Best Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss Part 2

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Today I will share with you five healthy low calorie sample breakfast menus. I’ve chosen these because they provide a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as other essential nutrients for less than 350 calories. With a little advance planning these breakfasts can be ready to eat in minutes. In part one of this article I talked about the importance of getting enough protein and dietary fiber for breakfast. And I provided you with resources to determine how much protein you need as an individual. Although 60 grams of protein per day will not be an exact amount for you, it is an average amount needed by most women on a 1200 calorie diet. To determine how much protein you need for a 1500 calorie diet (or other level) I would encourage you read Part 1 if you have not done so already. What struck me as I did a little research online to come up with some additional ideas for breakfast is that this information is not readily available. Well-balanced nutritious breakfasts with plenty of protein and fiber for less than 350 calories are hard to find. I am referring to meals without any added protein or fiber supplements. To test my ideas for meal ideas and nutritional balance, I use the database and system at myfooddiary.com. What is a good protein content for a healthy breakfast on a low calorie diet? There is no set answer because it depends on your situation. For a 1200 calorie diet, I would say if you can obtain 14 grams of protein or more and still have enough fiber and other essential nutrients, that’s good! How much is enough fiber? See if you can obtain at least 5 grams of dietary fiber or more. [The recommended amount of dietary fiber for women 19 to 50 years of age is 25 grams of fiber a day. For women 51 or older it is 21 grams per day.] Image via Wikipedia All of the breakfast ideas can be ready to eat in minutes. However, some of the menus will require a little advance cooking and or planning. I recommend setting aside some time over the weekend or whenever it works for you to prepare some of the food ahead of time and then have it ready to eat for the rest of the week. Foods that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated include hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, and muffins (make up a large batch of muffins and freeze). 5 Low Calorie Sample Breakfasts with Plenty of Protein and Dietary Fiber Breakfast 1 Top 2 halves of a multi-grain english muffin with low fat cottage cheese and sliced fresh strawberries. Eat along with one hard-boiled egg. 1 English Muffin (100 calories, Light Multi-Grain by Thomas) 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat) 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1 hard-boiled egg calories: 306 protein: 28.3 grams dietary fiber: 11 grams calcium: 264 mg Vitamin C: 89.4 mg Breakfast 2 A waffle spread with a peanut butter and yogurt mix served with 4 ounces of skim milk and a kiwi fruit 1 Nutri-grain lowfat waffle (71 calories, Eggo) 1/4 plain lowfat yogurt 1 Tbsp. peanut butter 4 oz. skim milk 1 kiwi fruit calories: 299 protein: 14.0 grams dietary fiber: 5 grams calcium: 274 mg Vitamin C: 84.9 mg Breakfast 3 Oatmeal with skim milk and a whole orange. 1/2 cup Creamy Breakfast Oatmeal (226 calories, The recipe for this is coming soon! Till then enjoy plain oatmeal made with skim milk and a little sugar or raisins for sweetness) 4 oz. skim milk 1 medium orange calories: 325 protein: 14.5 grams dietary fiber: 7.3 grams calcium: 301 mg vitamin C: 59.9 mg Breakfast 4 A six ounce low fat vanilla yogurt served with a low fat blueberry bran muffin, a kiwi fruit, and a few almonds. 1 six ounce Light ‘n Fit Creamy French Vanilla (Dannon) 1 Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffin (125 calories, recipe coming soon!) 1 kiwi fruit 6 almonds calories: 316 protein: 14.1 grams dietary fiber: 8 grams calcium: 313 mg Vitamin C: 85.7 mg Breakfast 5 Cottage cheese topped with blueberries and a touch of real maple syrup drizzled on top. Eat along with a low calorie oat bran muffin. 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat) 1/2 cup blueberries 1 Tbsp. real maple syrup 1 low calorie oat bran muffin (178 calories) calories: 348 protein: 19.2 grams dietary fiber: 4.8 grams calcium: 130 mg Vitamin C: 6.9 mg Note: See how this breakfast combination is low in calcium and vitamin C but otherwise a healthy choice? When choosing this you will want to be sure to have good sources of these nutrients later in the day. How about a low fat yogurt or piece of cheese for more calcium with a mid-morning snack? Or a piece of fruit or juice for Vitamin C? Always remember to get plenty of water each day. Add a glass of water or unsweetened tea or coffee to round out each breakfast meal. Try one or more of these breakfast suggestions. See if the dietary fiber and protein along with other nutrients help you fill up and stay satisfied longer (not hungry) than say just a bowl of cereal with skim milk and orange juice. With just a little advance planning these breakfasts can be ready to eat just as quickly. And you may find them to be more satisfying. Hope this helps! calories Health weight loss calories, Health, weight losshealthy breakfast calories low calorie diet protein fiber 1200 calorie dietEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Best Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss Part 1

