What do you eat for breakfast?

annalisbeth74
annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
I've been doing lchf for a couple of weeks now and I'm struggling with what to eat for breakfast.

I have to be at work 6:30 most days, and I'm never hungry that early so I fix my bulletproof coffee and bring it with me. I usually get hungry around 9, and I've been bringing lc wraps to eat while I work. They fill me up, but then there are days when I have to take lunch at 11 due to scheduling, and at that point I'm force-feeding myself because I just had breakfast. I can't not eat lunch, though, because I may be working past 5:30 and I need the fuel.

Any suggestions for stuff I can eat at my desk for breakfast that won't make me so full I can't eat lunch? I've found that I do need at least a little carb early in the day or I can't function in the afternoon, so hard boiled eggs are out. I thought about trying the Atkins shakes but I'd rather have real food.

Thank you all in advance!
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Replies

  • nikoba
    nikoba Posts: 291 Member
    I personally like taking Linda's/genaw.com early rise breakfast casserole and tweak it to my liking with ingredients. You can then cut it into whatever portion you like. My favorite I do with sausage, red peppers, kale, basil, feta, & mozzarella. It reheats pretty well that I can eat it for a few days.
  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
    Any suggestions for stuff I can eat at my desk for breakfast that won't make me so full I can't eat lunch? I've found that I do need at least a little carb early in the day or I can't function in the afternoon, so hard boiled eggs are out.

    ERROR. DOES NOT COMPUTE.

    :) I eat eggs specifically for their high satiety, and I often skip lunch because I'm still full due to my eggs in the morning. Isn't that sort of the point of a low-carb diet?

  • Jakiepaper
    Jakiepaper Posts: 57 Member
    Can you make those egg muffins? Freeze them and just bring them on the days you may need them? Also, maybe some nuts, macadamia, pistachio, almond. I portion those out into baggies on Sunday so I have enough in my stash for the week. I may eat the whole Baggie in one sitting or I might just eat a few at a time.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I've found that I do need at least a little carb early in the day or I can't function in the afternoon

    What's your daily carb limit?
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    25-30 net carbs a day. I've been getting about 60 total and 30-35 grams of fiber. If I go any lower I get so weak I can't do my job, which requires a lot of heavy lifting.

    Anything microwaveable is out too. I may not have time to microwave anything. I barely have time to pee these days, we're so busy.

    I do keep nuts at my desk for the afternoons we end up working late, but I don't think they'll help for breakfast.
  • kristenlarkin
    kristenlarkin Posts: 235 Member
    left overs, celery with peanut butter, salad, broccoli dipped in ranch dressing, cheese, summer sausage
  • kristenlarkin
    kristenlarkin Posts: 235 Member
    ham with cream cheese and pickle
  • wabmester
    wabmester Posts: 2,748 Member
    FWIW, the fatigue should be gone soon. Give it another week. For my morning carbs, I have a bowl of berries or celery with almond butter.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    If I go any lower I get so weak I can't do my job, which requires a lot of heavy lifting.

    The physiology of keto adaptation doesn't support that conclusion.
  • GSD_Mama
    GSD_Mama Posts: 629 Member
    I cooked my eggs, either scrambled or hard boiled in larger quantities so I can quickly grab them to go. Same with bacon or sausage or I make casserole, but you have no access to microwave? That might be tough with reheating the bacon or other stuff.
    Full fat plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with few berries. I eat avocado every morning sometimes I make egg salad and top avocado with it.

    For lunch it's usually leftovers from dinner or ham, salami, pickles, you name it, whatever I have available on hand.
    I prepare my stuff the night before so I can grab and go. Chicken salad, or green salad if you eat veggies.

