Learning to balance

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NoelFigart
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Learning to balance

Post by NoelFigart » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:06 pm

I ate far too small of a breakfast today. (If you're limiting meals to three a day, you really should distribute the calories relatively evenly, which means for me about a 500 calorie breakfast. I had a bowl of oatmeal with some cinnamon and half-n-half, thinking the fat would do me. More like 250 calories).

I can tough it out until lunch and I will, just for the habit exercise.

My normal (and favorite) breakfast is pretty high in protein -- omelet with sauted veggies and a little cheese. I had the oatmeal because I had a craving for old-fashioned porridge. Shoulda thrown in a boiled egg and some fruit, I know. I just thought, "Oh plenty of people have oatmeal for breakfast and are just fine."

That's dandy. I'm not "plenty of people" and I do better with a higher protein breakfast!

I'm also trying to train myself that being hungry before a meal is the proper way to feel. It's rather the POINT, non? Perhaps not this hungry this soon before it, but goodness...

*grin* I like how people point out that you cannot starve in a few hours.

franxious
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Post by franxious » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:47 pm

I have oatmeal for breakfast most days. I make it the way Reinhard describes in one of his podcasts -- "optimized oatmeal" -- with some nuts and dried fruit. And I have a lot of it - an entire cup of the long-cooking oats. I have to admit that by 11:00, I'm usually very hungry. I'll have a cup of tea, and the hunger passes. This breakfast definitely doesn't have the staying power of an omelette, but I'm hoping that if I keep at it, day after day, I'll stop feeling hungry too early. My breakfast is more than 500 calories, so it's definitely big enough. I like this breakfast, though, because I can keep all the ingredients in a drawer at work, and I don't have to use a microwave or anything; I just add hot water. But if I had the time to cook breakfast at home, I'd probably make omelettes :)

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:54 pm

franxious wrote:I have oatmeal for breakfast most days. I make it the way Reinhard describes in one of his podcasts -- "optimized oatmeal" -- with some nuts and dried fruit. And I have a lot of it - an entire cup of the long-cooking oats. I have to admit that by 11:00, I'm usually very hungry. I'll have a cup of tea, and the hunger passes. This breakfast definitely doesn't have the staying power of an omelette, but I'm hoping that if I keep at it, day after day, I'll stop feeling hungry too early. My breakfast is more than 500 calories, so it's definitely big enough. I like this breakfast, though, because I can keep all the ingredients in a drawer at work, and I don't have to use a microwave or anything; I just add hot water. But if I had the time to cook breakfast at home, I'd probably make omelettes :)
I'm self-employed, hence the omelets.

A cup of the dry oats, eh? I had about half that.

I recall the optimized oatmeal podcast, and I'm gonna confess it sounds rather tasty. The nuts would have helped with the protein. (I find if I eat a meal too high in carbohydrates without enough protein to balance it, I have a sugar crash. This is hunger rather than a sugar crash, so it wasn't too high in refined carbs -- and thick cut oats is about as unrefined a carb as you can have).

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Post by kccc » Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:02 pm

I do oatmeal too, with fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts. I also drink OJ with it, having read some report that oatmeal+OJ was a powerful cholesterol-lowering combination.

However, in addition to the oatmeal, I drink about a cup of milk distributed between 2 cups of cafe au lait, which I make in my microwave.

Between the nuts and milk, I do okay. I am quite ready for lunch when it comes, though!

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Post by MerryKat » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:51 am

I find an easy filling meal for making at work is 1/2 to 1 cup oats, mixed seeds (pumpkin, flax, sunflower, sesame), nuts, dried fruit (or chopped fresh) with milk.

Put the whole thing in the microwave and that is one filling breakfast.

I also need the protein to make it to lunch and this definitely makes it.
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Betty
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Post by Betty » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:20 am

I make my oatmeal with milk and add a teaspoon of almond or peanut butter after its cooked. I find that if I have a big bowl plus half a piece of fruit I can make it to lunch without being toooo hungry. The almond butter and milk are key, though. Without the fat and protein it just disappears mid morning!

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:56 pm

KCCC wrote:I do oatmeal too, with fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts. I also drink OJ with it, having read some report that oatmeal+OJ was a powerful cholesterol-lowering combination.

However, in addition to the oatmeal, I drink about a cup of milk distributed between 2 cups of cafe au lait, which I make in my microwave.

Between the nuts and milk, I do okay. I am quite ready for lunch when it comes, though!
Oh I don't mind being quite hungry with a growling stomach a half an hour before a meal.

I just think being that hungry two hours before it is an indication that tweaking meal size is a good idea.

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:36 pm

I always put nuts in my oatmeal. Plenty of protein. Maybe that would help? Although from what you describe a bigger bowl would probably have made the most difference.

As for protein vs. fiber vs. fat vs. whatever, I think it's important to some degree, but vastly less so than sheer bulk and the force of habit. Our bodies aren't these delicate instruments that need everything just so. They're more like garbage disposal machines, designed to make do with whatever they can scrounge together. Obsessing over precise nutrients can get counterproductive fast. It's a great excuse for appetite to get its way. It's sort of like my 3 year old whining for her PURPLE teddy bear at bed time. The point isn't the teddy bear, the point isn't its color, the point is she needs something to whine about. In too many cases, nutrition is appetite's purple teddy bear -- a very convincing pretext for MORE.

