+1 on all the good advice given here. I would be shaky too if all I had was caffeine and a piece of fruit (pure carbs) before a ride. Eating too little can be as bad for weight loss attempts as eating too much, and it's just not smart for endurance exercise. If you can't stomach more food before a ride, at least take a snack along with you - maybe some almonds or cheese so you get some protein after a carby breakfast.

Another interesting thing fact is that overweight people tend to skip or eat minimal breakfasts, and the opposite is true for slender folks. Breakfast is so important! If you skimp on breakfast, your body will crave more food later in the day, and it's easy to go crazy and binge in the evening.

Here's a good article about the importance of breakfast with some excellent breakfast food ideas:
http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/breakfast2.shtml

Keep at it, Donna! Glad you made it home ok.