I worry about the imbalance of carbs and protein in my diet, so I got brave today and went to FitDay to put in what I am eating today. (As you may remember, I said many times I am not counting calories and I would really like to stay that way). So for today, my calorie count is somewhere around 1575 and that sans dinner (although dinner is already made and it won't be much calorie wise as it consists of sauteed veggies and tofu).

So as per FitDay, today's intake of carbs is 63%
Although these are good carbs (whole grain cereal with very high fibre content and fruit - I know I do eat a lot of fruit) and only 25% (75 grams) of protein (although I may drive the protein higher if I add a bit of chicken boob to dinner).

I have read a few times here that if you have more protein for breakfast, you stay fuller longer. I eat 1.25 cup of cereal for breakfast (1/2 cup of Fibre One and the rest is mixed cereal - different sources) with 1% milk and typically quite a good chunk of blueberries and strawberries. Even though I guzzle water, I get hungry within 2 hours.

I don;t have a problem having an egg or an omelette for breakfast but I can't do it every day - that's too much cholesterol. I like cottage cheese but geez, the only choice is either Nordica or Gay Lea and a 1/2 of either one represents 18% ( again) of sodium.

So if you can share some tips for less carb/more protein oriented breakfast, I would appreciate it.

oooh....breakfast....

I aim for lots of protein each time I eat. Here are my staples:

protein pancakes (equal parts cottage cheese and oatmeal blended with an egg or two or some eggwhites)--cook like reg pancakes

oatmeal with protein powder stirred in prior to cooking. I will often stir in 2 tsp of peanut butter when it is hot.

1 egg + some egg whites, scrambled with veggies and served with refried or whole beans or a corn tortilla

1/2 bagel with laughing cow cheese or 2 tsp peanut butter and a protein shake

I do try to control my egg yolks, but I will always have a yolk when I eat eggs. Then I use a couple of whites as well. I love my cappucino protein powder too.

Egg whites - 3 or 4, fried, scrambled, or made into a veggie omelet

Protein muffins -- see Mel's recipe

Protein pancakes

Smoothie with protein powder

Whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter

Non breakfast foods are great for breakfast too (leftovers or whatever)

Midwife - we posted at the same time. Looks like we both like our high protein breakfasts!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147384



This just got posted this past week - lotsa good ideas in there.

I find if I have more protein in the morning, I do so much better the rest of the day.

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Protein in the morning is SO important to me!

I love to take an Alternative Bagel (that has 7 grams of protein already...for a110 calorie bagel!) and put some egg beaters on it, or if I don't want eggs that morning (it happens a lot), spread it with a laughing cow wedge and lay on a piece of deli ham or turkey. Quick, tasty, and protein-and-fiber filled.

Just a note to say--you can eat eggs every day. This will not hurt you, unless you already have high cholesterol, and perhaps not even then.

I'm not a doctor, not a dietitian. Do some research and you'll find more information.

Jay

I use egg substitute quite a bit to deal with the 'eggs every day' issue (though for me it's a calorie thing, not a cholesterol thing). Sometimes I bake a sort of omelet in a pie pan and just cut it up to take with me to work for breakfast. Egg substitute, a little skim milk, frozen veggies, and shredded cheese mixed together in a pie pan. Pop it in the oven for about an hour and top with salsa and you have a delicious, high-protein, low-cal breakfast.

If I don't want something hot I measure out a cup of low-fat organic yogurt, a little local honey, and some low-cal granola. So delicious and it keeps me full.

I also eat oatmeal with protein powder some days, but generally that leaves me hungry sooner than my other breakfasts.

Ooh, or if I have time in the morning, sometimes I make french toast with egg substitute, cinnamon, and Nature's Own double fiber bread. I slice a peach (or whatever's in season) and cook it in some sugar free maple syrup to top my toast. Also delicious and gives you a good dose of protein.

When im being extra good, first thing i do is grab a 20 ounces of cold water before anything else.. supposed to get your metabolism moving to heat the cold water..

1 whole grain english muffin with 1 large poached egg with 2 thin slices of deli cooked ham, 1 slice cheese.. this keeps me full til lunch time, i have it with 20 ounces of water if im being extra good of course.. i try to avoid coffee as i like that sweet and creamy.. so i only have coffee once in a while..

