What's for Breakfast? (long)

[surgtech1956]

Today I had a doctor's appt - actually my annual physical. My TSH was elevated, so a little hypothyroidism going on, my cholesterol is 204, but my HDLs, LDLs and Trig were within normal(desireable) limits. So she's prescribing something for my thyroid. BTW, I'm overweight and need to lose. She asked about my diet, eating habits. I told her I've been eating breakfast of either cold cereal(honey nut cheerios, raisin bran, or grape nuts) or oatmeal, sometimes with multi-grain english muffin with peanut butter. She told me not to eat cereal, carbs in the morning(after the age of 40 or 50) is the worse thing to eat. I'm suppose to be eating egg beaters, cottage cheese with fruit or veggies. She said I will never lose weight eating carbs for breakfast. I don't know if I totally agree with not eating cereal, its not like I'm eating a whole box at a sitting. So what's for breakfast? Any advice or comments?

[ny biker]

I think whole grain cereal should be fine for breakfast. If you were eating Froot Loops everyday, that would be a problem.

And having a healthy, filling breakfast is important for losing weight.

[Kalidurga]

That's funny. I'm in my 40's and my cardiologist told me no rice, bread, or potatoes in the evening, that eating carbs late in the day is a sure-fire way to gain weight because it's too close to bedtime to burn them off.

I'm to the point that I take anything most doctors say with a huge, heaping pile of grains of salt.

[ny biker]

That's funny. I'm in my 40's and my cardiologist told me no rice, bread, or potatoes in the evening, that eating carbs late in the day is a sure-fire way to gain weight because it's too close to bedtime to burn them off.

Yeah, I don't believe that either. You don't burn off calories within hours of eating them.

[Veronica]

My trainer is also a nutritionist. She wants me eating whole grains for breakfast and lunch and very few carbs at dinner. I've been following her plan pretty well and I've lost six pounds and 3.5% body fat in about 6 weeks.

I wrote about what I eat for all my meals in my blog (http://www.tandemhearts.com/wordpress/week-6-say-good-bye-to-the-cookies/#more-160).

Veronica

[redrhodie]

Yeah, I don't believe that either. You don't burn off calories within hours of eating them.

Although...

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2005/03/21/sumo_wrestlers_this_is_how_you_get_fat.php

timing plays a big role in a Sumo Wrestler's weight gain.

I eat eggs and toast a few times a week, and simple cereal, like oatmeal the other days. For cold cereal, I like Cascadian Farms brand of multigrain squares, which has 4 grams of sugar per serving. I'm really careful about consuming sugar in the morning. I notice it will make me hungry all day.

[shootingstar]

That's funny. I'm in my 40's and my cardiologist told me no rice, bread, or potatoes in the evening, that eating carbs late in the day is a sure-fire way to gain weight because it's too close to bedtime to burn them off.

I'm to the point that I take anything most doctors say with a huge, heaping pile of grains of salt.

Surgtech, it sounds as if your doctor is not giving the most complete info. I tend to agree with what the others have been advised ..avoiding bad carbs and sugars in the evening.

To control any tendencies of becoming diabetes 2, even though I'm not overweight, I must control the amount of carbs and sugars. Plus maintain or increase the amount of regular exercise. This is from my family doctor...AND from my sister, who is a family doctor. 2 physician opinions, ok?

My doctor-sister LOST 50 lbs. after she changed her diet and ramped up her exercising due to her near-diabetes 2 sugar blood test results She was overweight. She avoids eating much rice, carbs..and if she eats them, in morning or for lunch.

Dear sister recommended me this database on identifying foods with safe glycemic index: http://www.glycemicindex.com/

I have noticed for myself in the past 1.5 yrs., if I eat too carb or too much sugar at supper, I don't feel well.
I am 50 yrs. The sister who lost weight, she was 38 when she lost all that.

[spindizzy]

. She told me not to eat cereal, carbs in the morning(after the age of 40 or 50) is the worse thing to eat. I'm suppose to be eating egg beaters, cottage cheese with fruit or veggies. She said I will never lose weight eating carbs for breakfast. I don't know if I totally agree with not eating cereal, its not like I'm eating a whole box at a sitting. So what's for breakfast? Any advice or comments?

