Just came back from an annual physical with a new primary care physician. One change he said that I need to make is to my diet. I tend to eat large dinners, but rather small breakfasts and lunches. I was told that I should be eating more earlier in the day and less in the evenings.
With all that said, I sure would appreciate some suggestions for good (and more filling) breakfasts that I can make quickly on a weekday morning. I've had issues with high cholesterol in the past, so I can only eat stuff like bacon and eggs sparingly.
today. I added some hot sauce and heated a thawed one for 70 seconds in the microwave. Good but not great, quick and easy though which works for me. $2.49.
Personally, I hate breakfast. I make Kodiak pancakes/ waffles/ muffins for my husband and kids in bulk, which I freeze to easily pop into the microwave or toaster, but I don't like eggs, sausage, or oatmeal for myself. If you really are into just having breakfast type food, try cottage cheese with an avocado and chopped tomato mixed in. You can also sub butter for avocado on some whole grain toast as it still gives great flavor. If not... mind you, it may sound strange... but if you are concerned about cholesterol, you could always try eating what you would normally have for dinner (obviously reheating it) so that you have a protein/ vegetable rich "breakfast" to start your day and then eat a light salad with protein for dinner. I do this on a daily basis as I really just don't like normal breakfast food despite the fact that the rest of my family does. It works well for me. At dinner, I eat more salad and less of whatever else that I made than what my husband and kids eat... then just reheat a larger portion for myself in the morning. Just a thought!
Works for me
“I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase. It’s all in the game though, right?”
Nothing for breakfast nothing for lunch and a huge dinner. Face planted 3 steps outside my office 6 years ago and came to understand the importance of protein in the morning. A protein shake and half an English muffin and a disgusting green vegetable juice.
That will get me to about 11am on most days. Currently I'm on a Muscle Milk Light which has 20g of protein and zero sugar. It doesn't taste great but its for a good cause. 18 pack from costco is very affordable. That plus a banana to get some natural sugars. It's cheap and easy. Maybe a spoonful of peanut butter.
I wish I had time for bacon and eggs on the weekdays but it aint happening. Weekends I will do avocado toast with an over easy egg. Hit with the 'everything but the bagel' spice and you've got a winner.
We like using it to kick up the flavor of a salad but it is versatile for just about anything.
On Monday mornings wake up early, cut up half an onion, saute with 1 lb of chorizo (ideally in a cast-iron pan). When finished, remove most of the chorizo except that which you want to eat that day. Add two eggs, scramble. Just before the eggs are done, add a half tomato, diced. Serve with 1/4 avocado, sliced. Add Tapatio/salsa to your liking.
Tuesday-Friday you've got pre-cooked chorizo ready to go, just add the amount you want, two eggs, scramble, and add tomatoes and avocado. Takes about 10 minutes to cook/chop everything on non-Mondays. About 30 min on Monday.
Weekends are for bacon.
I eat a maple donut One Bar with coffee. Their almond joy version is good with an afternoon coffee too.
I’m down 30 lbs since May.
A lot of good suggestions on this thread. But speaking for myself, some day-to-day variety keeps it interesting. So it may be eggs & OJ two days a week, oatmeal at least once, Greek yogurt and fruit, occasionally hash browns and eggs.
My wife and I mix up the breakfast chores. My days generally involve eggs. Her’s are more creative. The only rule is that it can’t be the same thing every damn time.
the microwave, just unthraw them ahead of time. The Delights are whole grain with eggs whites and the frittatas taste better and have lots of protein.
NSFW
So many gems in this vmail message...
They tasted decent and are reasonably high in protein, low in carbs if that's what one is looking for but I thought they were kind of sad looking, spongy in texture out of the microwave and didn't seem like a great value for just 4 sandwiches.
Agree with the below that the latest wisdom on eggs seems to be to eat them without much worry, despite the reputation for being high in cholesterol. If you can, buy ones that are "Pasture Raised" (I like the Vital Farms brand from Sprouts or Whole Foods but there are others too). They're certainly more expensive but you can actually visually see the difference vs. conventional/mass produced eggs in the deep color and large size of the yolks.
