Big Breakfasts Win Again

but please suggest a good breakfast my problem is not knowing what to eat

I usually choose between two meals. The first one being an omelette with sauteed onions, mushrooms and red peppers with a side order of berries and one slice of whole wheat toast, no butter or jam. The second being oats mixed with water and microwaved for a couple of minutes. I then add a big handful of frozen blueberries and microwave again for another couple of minutes then I top that with probiotic yogurt and mix it all together.

@Annette – …
Yes hard to believe at first but it is essential to incorporate a ‘big’ breakfast in order to lose weight. Main reasons being: you stay full longer and are therefore less likely to snack on empty foods/junk foods & also breakfast is the meal that kick starts your metabolism for the day.
A low calorie/small breakfast will not only result in you wanting to cheat due to hunger but also strongly affect your metabolic rate, making it harder to lose weight in the future… Eating less is the murderer to effective fat loss.

This relates into the fact that shakes for breakfast should be a no no. Dont get me wrong protein shakes for pre/post are great and important but the morning meal needs to be solid food, or your mind simply registers it as a drink… also many smoothies are high in sugars. The physical activity of chewing your food is important physically and mentally.

Another important reason you should have your main calorie intake in the morning is because your metabolic rate is at its peak, and as the day progresses it steadily declines, so those of you eating your main meals at dinner, who want to lose fat, think again. :) This is also why breakfast should be high in carbohydrates (as well as protein –> protein creates satiety… feeling of fullness for longer).

An ideal breakfast would consist of:
If your really into making a difference, have water with lemon in it (hot/cold doesnt matter i have mine hot) kicks starts digestion and metabolism.
Your carbohydrates can come from:
– vegetables (yes they are a carbohydrate): sauteed mushroom, onions, zucchini, etcs this is a great way to get in your daily servings of vegetables (great way to lose fat = increase vegetables)
– Wholegrain bread; try for low G.I (glycaemic index) bread which means whole foods like rye, soy & linseed, etc
– My favourite breakfast= oats/oatmeal (super food on its own, oats are an amazing carbohydrate already rich in protein and multiple other goodies like fibre etc.
– Cereals in all honesty… if you can don’t do them, they’re often full of sugar or sugar substitutes and other nasties

My favourite breaky is oats & goats milk cooked with an egg (made into a yummy porridge) with cranberries and blueberries topped with slivered almonds. All ticks in my mind :)

Hope that helped

I’m a real newbie here but have been trying to eat high protein low fat for while. Problem is I am so sick of eggs, tuna, chicken and pork, probably as I don’t know enough to know what is good to put together. Any chance of getting some sugestions for good breakfasts, lunch and dinners?

Would really appreciate it!

I had 2 small bowls of high fiber cereal and a piece of wholegrain toast with avacado spread on it. That’s pretty big for me…

On low carb days I have an omlette made with 2 whole eggs and 2 extra whites made with tumeric and serve with steamed broccoli, zuchini, mushroom, some raw carrot, capsicum (red pepper) and tomato, sprinkle cinnamon over the veggies.

On higher carb days I have half a cup (dry) of quinoa flakes and make a porridge with water, 1 egg with 3 extra whites and just under 1 cup of frozen blueberries and cinnamon.

Does that seem like enough for a 76kg (168 lb) male?

I have found Dave Ruel’s anabolic/metabolic cookbooks have helped me vary my meals. They are easy, great and have alot of variety. I eat a hearty breakfast and dwindle down every meal after.

I usually eat one protein shake, one medium sized banana and about 10 walnuts. Using this and cutting down candy, especially during weekdays, I´ve successfully dropped 11 pounds in the last 2 weeks.

500 calories is a medium size breakfast, not a big one. If that’s supposed to be half your daily calories, then they are saying daily caloric intake should be 1,000 calories? The numbers aren’t adding up here.

I usually eat 2 scrambled eggs (little unsalted butter, cheese and a frankfurter included in this) and a protein shake. Yesterday I decided to eat a Greek yogurt on top of that. The result was that I was not hungry until my lunch time (12:30pm and I eat breakfast around 7:50am!). Thus my usual snack in between breakfast and lunch became a snack in the afternoon instead. It’s funny that this happens to me and the very next day Joel comes and confirms it! Thanks for yet another great article.