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Breakfast matters. Dozens of research studies have confirmed what health professionals have been teaching for decades. From having a higher intake of essential vitamins and minerals, to feeling better both physically and mentally, and possibly living longer, breakfast eaters seem to have an edge over those who skip. That’s good news but there’s more. Did you know that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less? Or that choosing certain healthy breakfast foods over others could make weight loss or maintenance easier? Ideally a healthy breakfast includes a variety of foods, fruits and/or vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and a good source of low calorie protein. However, it is a challenge to meet nutrient needs for the day when on a low calorie diet (This is one of the reasons nutritionists advise women to not go below 1200 calories when dieting. Read 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started to learn more.) It is much more difficult and often not possible to achieve a nutritional balance for a single meal, especially breakfast when time may be limited. So what are your best choices for breakfast? Let’s take a look at how to meet your nutritional needs while at the same time increase your chances for weight loss success. In addition, let’s keep in mind the need for breakfast to be quick, easy, and appealing! To begin, breakfast may be very important but it is only one meal. Try to spread out your meals and snacks over the day to keep your metabolism running smoothly and help you feel your best. To do this, breakfast will provide about 1/4 to 1/3 of your total daily calories. That’s only 300 to 350 calories on a 1200 calorie diet (or 375 to 450 calories on a 1500 calorie diet). Lots of low calorie eat and run healthy breakfasts are high in carbohydrates. (Think breakfast cereals, toast, muffins, and fruit whether fresh or dried, and fruit juice.) That can be good if you pick carbs with plenty of fiber and other nutrients. Eating high-fiber foods can fill you up and keep you satisfied longer than many other foods. (See Dietary Fiber: Can it Help You with Weight Loss) But you can improve on this choice by understanding the value of having enough protein with your breakfast. Protein can blunt your hunger for longer than any other nutrient and is therefore the most satiating. Avoiding hunger and the desire to eat any food in sight can be a struggle on a low calorie diet! So give this tip a try for nourishment and to see if it helps you feel less hungry. Image via WikipediaHow much protein is enough and what foods can you pick to keep the calorie count down? The daily recommendation for protein in a healthy diet ranges from 10 to 35 percent. This assumes you are eating ENOUGH calories for YOU. If you haven’t done so already, please read 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started. This article will help you assess your minimum safe calorie intake. Ten percent may not be enough protein to meet your needs on a 1200 calorie diet. Your protein needs are independent of your calorie intake. You have a need for a certain amount of protein whether you are on a reduced calorie diet or not (To calculate YOUR precise protein needs read How Much Protein Do You Need?) Thirty-five percent protein is probably more than what is needed by the average woman. (People who need very high levels of protein are athletes and those recovering from surgery and certain illnesses.) Approximately, 15 to 25% protein will hopefully meet your daily protein needs and will not be too difficult to obtain with a healthy diet. So let’s go with 20% as an average. Twenty percent of 1200 calories would be 240 calories or 60 grams of protein for the day. [An easy way to determine how much 20% of 1200 calories would be is to start with 10%. Ten percent is 120 calories so twice that would be 240 calories or 20% of 1200. Each gram of protein has an energy equivalent of about 4 calories per gram. So 240 divided by 4 equals 60 grams. You can use this same sequence of calculations to figure your protein needs on a 1500 calorie diet.] O.K., I’ve walked you through more details then you probably wanted to know! What I would like for you to remember is the number 60 grams of protein. (Approximately what you need on a 1200 calorie diet). Knowing this number, you now have an idea of how to determine the amount of protein you need for breakfast. Ideally this would be about 15 to 20 grams of protein (60 to 80 calories) because a healthy breakfast will provide about 1/4 to 1/3 of what you need for the day. But that gets tricky when you are eating only 300-350 calories. In part 2 of this article, I will give you some breakfast sample menus to show you what kind of choices you might make to meet both your fiber and protein needs for breakfast as well as other nutrients as best you can. This will give you a better idea of what you can do to fill up and stay satisfied for longer on a low calorie diet. Feeling satisfied and not hungry is half the battle with weight loss. Don’t you think? calories Health Maintenance weight loss calories, Health, Maintenance, weight losshealthy breakfast calories low calorie diet protein fiber Enjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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300 Calorie Mini Meals: Eat less but often