    Planning is a key to this, I usually count my macros and see what will fit in my day starting with dinner, because it's my bigger meal, so I do it backwards :)


  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    During the week I'll usually have a couple of boiled eggs or some cottage cheese or yogurt, although lately I've been drinking BPC in the mornings - I find this keeps me full until 2pm or so.
    On weekends I like to have poached eggs with smoked salmon, bacon and/or sausages depending on what I have planned for the day.
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,073 Member
    I'd say egg muffins for breakfast at work ( or some sort of frittata), since that kind of thing is so portable, and I like to eat them cold, so you don't need to heat them up. I personally eat enough protein and fat at breakfast before I leave the house, skip lunch altogether, and can last up to 12 hours on a workday until I eat supper. I wouldn't want to force feed myself just because my breaks have to be taken when I'm not ready for them. I'd work around the breaks and make sure I eat enough at the first break so I don't have to eat at the second break....or don't eat at 9, just eat at 11. If you eat until you are full, you should be OK for several hours.

    Why not have your BPC before you leave for work, and just bring one big meal for mid morning that will keep you full until supper ? If not eggs, then anything. I like cold supper leftovers too, sometimes on some greens, to turn it into a salad. Or, you could try a few nuts at 9:00 and that should hold you until your lunch break.

    If anything, I feel way more freedom with this woe. I don't have to eat when CW tells me I should, I'll eat when I am hungry. If I get hungry at work, I keep macadamia nuts in my desk drawer, but usually don't have to touch them. Listen to your body and you will be able to find a solution that works with your work schedule. Meals can be anything you want them to be. I used to bring smoothies to work for lunch, but have found that I just don't need any extra calories until supper since going keto.
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    Kristenlarkin- I don't like pickles, but ham and cream cheese sounds really good. Mmmm. Maybe with green onion.

    Kitnthekat- I never thought about eating the fritattas cold. That actually sounds good! I liked cold quiche in the past, and that's basically the same thing.

    I think I might try skipping breakfast altogether and just waiting for lunch. If I add more fat to my coffee I could probably do it.

    All of your food suggestions sound yummy! Thank you all so much for your help!
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    I've been reading some other posts, and I wonder if my weakness/headaches is low sodium related, and not a sign that I need more carbs like I thought? All I knew is that on those days I "cheated" with chips and felt better, and assumed it was because of the increased carb intake. Now I'm rethinking.
  • GSD_Mama
    GSD_Mama Posts: 629 Member
    Chips have sodium in it, could be related to your low sodium? Try drinking broth instead of eating carbs
  • KeithF6250
    KeithF6250 Posts: 321 Member
    A one ounce serving of potato chips also has about as much potassium as a banana and about 10 grams of fat in addition to the above mentioned sodium.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,834 Member
    kirkor wrote: »
    If I go any lower I get so weak I can't do my job, which requires a lot of heavy lifting.

    The physiology of keto adaptation doesn't support that conclusion.


    Yeah, my job has heavy lifting, ladder climbing, twisting, bending, crouching and about 6 miles walked per shift. No carbs needed and I often get through a 5am-2pm shift with only coffee with hwc on my morning break.
  • shai74
    shai74 Posts: 512 Member
    What to eat for breakfast? Very little. I take a coffee with me in the morning in my flask with coconut oil and butter whipped into it. I'm normally fine until lunchtime, and I like to save my cals til later in the day. That way I can eat a decent dinner with my partner and have some left over for a snack in front of the TV (even if it's a coffee and some cheese squares and pickles).
  • tlmeyn
    tlmeyn Posts: 369 Member
    cream cheese and salmon roe wrapped up in seaweed sheets. I am not a big morning eater.....
  • bikerchick2012
    bikerchick2012 Posts: 20 Member
    10g grass fed butter, one whole egg and one egg yolk plus 10g cream cream, all scrambled.
  • EarthAmber
    EarthAmber Posts: 20 Member
    I have the same problem with time, so I pack my Blender Bottle with a protein shake and unsweetend cashew milk every night. I use this one: http://www.gardenoflife.com/Products-for-Life/Organic-Plant-Protein.aspx purely because of allergies and preference. It has 2 net carbs with the milk.

