Breakfast? How?

debdptg
debdptg Posts: 94 Member
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
OK - so I love to eat breakfast. Hell, I love to eat. Period. That is how I got here. And, I have heard all my life that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". Good. Fine.

But! When I eat breakfast, then my allowed calories for the day go down. By the time I have lunch, I don't have very much left. So all my eating is happening during the first 6 hours of my day and it gets really hard to not cheat later at night.

What goal should I be working on for breakfast? What percentage of my calories should I estimate for each meal? Why can't I eat all I want when ever I want? Why isn't it all about me?

Sorry - just had to get that out there. Advice would be nice - sympathy is better.

Replies

  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    I have a book called, "Cook This, Not That" and while some of the recipes are crazy high is fat and sodium, there is a section in the front where the authors give some very good, practical, and hysterical advice about eating. The same advice is found in Bob Harper's forward in the Biggest Loser Cookbook as well. The both say to take your daily calorie allowance and divide it by 4. 1/4 is for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the last fourth should be divided in 2 and those are your snacks. So if your allowance for the day is 1600 calories, you would have 400 calories for each meal and then 2 - 200 calorie snacks.

    You can do it!
  • c00ncc
    c00ncc Posts: 55
    For me I try not to eat more than 300 cals for bfast...usually only have 180 calories (2 bfast bars) and i have a small snack around 10 am and eat lunch at 12.

    Dont worry we ALL love to eat...that is why we are on here trying to get better, right???
  • mcgwnkrista
    mcgwnkrista Posts: 53
    Egg whites! I swear by them when it comes to eating 3 of them, little cheese, some green onion and I put ketchup on it. I also usually have some greek yogurt as well :) low calories and its SO good for you.
  • yeahfatty
    yeahfatty Posts: 228 Member
    my dietrician told me that you should divide your daily calorie intake by the following procentages

    breakfast 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %
    lunch 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %
    dinner 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %

    hope this helps. (:

    disclaimer, this is what my dietrician told me personally, don't sue me. ;-)
  • smashleymcgee
    smashleymcgee Posts: 135 Member
    I typically eat around 300 calories at breakfast- enough for 1 cup of cereal, 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of 50 calorie, calcium-fortified orange juice. That seems to get me through most of the morning, or I will have a small snack inbetween breakfast and lunch (today was grape tomatoes and 2% string cheese). By the end of the day I don't feel deprived. If you plan for 5 "smaller meals" maybe that will help you out some.
  • katheern
    katheern Posts: 213 Member
    It';s hard to say without looking at your diary to see how many calories a day you are supposed to eat, but with my 1680calories/day I try to allot about 300-350 for breakfast. I usually eat a whole egg and then egg whites from an additional two eggs, half a piece of toast (or a whole piece if i am especially hungry) with about 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter and then coffee.
  • jamie78
    jamie78 Posts: 514 Member
    Without knowing what exactly you are eating for breakfast it is kinda hard to give you healthier ideas..
    oatmeal is good for you, egg whites are good even whole eggs in moderation are great for you!
    fruit, cottage cheese, some bagels, some english muffins. Trick is to find high protein, high fiber and lower calorie stuff.
  • tristanathan
    tristanathan Posts: 40
    I go to a clinic that helps counsel me in weightloss. They actually recommend getting most of your calories early in the day so you have time to burn them. That being said, its hard given our society and how lunch and dinner are our more social meals, especially dinner.

    To solve this problem, I find things that are low in calories but still keep me full enough to make it to lunch without needing a snack. My favorite breakfast right now is 0% Fage Greek Yogurt. You can get it in convenient 6oz containers, and its a calorie bargain at only 100 calories and 18g of protein. I like to add a little cinnamon to it and some no-calorie sweetener (truvia is my favorite). Pair that with a small apple or some low-cal bacon if you have extra calories and you should be good until lunch for minimal calories.

    For lunch, I like to fill up on big delicious salad. I really like buffalo chicken salads and I usually just make my own so I have more control over the calories.

