Breakfast
This post is dedicated to Cindy, my girlfriend who forces herself to eat breakfast because of the prevailing dieter’s wisdom.
I am a good American girl. I eat breakfast every day. My mother would not let us walk out of the house without breakfast and I make sure that all of my kids get breakfast every day, too. And, I’m smart and pay attention in school and perform well on tests. AND, I’m overweight and three of my four kids are all fighting weight issues, too. My husband drinks coffee for breakfast and my skinny 18 year old prefers not to eat breakfast. I also know people who force themselves to eat breakfast because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do. And, EVERY diet I have ever been on starts with “don’t skip breakfast” or “here’s what you eat for breakfast”. Well, I’m trying something new - new for me anyway. I’m skipping breakfast. Seriously, now that I think about it, breakfast is a joke. Bacon and eggs with toast and butter or a bowl of cereal with milk. I think we can all agree that is not a good formula for maintaining a healthy weight. So, let’s look at my “diet breakfast”. I’ve done everything from bagels (loved the “fat free” days in the 80s), bacon and eggs (thank you Atkins), steel cut oats with fruit, nuts and flax seed oil, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, protein shakes, etc. Oh, it makes me hungry to think about. Hungry. What an interesting idea. It’s after 10 am and I am just now thinking that I might possibly be getting hungry. I was not hungry at 6:30, 7:30 or 8:30 when breakfast is what is supposed to happen. And when I do eat breakfast, I am generally hungry mid-morning. And, then I have a whole new food conversation about snacks. It’s exhausting and it’s no wonder I am behind in the laundry. I eat (and feed my kids) so that I won’t get hungry later. I’m running from my fear of hunger. I don’t think I’ve been hungry except for maybe a handful of times in the past 20 years. I would venture to say that most of us don’t even know what hungry feels like.
So, I’m experimenting with giving up breakfast. I figure it can’t hurt. I know all the sane dieter’s wisdom says that skipping breakfast sets me up to be ravenous at lunch and doesn’t give my metabolism a chance to start working and all that. Well, let’s see what happens. So far, so good.
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Of course that means I have a comemnt!
I HATE breakfast and Carrie got to experience first hand watching me have a temper tantrum at a recent girls weeklong “camp”. It must have seemed funny to watch me struggle to eat my breakfast, a very healthy one I might add. But for me it was pure torture. All I wanted was a cup of coffee and all those oats made me gag!
I go back and forth on the whole breakfast thing. What I notice most is that if I get up and eat, which is what we are supposed to do if we are on track, then I chase the nasty hungry monster all day long. In theory that is good cuz it means my metabolism is working. Unfortunately for me it just adds stress to my day. I am so busy running around town that it takes too much energy to stop and eat! I also do not like this feeling. It is very uncomfortable to me. Hunger is my weakness and I will do anything NOT to feel hungry. I’ve always envied people like my husband who do not get cranky when they are hungry. Why can they be hungry when for me it’s like torture. I’d rather walk on fire then be hungry! (I’m being dramatic here, kinda!)
I am curious to see what you think and how you feel. Are you hungry anyway or can you go a while till your tummy started growling that it hasn’t been fed. See, if I eat breakfast then I need food again soon (again this means my body is working). If I do not eat and just have a cup of coffee (oh happy happy joy joy) then I can go till 1 PM before I need to eat, BAD!!!! It is such a dilemma. For now what is working for me is a product I found that I mix into my coffee and it is pure protein but makes a wonderful Latte. It’s enough to take all my vitamins with and make me feel like I’m starting off the day on the right foot. So far so good, but I am still fat. Breakfast or no breakfast. It’s not my missing link. Actually as I’m writing this with a glass of wine in front of me I may have discovered my…….. (I see a post coming on)
Okay, I am so glad that my breakfast post inspired you. I know you want a wine post. I’m not there yet. But, coffee is probably what I’m talking about tomorrow! Something to look forward to.
I was fine until lunch and ate normally the rest of the day. I definitely ate less today because I skipped breakfast. I think the “metabolism” conversation is hooey. Someone made that up. It really appealed to my scientific side, but I don’t think it holds up to scrutiny. I know that there is a lot of research about it to knock my blonde-blog-theory, and I don’t care.
Dieting and conventional dieter’s wisdom has made me fatter, not thinner, so I’m not listening any more. I’m starting my own experiments. And, I’m having a lot of fun doing it, too.
Love you, Girlie! xo
Hey Care - I think skipping breakfast is fine - especially if you are not hungry. And many “diets” say it’s good to wait to eat in the morning until after your body starts moving and grooving (a nice way of saying until after you have pooped.) Remember the first book we ever read about food - the one that talked about food combining? I think they said all you need for breakfast is a piece of fruit. Anyway, I am eager to read your post about coffee. I have cut way back to one cup in the morning and am flirting with giving it up in January - maybe wine too…. But that is probably another post as well!