Can You Help Me to Start Eating Breakfast?

Go get some protein bars at GNC...I buy them when they are on sale (the regular price is quite expensive (i.e. 2.50-3.00 per bar), but when they are close to their expiration date, I buy them for sometimes as low as .49, I eat them with my coffee and some of them have up to 30 grams of protein. These keep me full all morning and I can eat them in the car.

As another "coffee lover", I need a quick breakfast for early morning meetings. I just grab a handful of almonds when I get my first cup of coffee. I eat them without even noticing as I put on my makeup. The bonus is, the almonds make me thirsty for water. So I tend to drink water at the meeting (not something I would do otherwise).

If you have a little more time for breakfast consider what you like to eat at other meals. A piece of cheese, crisp veggies, toast with peanut butter? Breakfast can be anything healthy you enjoy eating.

I'm like you, and so I started making my breakfast the night before. In the morning I'm so tired that I don't feel like making anything more than "instant" stuff.

I make waffles and I freeze them. Then I pop them in the toaster for instant homemade waffles. They are good with peanut butter on them! I have also made "skillets" which are frozen potatoes o'brien with sausage. I make the skillet the night before and put it in the fridge. In the morning I can just heat it up in the microwave with a bit of cheese.

My husband eats hard boiled eggs, another great breakfast! You just peel and eat!

I also like banana and peanut butter. I just grab a banana and smear some peanut butter on it.

Part of what makes eating breakfast successful for me is it's my ritual. I get up before my daughter does and I eat breakfast in my slippers and robe while I read a book an sip my tea. The house is quiet and it's some "me" time to wake up slowly. Sometimes I don't read, I just look out the window. After that, the chaos of the day begins! Who has time to eat then? LOL!

I tend to like to eat leftovers for breakfast. I read a whole foods cookbook last year that advocated eating lots of veggies at breakfast time, and it was such a novel idea to me. Previously I had always had toast or oatmeal, but I am noticing that I don't really feel great when I eat flour products, and I got sick of oatmeal all the time. Although it is super cheap and fast. Anyway, I started trying to fit in fruits and veggies at breakfast, and it does make a huge difference in my energy levels. I also always make sure there is some protein.
If you can prepare something ahead of time so all you have to do it microwave it or pull it out of the fridge or pantry, you may be more likely to have breakfast.
Here are my favorites-
Leftover stir fry veggies, vegetable lasagna, chicken, basically leftovers in general. I like dinner for breakfast :)
Smoothies- I throw in a cut up apple or pear, some frozen grapes, spinach, and whatever other fruits and veggies I have around like carrots, ginger, mango, cantaloupe. I put in a few cups of water and blend it up in the blender.
Hard boiled eggs
Ham and egg cups (there is a recipe at Ourbestbites.com) basically you mix up eggs, veggies and bacon or ham and pour them into muffin cups and bake. They taste like little quiches. They freeze well. I add a lot of spinach, kale, peppers and onions to mine.
Sauteed greens with an egg on top- If I have time, I will cook up some spinach, kale, or cabbage in a frying pan, then once it is cooked I will lower the heat and crack and egg on top, add salt and pepper and put a lid on it till the egg is cooked. Sometimes I put marinara sauce or salsa on top or add other veggies, bacon, chicken or pesto.
Breakfast cookies- there are a lot of healthy recipes online that use flax seed and whole grains, this would be an easy thing to grab out of the pantry
Homemade Lara Bars or Clif Bars
A banana with peanut butter and sunflower seeds on top

I don't get hungry till about 9 or 10 am either and I always eat breakfast around then. Maybe doing a quick workout in the morning will help get the metabolism going and jump start your hunger?

Put off your coffee for a later time in the morning. No, don't panic. Even though you feel you need caffeine, don't do it *first* thing. Look at the breakfast ideas below (they sound yummy) and pick the easiest one for you. In the morning, get a little food in your system, and drink some water. After that, make the coffee. Have one cup - and have a second only if you really, really need one.

If it would help, as soon as you get up, have a little orange juice or a banana, if you like either of those. That's quick and low-calorie, and will give you a little physical and mental energy to fix a good breakfast.

Think of breakfast as something you do whether you have an appetite or not. Make it a given, like brushing your teeth or filling up the gas tank of the car - something that isn't ruled by how you feel.

If you can pop good food into your mouth first, and have the coffee later, it might help you get back into a good habit. They say it takes twenty-one continuous days to develop a habit. It may actually take longer. But be very consistent, and don't let that coffee get near you until you've had something to eat.

Can you drink a big glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning? That might help you with your appetite.

Just a thought!

