Breakfast ideas? Joined WW again.

[khalloc]

So I bit the bullet and joined WW online again. I always end up quitting because I think I know whats good food vs bad food and I dont need an app to tell me that. But this time I am going to stick with it and track.

in any case, I work and am out of the house by 7:15am usually. I normally bring a Nature Valley granola bar with me to work and eat it at my desk. Its 7 points. I can try substitute a low fat yogurt (like 3 points) but I always miss having a "carb". Is there anything I can do here that will be better for me than the granola bar (I know its has sugar). but that I can grab and go? I always end up caving and having the granola bar because I think "one granola bar a day isnt whats causing me to be 30 pounds overweight". But I know I need to nix it and try something else. Maybe a slice of whole wheat bread and a tiny bit of brummel & brown? I hate eggs and am not a huge breakfast person in general. I like cereal. Dont eat eggs at all. Thanks!

[SnuggleBuggles]

How many points would a slice of whole grain toast and PB be?


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[Percycat]

I follow a low-carb, high fat diet and my goto breakfast on the run is egg muffins. I make bake in a 12 muffin tray, store individual muffins in the refrigerator until needed, and take one to work each day. I reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. They are surprising satisfying. I usually make mine full of spinach, onion, red peppers, and a little ham and cheese.

This link says they are 3 WW points:
http://sprinklesomefun.com/2015/01/12-easy-make-ahead-breakfast-muffins-3wwp.html

[gymnbomb]

So I bit the bullet and joined WW online again. I always end up quitting because I think I know whats good food vs bad food and I dont need an app to tell me that. But this time I am going to stick with it and track.

in any case, I work and am out of the house by 7:15am usually. I normally bring a Nature Valley granola bar with me to work and eat it at my desk. Its 7 points. I can try substitute a low fat yogurt (like 3 points) but I always miss having a "carb". Is there anything I can do here that will be better for me than the granola bar (I know its has sugar). but that I can grab and go? I always end up caving and having the granola bar because I think "one granola bar a day isnt whats causing me to be 30 pounds overweight". But I know I need to nix it and try something else. Maybe a slice of whole wheat bread and a tiny bit of brummel & brown? I hate eggs and am not a huge breakfast person in general. I like cereal. Dont eat eggs at all. Thanks!

I am also not a big breakfast person, and the things I like are very carb heavy. Do you need your carb to be more of a bread/grain type of carb, or would something like a piece of fruit with the yogurt satisfy the carb desire? Most fresh fruits are 0 points. Or a very small amount of granola sprinkled on the yogurt that would only add 1-2 points?

[Smillow]

Have you tried overnight oats? I make mine with Greek yogurt and chia seeds, frozen blueberries or raspberries. I don't know how to count the points, but it's high in protein and has carbs.

[AnnieW625]

I do the following:
Scrambled eggs (southwest style eggbeaters), 0-2 points, and then I usually follow up mid to late morning with an Oikos Triple Zero 0% yogurt (either vanilla or strawberry, but they have a few other flavors) and those are 3 points. I know I am no help with the eggs, but I would consider eating the granola bar on your commute and then eating a 3 pt. yogurt at your desk. If you are hungry mid morning then eat a piece of fruit. An apple is my go to. You most likely have 30 points and I don't have an issue issue eating 10 points at breakfast, lunch and dinner and using my extra 42 through out the week for desserts. Unless it is milk for cereal or coffee I usually don't drink my points, but others feel differently and still only want to have 5 pts. for breakfast, and lunch but that doesn't work for me.

The Pure Protein bars (I get mine at Costco) are 5 points and keep me full. You may or may not like them.

Weight Watchers also has these breakfast bars and they are 5 points as well; I like the dark chocolate almond.

I also like Trader Joe's frozen oatmeal, which is 5 pts., but again usually have to follow up mid morning with a 3 pt. or less snack.

I am gluten free again so I truly don't miss bread in the morning so I can't help there.

Good luck!


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[BDKmom]

Have you tried overnight oats? I make mine with Greek yogurt and chia seeds, frozen blueberries or raspberries. I don't know how to count the points, but it's high in protein and has carbs.

I have been doing overnight oats lately, too. I'm sure you can find a recipe that is ww friendly. I do 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup milk with 1/2 t brown sugar and 1 t maple syrup. But, as pp said, fruit works well as a mix in also. I mix up 2-3 days worth at a time. I'm a SAHM, but I like not having to think about breakfast. And the fiber and protein fills me up pretty well.

I'm have lost about 12 lbs in the last 3-4 months, and the biggest things that have helped me are planning ahead and tracking my food. I like to know pretty much every thing I'm going to eat for the day by the end of the night before, snacks included. I don't necessarily prep a lot of it, like I know some people do, but just mentally having a plan. And tracking helps me be mindful of how much I'm consuming.

Good luck. Kudos for trying to make good food choices.

[khalloc]

I guess I need a good old fashioned Carb! I dont eat eggs (cant stand the smell or taste) but I can eat them baked into something (usually something bad like a cookie or cake! LOL) But obviously that wont be a good thing here.

