hurried mornings leading to bad food choices

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  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
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    My breakfast (and lunch) is ready to go before I go to bed the night before. I put the coffee maker on a timer, put milk and Truvia in my travel mug and put that next to whatever it is I'm eating for breakfast (this morning it's Greek yogurt) and whatever I'm eating for lunch. All I have to do in the morning is pour the coffee and toss my food into my lunch bag. I spend more time on my dogs' breakfast than on my own.
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    Wake up earlier.


    At some point you've got to prioritize fitness/health over whatever else it is that causes you to "not have time".


    I'm not trying to be a douchewallet when I say this.

    THIS.

    Also...don't let poor choices be an option. There are low cal/healthy options out there.
  • Kooraloo
    Kooraloo Posts: 362 Member
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    Wake up earlier or pack the night before.
  • iampanda
    iampanda Posts: 176 Member
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    Wake up earlier.


    At some point you've got to prioritize fitness/health over whatever else it is that causes you to "not have time".


    I have to agree with this as well. Also, "putting off eating as long as possible because once you start you can't stop" is probably WHY you can't stop. Once your stomach is that hungry, it seems to take a while before it registers that you are eating. So not eating is probably doing more damage than you think. You probably need to go to bed earlier, and wake up earlier. Adequate sleep will also help with your weightloss efforts, but they should be working together, not against each other. Sounds like you really do need a new routine. Hope that helps!
  • cindybowcut
    cindybowcut Posts: 250 Member
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    I do the old fashion instant oats in a mug and eat it on the way to work. I boil the water for about 2 minutes add my oatmeal, some protein powder and fruit. Quick and easy. Or and egg scrambled in a wheat tortilla with salsa (only about 140 cals).
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
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    If you really can't get up earlier to fit in breakfast (what do the kids do about breakfast?) then why not have some fruit in the car, a banana and an apple ought to be enough to stave off the hunger pangs until you get home again :smile:

    this- or i slap together a pb and banana sandwich. gets me thru to a late lunch
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    I'm not trying to be a douchewallet when I say this.

    LOL, "douchewallet." hahaha
    I too am not trying to sound b*tchy or anything but....
    Don't make excuses! Trust me, I am NOT a morning person either. You can easily make a breakfast the night before. I make mine for like the whole week usually. Only takes like ten minutes one evening then I'm set for the whole week.

    Hard boil a dozen eggs.
    Buy the biggest amount of blueberries that you can. Separate them out into 1 cup portions and put them into zip lock baggies.
    Get a good, healthy cereal, separate that out into 1 cup portions and put them in zip locks. (I eat mine with milk but if you're on the go, you could do it dry)

    Bam! There's an easy breakfast that you can take on the go. It will already be made, you just gotta grab it outta the fridge :)

    Hope that helps!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Need to get in a morning routine now that I am back to work. The mornings are a mad dash out the door and I like my sleep so I have just enought time to get ready and 3 kids out the door. I leave the house with a cup of coffee and by the time I am done with my morning bus routes I am starving which would not be a problem if I was going straight home but I am often off to do errands which leads to bad choices of a quick meal for a starving belly. I try to put off eating as long as possible on days like that because it seems once I start I keep going. Any suggestions!
    Hurried mornings lead, eventually to fantastic food choices.:happy:
    This is because you discover that you must be going to bed just a little bit sooner.:yawn:
    And you must prepare the night before.
    And that, while you are thinking about it, you will pick up a few great foods to eat so that you are satisfied and nourished!

    Perhaps a small cooler in your car with a lo-cal drink and a small snack.
    The coffee pot pre-programmed to have the coffee ready for you
    Your things in your car the night before.
    Your clothes washed and ready.
    The dishwasher emptied the night before.
    The breakfast table set the night before.
  • divinebird
    divinebird Posts: 81 Member
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    I recommend the crock pot for overnight cooking. I remember my favorite thing was rice pudding with raisins; it would be just right in the AM and no prep needed. Another overnight meal is refrigerator oats--literally, a cup of milk over a cup of oats in a bowl in the fridge, add some fruit and let it sit overnight. Next morning you have a hearty meal with no cooking required.

    On days that I just can't get out the door on time, I keep a box or two of Luna Protein or Nature Valley granola bars. Even a small bag of trail mix will at least get you going. But then MAKE SURE you eat something once the mad dash is over. I understand how hard it is to get moving sometimes; you just have to learn how to work around it. Advance prep the night before is the best. Keeping fruit on hand helps, too. A banana is a great filling energy boost.

