Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Best breakfast after workout for weight loss?

  • 20-01-2012 9:24am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I've been running 3 times a week for 2 years and do about 20km per week. Nothing fancy, a couple of 45 minute sessions in the gym from 6am to 7am (before the kids get up and turn the house upside down) and and a 7 min per KM slow run at the weekend for about 45-50 minutes.

    I've had hypertension (high blood pressure) for 15 years so diet and exercise is important (isn't it always??) in order to keep on top of it and avoid having to increase medication. I do struggle a bit with my weight. I'm 43 and 183cm so ideally should be around 85KG in order to have a BMI of 25 but I'm 96KG and have a BMI of 30 :(

    In order to address this I've just started a complimentary resistance/weight based program which includes some core exercise work and an additional 30 mins of interval/hill style training i.e. 15 mins on the treadmill doing a hill program and 15 mins on the cross trainer doing the same. (They nearly killed me this morning!!)

    The plan is to keep doing my 3 runs a week but and to do the resistance program on the 3 days I previously had off. I know I can do this as I wake up most mornings at 5:45 in time to go to the gym regardless of whether I'm going or not!! - How sad is that??

    So that's the background.

    My question however is "What is the right breakfast to have?"

    At the moment I typically have the following:-

    - 3 medium poached eggs on two slices of multi grain toast with butter
    - 3 slices (150g) of of Aldi's traditional Porchon style French ham.
    - A mug of sweet tea (two sugars) with a very small amount of skimmed milk, literally a table spoons worth of milk.
    - 300ml of freshly squeezed/grated apple, carrot and ginger juice.

    This keeps me going all morning but by lunchtime I'm hungry again and although I've tried eating nuts etc it just doesn't work and I usually end up getting a sandwich of some sort.

    In order to lose 0.68 of a KG per week MyFitnessPal tells me I need to keep my net calorie intake to below 1,620 per day net of any calories I "gain" through exercise which is usually about 500 on the days I work out.

    It calculates that the above breakfast is 748 calories.

    Are there alternative foods I can eat which would keep me full for most of the day without bursting the calorie limit?

    I do have a bit of a sweet tooth (2 sugars in tea, honey in porridge etc) but apart from that I'm prepared to try anything.

    I'm also hoping there is some sort of super duper shake with bananas, honey, yoghurt and nuts (or whatever) which I could make up and bring to work to have when the lunchtime munchies kick in.

    Appreciate any suggestions you guys can give me.

    Cheers,

    Ben


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    Seriously, 101 views ^^^^^ and no one has any contribution to make?? This is not the Boards.ie spirit!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,862 ✭✭✭RobAMerc


    I am certainly no expert but in order to get things moving here and hopefully some useful debate, I'll suggest the following.

    keep the eggs, change the toast to whole grain or home made brown
    swap the ham for a bowl of porridge as it will help keep you fuller
    dump the sugar in your tea - it's useless and much easier to cut than you'd think
    get rid of the juice as its all sugar and no fibre, you'd be much better off keeping the whole fruits as snacks later in the morning to stave off hunger.

    also - in order to lose weight you need to run a deficit all day and keep the carbs low ( imo ) - scrap the sambo too for some pre prepared dishes like a piece of salmon and a salad brought from home ( made on the mornings you get up but dont go to the gym perhaps ?)


  • Registered Users Posts: 375 ✭✭Serafijn


    BenThere wrote: »
    At the moment I typically have the following:-

    - 3 medium poached eggs on two slices of multi grain toast with butter
    - 3 slices (150g) of of Aldi's traditional Porchon style French ham.
    - A mug of sweet tea (two sugars) with a very small amount of skimmed milk, literally a table spoons worth of milk.
    - 300ml of freshly squeezed/grated apple, carrot and ginger juice.
    [...]
    It calculates that the above breakfast is 748 calories.

    That is a breakfast and a half :eek:

    How about breaking it down into two smaller, separate meals. So have your eggs and toast straight after your workout along with your cup of sweet tea. Then save the ham and juice for mid morning when your tummy starts to rumble a little. I find that if I eat a big meal all in one go it wears off quicker, but if I spread it out it lasts longer. Just a thought :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,388 ✭✭✭The Davestator


    It's a decent brekki. Lose the toast, add a protein shake and change it up most days. Steak and scrambled eggs makes a lovely high protein, very filling brekkie. Cook steak night before to save time.

    The juice will be quite high in empty sugar calories (even though they are natural sugars) so limit it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    Thanks all,

    I'll drop one of the two toasts and change to whole grain (need something to eat the poached eggs with), add a small bowl of porridge with some seeds and a little honey (there's that sweet tooth again) and try and drop or reduce the sugar in my Tea. I'll also reduce the fruit juice to 150ml.

    Steak and eggs sounds like a treat of a breakfast. Had steak for dinner tonight and cooked a little extra which I'll have with eggs on Tuesday.

    I'll also bring some fruit to have in work. An apple, banana and/or orange a day wouldn't go astray would it?