I found a recipe on WW that seems doable. Its a piece of low-cal WW toast with romaine lettuce + chopped tomatoes + 2 slices of bacon. Its only 3 points and I think I could do that + a 3-point yogurt and be good. Or even minus the yogurt.

I was good with just a yogurt also. But I am always tempted by the granola bar. So maybe I'll try doing the BLT thing a couple of times a week to take the edge off. Ha ha! I just have to stop buying the granola bars I think. I have a box in my pantry and once that is done I will STOP.

My problem is usually snacking and sweets but recently I think I snack less so hopefully that will help me and I just need to cut out the sweets after dinner like ice cream! Its so hard having kids and a DH who want ice cream all the time!

[briarrose]

Loving WW. My go to breakfast is a smoothie made with plain nonfat greek yogurt, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and a banana. Sometimes I'lll add cocoa powder and coconut and almond extract (like an almond joy) most of the time I add instant coffee and cocoa powder (like a mocha). If I feel extra hungry I'll have a piece of fruit with it, but most of the time the smoothie fills me up and it is only 2 points. On weekends I'll have egg white omelets since the egg whites and veggies are zero points. This won't work for you since you don't do eggs. Also FYI on carbs. I use the Ole extreme wellness tortillas for many things instead of bread. They are only 1 point. They are great to use to make enchiladas if you have leftover chicken. I have a recipe for a granola that you can make and it ends up at 3 points for 1/3 cup. One more thing, http://marlenekoch.com/ I have all of her cookbooks and cook many of the recipes especially for dinner. The whole family loves the food and I am able to stay on plan.

[briarrose]

http://marlenekoch.com/5-minute-blackberry-crisp/

Found this recipe on her site. Haven't tried it, but looks good.

[candaceb]

Kashi bars in general have a better profile than Nature Valley (not knowing which Nature Valley bar you're eating). They are low sugar, high fiber, high protein. We like the cherry dark chocolate and the dark chocolate sea salt chia.

[khalloc]

Kashi bars in general have a better profile than Nature Valley (not knowing which Nature Valley bar you're eating). They are low sugar, high fiber, high protein. We like the cherry dark chocolate and the dark chocolate sea salt chia.

Thank you! I eat the Oats & Dark CHocolate usually. I am a sucker for anything chocolate, Will try one of the ones you mentioned.

[almostmom]

I like 2% or full fat fage greek plain yogurt with a banana and granola. I like Bear Naked or Purely Elizabeth - they don't have white sugar which I try and avoid. I keep the granola at work, and bring a yogurt and banana every day (and cut up strawberries if I think about it - delish!). That keeps me full, and the granola checks the carb box. But I also think that if you eat less carbs and sugar (those granola bars have a lot of sugar and not much fiber) you'll crave it less... I know from experience! But a good multigrain piece of toast with avocado or peanut butter is good too - better than the granola bar in my opinion. Yes, one granola bar doesn't do much, but in addition to all the other small things - they add up!

[bw52]

No idea what the points would be, but what about making your own granola bars with healthier ingredients? Or making healthy muffins? I love carbs too and use white whole wheat flour, less sugar, etc to make muffins when trying to eat healthier.

I freeze muffins all the time and pull them out a little before eating.

[specialp]

What about toasted English muffin with a peanut butter smear or cheese on it? I buy the 100 cal/8 gr. fiber/5 g protein ones for my kids. No idea what the WW point would be, but I'm sure the fiber would help reduce the point count.

If the bar has a lot of sugar in it, it can trigger the sugar cravings later in the day. I would try hard to stay away from the bar and sugar in the am and see if a couple of weeks of that helps with the later day cravings. I get the struggle though. I like eggs, but not in the morning. Really, just about every morning food is so unappealing to me in the morning, even if I'm hungry, so I just skip which isn't wise either.

[jench]

I'm not sure about WW points, but I love these sweet potato/spicy tuna cakes for breakfast (made ahead of time, pop them in the microwave):
from Nom Nom Paleo -
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/91332244628/spicy-tuna-cakes

[AnnieW625]

Kind of a side note, but if it has been 3+ years since you last did Weight Watchers I would go to a local meeting and listen to the program overview. Weight Watchers Is very carb and sugar conscious these days so while items with lots of protein are lower in points than they once were and old "two point" items like granola bars or a slice of bread are now 3-7 or even 9 points for some granola items just because of sugar, saturated fat, and fat content. Nuts and chocolate are also higher in points now because of saturated fat.

Meetings are free as long as you don't weigh in. I do find the meetings helpful as well, and right now they have some good promos. (I go to an at work meeting so I haven't been to a center in a while, but have friends who do).


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[StantonHyde]

I eat 1cup of nonfat Greek yogurt plus one package of Quaker High Fiber instant oatmeal--maple and brown sugar--mixed into the oatmeal. The yogurt softens the oatmeal but not too much. It's high protein, high fiber, and enough fat to keep me through till lunch at 12:00. I can eat it at my desk. If I have to eat it in the car, I have to put a towel over myself! (I just put 1c yogurt in a ziplock container the night before and bring the oatmeal and a spoon with me.)