1 Serving Raisin Bran with 2% milk just enough to cover it to let it sit and get soggy, i hate crunchy raisin bran, i like it mushy.. This also keeps me full til lunch time and i try to get down 20 ounces of water

Sometimes i will grab a fiber one bar if i dont feel like eating just to eat something cuz they say its bad for the metabolism to not eat anything which i have been known to do ALOT through out my life.. skipping breakfast and lunch for most of my life.. starting that in grade school.. i know that was part of my weight problem..

I try to eat protein with almost every snack/meal throughout the day. The protein really helps to stabilize your blood sugar against the effects of the carbs and prevents cravings.

For breakfast, I typically eat either an egg white omelette (sort of - I often use 1 whole egg and then whites to bulk it up) with some Canadian bacon on the side (it's very lean and tastes great), or oatmeal with natural peanut butter stirred in. Both are very filling, delicious, and keep me full for a long time. Lately I've also been eating a lot of berries with yogurt and granola (or Fiber One) - not super high protein, but loaded with fiber which is another option for you if you want to feel full longer.

Smoked salmon is a good choice, too - a few slices on half a whole wheat/grain bagel with a little light cream cheese is a really indulgent breakfast that's good for you, too.

I also don't wait all the way until lunch to eat again - I'll have a snack mid-morning, often something like cheese string and some nuts or tuna slices on a couple of crackers.

Thanks chichkies,

That's lots of excellent ideas, although I still don't understand how you can live on 1 slice of toast (albeit with some protein on it) happily for hours. (or on 1/2 cup of protein cheese, or on a smoothie). My stomach does not want to cooperate and shrink.

But I will work on this - starting with tomorrow breakfast.
Photochick - thanks for the link, that is great.

Amanda - the best I can do in terms of bagels are President's Choice Blue Menu bagels - 160 cals and 6 grams of protein but I love those. I often have the cinnamon + raisin one when I have a craving for something sweet. It is a lot less sweet than regular bagels but it is easy to get used to it.

JayEll - I believe my doctor said once that an egg a day is ok so you are right.

Again, thanks for all replies - just a P.S. - I am in Canada so many of the items that you quote are not available here but will substitute.

I dont' like breakfast much, so sometimes I do a bar, 1/2 eng muffin with peanut butter then have a mid morning snack. I HATE eggs. I do not feel like cooking in the am (although I do understand one could cook up protein pancakes and reheat). Grumpy am me. Doesn't it seem that most athletes or diet books suggest Kashi Go Lean because it's higher in protein then most cereals? Today I mixed it with Fiber cereal and threw on yogurt and that seemed to keep me full for a bit. Next time I might mix in protein powder and some wheat germ, flax and slivered almonds too. I've found that if I am busy and need more protein a spoon in the almond butter works for quick protein!

I hate breakfast, but eating it seems to be a key for weight loss and appetite control. I discovered Greek Yogurt on this forum...and I LOVE it! I buy the Fage 2% with honey, I don't always eat all the honey but the yogurt and some fruit keep me very full and comfortable. Plus I'm getting my calcium.

I alternate between smoothies (1/2 banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries, splash of milk, splash of OJ, and 1/2 cup yogurt) and Kashi Go Lean, and although the cereal has fewer calories than my smoothie, it keeps me full for a longer period of time.

Sometimes I make egg-in-a-basket (using 100% whole wheat bread) and eat it with a piece of fruit. That keeps me satisfied for quite a while too.

Plain FF Greek yogurt--it's hard to beat in terms of protein: 20g in a 1-cup serving. My standard weekday breakfast is 1/2 cup of high fiber cereal (similar to Fiber One) stirred into 1 cup of Greek yogurt and topped with berries. If you don't like plain yogurt, stir some artificial sweetener into it, although I find that with the berries and cereal added to it, it is plenty sweet enough.

Also, according to the article 20 Superfoods for Weight Loss, in the most recent issue of Self Magazine, eggs are a superfood for weight loss: "Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs, a study from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports." The article also says that eggs, even the yolk, are not harmful to your heart. So your egg a day may not be a problem and may even help with your weight loss.

You can order the alternative bagels Amanda mentions online at westernbagel.com (if you are willing to order six packages at a time).