I'm sure some of y'all can relate to this.

I skip breakfast. Sometimes I'm just too busy in the morning (or, rather, I think I am), and sometimes I'm just not hungry. So I feel entitled to stop at Starbucks for a latte and a slice of lemon poundcake.

Then, I try to compensate for the high-fat "meal" by skipping lunch or eating too little. When my husband comes home for dinner, I could eat a horse. So we go out to eat and I make poor choices, simply because I'm starving. But because I'm starving, I feel entitled.

The next morning, I feel bloated and hate myself. So then I have to treat myself to something foodish (like a trip to Starbucks) to feel better.

I need to make myself eat breakfast and also to stop punishing myself by skipping meals. Eating breakfast is doable with practice. But how do I stop punishing myself with deprivation the rest of the day?

Plan, plan, plan.... go to the grocery store and stock up on good foods. If you are following a plan, make your meal plans to that. If not start off healthy. There are alot of things small and quick you can eat for breakfast.. hard boiled egg, yogart, fruit, low fat cheese stick. Start out small, just eat something, have a mid am snack if you'd like, plan your luch and dinner and snacks and stick to it. This has been th only thing that helps me. I make a dinner that we all can eat and if it is something I can't have I make sure there is something I can have. You won't be starving and won't overdo it. If you do, you get back on plan again. Good luck, you can do it!!

Hi JamiesMama - I have a daughter named Jamie.

You are entitled to a healthy slender body! The only way to get that is to decide how much you really want that body and that lifestyle. If you decide you want this more than you want the temporary satisfaction of unhealthy foods, then make things easier on yourself and plan ahead. You now know that going hungry can cause you to binge. This should show you the absolute importance of eating breakfast. Breakfast doesnt have to be elaborate. How about cooking a pot of oatmeal at the beginning of the week and refrigerating it? You can then microwave a bit each morning, throw in some cinnamon, walnuts and skim milk...and you now have a healthy delicious breakfast. How about carrying some nuts or a piece of fruit in your purse for emergencies. I've found that I'm much less likely to go off plan or binge if I eat on a set schedule every day and I have my kitchen stocked with on-plan foods. You can do this! Just take it one day at a time and allow yourself no excuses!

I have a drawer full of meal replacement bars in my desk at work. So if I forget to eat or forget my lunch, that's what I have.

Try eating a part of your calorie total every two to three hours. Protein and fiber will help you to feel full. Make sure you drink water throughout the day. Often we are just thirsty and NOT as hungry as we think we are.

Don't skip meals! That causes your metabolism to really slow down and makes losing weight harder.

Welcome, Jamiesmama! We all certainly have terrible habits that we are giving up in order to get to a healthy weight and lifestyle. Mine was not skipping meals...but eating all the time! Anyway, my best advice is to "just do it". Once your level of frustration surpasses the payoff (however short-lived) you get from skipping and bingeing then the right mindset will kick in and you'll wonder how in the world it took you so long to figure it out! At least, that's how it was for me. Now it just seems so straight-forward and NORMAL. I am a calorie counter with an emphasis on whole foods...and I've added daily exercise (working my way up from only 4 minutes per day!). You can do this! You've found a great place for inspiration and motivation....now it's all up to you! We're with you!

I premake oatmeal, too. Works out very well. Peanut butter toast is another easy one. One piece of healthy whole-grain bread with a small amount of all-natural peanut butter. Hard-boiled eggs are portable and handy, too.

When on the go, I've been known to stop at a grocery store and pick up some raw fruit and/or vegetables instead of going to a fast-food place. I even have a kitchen knife in my car to cut vegetables if I need to. Knowing there's a possibility of a restaurant dinner, sometimes I can justify a vegetable-intensive, light lunch.

At restaurants, I always ask if I can substitute extra vegetables for the potato or grain. Usually they do. I also tend to get salmon, fish, or chicken and choose an item that looks like it's broiled or cooked with the least amount of unnecessary fat/calories.

