Smoothie help and thoughts
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csummer8882
Posts: 34 Member
I am overweight. Doctor said I am pre-diabetes. Started today making my own smoothies. I used 1 cup low fat yogurt vanilla. 1 cup frozen watermelon, a handful of frozen grapes and a half cup water. Next time I will add in ground flax seed. I forgot this time. Will that be an acceptable breakfast? I'm not a breakfast person but doctor says I have to be. Here is the nutrition when I entered it on here.
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Replies
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To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
What is your calorie goal?1 -
If you find it acceptable for a meal, then sure. By that, I mean does it fill you up or were you hungry 5 minutes later, do you like it (taste-wise), do you like drinking your meals, is it something you can see yourself maintaining, at least for a while ....
Did your doctor tell you you had to make smoothies, or is that just something you decided. Did you decide it because you think smoothies are the key to weight loss, or because you actually wanted/like smoothies? Just asking, because if the smoothie isn't something you have to do or want to do, you can lose weight just as well eating your meals (rather than drinking them). Of course, I'm not pre-diabetic, and I'm definitely no doctor, so I don't know the foods you should eat and/or watch out for, but it goes with my answer for your question of if that smoothie was an acceptable breakfast4 -
I wouldn't consider a breakfast with 40+ g carb, less than 10 g of protein, and almost no fat to be the best choice for someone who is pre-diabetic, but I suppose if it fills you up and helps you maintain a calorie deficit so you lose weight, that's a good thing.
Can you get a referral from your doctor to see a dietician who specializes in pre-diabetes nutrition? Or at least get yourself a book written by a dietician, rather than seeking idea from random people on the Internet. (e.g., I found the The Pre-Diabetes Diet Plan by Hillary Wright, R.D., somewhat helpful when I got a blood sugar reading in the pre-diabetic range, although honestly I didn't follow it that closely -- I found losing weight and getting some exercise to be more helpful).7 -
for about the same calorie wise i can have bacon and eggs and be much fuller, longer. if i do it right, i could even slip in a slice of toast or half an english muffin, and not go much higher.
but then, i like to eat my food.
eating a well balanced diet and getting regular exercise and losing weight will more than likely slip your blood sugar numbers back into the normal range. no need to eat smoothies and crap (unless you want to). but watch them cause its easy to go high on sugar in those things1 -
I'd rather skip breakfast than drink that, personally. It wouldn't fill me up, it has a decent amount of carbs, and is not that low calorie either. Rather eat a protein bar or just coffee and save room for dessert.2
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That is too much sugar in one meal. I have had diabetes for 11 years. Carbs matter a lot with diabetes. Try finding a more balanced breakfast. What about some veggies and/or protein in there?4
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I'd be happier and feel fuller with more protein and fiber and less sugar. Typical breakfast for me is around 200 calories : either a veggie omelet with 100 g each sauteed mushrooms, peppers and spinach and one egg. Or 5-grain hot cereal with a small apple cooked in it with some almond milk (no weird health mumbo-jumbo-- just because I don't really like dairy milk too much.)0
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I also do smoothies for breakfast. Mine consist of:
- water
- plain, high fat greek yogurt (11%)
- low carb protein powder
- frozen strawberries
Typically around 300-350 calories, with the majority of the calories coming from the yogurt. Yesterday it worked out to 21g net carbs (mostly lactose, plus fructose from the berries), 16 fat, and 31g protein--numbers vary, of course, depending on how much of each I use but I aim for ~100g of the yogurt and ~140g of berries.
Between the smoothie and the coffee I drink at work with whipping cream, I stay pretty full until lunch, which is about 5 hours after breakfast.0 -
I really only make smoothies when my fruit or veggies are a bit past their best- mushy bananas etc. If the produce is nice and fresh I feel fuller longer by eating rather than drinking them.1
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Are you supposed to adhere to a diabetic friendly diet? I know for me, if I eat too many carbs for breakfast and it isn't balanced with enough protein and/or fiber, my blood sugar is sky high and then wonky all day.
Maybe I'd have the smoothie in the middle of the day of you really want it.