    It's fast, I pack up a scoop in the storage cup and portion the milk, and it has a space for supplements, which I love. I swear I don't sell these bottles, but the Blender Bottle is awesome and has made breakfast so easy.
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    I'll have to check that out! I tried the Atkins shake and it was okay, but definitely not filling enough. Kind of a waste of calories.
  • SazzySuze
    SazzySuze Posts: 119 Member
    For on the go? If you need sodium, I'm sure bacon could do that for you. Pre-cook the bacon and take it in baggies with string cheese perhaps.
  • pkroyle
    pkroyle Posts: 33 Member
    I usually have a boiled egg, turkey sausage and 1/2 an avacado. I don't eat until i get to work as well, but I have my bulletproof coffee on my drive. I didn't have any eggs this morning, so I had roasted chicken meat with olive oil & balsamic and 1/2 an avacado...all cold. :smile: Bacon is also delish cold!
  • winninglosing43
    winninglosing43 Posts: 33 Member
    Ever considered fasting until 11am and skipping breakfast except for bulletproof coffee? Pack a larger lunch and it should be ok. Ive fasted until 1 or 2 when I have cheated the night before... with just bulletproof coffee and a bullion cube broth.... look up intermittent fasting. There are lots of health benefits. Im still tweaking with it myself... my problem is im starving at 6am do I barely eat dinner.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    edited May 2015
    left overs, celery with peanut butter, salad, broccoli dipped in ranch dressing, cheese, summer sausage

    Summer sausage is stupid high on carbs per quantity allowed...just saying.

    Bacon is awesome at any temperature.

    And I finish eating before 10 pm each night, have BPT (not a coffee person) each morning, usually at 7-8 am - I make it a water bottle at my desk, and as long as I get water and a dash of salt throughout the morning, I'm rarely hungry before noon. My current recipe (being modified) is 4-6 TBSP of heavy whipping cream, 1-2 TBSP coconut oil, sweetener if I want it. I'm playing around with the Primal Egg (Coffee) Tea recipe. I'm going to add my all of my coconut oil and half of my heavy cream tomorrow when I make it. Was pretty darned good today - and was easily shaken in my water bottle using my "traditional shaken" BPT.... Definitely emulsified better than standard BPT.
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,073 Member
    You know Knit, I was thinking about you this am. I tried your shaken method today at work for my BPC, since I'm trying to cut down on the cream and cheese this week. I brought a glass jar with a metal lid to work, my MCT oil and pre-weighed butter cubes. I made fresh coffee at work, then tried shaking it all together, and found that the method produced a lot of foam on the top, but did not emulsify as well as my immersion blender at home sadly, and I had a small oil slick at the top of my cup. But it is still a good solution for making BPC at work. It probably works better with the HWC. I had my coffee later than usual this am, and was fine until supper, no need for lunch or my sometimes macadamia nut snack. Thanks for the idea.
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    I'm actually thinking now about transitioning more to a fasting-morning, and a bigger lunch and dinner. It may take a while to get my body adjusted, but after weighing all the options it seems to make the most sense with my schedule and when I'm the hungriest. I've read Eat Stop Eat, so I know a little about the benefits of intermittent fasting. I should probably reread it though, and refresh my memory.

    Knitormiss- how do you get your dash of salt in the morning? (Well, anyone reading, really. I'm curious). And I've never heard of primal egg coffee/tea. I'll have to Google that one.
  • annalisbeth74
    annalisbeth74 Posts: 328 Member
    Okay, I just googled the primal egg coffee. I'll definitely have to try that.
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,073 Member
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-egg-coffee/#axzz3ZDEh9Aq5

    I'm a big fan of this guy and have learned so much from his site. I tried various combos, but don't want to waste the egg whites, so will put one whole raw egg into one large cup of coffee. I tried the sweeteners and flavour additions, but find I just like butter, MCT oil and egg in mine, and no other flavours. I love BPC plain, so adding the egg doesn't change it that much, and gives me a bit of protein when I don't have time to cook the eggs, or when I want to eat lightly.

    So cool that you're getting more comfortable with going for longer periods of time without eating. I think I was afraid at frost just because CW tells us to eat at certain times.....and I'm feeling like a rebel and actually listening to my body....and it feels so good to be in such control. I love IF. Good luck !

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/#axzz3ZDG57d2D