[California]

In my experience, if I can get through a few days the cravings for carbs drop substantially. To break what is both a craving and a habit, I have to prepare in advance to make sure I have the food I want to substitute on hand, and don't have easy grab-it-and-eat-it access to the food I'm trying to stop eating. In your situation, that shouldn't be hard as you can simply stop bringing the bars to work. Switch in something you'd like to eat instead. And then suffer through a couple of days knowing that you are working towards your goal.

Most mornings I have a green smoothie with a little protein powder, and either a little banana or yogurt (for texture) mixed in, and munch on a handful of raw nuts. We also like the egg muffins. Plain whole fat yogurt with nuts and berries is another one I like. I find that personally I need a handful of nuts to stay full until lunch. Drink extra water as you switch, too.

[niccig]

I make a big pot of steel cut oats on the weekend and freeze in muffin tray. I microwave in the morning, add fruit and yogurt and then I eat it at work.


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[solsister]

I hate breakfast foods. I learned to treat meals like meals, not breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I do lots of leftovers for breakfast and lunch, as does my daughter. She gets a hot lunch most days, for school and she just finished 8th grade.
I make a bunch of different salads, soups, and collard wraps to eat whenever I'm hungry.
I eat AIP most of the time (autoimmune protocol, stricter than paleo or whole30), no grains at all, no eggs or nuts ( i can tolerate cashews, and almonds, occasionally) or gluten or nightshades or dairy. I love zoodles with chicken and cashew pesto. Ground turkey meatloaf and broccoli, or Shepard's Pie (ground turkey with veggies, and white sweet potato mash on top. Chicken curry (aip curry powder). Chicken salad. Cream of broccoli soup (coconut milk for the cream). Chicken and (cauliflower) rice soup. Stir-frys. and lots more. Turkey burgers and asian fried cauliflower rice. Tons and tons of different salads. Whatever I eat for lunch or dinner I eat for breakfast.

I used to love chia seeds with pineapple chunks and pineapple juice. and some blueberries tossed in. Yum!

[dhano923]

Crumble a little bit of the granola bar into your low fat yogurt. That way you're only eating 4-5 points instead of 7, and you're getting the added protein from the yogurt. Greek yogurt is even higher in protein than regular.

[lizzywednesday]

I like 2% or full fat fage greek plain yogurt with a banana and granola. ...That keeps me full, and the granola checks the carb box. But I also think that if you eat less carbs and sugar (those granola bars have a lot of sugar and not much fiber) you'll crave it less... I know from experience! But a good multigrain piece of toast with avocado or peanut butter is good too - better than the granola bar in my opinion. Yes, one granola bar doesn't do much, but in addition to all the other small things - they add up!

:yeahthat:

I used to stash boxes of granola at the office and bring Greek yogurt with me (wasn't in the office 5 days/wk, so keeping it in the fridge there was kind of a waste for me) in a Ziploc half-cup container. I bought a cheap set of measuring cups & spoons at the Target Dollar Spot to leave there so I could measure out my cereal instead of just kinda eyeballing it, too, though maybe that's obsessive? (IDK, I measure my cereal now to ensure I have the correct number of servings for the week. It throws me off if DH "borrows" some, because he just pours and then I run out early.)

I'm not big on banana, but occasionally would bring fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.) with me.

I'd switch it up for wintertime with plain oatmeal and I'd bring nuts and brown sugar (15cals/tsp, and 1tsp seemed to do the trick) to mix into it. Sometimes, I'd bring maple syrup (roughly 1Tbsp was enough for me; it seems to go further if you also add a little bit of good butter - I like KerryGold brand, but YMMV.)

In a pinch, I'd get scrambled eggs on a hard roll from the company cafeteria, but OP mentioned upthread that she's not big on eggs, and that's OK.

ETA: When I thought of it, I'd pre-measure nuts into snack baggies to stash in my desk, too. It was really helpful with curbing after-lunch fatigue. Also recommended? KIND bars (or store equivalent - Wegmans calls theirs WholeSUM), which my low-carb eating mom eats.

[ray7694]

Just saw one of my friends repost from weight watchers mom on fb. She posts all her meals.

[flashy09]

I don't do WW, but I think not depriving yourself is important ....you seem to really enjoy the granola bar. Could you keep that - maybe try their Peanut Butter one vs something like Honey and Oat - and concentrate on lunch or dinner as a meal to cut points and add nutrition to?

[khalloc]

Well I've had either the open faced BLT (low cal ww bread, 2 tbspns of low fat cheddar, lettuce, tomatos and 2 slices of center cut bacon) 2 days now and today I had a slice of ww bread with a smear of peanut butter. It seems to be doing the trick. I did have a granola bar last night because I realized I had 9 points leftover and I was hungry, so...