Breakfast test

kayceeme
kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
Hi all,

I finally made it to Day 14--the breakfast test. I have to say that's one that I was really excited about. My choice was a homemade cinnamon roll. Since I tested ok for bread, and cinnamon has been in many of the earlier days, it seemed like a reasonably safe choice. Plus, I love just about any sweet, cinnamon baked goods. Tomorrow will tell the tale, I guess.

What breakfast choices have you tested and how did that work out? Or, if you haven't reached Day 14 yet, what breakfast item will you try?

Replies

  • LaurieWurster
    LaurieWurster Posts: 10 Member
    I am at this very moment testing a bowl of oatmeal. I will know tomorrow!
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I tested egg substitute yesterday and didn't gain anything! I'll test the whole egg another day but for now it's nice to be able to add scrambled eggs and omelets to my breakfast menu.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    I didn't gain anything from the cinnamon roll, but didn't lose either. As always, I find it difficult to evaluate that kind of result. I suppose that my take away is that I should avoid while I am trying to lose weight but ok to have occasionally, once I reach my goal?

    I probably should have tried something more everyday, like the eggs or oatmeal you guys tested. But was really wanting a treat, I think, after all of my (mostly) good eating behavior over the past weeks. :)
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I restarted from day 6 a few days ago. The next breakfast day test I'm going to have a lovely over-easy egg instead of the egg substitute that I know I can use. I wish I could add some fried potatoes and a sausage patty for a "old" breakfast but haven't re-tested the pork & potatoes yet. I gained 2 pounds when I tested each one.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    An egg sounds like a good choice. I miss eating them, especially the egg and bread combo that I know is a "no-no" for most people. Sorry to hear that you didn't pass the pork or potato tests, but that is some pretty definitive feedback your body is giving you. A lot of this is just about gaining knowledge.

    Good luck with your test!
  • scrabblek8
    scrabblek8 Posts: 6 Member
    I tried a KIND fruit and nut bar, because that's been my go-to breakfast for ages. I recognize that it's a complex breakfast, since it has a ton of components that could possibly be reactive. Didn't gain, didn't lose. I don't want to spend the time figuring out which of its many components I might be reactive to (there are many other things I want to test first that are more compelling), so I'll just stick them in the back of the cabinet and try again later.

    I have a smoothie for breakfast almost every day. Either So Delicious coconut milk or Rice Dream original rice milk, one pear and 1/2 cup of blueberries, both frozen, and 1-2 tbsp Navitas Naturals chia seeds. The chia and the frozen fruit give it a good texture, and it's tasty. I worked in a smoothie bar during college, so I think I've just developed a love of smoothies in general. I can also sub in peaches with no ill effects. If I get bored with smoothies, I have a slice of white bread with raw almond butter, half an apple, and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.

    I gotta say, my vitamix blender has been the best investment. I use it practically every day for the smoothies, plus I can grind my own raw almonds. Love it.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    I reached day 14 but decided against testing the whole egg. I had a grilled vegetable souffle that I had bought at Costco before I started The Plan. Tasted as yummy as I remembered but the sodium count was atrocious. 650 mg! I definitely need to up my water intake for the day to counteract that. :drinker:
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi Jocymc,

    I have never before paid much attention to sodium content but have become much more conscious of it since being on The Plan. It is really eye opening.

