"Should I eat breakfast?" I've been asked this question a lot. My answer? YES!
Some research suggests that those who eat breakfast have a better chance of eating better (and some studies suggest less) than folks who skip a morning jump start.
And that's exactly what breakfast is: a jump start. Your metabolism runs constantly. However, when you sleep it slows down. Like, turtle slow..... How do you tell it to get going? Breakfast.
"But I can't eat early in the morning" or "I don't like breakfast foods" or "I don't have time to eat breakfast".
Who said breakfast has to be omelets, pancakes, waffles, or even eggs? Your breakfast can be whatever you want. You can eat dinner for breakfast. Why not eat tonight's leftovers for breakfast tomorrow?
Ok, maybe that's pushing it (we had tuna noodle casserole. I think I'll pass). But you get my point. Your breakfast is just that - YOUR breakfast.
Here are some suggestions:
No Time -
* a hard boiled egg and an apple
* a cheese stick and a banana
* frozen breakfast sandwich (microwaved, of course) and a pear
* a protein bar and a bag of grapes
* nonfat Greek yogurt with fruit added
* almonds and 2 oz of lean lunch meat
* a whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese and a bag of strawberries
* hummus on a whole wheat pita
* something from the "make ahead" list below
More time -
* scrambled eggs or egg whites in a tortilla
* oatmeal with berries
* turkey bacon and egg beaters
* high fiber cereal and skim milk
* a fruit smoothie made with nonfat Greek yogurt
* a Reese's smoothie made with PB2, chocolate protein mix, a banana, almond milk, and ice
* BLT's with turkey bacon
Make ahead -
* high fiber muffins
* homemade granola (there are tons of recipes online)
* fritattas
* quiche
* crock pot oatmeal
If you're not a breakfast food person, eat some lunch meat and a piece of fruit. Breakfast should be what you want it to be. I find having the same thing every morning works well. I have 1 cup of Better'n'Eggs Egg Whites with hot sauce, salt, pepper, and a 1/4 cup of low fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I have this 29 days out of 30 each month. Why everyday? Because it's easy, it takes hardly any time, it's FULL of protein so I stay full, and it's cheesy yumminess. Along with my coffee, this gets me going and keeps me there. A couple of hours later I will usually eat some fruit.
And that brings up an important point: you don't have to eat breakfast immediately after getting up. If the thought of putting anything in your mouth besides a toothbrush makes you ill, wait a bit. I have some friends at my WW meeting who have to get up and go to work at 5AM. They do their routine at home, go to work, and eat breakfast there. They say it's usually after 7AM when they're eating. That's OK, too. As long as you eat somewhere close to two hours after you wake up, you're in a good place to get your body going.
And if the thought of protein that early in the morning doesn't appeal to you or what I listed above sounds like too much food, eat your fruit first then wait a bit an add in your protein. In fact, eating something every two hours is one of the best way to keep your body running efficiently.
Here's the nutshell:
* YES you should eat breakfast every day
* YES you should eat what you like.
* YES you should find ways to fit it in. Don't make time excuses - you just have to have a plan.
* YES you should eat within about two hours of waking
* YES you will probably eat less or at least make better choices later in the day
Here's the confession:
* Before I started losing weight, I ate one Bacon, Egg, and Cheese bagel, two hash browns, a cinnamon melts, and a Diet Dr. Pepper at McDonald's about 4 days per week.
* The other days of the week were high calorie junk, probably candy, if truth be told
* I had to train myself to eat breakfast. Be prepared to have to do this.
And FYI - the breakfast I used to eat.....?
1390 calories and 101 grams of fat. That's a days worth of calories for a calorie-reduced diet plan.
Stick THAT in your arteries and smoke it. ;)
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