P.S What do you think of the above breakfast? Good choices or too much fat/carbs? Thanks

Can you provide a link to your previous ‘big protein breakfast’ post?
Thanks
Carrie

Hey Joel,

I would be love to read a post from you about your opinion on intermittent fasting eg: eat stop eat or the warrior diet

The easiest high protein breakfast I’ve found is a protein shake, but I add oats and ground flax seed to it for carbs and fiber content. The texture is gooey, but it sticks to your ribs and Im normally not hungry until well after noon

I have always been very skinny girl and would love to put on some muscle. Would the big protein breakfast help me tone up or add muscles to my body.
I have a host of allergies (no wheat, dairy but I can eat eggs:) I do appreciate you and your articles, thanks.

Is it better to have a protein shake pre-workout (how soon should I workout after the shake) or a meal replacement shake which has more carbs, etc?

Thanks!

@ Lorena:

If you go back and re-read, you’ll see he’s referencing two separate studies.
The first study consisted of various 500 calorie breakfasts.
The second study compared the breakfast consisting of half the daily calorie intake to a typical low calorie diet.

Hi, I have a question for you. When I wake up in the morning, I am not hungry or I do not have an apeptite, but I know I should eat before working out. What would you suggest that I do? Do I work out with an empty stomach?

What is the best bean out there? If I want to eat beans with my meals (say chicken and beans), what are some of your recommendations?

Thanks.

How mant grams of protein are we talking here? i just want to know if i’m getting enough.

I just think its great that you mentioned the university of Kansas and VCU in the same page…. Go Rams!!!!!!!!!!!

The ideal breakfast for some is…no breakfast at all.

Great option is to skip breakfast, train fasted, and beast at night. This is optimal for folks with big appetites such as myself.

hmmm….i think that, the hunger some people talk about before lunchtime, when they tend to fall off the wagon and reach for a less-than-ideal snack, is due to one of two things: [a] “empty” foods like powdered shakes (actually not foods at all, our ancestors would be horrified) and [b] too much focus on food….i often dont have any breakfast, or just some green tea/ lemon in water/ a handful of nuts, and am able to easily get on with life and not think about my stomach, often till dinner….the trick is to have lots to get on with, be busy, and to disengage with your hunger pangs…become detached so to speak….also, if u dont have junk food lying around the house, u wont be able to reach out for any….there’s no point talking about losing wt when, in the next breath, u r having lengthy discussions on what to eat and how much to eat….eat less, move more, and stop thinking about food…its just fuel, dont make it more than that.

I eat plain chobani greek yogurt with tsp of cinnamon or green apple with tsp. of organic almond butter at 4:45, workout at a boot camp 5:30, 7:00-scoop of whey protein with 6 strawberries, 6 blackberries, 1 small bannana, 1tsp. of organic almond butter with 1cup of organic fat free milk with ice. that will hold me over till 10:00 and I have 2 1/2 cups mixed with celery, english cucumbers, and baby carrots. I tried having shake before workout, eggs with veg. afterwards but it didn;t satisfy me as well. Do you have any other ideas before workout. It is so early in the morning so it is tough for me.

A lot of you guys seem to be stuck in the 90’s! Don’t be afraid of fat, you do need healthy fat to lose fat. When you only eat the egg whites you’re losing out on a lot of healthy nutrients. Numerous studies have been done that confirm that people who eat WHOLE eggs daily actually lowered their cholesterol and improved all their lipid levels. It’s actually refined carbs and trans fats that raise your cholesterol. And no, oatmeal with some nuts sprinkled on, or a English muffin with peanut butter IS NOT a high protein breakfast. BTW, fat as well as protein is essential to keeping one satiated longer.

I’m a personal trainer/nutritionist and recommend my clients strive for at least 25-35 grams of protein at each meal and 10-15 grams per snack depending on their metabolic type, weight, and body fat %. The clients that eat a protein rich breakfast always lose more weight, have less cravings, and eat better throughout the day.

I usually have unsweetened almond milk with 1 1/2-2 scoops natural whey protein (36-48 grams protein), 2+ oz. almonds and walnuts on the side or 2 Tbs. almond butter in the shake, and 1-2 Tbs. ground flax seed blended in the shake. This keeps me going half the day. I’m 5’4″, 115# and 10.5% bodyfat and I eat a decent amount of HEALTHY fat every day.