Missing breakfast | Imamother

ra_mom

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:00 pm

If anybody is interested, a good diet menu looks like this:

First and foremost, 8 cups of water a day.

Breakfast:
1 bowl fiber 1 cereal with skim milk
OR
2 slices whole wheat bread with 1 hard egg or 3 egg whites or 1/2 cup cottage cheese (veggies optional)
(if you don't have time to eat breakfast as soon as you get up, eat your snack of half a banana first, but don't delay breakfast for more than 2-3 hours)

1 coffee with skim milk and sweetener okay (more than 1 cup, and you need to drink more than 8 cups of water)

Snack:
apple
OR
pear
OR half a banana

Lunch:
2 slices whole wheat bread with one 3 oz. can tuna packed in water or with 3 slices fat free turkey breast
and a large salad

Snack:
another fresh fruit

Dinner:
1 piece of baked, grilled or steamed chicken
half a plate of veggies
1/4 - 1/2 cup starch side dish such as potato or rice (whole wheat preferred)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup diet soda okay, but still have to have 8 cups of water

Snack:
fruit, optional

Treat:
if you followed everything exactly right, you are entitled to a treat of:
120 calories treat with 2 grams of fat (you can use Snapple diet pops, Tofutti fudge pops, tortilla crisps, rice crisps)

Last edited by ra_mom on Tue, May 05 2009, 11:36 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:06 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

amother wrote:

where's the overeating of snacks? I only see a bag of chips (although of course we dont know the size of the bag!!) and a tiny piece of chocolate after dinner. is that overeating??

Chocolate and chips are dense with fat and calories, it's much better to eat something that's actually satiating and not waste calories on junk. One serving of chips is usually 150 calories - a small bag's worth. You can eat something a lot bigger than that, that will fill you up more than a bag of chips or a little square of chocolate.

The problem is that she's eating those little snacks instead of food that's good for her and more of it.

OP here again.
is it unrealistic for someone to eat just 1 small bag of chips a day? I didn't think that was overdoing it (it has 100cals) and I just need a pick-me-up once the kids are in bed as I feel totally wiped out by then and could never make it through to dinner.

also, I do actually snack on fresh veg during the day too (I forgot to add, today I had half a red pepper and also some cucumber. when the kids are eating fruit I will usually have a small piece (like 1/4 apple) with them).

DG what's so "horribly imbalanced" about it? I'm trying to cut out carbs as much as possible, so only have 1 serving of carbs a day, and I know that the evening is when I crave it most, and also don't want to be a wife who sits and watches dh eat while I munch on celery...

as for the chocolate or pastry, I'm really only talking about 1 small square of choc or literally 1 or 2 small bites of a pastry that dh is eating. I know myself and I know thatoften it's just that I want to taste something, so I dont even want the whole pastry, I just want that sweet taste in my mouth.

btw I am not seriously overweight, I just have a few pounds to lose. but I'm still very interested in what you're all saying. I thought what I was eating today was healthy. Confused

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:11 pm

ra_mom wrote:

If anybody is interested, a good diet menu looks like this:

First and foremost, 8 cups of water a day.

Breakfast:
1 bowl fiber 1 cereal with skim milk
OR
2 slices whole wheat bread with 1 hard egg or 3 egg whites or 1/2 cup cottage cheese (veggies optional)
(if you don't have time to eat breakfast as soon as you get up, eat your snack of half a banana first, but don't delay breakfast for more than 2-3 hours)

1 coffee with skim milk and sweetener okay (more than 1 cup, and you need to drink more than 8 cups of water)

Snack:
apple
OR
pear
OR half a banana

Lunch:
2 slices whole wheat bread with one 3 oz. can tuna packed in water or with 3 slices fat free turkey breast
and a large salad

Snack:
another fresh fruit

Dinner:
1 piece of baked, grilled or steamed chicken
half a plate of veggies
1/4 - 1/2 cup starch side dish such as potato or rice (whole wheat preferred)
1 cup diet soda okay, but still have to have 8 cups of water

Snack:
fruit, optional

Treat:
if you followed everything exactly right, you are entitled to a treat of:
120 calories treat with 2 grams of fat (you can use Snapple diet pops, Tofutti fudge pops, tortilla crisps, rice crisps)

op here

this is astounding! this sounds like so much food!! how many calories does this come to? I just feel like if I start the day eating this much, my body will expect it. I agree that the water intake is v important, and I never drink soda so that's not an issue for me. but this sounds like a lot of bread for sb trying to lose weight.

DefyGravity

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:13 pm

amother wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

Amother, do you want to post details, like what you eat and when ?

If you tell us, for example, that you get up at 7 but that you eat a banana around 10AM, I'm not sure that's so bad.

ok, so here's today:

7am. Cup of tea.
10am: 2 dried apricots
12 noon: bowl homemade minestrone soup
2pm: 2 dried dates
7pm: bag of chips shock

8.15pm: chicken schnitel, sauteed beet greens, bulgur wheat, roasted fennel
After supper: maybe a piece of chocolate or a couple of bites of a pastry if we have them at home.

You're barely eating anything during the day, it's not that you're cutting out carbs, you're not eating anything with any nutritional value until dinner time. You should follow the menu that ra_mom posted, that's what a normal person should be eating on a day to day basis.

DefyGravity

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:19 pm

Maya wrote:

DefyGravity wrote:

It's a very bad idea to skip breakfast as it will slow down your metabolism and you'll have an even harder time losing weight. It's best to eat 6 small meals a day.

Defy, can you give examples of what you mean by 6 small meals a day? Are you counting 3 regular meals and 3 snacks? Thanks.

