Does cereal make you put on weight?

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gorgeousness999
gorgeousness999 Posts: 12 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I eat alot of cereal - is that bad for weightloss?

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  • calisunrise
    calisunrise Posts: 307
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    depends on how much is a lot. you should be fine as long as it doesn't make you go over your calorie goals.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    A lot of cereal could mean your not getting adequate nutrition, but it's hard to say what a lot means.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I personally look at cereal as kind of empty calories. It's high in carbs, you don't get to eat much of it (an actual serving is tiny), and it doesn't keep you full for long. so I don't eat it. I'd rather get some nutrition and eat something that is going to keep me full so I tend towards eating stuff high in protein.
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
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    Try some Ezekiel brand cereals. or All Bran. I don't buy any cereal that has over 6g of sugar.
    You really have to watch the sugar in the so called "healthy" cereal choices.

    Try mixing your cereal into some greek yogurt instead of milk. The protein from the yogurt will help you keep your portion sizes to where they should be.
  • quelee
    quelee Posts: 7 Member
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    Yes some cereal can make you put on weight ,some of them are vey high in sugar and if you are eatting a lot more than the recommended portion then you are likely to put on weight! Hope this helps.
  • morf13
    morf13 Posts: 151 Member
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    Many cereals are loaded with sugar. I think everybody here would agree, sugar is the enemy
  • xidia
    xidia Posts: 606 Member
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    If it's unsweetened whole grain it's fine. If it's sweetened rice crispies (ie cocopops) it's largely a waste of calories.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    Many cereals are loaded with sugar. I think everybody here would agree, sugar is the enemy
    Sugar is only the enemy when they gang up on someone, otherwise their just like everyone else.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Depends what you mean by a lot and if you are getting all your servings of other nutritious foods. If cereal is helping you get your dairy servings that is a good thing because studies have linked the calcium in dairy products to lower body fat. If the cereal contains added sugar, added fats or refined carbs it should not be more than about 10% of your daily calories.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Yes some cereal can make you put on weight ,some of them are vey high in sugar and if you are eatting a lot more than the recommended portion then you are likely to put on weight! Hope this helps.
    No one food makes you put on weight. Eating too much food in general (any food) makes you put on weight. Eating too much of one food could cause health problems though. If you are restricting calories then consuming a large proportion of those calories in cereal could mean you are not getting enough of other vital nutrients. Tracking your food in your MFP diary will help you to see how balanced your diet is overall.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    That is a loaded question, just how many bowls of cereal are you eating? I just grabbed a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I currently have stock piled 3 boxes of Cocoa Pebble, 2 boxes of Krave Double Chocolate, and 2 boxes of Reese's Puffs. I do no eat it everyday but will have a 4 cup bowl a couple times a week. I sometimes mix the Krave and Reese's together and eat them dry as a late night snack. Point being no food is off limits as long as 1. It fits in your daily caloric intake and 2. You do not have a medical condition causing you to not be able to consume a certain food.... Best of Luck....
  • Lalasharni
    Lalasharni Posts: 353 Member
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    I'd agree - to the point that sugar is an unrefined carb and will spike your blood sugar causing highs and lows in hunger and unbalanced levels. I eat occasional bran based cereals for their fiber content, but not much else in the way of cereal. I think a protein based breakfast is the right one for me at any rate.
    BTW - We people are REAL dieticians huh?
  • moss11
    moss11 Posts: 236 Member
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    I think part of the problem with cereal is that it is quite addictive. You are also getting the high followed by the low. I find cereal a no no just because one bowl is never enough.
  • GoddessG
    GoddessG Posts: 175 Member
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    I don't eat the stuff. Too many carbs - but that's not the whole reason.

    It was recently discovered that "dwarf wheat" is a problem. Dwarf wheat is a genetically engineered wheat that increased yields so much that it excited the world because it promised an end to world hunger. Its developer actually won a Nobel Prize.

    But now we know that dwarf wheat (about the only wheat available these days without going on-line) produces enzymes that hook up to certain brain receptors that cause you to feel hungry when you aren't hungry (Just like marijuana does). In this way it is addictive because the more you eat, the hungrier you become causing you to eat more. So I recommend skipping all wheat products.

    Most cereals add sugar of some kind. That's a waste of calories.

    This leaves rice, corn, oats (assuming unsweetened). As I am on a ketogenic diet, I will leave that type of cereal to others to discuss. But I prefer a larger breakfast than the size of a portion of any cereal. Have you actually measured out a portion?
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
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    I've lost 47 lbs eating rice chex every morning, seems to not bother me one whit.

    Pick one low in sugar, that's usually the problem with cereals. :) Not the wheat particularly, I am only wheat free because of celiac disease, but a decent fortified cereal is a standby for my mornings.

    Use a food scale and weigh your cereal portions to mind the calories. I pair it with dried fruit, quarter cup plain fat free greek yogurt and a measured scant half cup of milk. It's a healthy breakfast then, and the good thing is its fast to prepare and dry ingredients assembled the night before so you are sure to get some food in the morning, thus reducing the desire to snack on those very fattening high sugar breakfast baked goods and beverages.

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