Breakfast: Just do it

There are many people who think skipping breakfast is a good way to lose weight. I used to be a breakfast skipper. Coffee, coffee and more coffee. Oh, and then I had some coffee. And did I mention I also used to be a lot fatter?

When you don’t eat breakfast, you could be putting 15 to 20 hours between meals. It’s like fasting. And not in a good way. Skipping breakfast will almost certainly send you into “starvation eating” later in the day. And did you know that eating breakfast kickstarts your metabolism? I don’t know about you, but I like to give this old metabolism a good kick every chance I get.

There have been a lot of studies done that have shown people who eat a healthy breakfast are less likely to be overweight than those who don’t. And eating breakfast is a common trait among people who have lost weight and successfully kept it off. Researchers also found that people who ate breakfast tended to eat less calories overall throughout the rest of the day.

So I don’t think I have to tell you that you should avoid sugary stuff like donuts and pastries for breakfast, right? RIGHT? Sure, they taste great, but they are not going to stick with you. They are digested really quickly and you end up hungry and tired. I can’t begin to tell you how many naps I’ve had to take due to donut overload.

Optimally, you want to get some protein and some fiber into your breakfast so that you can stay fuller longer and not be starving by lunch time. Eggs and a whole grain English muffin, of course. Oatmeal with fruit and walnuts. A high fiber cereal, like Fiber One, mixed with yogurt or sugar-free, non-fat pudding. Cottage cheese and fruit. A hard boiled egg, an orange and about 10 almonds will do it. If it seems like too much for your delicate morning tummy, don’t eat it all at once. I always have some fruit about two hours after my oatmeal. Split it up. It’s okay.

Don’t like breakfast foods? So who says you have to eat traditional breakfast foods? No one is going to force you to eat eggs or cereal for breakfast if you don’t like those things. Have a sandwich. Have some shrimp and pasta. Have some leftover Cauliflower Crust Pizza, for pete’s sake. What you eat isn’t as important as the just eating part. One of my favorite non-traditional, run-out-the-door things to eat is peanut butter and banana on a whole grain tortilla. Don’t laugh – it’s really good!

So what did you have for breakfast today?