I eat 2-3 eggs every day, switching up the form (sometimes fried, sometimes over-easy, sometimes scrambled), topped with avocado slices and a little bit of sea salt then pair that with a peanut butter-topped toaster waffle or a couple of protein pancakes that I usually make a batch of on the weekends and then reheat quickly in the microwave. Usually will have some berries on the side as well.
Now for a shameless plug: about 2.5 years ago I left a large mega food corporation after working there 8 years post-ND to jump to what was then an upstart natural food brand called Kodiak Cakes. It started a long time ago as simple whole grain pancake mix that has since morphed into various 100% whole grain and protein-added products in a variety of flavors that are present at just about any major mainstream grocery store you can think of (Kroger, Safeway, Target, Walmart, Costco etc). Everything is 100% whole grain, with added protein, non-GMO and free of preservatives or artificial ingredients.
Despite being made with whole grains and whey protein, our products actually taste good, which is usually most prospective consumers primary concern. The most popular items are the protein pancake mixes but there are also protein frozen toaster waffles, protein muffin mixes and even some convenient on-the-go microwave oatmeal, pancake and muffin in-a-cup options (higher in sugar than the mixes, but very tasty).
To me, the toaster waffles sound the most convenient for someone like you who wants something quick, reasonably healthy but tastes good. See link below.
Plug over.
If you want a deeper, darker yolk color, then give your hens feed that is more yellow/orange in color.
quality or health.
Good pancakes without being loaded with preservatives.
When you make them on the weekends do you just refrigerate or do you freeze them for the week ahead?
Usually put them in a tupperware of some sort with a folded paper towel on the bottom (keeps the moisture from settling and making the bottom pancake wet).
Throughout the next week, just pop a couple in the microwave for 30 seconds per side and they still taste pretty good. Not as great as fresh off the griddle but a lot easier than messing with the griddle each time.
We just started buying after my brother started implementing them.
make it happen!
Any more information on the reason for your doctor's advice? Is it tied to body mass / cholesterol / stamina?
Eating a large meal in the morning would make me sleepy, especially if I followed it up with a commute and an office job.
*
of Dave's Killer bread (toasted).
Pretty good. They're supposedly all whole food items (not that chemicals are bad, but I do think shorter ingredient lists is probably better). They're basically a combo of egg whites, nuts, and dates. I've been eating them for about a year and like them. Chocolate sea salt, Maple, and peanut butter and berries are all pretty good.
While generally regarded as a safe sugar substitute, they can sometimes cause havoc on some people's stomachs and have a bit of a laxative effect.
I'll have to give those bars a try to see for myself.
but they're not all bad.
I keep Quest bars and cookies on hand in case I need to carry something non-perishable during travel or when I know I'll be running around all day. They use erythritol or allulose (the latter technically a "rare sugar" and not a sugar alcohol). I've found I don't experience gastro distress with those.
It's maltitol that's usually the killer. It's the one that's most commonly in sugar-free syrup and candy and it apparently has a higher glycemic index than regular sugar.
Better than most of the "super extreme" bars out there.
I want a huge fan on the blueberry or apple cinnamon. But I think the ones I listed are good, at least compared to any other protein bar (which is admittedly a low bar).
However, they have a rough/hard texture that can be cumbersome chew thru. I've found it you give them a quick 5-10 second zap in the microwave, they are a bit easier to eat.
I know quite a few people who went to work for the company shortly after it was founded - they are based in Chicago and grew tremendously in a few short years and were recently acquired by Kellogg's in the last year or so.
They are really, really good.
Only option to buy are subscription. That sucks
You get a slightly lower unit price if you schedule regular deliveries. They do that with most of their perishable/grocery goods.
But you can get them online from a bunch of retailers.
protein isolate as it’s main protein source? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry...
They're still tasty, though.
Not a meal replacement, for sure.
What kind of activity do you need 270 calories to supplement?
Include me out on a bar with 16 grams of sugar and isn’t candy. A Dove dark chocolate bar has 19.
...has been a glass of orange juice, granola mixed with yogurt and fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries, and a banana. Sometimes I will quickly scramble up an egg.
