breakfast shock!!

smilesalot1969
smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
in Food and Nutrition
I used to eat porridge for breakfast when i was much bigger but stopped when i hit the gym as i couldn't workout on an overloaded stomach. Im eating super healthy now and started again with the porridge which i love but when i weighed out the recommended 40g portion it wouldn't feed a toddler!! So i measured out a decent portion (half rolled oats/ half raw oats) and it came to about 110g. Actually i weighed out first and it came to 200g and i felt greedy so put half back. I make mine with mostly water, very thick porridge and add 10g sunflower seeds and small teaspoon of honey. Very healthy right? BUT when i checked the calories the count came to 556!!! its not a massive portion so i was pretty horrified, thats a third of my calories gone for today and it was only 8am. Its kind of shocking that i could've eaten a cooked breakfast for a lot less calories! :ohwell:

Replies

  • AprilHead
    AprilHead Posts: 36 Member
    It's amazing how many calories we find some of our favorite foods to be, isn't it? I ate some pizza today and it was a whopping 1000 calories in one sitting!
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    This is a problem with food labeling, the 'portion size' is always TINY! Have you ever weighed out the cereal portion? my 2 year old eats more than that! And they wonder why people over eat
  • Little_Laura_K
    Little_Laura_K Posts: 57 Member
    I don't think 556 is not that bad for breakfast as thats one when your body needs to calories and if not your body will go into starvation mode anyway plus you need that nutrition from the oats like carbs etc for body function.

    I wouldn't worry about it and carry on eating it.

    Laura xo

    {laura-k.co.uk}
  • Living91
    Living91 Posts: 27
    What you described as your morning porridge mix IS really healthy! You're just serving yourself too much of it unfortunately.

    As you would know porridge expands, trying cutting down to a 50g serving? That would make 225 calories for breakfast, a very reasonable amount :)

    I guess the thing with portion sizes and overeating is that, it's sort of why a lot of people have problems with their weight, because they ARE eating too much. 35g of rolled oats with 1/2cup of skim milk is plenty of breakfast for me and I am in a normal weight range.
  • smilesalot1969
    smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
    It's amazing how many calories we find some of our favorite foods to be, isn't it? I ate some pizza today and it was a whopping 1000 calories in one sitting!
    1000?? OMG thats me never eating pizza then :noway: Its scary, you could so easily go over calories yet not be eating big potions of food to do it
  • boilernut
    boilernut Posts: 2
    yes, I am a big fan of oat meal, as well as shredded wheat N Bran. I could easily eat 900 calories a day in just those two alone. So because I do eat back my exercise calories, I only have that when I know I will burn them back off. :(
  • smilesalot1969
    smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
    What you described as your morning porridge mix IS really healthy! You're just serving yourself too much of it unfortunately.

    As you would know porridge expands, trying cutting down to a 50g serving? That would make 225 calories for breakfast, a very reasonable amount :)

    I guess the thing with portion sizes and overeating is that, it's sort of why a lot of people have problems with their weight, because they ARE eating too much. 35g of rolled oats with 1/2cup of skim milk is plenty of breakfast for me and I am in a normal weight range.

