Smoothie help and thoughts

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csummer8882
csummer8882 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am overweight. Doctor said I am pre-diabetes. Started today making my own smoothies. I used 1 cup low fat yogurt vanilla. 1 cup frozen watermelon, a handful of frozen grapes and a half cup water. Next time I will add in ground flax seed. I forgot this time. Will that be an acceptable breakfast? I'm not a breakfast person but doctor says I have to be. Here is the nutrition when I entered it on here.

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  • csummer8882
    csummer8882 Posts: 34 Member
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  • AlabamaMama224
    AlabamaMama224 Posts: 137 Member
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    To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
    What is your calorie goal?
  • BeYouTiful94
    BeYouTiful94 Posts: 289 Member
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    If you find it acceptable for a meal, then sure. By that, I mean does it fill you up or were you hungry 5 minutes later, do you like it (taste-wise), do you like drinking your meals, is it something you can see yourself maintaining, at least for a while ....

    Did your doctor tell you you had to make smoothies, or is that just something you decided. Did you decide it because you think smoothies are the key to weight loss, or because you actually wanted/like smoothies? Just asking, because if the smoothie isn't something you have to do or want to do, you can lose weight just as well eating your meals (rather than drinking them). Of course, I'm not pre-diabetic, and I'm definitely no doctor, so I don't know the foods you should eat and/or watch out for, but it goes with my answer for your question of if that smoothie was an acceptable breakfast :)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    for about the same calorie wise i can have bacon and eggs and be much fuller, longer. if i do it right, i could even slip in a slice of toast or half an english muffin, and not go much higher.

    but then, i like to eat my food.

    eating a well balanced diet and getting regular exercise and losing weight will more than likely slip your blood sugar numbers back into the normal range. no need to eat smoothies and crap (unless you want to). but watch them cause its easy to go high on sugar in those things
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    I'd rather skip breakfast than drink that, personally. It wouldn't fill me up, it has a decent amount of carbs, and is not that low calorie either. Rather eat a protein bar or just coffee and save room for dessert.
  • amy_kee
    amy_kee Posts: 694 Member
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    That is too much sugar in one meal. I have had diabetes for 11 years. Carbs matter a lot with diabetes. Try finding a more balanced breakfast. What about some veggies and/or protein in there?
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    I'd be happier and feel fuller with more protein and fiber and less sugar. Typical breakfast for me is around 200 calories : either a veggie omelet with 100 g each sauteed mushrooms, peppers and spinach and one egg. Or 5-grain hot cereal with a small apple cooked in it with some almond milk (no weird health mumbo-jumbo-- just because I don't really like dairy milk too much.)
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
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    I also do smoothies for breakfast. Mine consist of:
    • water
    • plain, high fat greek yogurt (11%)
    • low carb protein powder
    • frozen strawberries

    Typically around 300-350 calories, with the majority of the calories coming from the yogurt. Yesterday it worked out to 21g net carbs (mostly lactose, plus fructose from the berries), 16 fat, and 31g protein--numbers vary, of course, depending on how much of each I use but I aim for ~100g of the yogurt and ~140g of berries.

    Between the smoothie and the coffee I drink at work with whipping cream, I stay pretty full until lunch, which is about 5 hours after breakfast.
  • Eleanor_82
    Eleanor_82 Posts: 57 Member
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    I really only make smoothies when my fruit or veggies are a bit past their best- mushy bananas etc. If the produce is nice and fresh I feel fuller longer by eating rather than drinking them.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
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    Are you supposed to adhere to a diabetic friendly diet? I know for me, if I eat too many carbs for breakfast and it isn't balanced with enough protein and/or fiber, my blood sugar is sky high and then wonky all day.

    Maybe I'd have the smoothie in the middle of the day of you really want it.

    An ideal breakfast for me is some form of egg, maybe a meat (ham, bacon, turkey sausage something like that) and a serving (about 15g) of carb. Maybe it's a slice of whole wheat toast, maybe it's some yogurt.
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
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    Seems very high in carbs, most of which are sugar. Not much protein/fat/fiber, so it will likely spike your blood sugar fairly quickly and leave you hungry a few hours later.

    If you can stomach a higher protein/fat/fiber breakfast, that would be better (eggs, meat, veggies) Even a breakfast built around complex carbs (oatmeal or breads) with some added fat/protein would be better in managing your blood sugar.

