Does what you eat for breakfast impact the rest of your day?
I started South Beach over six weeks ago and for that entire time, have chosen not to have grains or fruit in the mornings. (Well, for the first two weeks it was not “allowed” but the last four weeks have been by choice.) Recently I was asked why. The simple answer is that I am trying to do things differently than in my many past diets in hopes that this time will last forever. But more than that, I hoped that protein for breakfast would keep me feeling full longer and that avoiding grains and fruit would keep me from cravings later in the day.
Is it working for me? Yes and no.
I am doing pretty well at not having cravings. I have slowly added some grains and fruit back into my diet but am choosing to have them at night. That seems to help keep the craving monster at bay. In the past I added them back earlier in the day and found the number of grains I ate gradually increased. I think I am much better at limiting my servings if I eat grains later. Otherwise, I would choose to eat more of them and less of the veggies and protein I need.
I could happily eat cereal for breakfast every day of the week. And spent most of my life doing just that. And I don’t like eggs very much. So on my previous South Beach attempts I added steel cut oats back into my diet immediately (after the first two weeks)! But it seemed that once I added one grain I wanted more. So maybe it is a test of wills to not eat cereal of any kind yet. Or maybe it is a great dieting strategy. Or maybe it would make no difference at all. But I am not ready to find out just yet. Right now I am happily flexing my morning willpower muscle.
So is protein for breakfast keeping me full longer? Longer than pure carbs, I think. But some days it is just not long enough. I am still looking for the perfect morning meal to tide me over until lunch with no feelings of hunger. I don’t mind a morning snack, but I would like to see if I could live without it.
I would like to know just how much my morning meal impacts the rest of my day – energy levels, cravings, hunger. And does what I eat for breakfast have a direct impact on my weight loss (or lack thereof)?
What have you found? Does what you eat for breakfast make a difference for you? And if you have a non-egg breakfast that keeps you feeling full and satisfied for hours, I would really like to know about it!
Waisting Time 
I never ate breakfast when I was heavy. Now, I eat it everyday. I have found higher protein keeps you full longer. I’m not sure what you can have though with it being South Beach.
I either have a protein bar, protein shake, English muffin w/ a little peanut butter, or cereal and skim milk.
I usually go to the gym around 9 am everyday, and I workout for 1 to 1 1/2 hours per morning. My breakfast has to fuel me for that. Then I may have to eat an early (11 am) lunch if I’m too hungry to wait later. I really don’t like the morning snack thing. I know it’s fine to do that….but my demented weight loss mind has a hard time with it.
I think it’s great that you are trying new things and seeing how they effect your body. AWESOME.
I’m really into steel cut oats. I love that stuff and I think it keeps me full longer than other things. I usually top it with berries or sometimes some sugar free syrup. 🙂
Six days a week, I have the following for breakfast:
1/2 a cheese (or sesame-my two favorite kinds of) bagel
2 tbsp. ICBINB-Lite spread on it (toasted, of course)
18 whole, natural almonds.
I get some grain in that I love, but it’s all about portion control. 2 tbsp. on a half bagel is MORE than enough, so I don’t feel I’m depriving myself. And the almonds are protein, low fat, and excellent for heart and digestion.
It works for me! One day on the weekend (which day varies), I enjoy a 1 egg breakfast with regular bacon (microwaved on paper towels to soak up the fat), and a half cup of hashed browns fried in very little lite oil, and seasoned with various non-salt seasons. All good. 🙂
good luck on figuring out what works best for you! It will turn out to be the fun part of the start of the journey! 😀
Personally, I find that eggs in the morning don’t last with me. If I have them in the afternoon, they do. :::shrug::: I have a variety of proteins … either whatever is left-over from dinner or tuna … for breakfast, along with big serving of vegetables. It “holds” me for a 3 to 5 hours.
Definitely protein keeps you fuller longer! I found that eating an egg with cheese in the morning keeps me full 4-5 hours and something high carb made me hungry like an hour or two later. I eat so many eggs now it’s crazy lol! At least I like eggs 🙂
I didn’t notice any real difference in fullness, regardless of whether I have protein, carbs, or a mix. Finally, I just decided to have 2 breakfasts, or really, to spread breakfast out through the morning. I do like boiled eggs, so I usually have one of those. If I’m out of eggs, I eat turkey or tuna. Oats with PB2 is another breakfast favorite. And my beloved yogurt parfaits. 🙂
I have a protein shake … then a shake of Greens Plus, ground flaxseed and cinnamon.
It is amazing how different everyone is with what will/won’t keep them full. And lots of tuna for breakfast; I never thought of that. I will eat leftovers though. Thanks for the ideas gals.
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