Breakfast and portion control!

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Slu13
Slu13 Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey!

So I'm still on my weight loss journey, I only want to loose 8lb nothing major. Yet I'm getting stuck on what to eat for breakfast and lunch which is low in calories, but will keep me full till lunch time so I avoid snacking. I work in a office enviourment so sitting on my *kitten* all day doesn't help.

And my portion control. I literally struggle with this so much. Anyone have any tips on how to reduce my portions without thinking 'I need more than this'

Any help is much apprieciated x

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    I don't do small portions, instead, I choose a lot of low cal vegies to increase the volume of my meals (also adds fibre which I find satiating) . I also have a decent amount of protein, and some fat.

    Personally, as soon as I eat, my hunger is not ignorable. I don't eat breakfast in the morning, and save my calories til later in the day. This is a better option for me than eating a small meal.
  • MrsGriffin67
    MrsGriffin67 Posts: 485 Member
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    I eat one piece of Alpine Valley Organic Super Grains bread toasted (you can get at Sam's Club), a fried egg (fried with cooking spray), two slices pre-cooked bacon and guacamole for about 255 calories. If I am feeling like living on the edge, I might throw a piece of pepper jack cheese on there as well for another 70-ish calories. But I avoid carbs like pasta, potatoes, breads. The Alpine Valley is the only kind of bread I eat because it has so many seeds and ancient grains in it. It is low in calories (80 cal/slice).

    Also, what LivingLean said about waiting longer so you can have bigger portions and adding low cal veggies to help with volume if that is an issue. I sometimes do that, too.

    Hope that helps. Good luck on you journey. :):)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited November 2017
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    You say "need", not "want". Maybe you do need more. Keep in mind that with so little to lose, you can't lose as fast as someone with a lot more to lose, and thus can't have the same calorie deficit. If you set your goal to lose 2 pounds per week (or just any amount that is too much), you will get 1200 calories (which is the lowest MFP will go) or just a way too low number. You're not supposed to suffer and starve - that's the recipe for regain. Just have a moderate deficit, and eat a balanced and varied diet. The finer details on food choices and meal schedule have to wait until you're sure you have the big things in place.

    And I want to make sure that you know you're not supposed to feel full until next meal; and that you can snack or not snack, that's up to you, but it's not something that "happens to you" (you said "avoid" snacking, and this can mean some different things).
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
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    This might also depend on what you're eating. What's your usual breakfast? If I have a couple of scrambled eggs with diced ham and onion, or maybe yogurt with muesli and fruit at 7 am, I'm fine until noon. If I eat cereal and milk or something sweet, I'm noshy by 10 am and feel hungry the rest of the day. I need more protein to stay un-hungry. My husband's exactly the opposite; eggs leave him hungry sooner but cereal takes care of him till lunchtime. Also I noticed early on that when I eat more protein I'm happy with a smaller portion.

    Change up your breakfast a bit and see if that works.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »

    And I want to make sure that you know you're not supposed to feel full until next meal; and that you can snack or not snack, that's up to you, but it's not something that "happens to you" (you said "avoid" snacking, and this can mean some different things).

    Ditto this! Hunger signals do not indicate that one is starving. Unless you know that a dangerous blood sugar crash is imminent, you do not have to react to a growling stomach right away every time

    After an over indulgent Thanksgiving weekend, the feeling of an empty belly actually is a relief. For a little while.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    eggs
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    We often have distorted ideas of what a proper portion was. I started by measuring out portions (based on calories I wanted or just what a standard serving of whatever was -- 100 g or less of potato, the package listing for oats or pasta or beans, 4 oz of meat (I later adjusted that based on protein goals and calories), 1 oz or less of cheese. I trusted that would be sufficient, but because I like volume I made sure I had lots of low cal vegetables to fill up the plate -- I ate plenty of veg before, but ate even more and as a result increased overall volume.

    I'd say do that, trust it's sufficient if your calories aren't too low, and just try to get used to it. I found I'd have amounts at first that I thought were clearly too small, ate them and waited a bit and found I was plenty full. Controlling things at the "adding food to the plate" stage was key for me, and the idea of no seconds.

    For breakfast, just experiment with different things, remember lunch isn't that long away anyway, and that snacking during the day at work probably has more to do with habit/temptation than real hunger. Some find a planned snack helps, some (like me) find it makes it harder. Some like a big breakfast, some a small, some find they are less hungry with none.

    I like to get some fiber and protein with my breakfast -- fiber from vegetables more than grains, but oats are fine if I add more protein and some berries or vegetables (on the side or savory oats). I have a wide range of breakfasts that work for me, however.

    Try different ways of splitting calories -- sometimes I find it's easier to have more for breakfast and lunch (since work is where I get food offered all the time) and have a smaller, simple dinner (but filling -- protein and veg).
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
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    Obviously we are all different in what works for us. For me I like to eat breakfast and with only 1200 calories a day I only get about 250-300 each for breakfast and lunch since I save some for snacks and eat a slightly larger dinner. For breakfast I like a variety of breakfast foods and mix them up. A large 2 egg omelet is probably my favorite and most filling. I put in meat, a little cheese and lots of vegetables like spinach or kale, tomato, and onion. Another filling one is crepes which is basically an omelet with a little flour in it and I use Greek yogurt & low fat cream cheese for the filling and cover it in cooked blueberries. Sounds like a lot of work but usually takes 5 or so minutes. Other days I am less hungry and have cereals hot or cold with fruit and meat. Today I had one waffle covered in cooked blueberries with 2 turkey sausages. For lunch I typically stir fry a batch of vegetables (again always a variety) and throw in a couple ounces of meat or other protein. I eat a whole plate full and find it works better than salad for me. I also like cottage cheese and tuna salad, one piece of whole grain bread for a low cal choice. Then if I get hungry before dinner I have a piece of fruit or protein snack. Dinner is usually a balanced meal around 400-450 calories of meat, starch, and vegetable. I try choosing food from each of the food groups throughout the day and make sure I get enough protein and fiber to keep me full and healthy.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    What have you normally been eating up to this point? Cutting 250 calories per day, which would be a good deficit with your goal, can be done by making a few very simple substitutions or reductions in what you eat over the course of each day.

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