On Sunday mornings we have eggs with hash browns (made with finely chopped onion and bell pepper, sauteed) and wheat toast. I like bacon but probably only have it about once a month when I'm out somewhere. At any breakfast place I've never been to before, as well as mainstays like Egg Harbor (or Perkins on 933 at 12:30 a.m. after a night game), I get the same boring thing every time: two eggs over easy with hash browns, bacon, and wheat toast.
Lunch--often a Subway or Jimmy John's tuna salad or turkey on wheat with various vegetable toppings, chips, and a diet coke. Dinner--Salmon or chicken or shrimp made various ways with pasta or flavored rice and some green vegetable like asparagus, green beans, etc. On weekends I might make chili with beef, pork, and/or turkey, or sometimes stews (daube de boeuf is tasty). One helping is enough; remember this adage, which I developed at age 16 after one particularly gluttonous Thanksgiving feed: your stomach gets full before your brain does. Listen to your stomach.
Granola will help with your cholesterol, I think. I'm not a maniac about all this, but your body is the vehicle that carries you about; if you don't take reasonable care of it, it'll wear out sooner than necessary.
and what's wrong with eating later in the day?
although there were some dissenting voices on that one.
I'm not a doctor, but I think the link between cholesterol in food and high blood cholesterol has been pretty well debunked. See the link. I'm not sure about bacon (other than that it's delicious), but I think the current wisdom on eggs is that they're pretty awesome for you and you shouldn't worry about eating them as often as you'd like, even if you have high cholesterol.
Also, for a more filling, healthy breakfast option, I like a cup of plain Greek yogurt (I prefer whole milk, but 2% is okay, fat-free is gross) with some fresh berries, and something healthy to add some texture (flax seed, slivered almonds). Its quick if you have all of the ingredients on hand, high in protein and good fats, and a lot more filling than something more carb-heavy (like toast or cereal).
...by eating a diet comprised of 50% fat (calories). All my cholesterol markers improved and not by a little. The nurse was so stunned she asked what I'd done and absolutely refused to believe my answer.
Just look at our old food pyramid. 5 servings of grain per day, and only 2 servings of meat/fish/nuts/eggs? That's insane. But it's what many medical professionals were taught, and many are still stuck in the "calories in, calories out" and "fat is bad" mindset.
There are only studies on the relationship between various foods and people's various belief systems.
In studies on medicine, it's well accepted that results from a placebo are statistically significant. This is because our physiology responds to our beliefs.
The same is true with food. The reason you can find science demonstrating various truths about nutrition which seem to be mutually exclusive or paradoxical to one another is that the results are always a reflection of the belief systems of those involved in the study.
Given the bashing of carbohydrates in the last 20 years, combined with all the facebook ads about how crossfit combined with a keto diet will get you into a mansion and driving a lambo, people's belief systems have been dramatically altered when it comes to nutrition.
As a guy who spent 20+ years monitoring everything he ate, constantly following new research, and trying every approach under the sun, I can tell you that nutrition is as personal as sexuality. No research is going to tell you who you'll be most attracted to, because it's a deeply personal expression of countless subconscious variables. Nutrition is the same.
Stop letting others be the authority on what you should eat. Listen to your body. It will tell you within a few minutes, if not instantly, what makes it work better and what doesn't. Find the things that leave you feeling energized. It doesn't matter if it's bacon and eggs or a large bowl of oatmeal. If you want to lose weight, still eat what leaves you feeling energized. Just eat less of it, and then explore what happens to you emotionally when you restrict calories and weight starts to drop.
Because weight is every bit as much about emotions in vs emotions out as it is calories in vs calories out. In the world of emotional therapy, I regularly see people's bodies change dramatically and quickly, with zero changes to diet, after certain pieces of emotional healing take place.
had to factor. I'm guessing top scientists and chemists went to other fields.
How can it be that in the 70s they figured out that 'fat' doesn't make you 'fat' and sugars and carbs were the real threats and yet it took another 30-40 years before the entire industry finally figured it out. Even to this day I run into dietitians that promote that old bullshit thinking.
