giving up cereal?

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Sid1988
Sid1988 Posts: 170 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a cereal addict, i usually have two bowls per day and not at the recommended serving, usually x3 that because a 50g serving is not enough! so i'm racking up 500 calories at breakfast before my day has even begun, so i'm switching to brown bread with jam for breakfast for the time being.

I'm going to give cereal a break for a month and see where that takes me because i understand it is high in carbs and i definitely need to lower them.

has anyone had any results from doing the same?
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Replies

  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Cereal is convenient, but so is anything else that's processed and packaged. I usually eat whole grain or steel cut oats for breakfast because it keeps me full for hours. Other times I'll have overnight refrigerator oatmeal or a yummy veggie omelet if I want fewer carbs.
  • hardlyhappenstance
    hardlyhappenstance Posts: 25
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    I would suggest peanut or almond butter instead of jam. It has a bunch of protein and good fats - and it will help keep you fuller longer.
  • Nutella91
    Nutella91 Posts: 624 Member
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    cereal makes me starve
  • viragoeap
    viragoeap Posts: 107
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    Oatmeal with berries and a boiled egg have been my replacement to cereal. I also replace the oatmeal with greek yoghurt or the egg with oat biscuits and some cheese just to mix it up a bit. I believe our digestive system gets used to eating the same old stuff everyday and works harder to digest other food types that we don't eat as often. Anyway it's worked for me.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I eat Oatibix with apple and sultana when I'm short of time - but I ALWAYS weigh out the recommended amount. Otherwise I have porridge - 30g oats with 245ml half semi-skimmed milk and half water, served with 1 spoon maple syrup and some cinnamon.

    Carbs are not bad for you, but if you're having huge amounts of a cereal the aded sugar and salt is not going to help, never mind the calories! If cereal doesn't fill you up at the recommended level then switch to eggs and toast.

    Repeat after me - carbs are not evil!

    If you eat at a deficit you will lose weight even if you eat nothing but carbs - you won't be healthy, but you will lose weight.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
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    I've totally cut out wheat and most other grains and there's definitely a noticeable difference in the scale and also how I feel. Cereal also has a lot of hidden sugars and processed junk that's doing nothing positive for your body. Most of them have very high glycemic loads too-causing blood sugar spikes. Cornflakes for instance have a GI of 82, and that's for one serving size!
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
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    I was having Special K Chocolate Delight cereal as a dessert after dinner. I use a measuring cup so I don't get more than the 3/4 Cup serving size. However, the 1 serving size turned into a heaping serving then 2 etc. so I stopped buying it and have a fat free yogurt for dessert. 60 Calories vs 180 cal. A big drop!!! I do feel better eating protein vs carbs. Cereal is an easy downfall because it is sweet, crunchy and can be snacked out of box!!!
  • funkythreads2004
    funkythreads2004 Posts: 51 Member
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    I have started eating 40g porridge with water and about as much milk as you would put in your cup of tea. Not the most tasty food, but it helps with hunger pangs and gives enough energy for a gym session. Porridge is all very inexpensive compare to most cerial brands that are full of sugar!
  • funkythreads2004
    funkythreads2004 Posts: 51 Member
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    I have started eating 40g porridge with water and about as much milk as you would put in your cup of tea. Not the most tasty food, but it helps with hunger pangs and gives enough energy for a gym session. Porridge is all very inexpensive compare to most cerial brands that are full of sugar!
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    Yes.... cereal again I see. Cereal is the debil. Pour cereal, pour milk. Eat cereal, milk left.... pour more cereal, needs more milk, eat cereal, milk left over, pour more cereal, needs more milk.... it goes on and one like this.

    Have you ever heard of pinhead oats? They are better than regular oatmeal. I can't choke down oatmeal because of the slimy texture. The pin head oats are much more palatable.
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
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    I am a cereal addict, i usually have two bowls per day and not at the recommended serving, usually x3 that because a 50g serving is not enough! so i'm racking up 500 calories at breakfast before my day has even begun, so i'm switching to brown bread with jam for breakfast for the time being.

    I'm going to give cereal a break for a month and see where that takes me because i understand it is high in carbs and i definitely need to lower them.

    has anyone had any results from doing the same?

    *Rolls around on floor wailing with fingers in ears*

    Cereal addict for life here. I tried giving it up for Lent last year, and was moderately successful.