An ideal breakfast for me is some form of egg, maybe a meat (ham, bacon, turkey sausage something like that) and a serving (about 15g) of carb. Maybe it's a slice of whole wheat toast, maybe it's some yogurt.0 -
Seems very high in carbs, most of which are sugar. Not much protein/fat/fiber, so it will likely spike your blood sugar fairly quickly and leave you hungry a few hours later.
If you can stomach a higher protein/fat/fiber breakfast, that would be better (eggs, meat, veggies) Even a breakfast built around complex carbs (oatmeal or breads) with some added fat/protein would be better in managing your blood sugar.
If you're set on smoothies, some suggestions would be:
Use plain yogurt (flavored has a lot of added sugar). Greek is higher protein, but usually more expensive.
Use frozen berries (high in fiber) instead of grapes/watermelon, which are largely water and sugar.
Flaxseed will be a great addition. Sometimes, I'll add nut butter or protein powder. Spinach is another great ingredient to consider. It'll add nutrition/fiber without really changing the taste of your smoothie.3 -
Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!0
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I ate the smoothie yesterday after lunch before dinner. It filled me for about 2.5 hours. I'm hoping that adding the flax seed will help fill me a bit more. I used the watermelon and grapes because I have them frozen in the freezer. Lol0
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AlabamaMama224 wrote: »To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
What is your calorie goal?AlabamaMama224 wrote: »To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
What is your calorie goal?
Calorie goal is 1,700.
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That's a lot of sugar in one go for someone who's pre diabetic. Try to find some alternative fruits with less sugar (blueberries/Raspberries are good) and consider if you'd be open to adding some veg.
This is one of my favourite smoothie snacks:
50 g spinach
80 g cucumber
1-2 sprigs of fresh mint
50 g raspberries
50 g blueberries
10 g chia seeds
Non-dairy milk (I switch between almond and coconut)0 -
if you're pre-diabetic then you should probably be watching your carbs and sugar. Having a 40g carb and 28g sugar smoothie for breakfast is the exact opposite of what i'd recommend.
instead, i would be consuming the foods the ADA recommends for diabetic patients which focus on proteins, fat, vegetables, and fruits only in their whole form and in moderation.
You might only be "pre" diabetic, but consuming a meal that is lacking any fat and is very low on protein is just a bad choice. So... things like... veggie omelettes, light greek yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, whole grain bran cereal, whole wheat bread, oats, etc.1 -
csummer8882 wrote: »Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!
I'm not hungry first thing in the AM either. I make a smoothie, and when I do get hungry, that's when I start drinking it. I often don't have lunch until 2-3 PM, and it's less caloric than breakfast.
I add a pinch of salt as well.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »csummer8882 wrote: »Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!
I'm not hungry first thing in the AM either. I make a smoothie, and when I do get hungry, that's when I start drinking it. I often don't have lunch until 2-3 PM, and it's less caloric than breakfast.
I add a pinch of salt as well.
this is a much better option. Notice how the smoothie is practically evenly balanced in calories from carbs, proteins, and fat.0 -
Whey protein isolate powder is the way to go (no pun intended). It gives you the high quality protein you need to maintain muscle mass while losing fat. I do a smoothy almost daily with berries (plus various other fruits whatever I have on hand to change it up a little) with 2-4 oz of whole milk, plus Blue Bonnet whey protein isolate (just happens to be the one I like). It gives me a decent balance of protein and carbs. I try and make every meal even protein and carb wise (does not always work). The whole milk adds some fat so it keeps me fuller longer. I would potentially use yogurt if I liked it, but I don't. The other thing I do is not call my meals breakfast, lunch, dinner etc... I have 4 meals a day and I put them under time periods instead of giving them a name. I am usually eating around 1500 calories a day, so each of my "meals" is usually between 300-500 cals. So my smoothie is usually my 3-6pm meal. I have used it for my 7-10am meal, or my 10am - 3pm meal. It usually satisfies me fine, and I am not easily satisfied. Well, these are just my smoothie advice and other randomness that might help.
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