....carbohydrate way." As if that was a good thing.
I get that not all calories are created equal. But weight loss is fundamentally a matter of physics in that you need to burn more calories than you are taking in. Or am I missing something?
It might be incomplete, but it's not wrong.
The incomplete part of it comes about in that the types of calories you consume are going to impact how you feel, and additionally, whether or not you are satiated. Those two factors can play in strongly to whether or not your eating habits are sustainable.
So, a person who eats all of their calories from, say, sugar, is going to have a much harder time limiting their caloric intake to their target amount than someone who eats primarily meats, veggies, and nuts.
Most of these "no counting calories" diets are just ways to trick yourself into eating fewer calories.
Americans have become convinced that cutting calories doesn't work by people with something to sell -- like the Canadian nephrologist who wrote The Obesity Code. People convince themselves they're fat not because they eat to much but because hormones or (unbelievably) they eat too little.
In the end it does come down to calories in and calories out. but your hormones impact how many calories you burn, so eating low carb or fasting impacts your hormonal response which, in turn, impacts the "calories out" side of the equation.
I would tell you that these "no counting calories" diets are not tricking a person into eating fewer calories. Fewer calories is often a product of better eating.
I think it's just a bit more nuanced then your first sentence, is my shorter answer.
If you are speaking generally about needing to operate at a caloric deficit to lose weight, "calories in, calories out" is an easy way to get the concept.
There are two immediate problems with this if we want to be more specific. The first is that your body does not digest all nutrients with same efficiency. Just because you eat something doesn't mean that all of the energy from that food will make it into your system. Fiber is counted on nutrition guides as 4 calories per gram, but the body doesn't digest fiber very well. It is unlikely that you will get those 4 calories into your system. "Calories in, calories out" still works here if you actually know what calories are going in... the problem is that you don't actually know what calories are making it in. Just counting your calories based on the food label won't necessarily give you the accurate number.
The second problem is that the quality of the calories in will impact the amount of calories that will go out. Gut health, digestion and absorption efficiency, fuel source, energy level, mental clarity are all impacted by the calories in. Making sure you have quality calories going in will help maximize the amount of calories you can burn. "Calories in, calories out" still is technically at play here, but it doesn't help you determine how to most effectively get the calories out. "The calories you take in will impact the calories you are able to burn" is a more accurate depiction of the relationship.
People use that phrase to mean something like: count the calories you take in and the calories you burn through activity, and if the latter is equal to or lower than the latter you're good. But that assumes that every calorie is equal. And there's now good evidence that consuming 100 calories from sugar and 100 calories from fat have different impacts on the bodies' reaction to those calories. For many people sugar causes metabolic reactions that make it more likely that those calories will be stored as fat rather than burned. So the type of calories you're putting in makes a big different. It's not fair to say all calories are the same so all you need to do is a simple mathematical equation of input and output.
Studies show people underestimate their calorie consumption by an average 30-40%. Obesity has little to do with what kinds of calories people are eating. It's that almost everyone eats way more than they think they do.
Calories in v. calories out still holds. That's one point. If you want to lose weight, you need to be taking in fewer calories than you are using.
The second point is that your body does not process all foods the same. Some foods (high in sugar and carbohydrates) are much easier for your body to process and store as extra energy. Others (fats and proteins) actually require more energy to process, meaning that from the accounting perspective, fewer calories are available for your body to store.
It's not either/or, it's both/and.
Weight loss =/= health.
You might feel shitty if you only eat sugar and starches, but if you eat at a caloric deficit you'll lose weight.
You might feel better if you eat veggies and lean proteins, but if you overeat them, you won't lose weight and, depending on how much, will gain.
But it's just false that to lose weight you need to eat certain kinds of foods.
Based on my observation (I've been tracking calories for nearly ten years now), while I've found a pretty direct correlation between "calories in" and weight, I've very little correlation between "calories out" and weight. In short, I haven't been able to exercise the pounds away.
I've found exercise to be helpful in almost every other way. Just not as a weight loss measure.
through exercise.
I run an 8:30 mile. I burn about 100 calories a mile or 500 calories in five miles.
