What is a good breakfast?

I am a converted non-breakfast eater, but have still been eating really light in the morning.  When I started dieting in January, I was informed that it is crucial to eat breakfast to get your metabolism going for the day, but since I have never eaten breakfast I started light.  I will always have a cup of natural grapefruit juice and a slice of cheese and that will be it and I will be full until time for my "morning snack" (I'm doing the thing where you eat a little something every couple of hours between meals to keep your metabolism up). But, this week I have started exercising.  I know that this means that I need to up my calories since I have been jogging, but hadn't really considered breakfast.  This morning I woke up FAMISHED.  I had my juice and cheese and that didn't even touch my hunger.  So I had a bowl of whole grain cereal.  Still starving.  Apparantly, now that I am exercising I need a more "hearty" breakfast.  Does anyone have any tips for me for healthy breakfast options?  Should I maybe add on some oatmeal or eggs?  I've heard that you don't want to eat too many carbs in the morning, but I know that there are alot of diet myths out there and that may not be true.  Also, I am usually in quite a hurry in the morning so I need something fairly quick and easy. I would have time to do eggs, but that is about as time-consuming as I could manage.   I appreciate any help!!!  Thanks!

The 'best' (as in most sustaining) meal combination is one with some protein, complex carbohydrate and some fat.   Simply put... scrambled or poached whole eggs on a couple of slices of wholegrain toast is just the job.   Other traditional breakfast combinations work well too...  wholegrain breakfast cereals or porridge oats with some chopped nuts on top and served with milk or yoghurt... baked beans on toast are a personal favourite!

I'm sure others will have their own favourites.  Be creative.  Enjoy.

Oh dear, that post before was a mistake!

Well I've gotten terribly bored of my usual breakfast of buckwheat pancakes and a banana, so since I'm very poor I went out and bought some quinoa.

I make it with soya milk, cinnamon and some sort of fresh or dried fruit on top.

The added protein from the quinoa will be good to fuel your new muscles!

My favorite breakfast are a chili cheese omelette made with 2 whole eggs and two egg whites (or sometimes 1 whole egg and three egg whites, depending on how much fat I think I'll be eating later), an ounce of low fat cheese, half a cup of homemade lentil chili and possibly a dollop of lf plain yogurt on top (about 350 - 400 calories).  I also like just a veggie and cheese omlette (use an entire zucchini or a whole portabella mushroom, it's just awesome) with oatmeal on the side (also about 350 - 400), or when I just want more "junky" type foods, I like a grilled fried egg and cheese sandwich, which is about 300 calories.  However, I know if I eat that I'll be hungry sooner because volume wise it's not as much food, so I plan my day accordingly.

I have read that eggs are the best thing to eat for breakfast and there is a correlation between eggs for breakfast and weight loss.  This has been consistent with my experience.  I enjoy eggs at breakfast, they are pretty easy to prepare (can even be boiled ahead so they are ready to go!)  Add a whole wheat english muffin, pita or piece of bread and you have a good balance of protein, fat and carbs.

Its also pretty easy to vary scrambled eggs by adding lowfat chese, peppers, onions, tomatoes, beans.... lots of ways to avoid getting bored.

Original Post by baboo4:

Oh dear, that post before was a mistake!

Well I've gotten terribly bored of my usual breakfast of buckwheat pancakes and a banana, so since I'm very poor I went out and bought some quinoa.

I make it with soya milk, cinnamon and some sort of fresh or dried fruit on top.

The added protein from the quinoa will be good to fuel your new muscles!

Quinoa really is a super food, good for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

I am a big fan of breakfast. I have never heard that breakfast calories should be small. It does not make sense since you have all day to burn them off. I pretty much eat eggs every morning. Usually 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg. Sometimes adding in cooked, chopped broccoli left over from dinner the previous night and a small amount of full-fat cheese (can't abide the low-fat kind. I would rather have a smaller amount of full-fat cheese than a larger amount of plastic-tasting cheese. This is just my opinion, you're mileage may vary). Sometimes I will chop up mushrooms and scramble the eggs and then put the mushrooms on top. mmmmmm Add a piece of fruit or whole-grain cereal or toast and you have a really good breakfast that is relatively easy to prepare.

I usually work out first thing in the morning and am starving by the time I get to breakfast, so it tastes absolutely wonderful. To kick start your metabolism, eat within 2 hours of arising. Because I am at the gym at 4:45-5:00 a.m., I am right at the 2 hour mark by the time I eat breakfast.

Enjoy your breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day.

I have a poached egg and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast-then a mid morning snack

I prepare a batch of boiled eggs for the week and eat one or two each morning(depending on meal plan for the day); have an english muffin or slice of whole wheat toast and a little v8 infusion juice 6oz. Thats before my 10 minute in home workout 6:15 and it holds me to my mid morning break at 9:20 when I eat oatmeal.

I too was not a breakfast eater but have seen the benefits over the last month.

Some protein would help you out, I think. Eggs are a good idea, but if you'd rather not have eggs, try yogurts, cottage cheese, or something of the like. I go for Smart Dogs Protein Links - like hot dogs. Very little fat or carbs, lots of protein.

To me a good healthy breakfast consists of a protein, a whole grain, calcium and a fruit or vegetable.  I also believe it should be the largest meal of the day.