Michael Pollan has a wonderful term for this phenomenon, which has been exploited to the hilt by food marketers: "nutritionism."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magaz ... ism&st=nyt

Reinhard

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:43 pm

reinhard wrote:Maybe that would help? Although from what you describe a bigger bowl would probably have made the most difference.
It did. I use a cup of dry oats.

Worked like a charm.

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Jammin' Jan
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:14 am

Well, this thread has done me a world of good.

I really love oatmeal for breakfast, and my typical bowl would be 1 cup old-fashioned oats plus maybe 1/4 cup nuts plus a box of raisins plus some soymilk to cool it off. I'd have a glass of juice with that, too.
It kept me going pretty well until lunch (4 or 5 hours)

But then I got to thinking that this was really a lot and full of fat and so (you know where this is going, right?) maybe I should cut it back and of course...I am ready to pass out about an hour before I get my lunch.

I'm going back to that very satisfying breakfast and the heck with the size of it. So there.

:D

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Post by davestarbuck » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:43 am

I usually have oatmeal and an omelette :P . Or an omelette and whole wheat toast, or oatmeal and cottage cheese (mixed together yum!!!). I'm a carnivore by nature and protein always comes first in my meal planning.

If I eat breakfast at 6 am, I won't be hungry until 1 pm or so.... Depending on how much black coffee I drink, the more the merrier :)


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Mary
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Post by Mary » Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:07 pm

Another great breakfast thing is the Swiss Muesli recipe in the Joy of Cooking. It's a lot like "optimized oatmeal," but possibly even more convenient, 'cause you make a batch at a time: Put old-fashioned oats in a big bowl, add an equal amount of boiling water, and just let that sit out on the counter over night, with a plate over it. In the morning, stir in a bunch of nuts, dried fruit, coconut, seeds, maybe some honey, whatever. You can make a week's worth at a time. Keep it in the fridge--have it for breakfast with yogurt, milk, cream, whatever. Easy as Rice Krispies once you've made your batch--way filling--healthy, delicious, cheap. Yum.

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Post by kccc » Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:09 am

Mary, that's interesting - I pre-make my oatmeal sort of like that, except I use cold milk and Old-Fashioned oats, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. (And I usually throw in a bit of cinnamon).

In the morning, when it's soft from soaking, it can be eaten cold or heated (we use the microwave). My son likes his with honey, my husband adds sugar, fruit, and more cinnamon, and I add fruit and nuts.

Making it ahead really saves morning time, and is really a decent breakfast!

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Blondie
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Oatmeal

Post by Blondie » Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:35 am

I recently experimented adding a little peanut butter to my oatmeal. Who knew? It's the best. That and a little fruit and the whole shebang really sticks to your ribs until lunch.

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mimi
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Post by mimi » Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:58 pm

Peanut butter - who woulda ever thought! As an official peanut butter lover, I'm going to have to try this one!
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I Wish I Could Eat A Little Peanut Butter.....

Post by friscobob » Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:22 pm

.....but it's a no-no for me. If I take one little spoonful, the next step is eating one third of the jar! I do put mixed nuts and raisins on my cereal in the morning, so this sort of offsets my desire for peanut butter. Best regards, Bob
Health Is The Greatest Wealth!

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Post by bonnieUK » Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:54 pm

Peanut butter - who woulda ever thought! As an official peanut butter lover
I love peanut butter too, but haven't eaten any for months. I'm afraid of it due to it's high fat / calorie content. But I think that this goes against the spirt of No S so I may re-think this and let myself have some sometime - it would be ok if it came in tiny jars, but usually comes in big jars and it's too easy to eat half a jar at a time LOL

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Post by blueskighs » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:48 pm

Does nobody eat yogurt anymore????????? 8)

I am vegetarian I love for breakfast organic yogurt ... with some fresh fruit ... and free range chicken eggs that I buy only at the local farmers market ... where the chickens are really free.... we can stop by the farm anytime and visit!

Also good to throw in a soy sausage patty ...

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Post by xJocelynx87 » Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:28 pm

I love yogurt. My favorite is Yoplait Thick-n-Creamy (Vanilla). It's a little high in sugar, but delicious with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of granola. I rotate this with a few other breakfast options and I love it!

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Post by Mavilu » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:01 pm

I eat yogurt, too, our favorite brand is the greek Fage and sometimes we have the 2%, sometimes the full fat one.
But I only eat it as breakfast in the summer; when you wake up and it's hot outside (and inside!!), nothing better than some cold yogurt with mangoes or bananas!.

In terms of breakfast, I don't have a defined time to have it, therefore sometimes I'll have a long stretch before breakfast, sometimes not so long, so I eat accordingly.
I eat a huge variety of things for breakfast, sometimes, even soups, stews and salads; as long as they have a good amount of protein, I'll eat it.

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Post by Bumpkyns » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:40 am

These oatmeal ideas are awesome. I enjoy that for breakfast but I too have to have the fat and protein or I'm screwed. I never thot to let it soak overnight so I'm looking fwd to doing that, since finding time is my issue for breakfast on workdays.
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Jammin' Jan
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:18 am

I'm all out of walnuts, but this thread has given me the idea of putting almond butter in my oatmeal this morning instead. New adventures!

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Post by wosnes » Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:48 am

I add honey, nuts (usually walnuts or almonds) and fresh or frozen berries to the Fage yogurt. I'm also a fan of yogurt mixed with granola.

My breakfasts vary quite a bit. Some days breakfast is very light (toast and fruit); some days more substantial.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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