    perhaps its because i eat unrolled raw oats with it thats making it too high calories whilst not looking much of a portion. Theyre very small grains and they dont really expand when cooked but i like the raw mixed in. Guess i'll have to cut my portions :ohwell:
  • shaunap3
    shaunap3 Posts: 206 Member
    That seems really excessive! So porridge is oatmeal? Sorry, I live in the States. A bowl of oatmeal here is only about 100-150 calories! I buy the portioned out flavored packages. Just enough I hold me over as a snack and not a lot of calories. I'm surprised you figured it out to be so much.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I used to eat porridge for breakfast when i was much bigger but stopped when i hit the gym as i couldn't workout on an overloaded stomach. Im eating super healthy now and started again with the porridge which i love but when i weighed out the recommended 40g portion it wouldn't feed a toddler!! So i measured out a decent portion (half rolled oats/ half raw oats) and it came to about 110g. Actually i weighed out first and it came to 200g and i felt greedy so put half back. I make mine with mostly water, very thick porridge and add 10g sunflower seeds and small teaspoon of honey. Very healthy right? BUT when i checked the calories the count came to 556!!! its not a massive portion so i was pretty horrified, thats a third of my calories gone for today and it was only 8am. Its kind of shocking that i could've eaten a cooked breakfast for a lot less calories! :ohwell:
    You are consuming close to three servings (40g) of oatmeal.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    Also, sunflower seeds have a TON of cals per Tsp. Those will cause you to go over in a heartbeat :(
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    My portion of porridge is very similar in calories so it doesn't surprise me, I have always eaten a big breakfast and typically eat 100g of cereal. If my breakfast doesn't clock in at around 500cal then it's very rare. As long as its healthy meal then it's fine. I try and stick to 500cal for each meal plus snacks
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Also, sunflower seeds have a TON of cals per Tsp. Those will cause you to go over in a heartbeat :(
    That too.
  • pauline251
    pauline251 Posts: 33 Member
    I make porridge too (oatmeal) most days for breakfast. I use rolled oats 45g, low fat milk 250mls, once cooked I add 1/2 serve protein powder (mixed with a little left over milk), then add a little cinnamon, Then add either blueberries or 1/2 banana (or both)! About 350 calories (or 400 if I add both banana and blue berries). Yummy! Keeps me full all morning. :smile:
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I had Mange Tout, green beans and salmon for breakfast

    It was awful.
  • marinebiologist_girl
    marinebiologist_girl Posts: 300
    What you described as your morning porridge mix IS really healthy! You're just serving yourself too much of it unfortunately.

    As you would know porridge expands, trying cutting down to a 50g serving? That would make 225 calories for breakfast, a very reasonable amount :)

    I guess the thing with portion sizes and overeating is that, it's sort of why a lot of people have problems with their weight, because they ARE eating too much. 35g of rolled oats with 1/2cup of skim milk is plenty of breakfast for me and I am in a normal weight range.
    I agree. I have the portion size on my porridge+milk (skimmed) and it's around... ~200 cals? I can even put some raisins on top and it isn't too much more, fills me up really nicely. Porridge portions look small but it's such a filling food, so that's why. http://quaker.co.uk/products/oat-so-simple-original
  • shirleycooke35
    shirleycooke35 Posts: 26
    I have porridge almost every morning using 30 grams of oats, 100 ml semi-skimmed milk and either 15 grams raisins or dried cranberries. I also add a teaspoon of honey. Around 300 calories. This is plenty for me - I couldn't any more! My calorie allowance is 1200 - as I am older and have arthritis so exercise is difficult for me.
  • GdeVries
    GdeVries Posts: 232 Member
    Just wondering....when you eat your 'normal' portion of oatmeal are you then hungry at lunch time or would some fruits and/or veggies suffice? Unprocessed oatmeal is healthy and has tons of fiber and good portion of protein, too. If it keeps you full and you eat less later in the day, is it really a 'bad' meal?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I don't think 556 is not that bad for breakfast as thats one when your body needs to calories and if not your body will go into starvation mode anyway plus you need that nutrition from the oats like carbs etc for body function.

    I wouldn't worry about it and carry on eating it.

    Laura xo

    {laura-k.co.uk}

    Your body will not go into starvation mode by not eating breakfast..at all.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    I don't think 556 is not that bad for breakfast as thats one when your body needs to calories and if not your body will go into starvation mode anyway plus you need that nutrition from the oats like carbs etc for body function.

    I wouldn't worry about it and carry on eating it.

    Laura xo

    {laura-k.co.uk}

    Your body will not go into starvation mode by not eating breakfast..at all.

    Glad someone picked up on that. I hardly eat breakfast & I'm doing great.
  • Silvara_11
    Silvara_11 Posts: 133 Member
    Watch out for movie theater popcorn as well 600 calories in a Small and a whopping 1000 in a large!! You think popcorn is healthy - so not!!

    On the breakfast front I love muesli and find that even thought it is one of my higher calorie meals I feel full for longer and eat less calories the rest of the day so your breakfast may work if you then trim down on lunch.

    Though I've recently shifted to Bran flakes and you can get a good portion size for very few calories!! Replace skim milk with Almond milk and you get back another 50 calories.