Today I ate cream of wheat made with milk, candadian bacon & grapefruit.  Yesterday it was an omelete made with mushrooms & onions + yogurt & peaches.

My quick breakfast - two pieces of toast w/peanut butter, a glass of milk and an apple to eat on the go.

I have a problem with perpetual stomach growling by late-morning, and have found that a heartier breakfast really helps to tide me over until snack/lunch-time. 

I typically have a serving of oatmeal, mixed with either strawberry jam or cinnamon, a fat-free yogurt, a homemade Earl Grey or chai latte (hot milk mixed with tea and a bit of splenda), and a piece of fruit. This makes it about....400 calories most days. Was a big change for me (I too was not a breakfast eater), but I find I have much more energy throughout the day with a full stomach!

Good luck!

Breakfast is my favorite meal! I wake up pretty hungry usually too and breakfast foods are my favorite foods! I could eat breakfast for every meal, and often do. Haha, who doesn't like an omelette for dinner? What the others have said about mixing complex carbs and proteins is great, and I also like to get a serving of fruit in as well. For instance, today I had a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a sliced banana (well only half of a banana, was running low). Other favorites are veggie omeletts, scrambled eggs with mushrooms and toast, oatmeal with fruit and soymilk (if you go for oatmeal try to make sure it is the slow cooked kind--more fiber, you can make it ahead of time and then just heat it up), yogurt with fruit and toast, and when I was in the states I loved to make a "faux" Egg Mcmuffin with a Whole Grain English muffin, a slice of low fat cheese, a Morningstar farms fake sausage patty (vegetarian) and an egg. With a glass of soymilk it was perfect and kept me really full! Yuuummmm! Now I am getting hungry thinking about breakfast foods! Good luck :)

Breakfast is the only meal I am properly hungry for and I always make time for it. I like variety which unfortunately causes washing up... I usually have a boiled or poached egg with brown bread (yeah and butter... whatever!!), or toast with marmite or marmalade, or muesli with yoghurt, and then on the side I have a selection of fruit (usually tinned for ease) with yoghurt. I have too much tea which is silly, but I do drink it black with no sugar so I guess it's not a calorie problem.

In the winter I sometimes have porridge with honey or my flashback-to-childhood breakfast when I'm feeling ill, bran flakes with raisins and hot milk!

I think it is my nice big breakfasts that mean I can eat lunches and dinners of whatever size I choose and am rarely hungry in the day and never after 7pm.

My fav is 1/2 cup of fat free vanilla yoghurt, 1/3 cup of granola, and then about a 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen fruit, all mixed together. Also, If you like cottage cheese, I like to put fresh strawberries in about 3/4 cup of 1% cottage cheese. If im still feeling hungry I will cut up an apple into slices and put peanut butter in the slices. So yummy!

Original Post by baboo4:

Oh dear, that post before was a mistake!

Well I've gotten terribly bored of my usual breakfast of buckwheat pancakes and a banana, so since I'm very poor I went out and bought some quinoa.

I make it with soya milk, cinnamon and some sort of fresh or dried fruit on top.

The added protein from the quinoa will be good to fuel your new muscles!

Oooh! I've never thought about having quinoa for brekkie...must give that a go! Yum!

I didn't eat breakfast from the time I was old enough to use my own alarm clock until last December, when I started CC. What I usually eat (and I think it's well-balanced, at least):

A bowl of Fiber One Honey cereal (1 cup cereal, 3/4 cup skim milk)

One or two hard-boiled eggs (with or without yolks and number depending on calorie plan for the day)

A whole piece of fruit (usually a large cameo apple or a medium banana)

It ends up being about 400 calories give or take and I stay full until it's time to eat again. I've noticed on the days I haven't eaten breakfast that my energy level is WAY down without it, and it doesn't take much time at all. I boil a 6-pack of eggs every weekend to eat through the week and keep 5 pre-portioned bowls of cereal in those Glad disposable plastic containers, so all I have to do is pour in the milk, peel the egg (which I sometimes do the night before) and eat. Then I have the fruit on the way to work.

I am just starting to incorporate nad enjoy a larger breakfast - nutritionist recommended to me to eat 400 cals for breakfast based on a 1600 cal per day diet.

Things i like - rememebr some things are not just for lunch or dinner any more!

PB and J on double fiber wheat bread

turkey on the same sort of bread

1/2 c egg beaters + maybe some onion/peppers/mushrooms with same bread toasted

Jimmy Dean delights frozen breakfast sandwich - english muffin, cheese, egg white nad turkey sausage = 260 cals, 7 fat, 30 carb, 18 protein

PLUS some fruit, most of hte time an apple

PLUS - I squeeze in some sugar free coffee mate flavored creamer into my coffee!

I normally eat a bowl of cereal and have a piece of fruit (Banana, cup of fruit or apple) & cup of water or Orange Juice. Then sometimes I have a fiber one bar, cup of fruit and Orange Juice. This normally fills me up until morning snack. But I have to have my morning snack or i will be super hungry at lunch time which is not good...

Maybe I'm doing it wrong but due to the way I have to budget calories for a decent sized supper, I don't really eat a big breakfast. No big deal, because I'm normally not hungry anyway.

I wish I had time to actually cook breakfast in the morning. Usually I can get down a bowl of cereal, but if I'm running late I'll just bring two slices of bread and a wedge of laughing cow cheese to work with me and pop them in the toaster when I get here.