One of the biggest changes I’ve made is incorporating breakfast into my routine…every single day. When I started waking up hungry in the morning, I knew I’d succeeded in making my body work better. Eating breakfast boosts your metabolism for the day so your body effectively works harder to burn calories. You don’t have to eat it the minute you jump out of bed and it doesn’t have to be huge…just remember to eat something in the morning.

I had to really do some experimenting here. I usually didn’t eat breakfast and when I did it included things like eggs, bacon, sausage, syrupy french toast, and other super high-calorie, high-fat foods. I think I realized I don’t have to give these things up completely one night when we were stuck in Apex at dinner time and ended up at IHOP. I was able to eat a dinner of scrambled eggs, bacon, and french toast with syrup for less than 600 calories. It just required some simple substitutions!

I normally don’t eat that much for breakfast…I keep my calories for that time of day in the 200-300 range. But I can have bits and pieces of that kind of meal without sacrificing taste or health! That was a big turning point and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities out there.

So what does my breakfast look like now?

• If I’m craving eggs, liquid eggs (Eggbeaters or similar) fit the bill. Unlike whole eggs, these fall in the “green” category of my diet plan so I am allowed to eat them in abundance. A half cup is filling and only about 60 calories. Plus they taste great! If I’m feeling ambitious, I chop up some fresh spinach and tomatoes and make an omelet. It’s a great protein boost first thing in the morning!
• Bacon is obviously a huge no-no. I do love a crispy piece of bacon for breakfast…the problem is I can’t stop at just one! So I tried turkey bacon. I won’t lie…it is not the same. However, when cooked just right (we like to put it on a broiler pan in the oven because the microwave just doesn’t cut it) it is a more than adequate substitute. And at 25 calories per slice, it’s definitely a healthier choice.
• If you prefer sausage, consider turkey sausage. To me, the taste is the same as the real thing. When I have to eat breakfast in the car because I overslept, I really like the Tennessee Pride turkey sausage biscuits. Two (they’re small) are 210 calories.
• Another favorite is waffles. There are a lot of multi-grain options out there, but even some of the other varieties are low calorie. To keep these low calorie, use a buttery spray (I like BestLife’s) and sugar free (Cary brand is my favorite) syrup. Top with some fruit and nuts and you have a super yummy, low calorie breakfast that includes some protein and one of your fruit/veggie servings. If you prefer to make your own, waffles aren’t hard to make and they freeze nicely so you can make up a batch, freeze them, and pull out one or two when you want them.
• If I’m just not up to the challenge of “making” something, I pull out a cup of fat-free yogurt and throw in some granola and frozen fruit. It’s perfectly fine to eat something like this. The goal is to eat breakfast, period. If having to prepare something keeps you from eating, then the better alternative is to do what’s easy.
• And breakfast always includes coffee. Now that I am off soda completely (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I have to get my caffeine in somewhere. Coffee has become my method of choice. In the interest of total disclosure, I admit that I use real sugar. I know, I know. But I can’t stand the taste of artificial sweeteners! I figure a teaspoon won’t hurt me, considering the fact that each can of Mountain Dew has a crazy huge amount of sugar (I’ve heard 11 tsp!) in every can. And when you’re having 2 or 3 of those each day, a teaspoon (or even 2) of sugar in a cup of coffee is a step in the right direction, right? I also use flavored creamers. I typically go for the skinny version so it’s fat free but occasionally I can’t get the flavor I want in skinny and I indulge myself. I use such a small amount that the difference is negligible and it really, really helps me to enjoy my coffee so I don’t want a soda later. A minor concession really makes a big difference if it allows you to stick to your plan.

If I had all the money and time in the world, I would obviously make even better choices. Fresher foods with fewer preservatives are the ideal but I think most of us need the affordable and quick/easy options, especially when it comes to breakfast. One thing I don’t compromise on is high fructose corn syrup. Nothing I eat for breakfast contains HFCS. It’s getting easier to find foods that don’t include this insidious additive…even the “regular” brands are now cutting it out so you don’t have to look for the natural or organic options. Read your labels and know what you’re putting into your body! This alone is one of the easiest things you can do to eat healthier.

If you’re trying to lose weight, what do you eat for breakfast? I’m always looking for new ideas to change it up!

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I’m eating about 1500 calories a day. Balancing my green, yellow, and red foods appropriately. Soda is now disgustingly sweet to me and my caffeine addiction is all but gone. (I am having coffee some days, but I don’t need it.) I’m burning 3000-4000 calories a week through exercise and I’ve just started really switching it up so that I might do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred one day, Wii Fit cardio & yoga another, elliptical the next, and some intervals sprinkled in there. I’m averaging 2 workouts per day most days and I feel pretty good about that. The one thing I’d like to add in is kettlebells for some additional strength training, but I don’t have the funds for either a video or the kettlebells themselves right now.