    Another thing...cut out some of the morning rush by doing other things the night before. It seems so simple but just selecting your outfit and jewelry before you go to bed makes a HUGE difference. I have a folded pile of my pants, shirt, socks, and even underwear all ready each night. My shoes are there, too, so I don't have to hunt. I know the night before what earrings I'll wear and can I just say that ever since I started doing this, I have been a LOT less stressed in the mornings. The times I forget to do it, I can tell. I'm a naturally messy person, so don't think I'm some super organized Martha Stewart. That's just WHY it makes such a difference. I'm used to having to run all over the house tracking down my socks and figuring out which shirt is reasonably clean. ;) This makes a big difference and leaves me more time to eat something properly.
  • Sylkwyrm
    Sylkwyrm Posts: 75 Member
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    Grab a fat-free yogurt, a banana, and some grapes before you run out the door. All the things are healthy and easily transportable. Make sure to grab a bottle of water and drink it all to make you feel more full in the morning.
  • msacurrie
    msacurrie Posts: 144 Member
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    I am blessed with a job where I can eat at my desk and snack all day so even though I don't get up in time (or have the stomach to) eat in the morning before work, I pretty much combine lunch and breakfast by snacking slowly through the day. But I get in healthy choices by planning ahead when going to the grocery store and buying things that are easy to take. I have a lunch box to keep things cold and we have a microwave if/when I need it. In the morning I just grab things out the refrigerator and cabinet and I'm ready to go :)
  • TwinkieOfMyEye
    TwinkieOfMyEye Posts: 77
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    Need to get in a morning routine now that I am back to work. The mornings are a mad dash out the door and I like my sleep so I have just enought time to get ready and 3 kids out the door. I leave the house with a cup of coffee and by the time I am done with my morning bus routes I am starving which would not be a problem if I was going straight home but I am often off to do errands which leads to bad choices of a quick meal for a starving belly. I try to put off eating as long as possible on days like that because it seems once I start I keep going. Any suggestions!


    This is perfect (and sooo healthy) for you and your kids and it tastes DELICIOUS (like apple pie without the crust)!!! I omitted the butter and used Truvia for the sweetner. Give it a try, you won't want to eat anything else in the morning!

    http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Apple_Cinnamon_Oatmeal
  • TwinkieOfMyEye
    TwinkieOfMyEye Posts: 77
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    This is perfect (and sooo healthy) for you and your kids and it tastes DELICIOUS (like apple pie without the crust)!!! I omitted the butter and used Truvia for the sweetner. Give it a try, you won't want to eat anything else in the morning!

    http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Apple_Cinnamon_Oatmeal
  • cldaugherty
    cldaugherty Posts: 28 Member
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    If the kids are rushed too, have them help you with the preparing the night before. Have them have a visual schedule so they are more independent in the mornings so you have some freed up time to take care of yourself. I agree with what everyone else has said about food choices and making the choices to get up earlier. Your metabolism also slows down when you don't eat a good breakfast or too late in the day which delays the loss of weight.
  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
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    I struggle to get going in the mornings too, so my sympathies. The best solutions I've found are to pre-cook healthy options at the weekend or while making supper during the week, so that it's literally a case of grabbing one of these items from the fridge, and also, keeping healthy breakfast items at work (in the car, in your case, maybe?) - fruit, cereal, yoghurt (grab an individual pot on the way out the door), hard-boiled eggs etc.

    Or, if you're in a mad rush, throw a piece of toast into the toaster as you turn on your coffee. Add a couple of slices of cheese, or some peanut butter - it'll keep you going long enough in a pinch.

    You needn't necessarily get up any earlier, but you do need to plan a little.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    The night before I portion out my breakfast and lunch for both me and my boyfriend and put everything in the fridge or on the counter for the morning.I put water and coffee in the coffee maker so all I have to do is flip the switch and place my cup next to it. I get out my clothes for the next day and put them in the bathroom so that I can dress when I am out of the shower. I set all my things for work (badge, blackberry, car keys, glasses etc) on the kitchen table and put my bag on the chair next to them so all I have to do in the morning is wake, shower, dress, hit the coffee maker, throw lunch in bag, add work things and braid my boyfriends hair, grab coffee, then head out the door. Takes about 45 minutes depending on when he gets up. If it's just me I can be up and out the door including shower in about 20 minutes.
  • alsunrise
    alsunrise Posts: 386 Member
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    trade the coffee for a smoothy?
  • stardancer7
    stardancer7 Posts: 276 Member
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    Hardboiled eggs, bananas, small cans of V8 are my emergency am go-tos, but frankly, I just started getting up earlier so the best and freshest part of the day is for me. I also pre-bag grapes, carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, walnuts and almonds, using my digital scale while I watch TV so they're in the fridge ready to go. Our electricity has different rates for time of use, so I love getting up now to do a load of laundry or two while cooking myself a breakfast stir fry of fresh veggies... Planning ahead is the way to go--you can't make bad choices if you've prepared to make good ones.
  • NyimaR
    NyimaR Posts: 108 Member
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    I figure that sleep is an important part of my weight loss! I put a collection of snacks in my bag in the evening (this week a banana, a satsuma and a low-cal cupcake). At the weekends I make lunch for the week and keep it pre-portioned in the fridge so I can grab it in the morning (pasta salad, quinoa with veg...). Even if I forget to grab lunch, I know I have something healthy to see me through.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Need to get in a morning routine now that I am back to work. The mornings are a mad dash out the door and I like my sleep so I have just enought time to get ready and 3 kids out the door. I leave the house with a cup of coffee and by the time I am done with my morning bus routes I am starving which would not be a problem if I was going straight home but I am often off to do errands which leads to bad choices of a quick meal for a starving belly. I try to put off eating as long as possible on days like that because it seems once I start I keep going. Any suggestions!

    I make my own breakfast bars on the weekends, so I always have a grab-n-go. I hate mornings, even though I have over an hour of time between when I wake my daughter for school and when I leave for work.

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