The deal with oatmeal

Love it, eat it all the time. My goal isn't anti carb though. (there are some people that are also anti banana for this reason) Moderation in all things is my motto and if a piece of fruit or a bowl of oatmeal is off limits, I fail to see the moderation in that.

If you don't have a metabolic issue with carbs, such as diabetes, there's nothing wrong with them.
Even if you do have an issue, they can still be a part of a healthy diet, but you have to follow your prescribed diet and monitor.

I have eaten oatmeal for breakfast off and on for several years. I like the fact that it keeps me full. Recently, i overheard my nutrition obsessed boss talking about how bad it is because of all the carbs and sugar. I dont believe that there are many "bad" foods out there - everything in moderation. I recently joined MFP and logged my oatmeal breakfast and it packs approximatly 300 calories (not bad for breakfast), but has a whopping 57 carbs associated with it. I usually eat 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbs honey, and 1/2 banana. Thoughts on the value of oatmeal vs other breakfasts?

My thought is that the nutritional value (both calorically and macro/micro) of your entire diet (as a whole) is important. Whether or not an individual meal has "value" is pretty irrelevant outside of the context of the diet.

I have eaten oatmeal for breakfast off and on for several years. I like the fact that it keeps me full. Recently, i overheard my nutrition obsessed boss talking about how bad it is because of all the carbs and sugar. I dont believe that there are many "bad" foods out there - everything in moderation. I recently joined MFP and logged my oatmeal breakfast and it packs approximatly 300 calories (not bad for breakfast), but has a whopping 57 carbs associated with it. I usually eat 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbs honey, and 1/2 banana. Thoughts on the value of oatmeal vs other breakfasts?

The problem isn't the oatmeal... it's the honey and banana... unless you've got some reason to stay away from carbs, though.... I don't see any issues.

If you don't want the carbs, don't add extras to it. Simple as that.

Carbs are good. They give you energy. Your body needs carbs. Ignore fad dieters and enjoy your oatmeal!

I eat oatmeal every day. Love it! I use regular oats and pile in the fruit (1/2 apple, raisens, 1/4 cup pineapple, dried unsweetened coconut) and while it's got 87 or so carbs it's not like I'm eating a candy bar or something. It's got 13 grams of fiber and aside from a small amount (1 tsp) of brown sugar) I figure the carbs from fruits aren't doing me that much harm. I'm trying to get in more fruits and vegetables anyway so this helps. Oh and it's made with water not milk.

Bull Hockey!!! One of my Fav meals. I eat 1 pkg,Quaker maple Brown sugar(lower sugar type) mixed with water not milk And some type of fruit. no extra milk, sugar or any thing. & 1/2 bagel thin with 1-2 teaspoons PB on it. Carbs for my oatmeal? 24g My other cereal I like has 25 grams. You have to look & compare to other things you would be eating, 24g isn't high at all :noway:

Nope, I don't eat oatmeal or any other grains. Personally, my experience has proven to me that it is not healthy. However, if you enjoy it, then eat it and don't worry about what your boss, or anyone else has to say. Perhaps if you experiment with your own body and put in thousands of hours of research beyond the generally-accepted health advice, like I have, maybe you'll make your own discoveries.

I don't usually eat breakfast anyway, so I don't need to find "filling" breakfast foods. However, last week I was hungry in the morning once and had half of an avocado and I was full on that for 5 hours. Since omiting grains, I only need to eat when truly hungry (I used to binge uncontrollably). No more struggles or needing to "fill up" with low cal foods. Strange, but true.

Meh, oatmeal is fine if you are conscious about the ingredients being piled in to it. It's very easy to go overboard. However, it's also a good package to sneak extra protein, fiber and healthy fats in to your breakfast easily. I'll add some egg whites or protein powder in there from some protein (thus slowing the sugar release in to my blood stream, and I stay full for longer), nuts/nut butter or coconut for fat, fruit/cacao powder/canned pumpkin/coffee/cinnamon/dark chocolate bits for an extra little flavor (try not to overload). Some days the carb count for breakfast is over 60, and the calorie count can top 500. I limit my carbs for the remainder of the day, and eat considerably smaller meals late in the day. It's all about how you balance it, and how you prepare it.

I would suggest having more options than just oatmeal every morning, however. It's always nice to have variety. For a lower carb breakfast, it's pretty easy to throw something together with eggs and veggies.

I used to eat oatmeal daily until I got sick of it... If you feel good eating it and it fits into your diet plan there is no reason to cut it out. Maybe cut back on the honey gradually. I used to love old fashioned oats with raisins, diced apples and cinnamon, no sugar needed. But in addition to that I'd eat an egg & egg whites. If I don't get a decent amount of protein and healthy fat I'll be hungry later.

I eat oatmeal every morning. I eat steel cut oats or coach's oats (when I don't have time)...according to the packaging, there are 0 grams of sugar and high in fiber. For me, fiber is important in trying to get my cholesterol down through diet. If you're having natural oats, then there really shouldn't be any sugar. To boot, carbs aren't the devil and eating carbs has personally had zero impact on my weight loss, thoiugh I do manage my macros to be 40/30/30.

I ate oatmeal 5 days a week, but I only eat the instant.
It only has 130 calories.

instant - ew! eat the old fashioned or steel cut. less processed!

Love it, eat it all the time. My goal isn't anti carb though. (there are some people that are also anti banana for this reason) Moderation in all things is my motto and if a piece of fruit or a bowl of oatmeal is off limits, I fail to see the moderation in that.

This is a recurring MFP comment theme: moderation. Unfortunately, for some of us whose health has been compromised by years of low fat, high carb, calorie restricted dieting, moderation is impossible. So is "willpower". Riddle me this: if binging is a "mental" disorder and it's just lack of willpower and commitment, why does a low carb, healthy high fat diet STOP the binging?

Well, I have one possible answer: When the body is malnourished, it doesn't matter how much nutrient poor food we keep shoveling in, our body will tell us to keep eating. That's just one angle; how carbs affect our metabolism is another.

Yes, moderation does work for many people; not everyone.

OP: Nevermind just the oatmeal, but you are adding a whole whack more sugar to it. If it's working for you, keep doing it, but if you have trouble later on, considering decreasing the carbs and adding some fat and protein.

I eat at least two bowls of oatmeal a day. I buy a big container of plain quick oats. I use 1/4 cup of oats, a scoop of protein powder, a bit of cinnamon and splenda and occasionally I'll add some almond milk. I've successfully lost weight too.