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Low calorie diets and mini meals were made for each other. If you are on a 1200 to 1500 calorie diet, making each calorie count matters. The best way to ensure nutritional balance and to keep from feeling hungry is to spread your meals and snacks throughout the day. Try to eat something nutritious every 3 hours. Most or all of your calories are best consumed from breakfast through supper. If you follow this system you won’t have many calories, if any, left for the evening. Choose nutrient dense foods that are a good source of fiber whenever possible. Eating small meals often helps keep your metabolism running smoothly, which assists you in burning fat (see note that follows). Mini meals also provide you with a steady influx of important nutrients. Here are some sample plans of how your calorie breakdown might work. [Note: For the BEST fat burning information you will find anywhere read my review of Tom Venuto’s book “Burn the Fat”. I don’t anyone who knows more about burning fat with healthy eating and exercise (no diet pills or supplements) than Tom.] 1200 calorie diet 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) about 300-350 calories each 2 snacks of about 100-150 calories each Or 3 main meals of 300 calories each 3 snacks of 100 calories each 1500 calorie diet 5 mini-meals (breakfast, lunch, supper, plus 2 snacks) of about 300 calories each Or 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) of about 350-400 calories each 3 snacks throughout the day of 100-150 calories each Today I’m sharing eight 300-calorie mini-meal possibilities for breakfast, lunch, supper, or snacks. Some of these come from 1200 calorie sample menus I’ve already provided but other examples are new. I hope these samples give you an opportunity to think about the many ways you can mix and match mini-meals for a nutritious daily menu of your own. Keep in mind that each mini-meal will not necessarily be nutritionally balanced by itself. That’s why it’s important to have a sense of how each of your choices fits in a nutritionally balanced plan for the day. If you would like to see how well you are doing with your choices, refer to the 1200 or 1500 calorie diet plan on this website for a checklist. You might also want to try a membership with MyFoodDiary.com (see my review of their service) to better assess your overall nutritional balance for a day. I’ve been a member for quite a while now and I have found the nutrient database they provide and the system for checking nutritional balance to be invaluable whenever I create 1200 to 1500 calorie sample menus. To give you a variety of choices I will be sharing more mini-meals over time. I will include samples to meet different needs. Some will require a little cooking, others are heat and serve, and others can be purchased on the run from a grocery store or restaurant. Keep in mind that pre-prepared foods whether canned or packaged from a grocery store or meals from a restaurant tend to be high in sodium. Image via Wikipedia Mini-meals for Breakfast: 2 Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes 178 1/2 Tbsp. Land O’Lakes Light Butter made in part with Canola Oil 25 2 Tbsp. Light Syrup 48 4 oz. Orange Juice 52 303 calories total 1 Large Egg Scrambled with 2 tsp. margarine or butter 137 * 1 Slice Whole Wheat Bread 90 1/2 Tbsp. Jam 25 4 oz. Orange Juice 52 294 calories total *[Or choose to use 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) of an Egg Substitute for fewer calories–about 30 calories for the egg and 67 calories for 2 tsp. butter totaling 97 calories for the scrambled eggs. That brings the total calories to 254 giving you a chance to add 1/2 glass of milk or some low fat yogurt (about 40-50 calories) to add some protein and calcium to round out the nutritional balance.] Mini-meals for Lunch: 1 cup Vegetable Soup by Health Valley 55 1/2 Sandwich (or have an open-faced sandwich with one slice of bread) 1 Slice 100% Whole Wheat Bread 90 6 Slices Honey Ham 70 1 Slice Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese 60 1 tsp. Mustard 60 1 Slice Tomato 13 291 total calories 1 Martha’s Vineyard Salad from Arby’s 277 4 oz. Skim Milk 40 317 total calories Mini-meals for Supper: 1 cup Four-Cheese Whole Wheat Ravioli 256 1/4 cup Low Sodium Marinara Pasta Sauce 20 1/2 cup Steamed Broccoli 26 302 Total Calories 1 Spa Lean Cuisine Classics Salmon with Basil 230 8 oz. Skim Milk 80 310 Total Calories Mini-meals for Snacks: 1 oz. (about 1/4 cup or 28 nuts) whole natural plain almonds 170 1 medium Apple 80 1 small square of Dark Chocolate 50 300 Total Calories 1 cup Low-fat 1% Cottage Cheese 160 (1/2 cup 2% Cottage Cheese has about 100 calories) 1/2 cup blueberries 41 Drizzle a LITTLE (1 Tbsp.) real Maple Syrup over the blueberry-topped cottage cheese 50 2 Whole Grain Crackers (such as Crispbread Rye Crackers) 72 293 Total Calories Hope this helps! Have a great week, watch those calories, and stay healthy! 1200 calorie diet burn calories calories diet Health low fat Maintenance weight loss 1200 calorie diet, burn calories, calories, diet, Health, low fat, Maintenance, weight lossmini meals 300 calories diet nutritious low fat burn fat weight loss healthyEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Maintain Energy Levels When Dieting: 8 Tips