    Unfortunately, the cereal addiction never left and it returned with a vengeance. I know it's not filling, and for me a 'serving' is 150g minimum, but life without cereal isn't worth it and I aim to lose weight more slowly :-)

    My breakfast easily tops 700-800 calories every day. I eat less at lunch to compensate typically.

    One thing I try to do now more often is treat cereal as a snack, so have something else for breakfast, and have cereal late night when I've eaten my dinner and am relatively full. But gotta have my fix most days!

    Porridge oats - yuck.
    Toast and PB with baked beans is a personal favourite for breakfast.

    Some people swear by eggs/bacon but I don't have the luxury of time for a fry-up and I'm not a big protein person, hence the reliance on PB.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    everything in moderation ..

    if you switch to toast and jam but start having five servings of it in the morning then you are going to have the same problem....

    I usually go with eggs, and an english muffin in the morning....or oatmeal...

    but you should really learn some self control - then you can have some cereal in the morning or whatever you want - and still be within your calorie/macro goal for the day ...
  • daisiesinmay
    daisiesinmay Posts: 17 Member
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    I used to eat an overly large bowl of cereal for breakfast every morning, and usually the fibery ones which are supposed to leave you fuller longer, but I gave it up about 3 months ago. I started doing green smoothies. I put banana, peanut butter, greek yogurt, almond milk/OJ, spinach, and sometimes fresh fruit in them. I find myself staying fuller longer in the mornings. The calories are probably about the same (in my instance, around 350), but peanut butter is high cal so I suppose that could be nixed. But now I look forward to my smoothies everyday.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I have gone gluten free (no bread, no cereal, and gasp no milk) I feel much better and am losing weight with ease.

    I used to eat cereal all the time. You cannot believe all of the junk in cereal (yes, even in KASHI).

    I highly recommend giving it up.
  • conniehv40
    conniehv40 Posts: 442 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE cereal!

    Since I have been trying to lose weight, I started measuring....

    I used to have lots and lots of light cream in my coffee--now I am at 2 Tbsp.

    I used to just eat whatever cereal and however much. I went to the organic isle to read a higher fiber/protein content.

    I now eat 1 cup of Kashi blueberry crunch with .5 cups of skim milk.

    My breakfast has really changed! I am not hungry at all. If I am, I add a banana later.
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
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    I used to eat an overly large bowl of cereal for breakfast every morning, and usually the fibery ones which are supposed to leave you fuller longer, but I gave it up about 3 months ago. I started doing green smoothies. I put banana, peanut butter, greek yogurt, almond milk/OJ, spinach, and sometimes fresh fruit in them. I find myself staying fuller longer in the mornings. The calories are probably about the same (in my instance, around 350), but peanut butter is high cal so I suppose that could be nixed. But now I look forward to my smoothies everyday.

    This. I used to crave cereal and coffee for breakfast. Now after my first cup of coffee I prefer to have a protein smoothie with garden of life vegan protein powder (tried whey and I didn't like it), almond milk, strawberries and spinach. I feel much more energized and stay full longer, most likely from the fiber in the berries and spinach.
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
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    I absolutely LOVE cereal!

    Since I have been trying to lose weight, I started measuring....

    I used to have lots and lots of light cream in my coffee--now I am at 2 Tbsp.

    I used to just eat whatever cereal and however much. I went to the organic isle to read a higher fiber/protein content.

    I now eat 1 cup of Kashi blueberry crunch with .5 cups of skim milk.

    My breakfast has really changed! I am not hungry at all. If I am, I add a banana later.

    I started measuring cereal and realized I was eating too much - I put the measuring cup right in pantry. I also put a teaspoon measuring spoon in creamer to limit creamer.
  • gamagem
    gamagem Posts: 87 Member
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    My husband and I are cereal addicts too. We tried giving it up, but weren't successful. Now we try to limit what we buy and only have it as our snack at night. We weigh it and track it with our other food.
  • AshatanViz
    AshatanViz Posts: 34 Member
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    Same problem. It's addictive. What I do, since it's the only breakfast option for me right now (I am currently living with a host family in Spain), is I have ONE bowl, and follow it with a hot cup of coffee. The coffee usually makes my brain realize that breakfast is over and kitchen is closed.

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