People need to remeber that there is a difference between refined carbs and complex carbs (fruits and veggies). Perhaps she should have implored you to eat more complex grains and add some protein and a bit of fat to your breakfast.

I adore cereal, but hardly eat it now. Breakfast is cottage cheese, a whole bunch of fruit (usually watermelon, grapes, and few raspberries, blueberries) and a bit tablespoon of natural PB. It fills me up and I am not tired. Sometimes I will have oatmeal and about once a month, I have a big bowl of whatever cereal I fancy. But afterward, I notice I never feel that great, so even that will change.

My MIL, a fine devotee of all things refined, even though her weight is fine for her height has developed high blood sugars. She was told to cut out the refined/white stuff. There's a lesson there somewhere. :)

[Crankin]

I mostly eat a high protein breakfast, some days with a little "good"carbs.
I live on egg white omelets, with either low fat cheese, veggies, or a small amount of chicken or low salt ham. I have a piece of fruit with that. Some days, cottage cheese, fruit and maybe one slice of ww bread with soy nut butter. I also eat tuna fish in a red pepper and pieces of chicken, rolled up with low fat cream cheese inside.
A couple of days a week I will splurge and have a very small bowl of multi grain cereal and skim milk or a whole wheat bagel, with the egg whites or cottage cheese, or chicken.
I allow myself to have a big breakfast one day a week... usually waffles and turkey sausage.

[Tuckervill]

Life is too short to give up egg yolks! ;)

The doctor's advice seems totally out of context. There is more to that story she's telling. I eat oatmeal every day for breakfast, and I've lost 45 lbs since I started doing it.

But, I didn't make that change in a vacuum. There are a million other changes that I made. Gives and gets. Trade-offs. I'd discount that advice, since you don't know why she said it.

Karen

[tctrek]

It's always better to eat some protein with your carbs. I think the doctor may be referring to spiking your insulin with an all carb breakfast. When your metabolism is slow, as you age, etc. simple carbs are converted directly to fat (except when you are exercising). If you don't have a weight problem, you don't have to think about this stuff so much.

[PamNY]

Nancy, I eat a breakfast very similar to yours fairly often, and I've lost 20 pounds so I'm down to my high school weight at age 58. I don't eat meat, so my diet tends to be high in carbs. I do exercise a good bit, but nothing extreme.

For me, weight loss is a matter of eating fewer calories than I burn.

Pam

[kjay]

I've been following a medically supported program for one week and have lost five pounds, this after struggling with weight for more than 12 years while exercising frequently. I have cut way way down on carbs (no bread, pasta, rice, cereal or any grain) and am eating a lot of low-fat and nonfat protein.
And tons of water. It really works! I've never been more thrilled in my life. However, I must note that this is medically supervised, and I wouldn't do it any other way!

[OakLeaf]

If I don't eat a good helping of protein and fat at breakfast, I will be ravenous within two hours. Total blood sugar crash. And that's if I eat unsweetened whole grain oatmeal or a low-sugar cold cereal with unsweetened hemp milk.

That said, I do still eat cereal, I just throw a large handful of nuts into cold cereal or 2-3 tablespoons of PB in oatmeal.

But I'm pretty sure I could dispense with the cereal altogether and be even healthier.


ETA: If I'm going for a run or a ride in the morning, then I definitely want carbs for breakfast. But never exclusively carbs.

[ZenSojourner]

Even docs are not immune to the no-carbs hype.

You don't say HOW overweight you are, but you do realize that being hypothyroid makes it easy to gain and hard to lose weight, right?

Oatmeal is never a bad thing. As long as you're not heaping the sugar on it.

Processed cereals are another matter. Not so much for the carbs in the cereal itself, but all the sugar they add to processed foods even if you're not heaping the sugar on by the spoonful.

Get your thyroid balanced, make sure you're eating a balanced diet, exercise regularly, then re-evaluate where you're at.

If we listen to all the diet advice out there:

No carbs/low carbs
No fat/low fat
Cutting back on protein and substituting carbs instead
The "blood type" diets
The "rotation" diet
The "raw foods" diet

etc etc ad nauseum

There wouldn't be anything left to eat.

