Question re: my breakfast routine

jamesrreed

Today is my 25th consecutive day using MFP. For the past 24 days I have religously taken the following three items EVERY morning between 8 and 9a.

1) Kroger Complete Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement (400 Iu Vitamin D3), 1 tablet
2) Nature Made - Fish Oil - Omega-3, 2 Softgels 1200mg
3) Green Envy - Daily Detox, 1 fl. oz

Starting today and going forward, I've added a fourth item to my "breakfast" routine:

4) Carnation Instant Breakfast - Carnation Instant Breakfast With 1 Cup Fat Free Milk, 1 packet 36 g

There are people on here that are a lot smarter than I am when it comes to diet, nutrition, supplements, etc.

Looking for advice as to whether or not the above is a good way of doing things.

I literally take everything at the same time and wash it all down with the Instant Breakfast. I don't eat anything else until lunch which is usually pretty light.

Thanks in advance for your help.

FemininGuns

Well, I didn't look at your diary or your workout routine.... but what you're eating doesn't seem much (might be going into starvation mode). Look at my diary for ideas and add me if you wish! :drinker:

ArchyJill

I would say you are cheating yourself here. The whole reason breakfast is important is because your body is (or should be) in a state of calorie and nutrition deficit...so it is PRIMED to take your AM food and use it as fuel to build muscle. I assume you do a protein drink after you workout? Same concept here...the calories you take in at breakfast are going to make or break the lean muscle building.

ashlee954

Well, I didn't look at your diary or your workout routine.... but what you're eating doesn't seem much (might be going into starvation mode). Look at my diary for ideas and add me if you wish! :drinker:

I tend to agree. Are you just not hungry in the AM?

xarrium

I *love* Instant Breakfast... super easy way to get a lot of nutrients really quickly. I find sometimes that it'll hold me past my coffee break until lunch, but other times I'm hungry 30 minutes later, so I like to make a smoothie with it (mix, milk, and a banana for thickness, although strawberries would be good to add a lot of flavour)--the banana seems to make it more filling for me. The big problem with it is that it has a lot of sugar, so I avoid using it unless I really need to get my butt out the door quickly.

I don't know much about supplements, but good job with the vitamin D and fish oil--those are always good! If I'm reading your post right, you're saying that for the past 24 days you've been having three pills and a detox supplement for breakfast, and nothing else? Personally, I don't think that's good for anybody... the point of breakfast is to provide a burst of energy for the day ahead, which means you need some carbs somewhere in there (better if they're whole grains or fruit sugars than refined sugars from cereals or Instant Breakfast) and some protein to balance out the carbs. I've found that a piece of toast with some light cheese (I use Laughing Cow because I like the taste) and some ham is a good mix, and while it doesn't have all the vitamins that Instant Breakfast has, it's good for starting the day.

Congrats on your 25th consecutive day!

twingirls05

Breakfast is the meal that jump starts your metabolism for the day. Odds are, by the time you are consuming what you consider "breakfast", it's been over 12 hours since your last meal. You need food, primarily protein, to get your day started. A glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast is not going to give you that fuel for the day. The pills are nothing but supplements, it's not a breakfast.

My morning bfast is typically a smoothie made with 1 cup skim milk, 2 Tbs of PB2 powder, and either half or a full frozen banana.

tarynbwood

I tend to agree with these posts. Although I also enjoy Instant Breakfast drinks occassionally, I have found that my most reliable routine is to do Quaker Weight Control oatmeal in the morning. They're only ~160 calories (a bit more if you use milk instead of water) and they can usually keep me from being hungry for at least 3, sometimes 4 hours. Sometimes pairing that with fruit and my usual coffee + skim milk and I'm full right through to 1 p.m.

If you give it a shot, I hope it works for you!

jamesrreed

It sounds like I need something a lot more substantive for breakfast. That's why I asked. Thank you for the replies and info.

I have never been a breakfast person except for when my office was less than a block away from a Burger King and the unholiest of breakfast foods, the croissanwhich.

I rarely if ever eat breakfast. Never have. Nor did I ever take a vitamin or supplements until now.

I'll look for additional items to eat for breakfast and go from there.

It's still ok to keep the items that I already take, right?

I have had unbelievable success on MFP. Down 21 lbs in 25 days.

FemininGuns

Vitamin & supplements should be accompanying a good balanced diet so you can keep taking those for sure!

Oh! And congrats on your success here at MFP Good health is always a good way of life!

xarrium

It's still ok to keep the items that I already take, right?

I have had unbelievable success on MFP. Down 21 lbs in 25 days.

By all means, keep taking the fish oil and vitamin D! I've always been skeptical of "detox" products, but if it's working for you so far keep using it!

Congrats on your weight loss! Just remember that it may slow down--stick with your plan, though, don't give up!

irchrismm

Well, I do my workouts first thing in the morning, so my breakfast is usually a Recovery drink right after, a protein shake, and I am now making an Omelet using 2 egg whites, 1 turkey sausage patty, and 1/4 cup of 2% mixed cheese. I also (now that I can start having more carbs) add in a whole grain English muffin. I also take supplements. Puts my breakfast calories at 700 calories. My workouts normally burn between 500-700 depending on the day. For snacks I eat 2 Pure protein bars. I eat every 2-3 hours. It's working pretty good so far. I am not losing too fast (no loose skin yucky). I have energy all day. I don't drink sodas, or coffee, or pretty much anything but water all day. There are tons of nutrition guides out there. I'm doing P90X, so I am following their guide.

MzBug

You must be doing something right! Congrats on the loss! Your body does need something for breakfast. I tend to go for carb and protein... oatmeal and boiled eggs usually. Keeps me going for a good 4 hours before "hungry" sets in.

Good Luck!

Mindful_Trent

From a fellow (former) non-breakfast eater, I can tell you that it makes a HUGE difference eating a substantial breafast every day. It's hard at first because you're used to not eating anything, so you don't feel that hungry, but if you gradually increase what you eat for breakfast, you'll be eating a full healthy breakfast in no time.

I try to eat a lot of protein with my breakfasts to keep me full longer - it keeps my energy up throughout the day better than a carb-filled breakfast. Lately my routine has been a small bowl of 5-grain oatmeal mixed with a little milk and an omelet made with 1 whole egg and 1/2 cup of egg whites mixed with spinach. It's a little over 300 calories and is a great start to my day. I couldn't have eaten this big of a breakfast right away, but I worked up to it.

Now, I try to make all of my 3 main meals 300-350 calories each, with 100 calorie snacks in between.