I have seen people estimate they burned 500 calories in a 40 minute Zumba class.
Now think about how easy it is to run off 500 calories.
I run ten miles per week, which is right about the minimum recommended by the medical community. My experience is that exercise accounts for about 10% of your weight and diet 90%.
If I stopped running, I wouldn't gain a lot.
A few years ago I lost about 60 pounds in 9 months. That was due almost entirely to better diet. For me that meant portion control for dinner, a lot more vegetables and less carbs, and no drinking calories.
you can load your tank up with high octane or ethanol
the volume in your tank is the same
but your engine runs better and your MPG better on high octane
not perfect analogy - but you get the idea
not all calories are created equal with how your body/metabolism treats em
created equal. But weight loss is still a matter of calories in v. calories out. It is math at some point. Some foods may tip that math in your favor, but it is still math, right?
But how your body reacts to, say, 100 calories of intake can vary wildly based on what those 100 calories came from. Without sugar, there is no insulin and therefore no storage. If you're not active, you will 'store' that energy. Digesting and processing proteins and fats doesn't require insulin.
If I'm keeping my carb intake down, I don't even need to bother monitoring my calories. I'll lose weight if I just stick to low intensity workouts.
I say this as someone who once weighed 70 pounds more than they weigh right now.
Whether you were monitoring them or not.
Looks like this is already linked in the box, but worth relinking: http://physiqonomics.com/fat-loss/
My fat consumption increased substantially when I lost weight. Substantially.
When I had my initial weight loss, I wasn't working out. Zero activity level increase. And my calorie intake increased slightly after changing my diet.
There is a reason why the ketogenic diet works.
The reason the ketogenic diet works is that fat makes you feel satiated so it's easier to eat fewer calories.
You don't need to work out to create a caloric deficit.
If you were fastidiously tracking every calorie and have the hard numbers to prove you were eating more calories than your body was burning through metabolic activity and still lost weight, you should alert the NIH because you're a medical miracle.
The ketogenic diet still requires you to track calories and eat at a caloric deficit.
metabolize different types of food differently. That's just what I heard.
night before to soften rolled oats.
You can also blend the concoction with milk to make a smoothie in a blender.
After a year on a keto diet eating some combination of bacon and/or eggs every day my LDL fell over 50 points.
Also my advice on breakfast is not to eat it unless you're hungry. I've never been a breakfast eater, so I refuse to force myself to do it. I eat between 10 and 4.
I'm not a doctor, obviously...but after I got the 'switch to a low fat diet' speech from my physician after my numbers came back bad, I read Good Calories, Bad Calories. My life was changed.
Six months later my numbers were great. And I was eating eggs nearly every day and bacon 2-3 times a week. The real problems were removed or heavily reduced from my diet - sugar and bad carbs in general.
When he told me 'great job!' during my next physical, I just thanked him. Not worth the argument.
I still go through a dozen eggs a week, typically.
I have admittedly not been as diligent the past few years and have put a few pounds back on, but the only thing that has ever helped me lose weight effectively is cutting out carbs and eating a more high-protein, high-fat diet. Watching calories, limiting fat, increasing exercise (without dietary changes) have never done a damn thing for me.
egg muffins - you can make six or dozen at a time
do two different versions
spicy pork sausage with onion & green chilis browned up together, cheddar cheese, salsa verde, pour scrambled eggs on top - bake 350 for 40-45 min
chorizo onion & green chilis, chipolte salsa and cheese - rest same from above
they set up nice - and a one minute nuke and coffee is satisfying breakfast
with a one pound sausage roll - i get 24 muffins - and after browning that up - i'll throw the extra in fridge freezer and the following batches are really easy
i may expand the repertoire with ham swiss and broccoli or bacon and something too - just haven't done yet
make sure you use JUMBO muffin tins - regular are too small
"Egga muffin. Yeah."
while checking email and voicemail. Easy, quick, filling. I've been doing it for years, and haven't felt better.
i go with frosted shredded wheat myself. sometimes i toast a bagel in the office too.
yes, i was the only one doing this at the beginning, but now several eat breakfast in the office.
