This is why I don't buy cereal

I don't like cereal with milk (I'm weird, I know) so it's pretty easy for me to measure out the serving size and put it in a baggie for snacking at work (Puffins, Quaker Oat Squares, and Honey Ohs are my faves). But I do get bummed when the serving size is 3/4 cup and not a full cup (for the same amount of cals that another cereal would have at 1 cup).

Kashi Go Lean original is not to bad. 56 grams serving.12 grams of protein and 13 of fiber. With unsweetened almond milk i'm good for 3 hours or so.
edited because spelling is hard. . .

czmiles926 wrote: »

Moxie42 wrote: »

I don't like cereal with milk (I'm weird, I know) so it's pretty easy for me to measure out the serving size and put it in a baggie for snacking at work (Puffins, Quaker Oat Squares, and Honey Ohs are my faves). But I do get bummed when the serving size is 3/4 cup and not a full cup (for the same amount of cals that another cereal would have at 1 cup).

I don't put milk on my cereal either. I much prefer crunchy cereal over soggy cereal!

The trick is to put the milk only in the bowl, then add a just a bite or two of cereal at a time. That way the cereal never gets soggy.

Luckily, I'm not a huge cereal person but occassionally, hubs will want cereal for dinner so I just take my dinner cals and have as many servings as I want within those cals.

For breakfast? Nope.

I mostly only eat cereal now if it's sprinkled on top of something. Yogurt/ protein pudding/fluff/cheesecake, usually around 30g, aka child size portion

Sometimes i cave and have a bowl for a snack or dessert, which is usually between 90-100g, add 200-250ml of full cream milk and it's a calorific and still not incredibly satisfying "meal".

ETA: I've seen some of the amazing cereal you guys in America have, peanut butter cheerios anyone? If i lived there i would NOT even venture down that aisle, i couldnt be trusted :noway:

czmiles926 wrote: »

I weighed my cereal for the first time this morning and was suprised that a 30 g serving of cornflakes was more than I expected.
As a student, cereal is a staple and I can't go without it. I was raised on "plain" cereals like cornflakes and rice crispies so I still view cereals like coco pops and frosties as a treat and not an everyday thing.

Those are my favorite kinds as well, and were when I was a kid.

I need to eat gluten free versions now, but I top my evening protein ice cream with them.

I need to get cornflakes, that's a great idea!

One serving of granola goes nicely with a yogurt cup.

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Sounds like youre in too much of a calorie deficit. I can always tell if I am not eating enough because I will have hardcore cravings, or I will just say fk it and eat a crazy amount of something terrible/amazing..however you want to look at it.

I used to eat cereal all the time. My favorite breakfast was 1 serving corn flakes or shredded wheat or bran buds. I shake that up with cinnamon and splenda. Portion 1/2c cottage cheese, 2 tbsp nuts, and a chopped apple into a bowl and pour the cereal on top.

The mix of carbs, protein and fat kept me full and calorie wise it's not bad at all- around 400 cals or so.

junodog1 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

*Raises hand and runs away*
Please don't lock me in a lab

Me too. I can eat one serving and be happy. But it took a while to get accustomed to the smaller portion. When I do eat only that for breakfast I usually need a mid morning snack.

I did not have to get accustomed to it. I did not grow up eating cereal, we had a full family breakfast most days and when we didn't we made sandwiches on the go. I may or may not have eaten cereal as a kid, but I don't remember the specifics of it. First time I decided to try cereal was when I was already dieting a few years ago as a way to supplement vitamins without having to buy pills which I tend to use for a couple of days then forget. Since I was dieting, I looked at the serving size for a guideline and used that. I'm not usually hungry in the morning, so the small amount didn't feel inadequate to me. I was just not exposed to bowlfuls of cereal to form a habit for more than one serving.

I had a bowl of capn crunch berries the other day. Hadn't had it in a couple of years.. omg! So darn sweet, made my teeth hurt! It should be for dessert, not breakfast!

I don't eat cereal. It's just candy, processed grains with lots of sugar. I rather have a good, artisan bread, which is also processed grains but so much more tasty. And it keeps me full.

I do eat cereal, but only when I can't be bothered to cook or make something. It's easy for the children to have for breakfast as well (and they are well educated in portion sizes, believe me). The only cereal I eat is plain rice krispies but DH and the children have other stuff as well. I enjoy it but don't find it terribly filling, I'd rather have eggs. Or fruit. Or wait until lunchtime.

I think that a lot of the problem with cereal is the expectations created by the images on the boxes. I've just had a look at the ones we've got and they ALL show a huge bowl, virtually filled to the brim. So that's what you expect to get for your "portion" or "serving". The reality is that bowl full is many servings, even of rice krispies - we have small bowls at home and it would take three servings of rice krispies to fill it (I know, I've tried and eaten them - well, they can't go back in the box, can they? Within my calorie target, of course). I dread to think how many servings of corn flakes or museli it would take to fill it. But I'm guessing that from a marketing aspect, a full bowl of whatever cereal looks more attractive than a bowl with a tiny amount that barely covers the bottom of the bowl.

But most people don't look at the serving size on the box, nor do they weigh their cereal. They see a full bowl on the box and that is what they have. Even their children have that amount. And that's another thing - the portion sizes given on the cereal boxes are for adults, not children. Even the serving sizes of cereals aimed at children, it's still an adult size (I have moaned at the cereal manufacturers but to no avail). How many people would bother to reduce the portion size for their two year old? It took me weeks to educate my husband about the amount of cereal that my toddler should have. She likes weetabix minis and I had to weigh out and count the number of "biscuits" she could have. He now goes by how many are in the bowl. But it works for him so whatever. As long as he's not giving her too much to eat. People just don't "get" portion control, especially for their children. Should a small child eat a whole banana, just because an adult would? And don't get me started on packets of crisps that are an adult portion - I see children every day walking to school with a bag of crisps in their hands. That's their breakfast. And the government wonders why so many kids in the UK are obese.

Okay, had my moan, soapbox has been put away and I'll go back under my stone . . .