What I usually do is stagger my lunch. I'll eat the salad, then a couple hours later I'll eat the fish. Then a banana. Then dinner.

Today I ate:

Breakfast:
Bowl of cereal

Snack:
Banana

Lunch:
Spinach salad with half an avocado, 2 red potatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs, and bit of feta cheese.

I'm starting to get hungry, so I'll probably eat a bowl of cereal or soup.

Dinner is:
Hot and sour soup
Chicken and broccoli with brown rice

Mrs. XYZ

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:23 pm

amother wrote:

DefyGravity wrote:

It's a very bad idea to skip breakfast as it will slow down your metabolism and you'll have an even harder time losing weight. It's best to eat 6 small meals a day.

OP here

thanks for all you replies.
but has the above been proven?
what if I really don't eat more during the day - if anything I eat less. just like the day after a fast, after not eating breakfast, whatever I eat for lunch tastes delicious and fills me up much more.
I think I'm losing weight this way too.

I agree with you op. I know, all my life I keep hearing how important breakfast is, but for me, it is not true. If I eat a full breakfast early morning, I am much much hungrier the rest of the day, and I also get tired much quicker. So like you, I also have a coffee right in the morning, a fruit 2-3 hours later, a normal lunch, some snack, normal supper, some snack again. When I am dieting, I just cut down on the snacks.

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:24 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

Maya wrote:

DefyGravity wrote:

It's a very bad idea to skip breakfast as it will slow down your metabolism and you'll have an even harder time losing weight. It's best to eat 6 small meals a day.

Defy, can you give examples of what you mean by 6 small meals a day? Are you counting 3 regular meals and 3 snacks? Thanks.

Defy my problem is that if I attempt to eat like this, it's almost guaranteed that I'll crack at around 5pm and be desperate for something sweet. don't you ever have any nosh?

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:26 pm

Mrs. XYZ wrote:

amother wrote:

DefyGravity wrote:

It's a very bad idea to skip breakfast as it will slow down your metabolism and you'll have an even harder time losing weight. It's best to eat 6 small meals a day.

OP:

Mrs XYZ - if you dont mind me asking, what's your weight like? and do you feel unwell/overly tired by not eating earlier on in the day?

DefyGravity

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:28 pm

Yes, I treat myself, and I also work out. I go through phases where I'll eat a half cup of slow-churned ice cream every night after dinner. In the menu Ra_mom posted, she included a dessert in the evening. Skinny cow stuff is great. That's also why I use cereal as a snack during the day, it curbs my sugar craving as well.

The problem is that your diet isn't balanced. You're hardly eating anything during the day, so your body is going to hold onto all those calories

chocolate moose

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:31 pm

I don't like cereal & I don't really take time in the Am to eat, so my plan is more like:

When I get to work or on my way to the gym,
large coffee with milk
J&J yogurt

I take Tums for calcium too.

Lunch is
ww pita, large handful of spinach, hardboiled egg

Snacks are:
7 nuts
apple

Dinner is
protein like fish or chicken
cooked veggie
fresh salad

I lose about a lb a week and Shabbos I usually eat more, of course.

I keep bananas and baby carrots around if I get hungry but this is enough food for me (remember I'm older than most of you and prob. not as hungry)

We have osteoporisis in the family so I'm careful to get enough calcium.

Last edited by chocolate moose on Mon, May 04 2009, 3:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

Mrs. XYZ

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:32 pm

amother wrote:

Mrs. XYZ wrote:

amother wrote:

DefyGravity wrote:

It's a very bad idea to skip breakfast as it will slow down your metabolism and you'll have an even harder time losing weight. It's best to eat 6 small meals a day.

OP:

Mrs XYZ - if you dont mind me asking, what's your weight like? and do you feel unwell/overly tired by not eating earlier on in the day?

Very average weight. I wear a size 6-8.
And as I said, its just the opposite. I have energy/koach all morning, but as soon as I eat bread for lunch (even ww) about 2:00, I start getting tired and sluggish.

amother

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:44 pm

DefyGravity wrote:

The problem is that your diet isn't balanced. You're hardly eating anything during the day, so your body is going to hold onto all those calories

OP:

really? is this really how it works?
but I can easily go without breakfast, especially if I feel it lets me have a small treat later in the day when I really crave it.
and I'm eating no more for supper than I would eat even if I'd had breakfast.

bread makes me lethargic, ww or white.

argh. why is this so difficult? Exploding anger

Seraph

Mon, May 04 2009, 3:58 pm

ABC wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

amother wrote:

ok, so here's today:

7am. Cup of tea.
10am: 2 dried apricots
12 noon: bowl homemade minestrone soup
2pm: 2 dried dates
7pm: bag of chips shock

8.15pm: chicken schnitel, sauteed beet greens, bulgur wheat, roasted fennel
After supper: maybe a piece of chocolate or a couple of bites of a pastry if we have them at home.

drink water throughout the day.
this is a pretty typical day recently since I've been trying to lose weight. I would often have a couple more hot drinks during the day too. the 7pm chips I would have had regardless of whether I had breakfast that day as I'm always ravenous when I've put the kids to bed, and dh doesn't get home for another hour or so.
and yes, in case you're wondering, I do feel VERY hungry by lunchtime, but surely feeling hungry is a sign that I'm losing weight??

Oh, you DO eat breakfast & lunch ! You just overeat snacks. And you eat dinner quite late.

What about exercise, and what about fresh vegetables ?

where's her breakfast??
and I dont know if I'd consider just a bowl of soup without any carbs a good lunch.

Minestrone soup, at least in my experience, has beans, veggies, sometimes meat, noodles, potatoes, etc... Its a well balanced meal for sure.