Sugar!!!!!

Muffins are cake in disguise

Maybe bake your own muffins? That way you can control what goes in them--use whole wheat flour, substitute unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter, use Splenda or another natural sugar substitute (though it's easy to find lots of homemade muffin recipes that don't call for much sugar). It's also a great way to sneak more fresh fruits and veggies into your diet; it's easy to add bananas, apples, peaches, zucchini, carrots, etc. Just pop them in the freezer and you've got a quick breakfast or snack.

Um, if you are going to cut out sugar, fat and carbs what's left? Fish?

But I would suggest losing the sugar and refined carbs, but keeping good carbs and fat in there. There are plenty of healthy traditional breakfast foods: whole grain toast with nut butter, eggs with veggies and/or lean meat and/or whole grain bread, oatmeal or other porridge grain, smoked salmon on a whole grain bagel. Or eat something not generally considered breakfast food. Have some stir fry with brown rice, a chicken wrap, a big salad, whatever.

Muffins are cake in disguise

I love muffins and cake! Sneaky muffins. No but really. If you make your own healtheir version muffins can be quite good for you. I have banana walnut and blueberry all the time. Both under 8 g of sugar. And most is from the fruit. It's pre made crap that's loaded with sugar and preservitives to make it last longer and taste sweeter, that's usually the case anyway.

Different people have different likes/dislikes, but if you *can* cut back on sugar and refined carbs it definitely is better. For weight loss and for long-term health.

Before I started dieting I was totally clueless about calories and about carbs. I actually thought a big bowl of Grape-Nuts with jam or honey on it was healthy ! And I'd have toast and jam as a "boredom snack." And my triglycerides were 3x the healthy limit. When I started my diet, my plan was just to cut calories, but as it turned out the easiest way for *me* to do that was cutting way back on sugar (except from fresh fruits), flour, and pasta. The water weight dropped almost instantly and I felt so much better.

One great tip I learned (from David Letterman, oddly enough) is after you eat something that you kind of crave (for him it was a Big Mac), just ask yourself : "And how do I feel _now_ ?" Do you feel nourished and content ? Or do you feel like cr^p ? If its the latter, try to remember that feeling next time the craving arises. Okay, so maybe sugar doesn't make your body feel as sick and awful as a Big Mac, but does it really feel better ? For me, no. As much as I may love the process of shovelling my way through a pint of Ben & Jerry's, the feeling afterwards really isn't all that awesome. But a ribeye or a serving of eggs and bacon, OTOH, is something I would be happy to have in my belly ! Anyway, I mention this weird thought in case it helps any.


These days, my favorite breakfast is an apple, and after my walk to work I grab a coffee. Apples really stay with you, and the coffee suppresses your appetite. On weekends, I'm starting to get into Irish Oatmeal (steel cut oats). Very cool texture (nut just mush) and super-cheap in bulk at the health food store. And don't forget about eggs; the calories might seem a little high, but its protein and fat that takes longer to burn through. (And fat is _good_ for you if you don't go overboard.)

most commercial muffins pack a ton of calories, carb and refined sugars with very little healthy benefits. you can find a good healthy recipe and make your own or try something different for your breakfast. Maybe oatmeal or scrambled eggs or nonfat yogurt, nuts, wheat toast. Just a few ideas:)