    I went to Boston Market the other day and there's an incredible amount of sodium in their food. And now that my tastebuds have adjusted, the chicken I had tasted really salty. Even the vegetables tasted pretty salty.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    It's amazing how after 2 or 3 weeks of no salt you can detect the smallest amount in cooking. Restaurants definitely over salt most of their food in the name of "flavor". Blame many of the cooking shows. Every dish they make they flavor with salt. Didn't they ever hear of low sodium alternatives? I love to cook but I cut out salt 15 years ago and added other spices for "flavor".
  • bry8iyze
    bry8iyze Posts: 29 Member
    Sodium could have easily been the problem with the cinnamon roll and the kind bar. I find when I don't gain or lose on a test, that's the problem! Now that I'm looking for it, I find the sodium content of even the most simple prepared foods is shocking. Maybe if you try a homemade version of these foods you'd lose. It's certainly hard to have so few prepared foods available to us. I spent a half an hour in the frozen food section last week trying to find a frozen meal that contained only my safe foods. Even for the one I found, Amy's Mac & Cheese, the sodium content was atrocious! I am reactive to xanthan gum, so am assuming guar gum is probably out too. Try to find a prepared meal that doesn't have those--or soy protein, which I haven't tested but since I reacted to white beans I'm saving the soy test for much later. I gave up and went and bought more freezer containers! When feeling energetic I make 2 or three big meals on a weekend and freeze portions. It helps that I am an empty nester so no family to cook for. I'm cooking alot more than I was but that full freezer of easy choices is a huge help on weekdays.
  • scrabblek8
    scrabblek8 Posts: 6 Member
    The Kind Bar was only 10 mg of sodium - pretty negligible. I'm guessing it was just one or two of the different roasted nuts... but yeah, I should try making some homemade bars with raw almonds and other stuff at some point.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    Looking back at my weight gains and loss the sodium has paid a part. I had a loss with some of the non-reactive prepared foods but it was only .2 pounds compared to the home prepared. I'll have to pay more attention the to the sodium.
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    Tested strawberries today with my Rice Chex, Chia Seeds, Coconut Milk and Blueberries breakfast. Strawberries & blueberries on my cereal was a real treat. Hope I'm not reactive to the strawberries. I have a 3 x 8 raised bed of them in my garden.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi Jocymc,

    While I love blueberries, I miss strawberries, too. I need to test them out soon, especially with summer coming up. I bet those home grown berries of yours are delicious! Like you, I often throw chia seeds into my breakfast cereals to give them a little boost. Chia seems like the least obtrusive of the seeds on the plan in that they don't add as much flavor or texture as others.

    Scored a box to Arrowhead Mills Rice Flake cereal at Whole Foods the other day. Pretty yummy but hard to find here. Nice to have another quick, safe option. Made another batch of flax granola this morning, too, adding in some chopped almonds, dried cranberries and raisins. I really didn't like it at first but am surprised to find that I now enjoy it.
  • MommaGrizAK
    MommaGrizAK Posts: 2 Member
    The Smoothie sounds delicious! I can't wait to vary my breakfast; the flax granola is getting more difficult to eat each morning. I'm excited about the bread test today and hope that I can soon add toast to my breakfast routine.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    Hi MommaGriz,

    I hear you on the flax and felt that same way during the early days and weeks. I like it now, but not wouldn't want to have to eat it each and every day. Now I have it about every 3 days or so. One good thing about it is that for me it seems to stave off hunger better than other breakfasts do. I'd say that in general, it's that I'm able to eat enough to not be hungry that makes it easier to stick with The Plan than other things I've tried.

    Many people have good things to say about the blueberry-pear compote and you can substitute it for the flax granola if you like.

    Good luck on the bread test! As a carb lover, I was pretty excited about that one too!
  • GmaQueenBee
    GmaQueenBee Posts: 231 Member
    Another good breakfast substitute is the Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding. The recipe is in her cookbook that you can download from her website.

    I don't like the flax granola so don't eat it by itself anymore. I'll add 1/4 cup with the rice cereal & fruit to try and disguise it. I have that about twice a week. If I could find the hemp seeds I would try the Chia Hemp Power Pudding.
  • kayceeme
    kayceeme Posts: 105 Member
    I'm now on Day 3 of the 5 day self test. It's another breakfast test so I'm trying some toaster waffles with butter and real maple syrup. My carb cravings really come out at breakfast time.

    I was able to lose about 2.5 lbs on days 1 and 2 of the self test, but since I went kind of bonkers last weekend, it just gets me back to where I was the week before.