Breakfast: To Eat or Not to Eat? That is the question.

Last week, I posted an article called 5 Reasons to Skip Breakfast on my Facebook page. You can read the article here. The article was written by Dr. John Berardi, founder of Precision Nutrition. As many of you may know, I am a Precision Nutrition Level One Coach. 😉 As someone who has had a very strained relationship with food over the past 20 some years, this was quite an accomplishment for me. I understand more about what my body needs when it comes to nourishment as a result of my own education and now I can help others do the same.

The following is my post about my own take on breakfast and whether or not it is right for you.

Not a big breakfast eater? That’s okay…if it works for YOU. For many people looking to gain better eating habits, breakfast is great place to start. Those who don’t eat breakfast or who tend to eat a small, empty calorie breakfast (think cereal and juice) find themselves STARVING at 9am and then raid the snack machine. It’s a never ending cycle.

I never really ate breakfast until about 5 years ago when I realized that a big part of my not looking or feeling the way I wanted to look and feel had to do with the banana and sugary yogurt I would gulp down 5 minutes before picking my students up from the cafeteria when I was teaching grade school. In 2008, I started eating a REAL breakfast – eggs and/or oatmeal, fruit (strawberries/blueberries) and adding vegetables to my meal and lo and behold! I started to not 1. feel so hungry later in the day 2. was full longer 3. felt better. I never looked back since.

I will come clean and tell you that back in May, I decided to try fasting in the morning (just drank coffee) and not eat my first meal until about 12 or 1. I thought perhaps this might be a new approach for me in losing a couple pounds. I started at a certain weight and followed this plan for about three weeks. Guess what? I weighed exactly the same three weeks later. The next day, I decided to start eating breakfast again in the morning and after two weeks, I was down 2 pounds. Why did I lose weight when I started eating breakfast again? Because I kept my caloric intake lower than my caloric out put. Because when I was fasting, I did not really skip breakfast…..I just ate it later in the day. I still ate the same number of calories, perhaps even more, because I was hungry. For me, breakfast works. On Sundays, I tend to eat much later than during the week but I still eat it. This is what works for me.

Here are what some of my breakfasts have looked like over the past couple years….depending on whether I am trying to gain weight, lose weight or maintain my weight.  (They ALL include eggs….with the exception of the protein shake….my on the go meal. 😉 )

I have also had Greek yogurt with berries or other fruit for breakfast before. Most importantly, for me, I never skip it. 😉

What works for YOU? Do you eat breakfast? What do you typically eat? Do you find yourself getting hungry an hour after you have eaten? Or do you last until about lunchtime? Remember, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. But if you need to make some changes and you are looking for help, contact me. I have been there.