You can do this! It does take commitment, time, and planning, but you will get there.

I think it is VERY important to recognize our weaknesses when embarking on our weightloss journeys. And you seem to have done that. You KNOW that skipping breakfast is a problem for you and it causes even more problems as the day progresses. Now it's time to rectify it.

So, ummm... why not try ...... eating breakfast? I eat a quick and easy breakfast because I don't like to spend too much time preparing it. I have 1/2 cup Fiber One Cereal mixed with 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk. This is a nice combination of protein, fiber and carbs. I find it very satisfying, filling and lasting. It doesn't take long to prepare or eat.

New habits really don't take all that long to become old habits. A couple of weeks of adding in a healthy breakfast and elminating Starbucks is all it would take to get rid of one of your downfalls. Very doable. Good luck.

Have you tried a smoothie with yogurt and fruit? I am going to give that a tray on Saturday.

The kashi/fiber one combo sounds good. And so does the pre-cooked oatmeal. Is it the "steel cut" kind that you use? (Or can the Quaker kind be kept in the fridge over a week?) I've never tried the steel cut but have been curious ever since I heard Dr. Oz talk about them on Oprah.

I'm eating breakfast tomorrow!

One of my faaaavorite meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert) is baked oatmeal. It's denser than the regular stuff. You can make it on the weekend and eat it all week. One slice tames the monster within for quite a few hours, and with a carton of yogurt dumped on top I'm in heaven. I got it off of a Weight Watchers forum:

Baked Pennsylvania Dutch Oatmeal
Makes 6 servings

2 C. boiling water
2 C. skim or low-fat milk
2 C. regular rolled oats
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. chopped pitted prunes, apricots, or raisins
2 med. apples or pears, chopped fine
2 tsp. ground cinammon (or to taste)
3 TBS. brown sugar, maple or dark corn syrup or table molasses (or DV SF pancake syrup or any other syrup)

Serve with FF 1/2 and 1/2, vanilla soymilk, skim, or low-fat milk.

Combine the water, milk, oats and salt in an ovenproof casserole. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir in the fruit, cinnamon and sugar, cover and place in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes; remove cover for last 5 minutes of baking.

Points per serving:

Using prunes and apples:
Per Serving: 237 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 50g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Using prunes and pears:
Per Serving: 243 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 51g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Using apricots and apples:
Per Serving: 196 Calories; 2g Fat; 7g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Using apricots and pears:
Per Serving: 202 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Using raisins and apples:
Per Serving: 241 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 51g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 226mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Using raisins and pears:
Per Serving: 247 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 226mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Now, with a sugar-free or splenda based syrup:

Using prunes and apples:
Per Serving: 214 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Using prunes and pears:
Per Serving: 220 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Using apricots and apples:
Per Serving: 173 Calories; 2g Fat; 7g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Using apricots and pears:
Per Serving: 179 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Using raisins and apples:
Per Serving: 219 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 226mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Using raisins and pears:
Per Serving: 224 Calories; 2g Fat; 8g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 226mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

Premake breakfast and keep a bright multicolored fruit bowl out. Make things easy for yourself- even if that means a microwave meal.

If you and hubby are regular restraunt eaters, pick your top 5 and look online at their menus. If you know that will typically be your high cal meal of the day, find 5-7 entrees that are high veggie/fiber and low fat. Broiled, baked, grilled, even BBQ, with sauces on the side. Use your fork to dip into sauces then take a bite with it. You get the flavor of the sauces without drowning the meat in calories and fat. Plan the rest of your day around the higher meal. Precut veggies and fruits are sold in groceries stores as are premade salads. Just toss the packages of croutons, bacon bits and keep your own, low cal dressing packs in the car. This is all doable if you plan ahead.

I prefer to use steel-cut oats, but I've used the Quaker kind and kept it in the fridge for a week, too. Steel-cut oats cook longer, but they have more texture and I think they're a little healthier.

Nummy, that baked oatmeal recipe sounds divine.