    If you're set on smoothies, some suggestions would be:
    Use plain yogurt (flavored has a lot of added sugar). Greek is higher protein, but usually more expensive.
    Use frozen berries (high in fiber) instead of grapes/watermelon, which are largely water and sugar.
    Flaxseed will be a great addition. Sometimes, I'll add nut butter or protein powder. Spinach is another great ingredient to consider. It'll add nutrition/fiber without really changing the taste of your smoothie.
  • csummer8882
    csummer8882 Posts: 34 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!
  • csummer8882
    csummer8882 Posts: 34 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I ate the smoothie yesterday after lunch before dinner. It filled me for about 2.5 hours. I'm hoping that adding the flax seed will help fill me a bit more. I used the watermelon and grapes because I have them frozen in the freezer. Lol
  • csummer8882
    csummer8882 Posts: 34 Member
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    AlabamaMama224 wrote: »
    To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
    What is your calorie goal?
    AlabamaMama224 wrote: »
    To me it looks like more of a snack than a meal.
    What is your calorie goal?

    Calorie goal is 1,700.

  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 632 Member
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    That's a lot of sugar in one go for someone who's pre diabetic. Try to find some alternative fruits with less sugar (blueberries/Raspberries are good) and consider if you'd be open to adding some veg.

    This is one of my favourite smoothie snacks:
    50 g spinach
    80 g cucumber
    1-2 sprigs of fresh mint
    50 g raspberries
    50 g blueberries
    10 g chia seeds
    Non-dairy milk (I switch between almond and coconut)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    if you're pre-diabetic then you should probably be watching your carbs and sugar. Having a 40g carb and 28g sugar smoothie for breakfast is the exact opposite of what i'd recommend.

    instead, i would be consuming the foods the ADA recommends for diabetic patients which focus on proteins, fat, vegetables, and fruits only in their whole form and in moderation.


    You might only be "pre" diabetic, but consuming a meal that is lacking any fat and is very low on protein is just a bad choice. So... things like... veggie omelettes, light greek yogurt, eggs, cottage cheese, whole grain bran cereal, whole wheat bread, oats, etc.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    csummer8882 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!

    I'm not hungry first thing in the AM either. I make a smoothie, and when I do get hungry, that's when I start drinking it. I often don't have lunch until 2-3 PM, and it's less caloric than breakfast.

    8210611eeb0933047677875f6941e62d.png
    I add a pinch of salt as well.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    csummer8882 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone for your responses. I am not hungry in the morning which is why I went the smoothie route. Hoping at some point it will coax me into wanting regular breakfast foods shortly and then I can do that instead once I get in the habit of eating. Doctor has only advised weight loss and a sugar recheck in 3 months but I know that losing weight will help with those sugar numbers. I've bought eggs and will be doing eggs and toast probably. I have oatmeal but it's flavored. This is so hard!

    I'm not hungry first thing in the AM either. I make a smoothie, and when I do get hungry, that's when I start drinking it. I often don't have lunch until 2-3 PM, and it's less caloric than breakfast.

    8210611eeb0933047677875f6941e62d.png
    I add a pinch of salt as well.

    this is a much better option. Notice how the smoothie is practically evenly balanced in calories from carbs, proteins, and fat.
  • smurfette54
    smurfette54 Posts: 23 Member
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    Whey protein isolate powder is the way to go (no pun intended). It gives you the high quality protein you need to maintain muscle mass while losing fat. I do a smoothy almost daily with berries (plus various other fruits whatever I have on hand to change it up a little) with 2-4 oz of whole milk, plus Blue Bonnet whey protein isolate (just happens to be the one I like). It gives me a decent balance of protein and carbs. I try and make every meal even protein and carb wise (does not always work). The whole milk adds some fat so it keeps me fuller longer. I would potentially use yogurt if I liked it, but I don't. The other thing I do is not call my meals breakfast, lunch, dinner etc... I have 4 meals a day and I put them under time periods instead of giving them a name. I am usually eating around 1500 calories a day, so each of my "meals" is usually between 300-500 cals. So my smoothie is usually my 3-6pm meal. I have used it for my 7-10am meal, or my 10am - 3pm meal. It usually satisfies me fine, and I am not easily satisfied. Well, these are just my smoothie advice and other randomness that might help.

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