Dawn

I'm with you I do not like breakfast I love my coffee in the morning. What I do that seems to help is buy granola bars, grapes and peanuts. When I get to work I can munch on the grapes or peanuts and you can usually eat a granola bar even if your not hungry. It does help because then you are not over hungry by lunch and then make bad choices on lunch

Go to bed/wake up earlier so you have time in the morning for a breakfast routine.
Limit yourself to 1 cup of coffee and drink it WITH your breakfast, not before it.
You might go into caffeine withdrawal for a few days, but too much is just h*** o* your system.
An egg on toast I can have ready in 15 min.
A bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter is also fast.
So is bowl of cereal, or an English muffin or toast with Nutella.

Protein shake - Muscle Milk, ensure. Right next to the diet shakes in the pharmacy section.

I love to make a fritatta on the weekends, and then have a slice each morning during the week. It is fast, savory, and easy to prepare, and gives you lots of good protein. It's even kinda portable if you make it right.

I also am rarely physically hungry in the morning, unless I've been eating really badly - then those carb cravings kick in. But having breakfast really is beneficial. Keep working at it!

I absolutely LOVE Luna Protein bars -especially the cookie dough flavor! I also usually am eating breakfast on the run, so it's easy -just unwrap it and chow down (with your caffeine of course)! They're actually pretty good for you -lots of vitamins and a decent sugar to carb to protein/fat/fiber ratio. They're also gluten free if that's an issue! I've been having one or two (if I've gone running before breakfast I'm sometimes EXTREMELY hungry) for breakfast for over a year now.

Another thing I love for breakfast if I have the time is pink grapefruit (either fresh or the slices from Del Monte in the fresh produce fridge section) and Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties. It's still fairly fast and portable!

What about something small - just one fried egg and half a piece of toast? It's quick and easy to make and you could eat it with your coffee. I am not a breakfast person either, so I know how you feel in the morning. I love to have an egg or some yogurt though. Plain yogurt with a sliced banana and some honey is delicious and easy.

During the summer I usually through berries and yogurt over the top of whole grain cereal. In the winter I usually crave hot stuff. Oatmeal is good. I also like making omlettes with a bunch of veggies inside (they don't take more then 10 minutes to make) you could make breakfast at night that you can reheat in the morning. I spend one day a month making big batches of healthy baked goods (I cut out the fat by using half applesauce, use half bran instead of all flour, and use half splenda instead of all sugar, then stick different fruits and nuts in the batter.) that way I can freeze them and just stick them in the microwave in the morning.

I don't know if your schedule allows for this. I have coffee at home as soon as I wake up. I eat breakfast after arriving at the office sometime between 9 and 11 am. I then eat lunch between 1 and 4. Dinner is usually a very light meal, toast and cheese, a green salad, some fruit, had after 8pm. This schedule seems to work well for me. I don't feel sluggish when I go to sleep, and I have worked up an appetite for breakfast by the time I get around to eating it.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I make a big pot of oatmeal about twice a week and chop up a whole bunch of fruit, (strawberries, blackberries usually). Every morning, I scoop out a bowl, add some brown sugar, ground flax seed and a teeny bit of honey with chopped fruit.

It's an easy and fast breakfast b/c I can just reheat a bowl at a time and scoop out some chopped fruit. Since I do this every few days, I have enough leftovers to make it several days.

We drink zero coffee here, I promise that you can learn to function without it if you wean yourself and substitute it for a big glass of ice water and healthy meal in the mornings. Eat a small bit of dark chocolate, it gives you a hint of caffeine and it's healthy for you too. Hard to get started I know.

Oatmeal - just 1/4 cup of oats in a microwave safe bowl on high for 1 min 30 seconds. Done! Sprinkle blueberries straight from the freezer to quickly cool it and add some flavor and extra nutrition, or bit of granola, brown sugar & sliced almonds or breakfast cereal.

Toast. Swing by a bakery and pick up a delicious loaf of grainy bread that smells delicious. Pop a slice in the toaster and top with nut butter and jam, cheese and tomato, butter/cinnamon/sprinkle of brown sugar. You may find yourself going back for that second slice.

Fruit and a good yogurt. Personally, I prefer a little fat in my yogurt for a smoother texture. Perfect time of year for yogurt and sliced strawberries.

Hard boiled egg - if you're into eggs. If I eat eggs for breakfast, they better be warm, but my son eats them straight from the fridge (made the night before).

Or thinking outside the box - when I need a good snack I usually go for a handful of dark chocolate chips and almonds. No reason breakfast has to come in a box...

Happy eating! ...and your coffee talk is making me look forward to my own in the morning.

I'm with you! I bought some yogurt that I like and some organic granola to put in it and some of those new belvita cookies. I tried it for a few days but I just don't have an appetite until 11 or 12. I don't drink coffee either. Just sweet tea in the a.m. I just can't force myself. I eat now at odd times. I eat something small at around 1pm, a bigger meal at 4 or so and dinner at 8pm. I wish that I had a different hunger schedule but that's how it is. I have a hard time maintaning the 108 that I weigh so eating is a priority but if I'm not hungry then I'm just not hungry....

Coffee flavored yogurt?

