK with portion control (like 4 oz instead of the little tropicana carton) or you might be just fine. You can also have only milk and cereal for breakfast in Phase 4.

ps on my microwave times -- that is really dependent on the wattage of the microwave and the altitude, so the times are more of a guide.