    I generally save most of my calories for dinner.
  • mfiggs
    mfiggs Posts: 155 Member
    I was finding myself super hungry before lunch. Then I would eat my lunch too early and then by the time dinner came around I was starving and would over eat at night. What I decided to do was to find more filling foods for breakfast and lunch and some filling snacks throughout the day and then I would not be starving when I get home. I also added a lot of fruit and veggies as snacks and parts of my meals to help fill me up. Also, lots of water all day at work helps me, I run to the restroom alot but my office is upstairs so that gives me some extra exercise. An example of my breakfast on a daily basis would be egg white and turkey sausage link, or egg and cheese with some salsa on it. Protein bars are good for a snack to help fill you up but I don't eat them much any more because they are a little too high in calories and sodium for me. Just try a few things and see what works for you!:smile:
  • BJPCraig
    BJPCraig Posts: 417 Member
    My wife & I follow the advice in the 30-Day Diabetes Miracle Cookbook: Eat like a king in the morning, a prince in the afternoon, and a pauper at night. So, we do a big breakfast (usually @ 500-600 cals.), then less for lunch (300-450), and usually just a salad and soup for dinner.
  • MsMadmagic
    MsMadmagic Posts: 66
    my dietrician told me that you should divide your daily calorie intake by the following procentages

    breakfast 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %
    lunch 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %
    dinner 25 - 30 %
    snack 5 - 10 %

    hope this helps. (:

    disclaimer, this is what my dietrician told me personally, don't sue me. ;-)

    This sounds sensible I think thats probably how my diary works out over the day
  • LotsOtots5
    LotsOtots5 Posts: 174
    I used to never eat breakfast but since I've started being healthier, I thought it would be a good idea to start eating breakfast too. I always have coffee. With sugar. And 1/2 and 1/2. Then sometimes I'll scramble a whole egg and 1 egg white. Put it on one of those whole wheat tortillas and toss a tablespoon of salsa on it. If I'm feeling sassy I'll cook up a Jones lowfat sasuage and throw that in there too. That's about 250 calories. That's a big breakfast for me though. Usually I'll have greek yogurt or one packet of oatmeal. I usually do 300 cal. meals and break my remaining calories into snacks or use them in case I need some special mom lemonade at the end of a hard day :)
  • inotnew
    inotnew Posts: 218 Member
    you may want to consider making your breakfast with high protien foods. I don't seem to eat as much for lunch if I have some peanut butter on my waffle or a boiled egg for breakfast. Also whole wheat foods fill me up more and last longer.
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
    I tend to just eat all day long and don't pay much mind to how much at one given time (as long as its not monster calories lol). With that being said, my breakfast seems to fall around 300 calories but it can go higher or lower. I just eat until I am satisfied. I don't set a value on it because I have days, specifically before my period where I eat like crazy!!! Then when it shows up, I go back to normal.

    That may or may not work for you, but for myself it had to be done because I was from a generation where you ate all that was on your plate. I had to retrain myself to eat until I am finished, not when my plate is finished.
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    I allot myself 1460 calories per day to maintain my weight and eat about 300-330 for breakfast.
    I find it hard to not go over my calories at this level without exercising at least some everyday - on the non workout days I just have to be willing to go over a bit but I try to be more careful on those days.
  • innerfashionista
    innerfashionista Posts: 451 Member
    I think I eat differently than most people.

    I tend to eat breakfast and lunch like a king and dinner like a pauper. For instance, by 3pm (including my afternoon snack) today, I've consumed 1300 of my 1500 calories. I know my body personally handles digestion best, and it's how my body best handles energy to make sure my afternoon workouts are stellar. It took me awhile to experiment with. I did evenly (about 200-250 calories a meal 6 times a day) and the diagram above, but top loading works well.

    Breakfast and lunch are my favorites, so I tend to eat more there.

    Experiment! I personally don't see anything wrong with having a 100-200 calorie dinner, but again, that's what works for me.
  • debdptg
    debdptg Posts: 94 Member
    Thanks muchly! These are great perspectives and good food for thought. And I do love to eat!
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
    Eating about 1600-1800 calories per day (1200 net), I shoot for between 300-400 for breakfast. Something substantial, but not "ruiner".
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
    i dont know how many calories youre having per day, but a trainer/dietian told me that breakfast/lunch/dinner should be under 500 calories and your a.m/pm snacks and dessert should be under 300 calories. Im on a 1400 calorie diet and I dont have a problems with it. if it get too close to the red zone, ill work out to get my calories back. For breakfast you should eat something high in protien since protiens are harder for your body to process thus makes you fuller longer. have some egg whites with spinach and low fat cheese, or even an english muffin w/egg and cheese and your mid morning snack a protien shake and a banana. I eat every 3 hours just to keep my metabolism up and so I dont get so hungry when my next meal comes around. People tend to binge when they are literally starving at their next meal
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