[cylegoddess]

Ive been studying nutrition for about 15 years, in order to combat my eating disorder( which has been successful!) and to become a personal trainer.
Most doctors have about on average( from studies) about three hours food training. You need to see a nutritionist for specialized advice but most are not savvy with new cutting edge ideas.
I found - many people 'blow out'their insulin, becoming insulin resistant, at middle age due to eating bad carbs( which is mostly white pasta, sugar, non whole grain cereals, candy, etc). This can cause tyoe 2 diabetes, as said and hard to lose weight then.
I myself had to quit all cereals/ grains( exept quinoa which is actually a berry), about 5 years ago. Now I am quite small( 5 '3, 50 kilos) and never diet, ever. I eat all sorts of carbs and fats and things, but the lack of pasta, cereal, pies, cakes etc , really changed my whole body type. ( I was a pear now a column.) It really seems to be that your body burns food the whole time, even at night. It isnt so much when you eat carbs( unless you are eating high glycemic) as what. Complex carbs are indeed, worse for you in some ways than simple. I eat loads of cabs but all natural- veggies, fruit, quinoa - in large amounts( HUGE amounts) and I dont ride many miles per week. Im 40. When it was complex, I would have to diet( pasta, cereal, pies , cakes things like that)
As said, high GI foods will make you hungry faster.
I eat lots of fruit, a small serving of yogurt, or some other small serving of fat - to hold my blood sugar up until tea( which is 10 30 , lunch at 130). Then I have my carbs. But thats just choice. I have egg yolks for dinner - and thats all the fat/carb parts( allergic to whites) and never gain weight.
Oatmeal is VERY good for you and yes, it isnt a bad carb. I would sell my unBorn children to be able to eat it again!

Thats what I know. For what its worth.

[Kano]

My bariatric doc recommends a "no carb" type breakfast for me too. He also has me pay attention to carbs the rest of the day -- even the "good" ones. He's been successfully treating weight disorders for around 12 years now, and is well respected in the field.

It's worked for me: I'm down from morbidly obese to ALMOST normal, and have been "almost" for about a year now. I'd like to get to truly normal eventually, but I'm pleased with being down to reasonable, and maintaining that too! (it's true: one CAN lose baby weight, even if it takes nearly thirty years!)

Of course, part of the challenge of weight loss is that not everyone is the same, and limiting carbohydrate doesn't do it for everyone. What has proved truly important for ME is not skipping or delaying meals/snacks. it causes what a friend of mine refers to as "vaccuuming" the kitchen!

Karen in Boise

[shootingstar]

For past 18 months, at breakfast, I've been having about 1/2 cup of microwaved oatmeal with abit of skim milk. No, it's not even real bowl amount. With tea on the side. Sometimes I might have a fresh fruit. Not always.

If not, then it's 1 slice of artisan bakery bread just naked (since it has no shortening, no eggs, no sugar) which is still delicious because this bread is different natural flavours: rosemary & olive oil; dried fig and aniseed, black olive, sundried tomato, etc. You get the picture. Or with a slice of tofu cheese.

I actually have a boxed cereal at places where we vacation out of town..and eggs, etc. Or we make a dish using egg whites for supper -- a couple times a month.

I used to eat very little bread..most likely I have to keep it cut down in amount. What is life without challenge, eh?

[Crankin]

Tuck, I haven't given up egg yolks, but I try not to have them more than 2 days a week. Most of my breakfasts are like Oakleaf's. I do eat oatmeal once in awhile, in the winter mostly. But, I put some walnuts or almonds in the oatmeal.
I love breakfast.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks everyone. I'm going watch and reduce my carbs. I've always been a 'carb - starch loving gal. I'm going to eat more protein at breakfast and reduce my breads, pastas and rice(white) and inclease my fruits and veggies.

What is quinoa and where do you buy it?

[cylegoddess]

I always eat , never skip meals or snacks or I have to make new grocery order( vaccuming has nothing on me, Im a black hole!) It works. You dont get blood sugar drop or eat the whole fridge.
I stick to simple carbs-apples, carrot sticks, grapes( in season). In fact, anyone can eat these all day I think, without dietary sin!
I tend to carry little bags at work.