Protein such as eggs. I don't eat them every single day because of the cholesterol, but if I'm having a busy day ahead of me, I will make poached eggs on wheat toast (dabbed with a bit of butter). Very filling and it gets me through lunch. I'm not snacking between breakfast and lunch or eating a second breakfast. On ocassion, I've drank those Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks. They've always given me a boost of energy, but are not as filling. Recently, we were at the hospital and had breakfast in the cafeteria. They were serving many turkey products like turkey bacon and turkey sausage. It's less fat and just as filling as regular bacon and sausage.

I am not a breakfast person either. I have to struggle to make myself eat too. I find that if I keep granola bars, quick foods, healthier ones though, that I will go sit down with them and get on the computer and not gag when I am eating them.

I also like the Vanilla Carnation Instant Breakfast. I like only the vanilla flavor though. The strawberry isn't bad but the chocolate is so nasty....if you like chocolate it just tastes bad.

On days when I'm not hungry but need the nutrition I make a protein drink. I love the Juice Plus stuff but you have to find a seller and make a commitment. It sounds like you know the right thing to do, but you've lost the motivation and the coffee is a crutch. Maybe you could reward yourself with ONE cup of coffee AFTER you eat breakfast.

i hear ya. i'm overweight, but breakfast just rarely appeals to me, especially on the mornings i allow myself coffee. but oh how much better my days go if i start off right.
protein smoothies are your friend. they're easy to get down and packed with nutrition. i can't face green smoothies at breakfast (i don't love them at any time, but there is no lunch in the world that gives me more energy and feel-good-ness), so i do some frozen fruit (half a banana and a handful of berries), some dark chocolate almond milk, and some hemp raw protein powder or a raw egg. if i'm on a raw food fast i'll substitute raw milk for the almond milk.
oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts you can get, but if you're in a 'i don't want to eat' mood it's very hard to make it and get it down.
if your hurdle is that you don't want to fuss with fixing anything, a good protein-packed granola bar is probably your best bet. to make it even better, make them yourself on the weekends and dole them out during the week.
hopefully as your energy level rises you'll start to crave that good breakfast.
:) khairete
S.

This was especially hard from me when I was pregnant. Food was just not my friend during pregnancies.

I like Carnation Breakfast Essentials. One packet mixed with 8 ounces of milk. Personally, I like it mixed with 12, because it's just so thick.

I also like Slim Fast Meal Bars. They are very easy to eat (easy on my stomach), and they have enough calories, protein, etc for a complete breakfast. I like to eat that with my coffee.

If you like eggs, I love a boiled egg on toast. Sometimes just a hard boiled egg by itself is good.

id say start with something small u can force yourself to eat even if your not hungry.. grab a granola bar or a cookie.. something u can eat quick before u drink a whole ton of coffee

I love the Kashi Go Lean crunchy bars. Protein, fiber, and the convience of being able to carry with you. I find they keep me quite full until my next meal or snack!
I have also made my own breakfast bars and kept them frozen to grab on the go. I'm not a morning person. It must be quick and ready!
I also prefer crunchy over creamy. I like yougart, but it needs fruit and granola to be complete for me!

Oh Ephie . . . I was going to suggest stopping coffee and then I read your "I drink a lot of coffee before I start anything . . ."

You have likely hit on the problem without knowing it.

When I drink coffee I don't want to eat either. I'm not sure why that is. I gave up coffee for 6-8 months a couple of years ago and did much better. For some stupid reason I went back to it.

I gave up coffee again yesterday (I do drink tea). What do you know - I was hungry this morning.

Something to think about . . .

The same as me. I started out with a vegatable and fruit smoothie in the morning. Now I can eat dinner at breakfast!

Per Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder

Note: I encourage you to mix and match your greens and fruit. Vary this recipe with kale, chard, arugula, and the like. Just avoid melons, as they don’t combine well with other produce.

Ingredients (64 ounces / 2-4 servings)
1 ½- 2 cups very cold, filtered water
6 cups spinach, chopped
5 cups organic romaine lettuce, chopped
2 stalks of organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
1–2 Tbs. fresh organic lemon juice
Optional Ingredients
Ice cubes (the extra coldness can help newbies with the taste)
1/2 cup of organic cilantro
1/2 cup of organic parsley
Directions
Add water, spinach and chopped romaine to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed; mix until smooth.
Gradually move to higher speeds and add the herbs, celery, pear, and apple. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

*For 1 serving, cut out one of the fruits and the celery.

Remember, your overall diet and lifestyle, and how you are cleansing out waste regularly are critical to you getting the results you want. You can’t just drink the GGS and expect maximum results…Be sure to read The Beauty Detox Solution to learn the entire program! It includes the crucial information to understand how to eat for beauty, as well as recipes, meal plans, and much more.

i used to have a hard time stomaching breakfast. turns out it was due to dehydration, caused by GI issues (celiac's disease). see if drinking more water helps.

i'm still not very good about eating a big breakfast but i don't get ill at the thought. also, i can eat non-breakfast type foods in the morning now too.