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It’s all too easy to get tired. A stressful busy life, poor diet, lack of exercise, hormonal imbalance, and more can contribute to the problem. Throw dieting into the mix and it’s even easier to get run down. So what can you do to keep your energy levels up on a low calorie diet? 1. Eat enough food! Eating enough to meet your basal energy needs (basal metabolic rate or BMR) PLUS the energy cost of exercise matters. It is possible to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight without going overboard. Reducing caloric intake too much gets many dieters in trouble. Take the time to assess your calorie needs. You are unique and your needs will not be exactly the same as anyone else. (Whatever your target calorie intake might be, read 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started! to determine whether or not you are on track.) Image via Wikipedia 2. Make Time to Eat Meals. Your metabolism and energy levels will be at their best when you give yourself nourishment throughout the day. Eat something for breakfast (lunch and supper also). Yes, you can. (Read 50 Ways to Succeed with Weight Loss Starting Today! for a tip on how you might renew your interest in breakfast if you claim you aren’t hungry in the morning.) 3. Eat something healthy every 3 hours or so for a total of 5-6 times a day. If you have the time and desire to figure it out, mini-meals each time you eat might be the best choice for you. On a 1200 Calorie Diet you might have 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) of 300-350 calories or so plus two snacks of about 100 calories each (see my 1200 calorie sample menus for ideas). On a 1500 calorie diet you might choose to have 3 meals of 350-400 calories plus two to three 100-150 calorie snacks. Or you might have 5 300-calorie mini-meals spread throughout the day. 4. Eat bigger meals earlier in the day rather than later. This concept may be easier said than done for many Americans who all too often are pressed for time in the morning. If it is a problem for you, some advance planning can help you out. In the coming months I will be sharing tips on how to prepare easy healthy low calorie meals in minutes. Be sure to check back! 5. Drink plenty of water. You can meet your fluid needs in a variety of ways on a low calorie diet. However, your best bets to keep calorie counts down are to choose unsweetened tea, coffee, or water. Your body needs water to keep your metabolism and physiological processes running smoothly. Dehydration can result in low energy or even fatigue. 6. Eat balanced meals. In addition to water, your body needs a variety of nutrients in a well-orchestrated balance to keep your energy levels up.This happens in part because a proper balance of nutrients are needed to keep your hormones in balance. Your hormones in turn influence your metabolism. For the greatest success, you will want to get your nutrients from whole, healthy foods NOT supplements or highly processed foods. Nature holds the secret to a healthy balance.Keep in mind that there are nutrients we may need that scientists do not yet not know anything about. This is especially true for antioxidants and other compounds sometimes called phytochemicals that have yet to be officially designated as nutrients. 7. Exercise or engage in some kind of daily physical activity. Making time for exercise can give you energy AND time rather than take time away. How? By keeping your energy levels up and helping you to be fully awake and efficient for more hours each day. (For quick, easy ways to be physically active and burn calories when there is no time for exercise, read 25 Quick, Easy, and Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories) A little bit of exercise is good but a lot is not necessarily better! Also, as I pointed out in the first tip, not eating enough food to cover the energy cost of exercise can leave you feeling very tired. An added bonus for exercise, especially when it is earlier in the day, is that it might help you sleep better at night. That leads to tip 8. 8. Get enough rest. I know an overly demanding schedule can make it hard to carve out enough time for sleep. If that’s true for you, maybe you need to re-examine your priorities. Sleep matters. Not getting enough sleep will not only rob you of energy but it can set you up to overeat. No one I know can successfully put all of these tips into practice all the time. But just knowing what may be contributing to your lack of energy will hopefully give you a chance to turn things around as you are able. Low calorie diet or not, it possible to feel less tired more of the time. Health weight loss Health, weight lossdieting eating nourishment lose weight low calorie diet calories energy low calorie basal metabolic rate physical activityEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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