I slipped on Monday…ate a 350 calorie dessert because I was craving something sweet. I ate it slowly and enjoyed every single bite, something I have had a hard time doing in the past. I used to eat dessert regularly and just wolf it down, barely stopping to enjoy it. Afterwards, I got on the elliptical and burned every one of those 350 calories off. And even though I counted it as a slip, I’m proud for the way I handled it. I indulged, I enjoyed, I worked out extra to make up for it. Baby steps, right?

But my weight loss has stopped. I’m stuck at 7 pounds lost and nothing is making that scale move. I even started taking Alli, hoping that it would help me lose a little bit extra. Apparently I was already taking in so little fat that it just doesn’t affect me! I guess that’s a good thing, but it’s slightly frustrating, because I just do not know what else to do.

Am I undereating/overtraining and sending myself into starvation mode? Am I missing something else? Where do I go from here to get the weight loss kick started again?

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There are so many apps out there, but my favorites are the CardioTrainer and Calorific apps from WorkSmart Labs. CardioTrainer is free and records all of your workouts…anything from yoga to running to weight training. It tells you how many calories you’re burning, how far you’ve gone, and even plays your workout playlist to keep you motivated. I highly recommend upgrading to Pro (For $9.99…it was given to me as a gift by my mom.) if you can afford it. This gives you additional options, including interval training and premium features like a weight loss trainer which I’ve found very helpful in planning my food intake and calorie burn goals.

Calorific is also free and makes it easy to make good food choices. Each food is categorized as green, yellow, or red. Your green foods are things  like fruits and veggies, whole grain breads, brown rice, beans, and fat free dairy products. These are supposed to make up 50% of your calorie intake. Yellow is mainly lean meats, white breads, nuts, oils, and low fat dairy. Yellow foods should be 35% of your daily caloric intake. Red is beef, fried foods, butter, ice cream, soda, cake, and all of those things we love but should eat in very small doses. They should make up the remaining 15% of your diet. It’s a much more simplified version of the calorie counters you might find on SparkPeople or Weight Watchers, which makes it much easier to use and much more effective for people like me who tend to get easily frustrated trying to nail down every single food as specifically as possible.

I also really like the Daily Workouts from Daniel Miller. He has them for abs, butt, and arms. These apps are free and give you an easy 5 minute workout, but for 99 cents each you can upgrade them and get an additional workout so you can switch it up a little.

There is also a free heart rate monitor out there for Android phones. It gets fairly accurate results when used correctly. Knowing your heart rate helps you be sure your hitting your target during exercise.

I know there are many more apps out there, but this is what I’ve found and like so far. Do you have one you love?

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With two other children who see their beloved big brother eating these and demand the same, we end up going through as many as 90 per month. At approximately $3 a box (50 cents per bar) that comes to about $45 a month just for these breakfast bars! Coupons for them are rare and we do stock up when we can get them at a cheaper price, but it still ends up being about $30 a month. Just not a very good idea for our food budget anymore.

Not only are they expensive, but the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, which I’m trying to cut back on. I’m all for moderation but when HFCS is in everything, it’s not so easy to be moderate in your consumption! Needless to say, I’ve been doing a lot of home cooking to try to minimize this in our diets.

So how to go about a) minimizing costs and b) eating healthier while keeping the kiddos happy? I googled copycat recipes, of course! I came up with several different options to try and with a little trial and error, I’ve managed to come up with my own variation that works out to about 20 cents a bar, assuming you don’t use any coupons or sale prices. With coupons and sales (or WIC food items, if you qualify) this can be much, much less…almost free if you do it just right!

If you’re a fan of Quaker Oatmeal to Go but want to save money or eliminate this source of HFCS in your life, here’s my recipe for a similar breakfast bar:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups uncooked oats
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour mixture into pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

To change it up a little, consider these variations:

• Add a cup of raisins. (Or chocolate chips for a really special treat.)
• Use a half cup of chopped apples and add in some apple pie spices.
• Try substituting mashed banana for the applesauce and add some nuts for a healthier banana bread substitute.
• Consider using pureed pumpkin in place of the applesauce.
• Add fresh or frozen berries like blueberries or strawberries.

It’s an easy recipe that takes very little work and there are so many ideas for variations out there. If you try it, let me know how it works out and any substitutions you tried!

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The good news is that this thing is very close to my bladder…I can tell by the way I feel and by various other symptoms that are a bit too personal to reveal.  (Like a kidney stone isn’t, right?)  I’m praying that it drops into my bladder soon so I can just get it out and move on with life.  With any luck, that will happen today so I can enjoy my holiday…not that I had any big plans, but it would be nice to spend the day with my family without this pain.

Days like today, I really miss my health insurance.

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