Day 19: Eat Breakfast, Lose Weight | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon
Welcome to Day 19 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon.
All tasks in the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon are adapted from my 52 Weight Loss Missions program.
Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action. Ready?
What You Need:
- A willingness to change old habits.
Step 1
First, let’s work out if eating breakfast is the weight-loss asset it’s cracked up to be.
Well, the research shows there are two important things about breakfast:
- Breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight, and
- Eating breakfast is also associated with keeping weight off over the long term.
Huh. Being slim and staying slim – those are two pretty big deals in the weight-loss challenge.
So it’s worth rising to the breakfast challenge.
Step 2
Next, let’s work out how to become a breakfast eater if that’s not your thing.
Here are three strategies.
You can start by reminding yourself of some of the benefits of eating a good breakfast:
- It starts your day well – beginning with good choices can help you stay motivated to make good choices throughout the day
- It kick-starts your metabolism
- It helps moderate eating throughout the day – a good breakfast helps stave off hunger and avoid ravenous eating patterns later in the day
- It gives you energy – so you can exercise and move more.
If you struggle to fit in breakfast in during your busy mornings, then try this:
- Prepare the night before: set the table, get out your (non-refrigerated) breakfast supplies, and put something cheery on the table – perhaps some flowers or a potted plant
- Do whatever you can to change the path of least resistance so that eating a good breakfast becomes easy.
If you don’t feel hungry in the morning, then try this:
- Experiment with eating a little less the evening before.
- Experiment with different breakfast options (see below) till you find something you enjoy and look forward to eating.
- Don’t eat breakfast first thing – take a shower or do some exercise first to give your appetite time to wake up.
Step 3
Lastly, let’s think about what exactly makes a good breakfast. It could include a mix of:
- Low GI carbs – eg wholegrain cereal or rye toast
- Low-fat protein or dairy – eg poached eggs or low-fat yoghurt
- Fruit or vegetables – eg berries or grilled mushrooms or tomatoes.
I would add a giant coffee. 🙂
So for instance, you could have:
- Wholegrain cereal with low-fat yoghurt and berries, or
- Rye toast with poached eggs and grilled mushrooms.
Breakfast options to avoid include:
- High-GI carbs – eg sugary cereals and white toast
- Fatty protein – eg sausages, bacon, full-fat milk.
Choose a breakfast that fits your taste and available time. And enjoy the great, weight-loss friendly start to your day.
What changes will you make to your breakfast routine?
Check in!
And you’re done!
Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.
See you tomorrow!
this is a super hard one for me. I wasn’t a breakfast eater as a kid and the bad habit has followed me to adulthood. But I’m trying if only a slice of whole wheat toast. I know just getting something into my system makes me feel better, now just to make it a habit.
After years of only drinking coffee for breakfast, I recently started making it a point to eat a healthy breakfast. I do notice I have more energy. I love making my own oatmeal and experimenting with putting various things in it.
I have an arsenal of four or five healthy breakfast choices including whole wheat english muffin with morning star sausage and slice of cheese with fruit, veggie omelet or greek yogurt and fruit.
This one is soooooo easy for me yay. I always eat breakfast otherwise I would not make it through the day and by morning tea time I would be eating whatever. I always have my bowl of porridge or muesli and yoghurt. My husbands Doctor also told him that eating breakfast helps to keep your cholesterol levels down.
I always eat breakfast and since January have had a high fibre cereal for breakfast , that keeps me going til banana and cuppa for morning tea except for thursdays which are dunky egg days, boiled egg and a piece of soy and linseed toast. I have had bacon and eggs twice for brekky twice since then, but haven’t eaten lunch, that day just fruit til dinner.
I really must have protein for breakfast, but get tired of eggs, so I like to substitute a small piece of boneless chicken from dinner on half a whole wheat Emglish muffin, or start to poach an egg in the boiling water for oatmeal (add the oatmeal and continue. BTW, two strips of turkey bacon is okay, too, cook in the MW while you scramble your eggs.
I’m admitting there used to be a time when I didn’t have breakfast and it effected my whole day. I would be crabby and yes couldn’t wait for lunch time. Skipping any meal isn’t good because your body uses any reserved fat that we have which is the bodies way of protecting itself. I learnt the hard way and now I’m eating breakfast again.
I am definitely a breakfast eater, if I don’t eat within a certain amount of time I get sick and then the whole day is a disaster for me. Just have a problem making a very fattening peanut butter milkshake for breakfast a lot of times. Picked up more bread yesterday so maybe I can get some toast instead of the shake!
I have been a firm believer in eating breakfast for years. Sometimes I’ve not made the best breakfast choices but being a project under construction, I am doing better! I have began including Kashi waffles into my mornings (sans the syrup!) and have noticed a significant increase in how long my engery lasts.
I do breakfast. but I really like your idea of setting up the table the night before I think I could have some fun with that.
I try to eat a healthy breakfast may need to get more whole grain breads, but off to a good start.
I have never been a breakfast but am eating small portion of omelete or salad in the morning.
This one is done, I eat breakfast every day. Usually an almond milk, blueberry, chia seed, spinach, protein smoothie.
I cook breakfast for both my children before school most mornings I know it gives them a good start so includung me should be easy, but I skip it most of the time, I’m going to log off and make some breakfast for mum.
I eat breakfast everyday and have for many years. I generally eat oatmeal with ground flaxseed and dried cranberries or one egg on a wheat English muffin and a banana. Do treat myself to an occasional bagel.
I won’t be changing my breakfast as I already have low fat cereal, yoghurt and fruit or brown toast with eggs or tomato and asparagus, or oats and stewed fruit. I love breakfast and usually exercise before I have it, but I have a piece of fruit before the exercise and some water.
Well, I’m doing something right! I love to bake (that is one of my problems..), so I eat a slice of homemade rye bread or a bran muffin each morning, plain low-fat yogurt with fruit/homemade smoothie with low-fat milk, fruit & toasted soybean powder for more protein and 2 cups of coffee with low-fat milk (=^o^=)~.
I always eat breakfast, so this is an easy one. Just need to tweak it a little with better food!
Years ago I skipped breakfast thinking I would save on the calories…big mistake as I had low energy, so if I did workout I wasn’t able to “Bring It”, I was starving at lunch time, & ended up getting a tummy ache when I finally ate that lasted most of the afternoon. I now get up & walk, come home & do my workout (currently P90X), have a glass of P90X results & recovery complex, shower, & then drink a large Shakeology. I am loving the energy I have, the 20 lbs I have lost, & the way my clothing is fitting!
I’ve started eating porridge for breakfast. Its pretty good with cranberries and strawberries!