    All the best!
  • lilylux
    lilylux Posts: 109 Member
    Just wondering....when you eat your 'normal' portion of oatmeal are you then hungry at lunch time or would some fruits and/or veggies suffice? Unprocessed oatmeal is healthy and has tons of fiber and good portion of protein, too. If it keeps you full and you eat less later in the day, is it really a 'bad' meal?

    Agreed - I found once I had more to eat at breakfast time I would be more satisfied during the day.

    However, I made this for breakfast this morning and although it looked small, it was very filling!! http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/02/01/peanut-butter-breakfast-pudding/
    http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/pb-breakfast-pudding-nutrition-facts/

    According to her recipe it was 330 cal - we don't have almond milk here in NZ so I used soy and my PB was obviously higher in cal's as it all came to 385 cal for me. Still decent and it kept me going for hours.
  • spongebex
    spongebex Posts: 194 Member
    When I first started weighing out my porridge (oatmeal) I was shocked too and I also thought 40g was never going to fill me up but I quickly became used to it! And I had mine at 9am and can still feel it in my tum if that makes sense. I s'pose a motivation of mine was to reduce how much I eat so the idea of getting used to smaller portions is a good thing and helped me stick with it. You could always try having a cup of tea with it at the same time to help. Let us know how you get on but it is good to mix up breakfasts i.e. have eggs one morning (when you have the time) etc. it will stop us getting bored.
  • xxxemaxxx
    xxxemaxxx Posts: 29 Member
    I used to eat porridge for breakfast when i was much bigger but stopped when i hit the gym as i couldn't workout on an overloaded stomach. Im eating super healthy now and started again with the porridge which i love but when i weighed out the recommended 40g portion it wouldn't feed a toddler!! So i measured out a decent portion (half rolled oats/ half raw oats) and it came to about 110g. Actually i weighed out first and it came to 200g and i felt greedy so put half back. I make mine with mostly water, very thick porridge and add 10g sunflower seeds and small teaspoon of honey. Very healthy right? BUT when i checked the calories the count came to 556!!! its not a massive portion so i was pretty horrified, thats a third of my calories gone for today and it was only 8am. Its kind of shocking that i could've eaten a cooked breakfast for a lot less calories! :ohwell:


    I know exactly what you mean. i never used to weigh porridge/breakfast cereals and just gave myself a decent amount (i never thought it seemed too much), and when i decided to weigh it, it was about 150g. so i then cut it to 40g and there were about 3 mouthfuls. It was disheartening as i know after that i'll still be hungry :( Any advice for any other filling breakfasts?
  • MeeshyBW
    MeeshyBW Posts: 382 Member
    I eat Bobs GF Traditional oats nearly every morning and I use 1/2 cup of oats and cook on the hob storing for about 5 minutes.

    It fills me up fine. There is no way I could eat 200g of dry porridge oats. Surely that is well over 1.5 cups? :-/
  • like_milk
    like_milk Posts: 79 Member
    I used to eat porridge for breakfast when i was much bigger but stopped when i hit the gym as i couldn't workout on an overloaded stomach.

    I think the first sentence says a lot. It's hard getting used to smaller portions (try cutting it down to 50g at first, especially as you make it with water) but you will get used to it. It might not make you feel THAT full but it should stop you from feeling hungry. There is no reason breakfast should make you feel so 'overloadad' that you cannot work out, that feeling is a sign you need to cut portion sizes down a bit so you feel satiated, not stuffed. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. You could try adding a little bit of fruit to your morning routine to help stave of hunger.
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
    I have unrolled oasts too- to be honest 40g is a big enough portion size in my opinion and I'm very fat with a huge appetite. 40g oats, a scoop of protein powder and some coconut milk is about 270 calories and keeps me nice and full till llunchtime.
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
    I like to make baked oatmeal and mix my serving of oats with 3-4 egg whites before cooking. It sets up into a big, filling, fluffy souflee and then I top it with whatever else I feel like; 1 tbs nut butter, chocolate chips, berries, etc. It's my pre-workout meal and usually comes in around 250-280 calories depending on what I top it with.
  • shellux
    shellux Posts: 164 Member
    Lidl do some great porridge oats and they only cost about 50p for a bag

    I have 50g with water and a small spoon of Canderel.

    186 cals for the oats which I think is great.

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