    What protein shakes should I go for? I've no idea about these. Do I make them up myself from yoghurt, fruit etc?

    Ben


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 daviesp856


    Ben

    Why not give an appetite suppresant a try so you feel less hungry?

    There are tonnes of them around.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,692 ✭✭✭Jarren


    Small portion of oats with sliced banana, black coffee,it usually keeps me going until lunchtime.


  • Registered Users Posts: 727 ✭✭✭prettygurrly


    BenThere wrote: »

    I'll drop one of the two toasts and change to whole grain (need something to eat the poached eggs with)

    try eating your eggs with some grilled bacon instead. I dont eat bread with my eggs anymore (i usually scramble with a bit of cheese and curry powder, yum),
    BenThere wrote: »
    add a small bowl of porridge with some seeds and a little honey (there's that sweet tooth again) and try and drop or reduce the sugar in my Tea. I'll also reduce the fruit juice to 150ml.

    The porridge would be good, maybe try splenda instead of honey and use splenda in your tea. it's made from sugar so it's not aspartame. I've used it and it's brill.
    BenThere wrote: »
    I'll also reduce the fruit juice to 150ml.

    you'd be better to increase your intake of water rather than drink fruit juice. however what I do to quell my sweet tooth (particularly in the evening) is have a diet coke (just a glass, but i know it was aspartame in it :( ) or if earlier in the day i have fairly weak, no added sugar blackcurrant squash.
    BenThere wrote: »

    I'll also bring some fruit to have in work. An apple, banana and/or orange a day wouldn't go astray would it?

    What protein shakes should I go for? I've no idea about these. Do I make them up myself from yoghurt, fruit etc?

    Ben

    if you seriously want to lose weight then for a month or so to increase your fat burning you need to reduce carbs and these include your fruit intake. if you're worried about your health, take a supplement for a little while. when you see a response to your restricted carbs on the scales then you can reintroduce slowly until you get a happy balance. remember to keep your fat intake steady. people are under the misconception that eating fat makes you fat, it's eating too many carbs that are stored as fat that makes you fat. you need fat in your diet to absorb a few vitamins.

    i was/am a follower of the atkins diet and if i'm doing it properly my intake of veg and protein goes up and other bits of me start working correctly, i lost 2 stone over the course of 10 months and was in the best shape i ever was. nowadays I do take a protein shake and they keep me going until lunch time and have lost weight while on them but a bit slower because i drink them with milk. you can buy them from a fairly good discount irish website, pm if you want their info. i'm just going to start back into seriously watching what i eat as i'm slowing gaining weight again. so today i had my shake. lunch i had two eggs and 4 small pieces of pudding. dinner...i dont know yet but i'm thinking a pork chop with loads of chilli broccoli. anyway, hope some of my ramblings were useful.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    Thank all,

    An appetite suppressant would be cheating in my book so that's not an option.

    Banana with porridge and some splenda and tea with one spoon of slenda both sound.....splenda ;)

    I'll also see about getting those protein shakes prettygurrly, will PM you.

    Am already upping the meat content in the evenings with veg and potatoes so hopefully that will help a lot. Pasta and rice don't exist to me anymore!!

    Ben


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,114 ✭✭✭corkcomp


    OP, you should have a read of the stickies and calculate how many calories you need to be taking in and estimate from there (doesnt have to be 100% exact!) I would advise chaging your carb sources rather than cutting out carbs and increasing meat intake might be counter-productive tbh as you might end up increasing overall calories. I would keep whole fruit in the diet (not just bananas though) and cut out the juice completely.. as for sugar in tea - needs to go too


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    corkcomp wrote: »
    OP, you should have a read of the stickies and calculate how many calories you need to be taking in and estimate from there (doesnt have to be 100% exact!) I would advise chaging your carb sources rather than cutting out carbs and increasing meat intake might be counter-productive tbh as you might end up increasing overall calories. I would keep whole fruit in the diet (not just bananas though) and cut out the juice completely.. as for sugar in tea - needs to go too

    Hi Cokcomp,

    I actually downloaded the www.myfitnesspal.com Android app last week and I have to say it's a seriously useful way to set your target and track your calories Vs target. You input your height, age weight etc, then set your weight loss goal and timeframe ie. lose 5KG in 3 months or whatever and it calculates what your daily calorie consumption should be to achieve that. It also sets targets and tacks carbs, fat and protein etc.

    Each day you input the foods you eat and the exercise you do and you track your weight. You get "extra" calories added to your allowance for doing exercise.

    I think it's an excellent tool for getting a black and white handle on

    a) what you should be eating
    b) how you are doing against your plan

    It's not at all intrusive or difficult to use. At the end of each meal it takes 30 seconds to enter what you've just eaten and you instantly see how many calories you have left for the day.

    Here's my record so far today. What you don't see on this screen is the option to enter exercise. I did a 45 minute run this morning so that gave me back an additional 642 calories. My daily calorie target is 1,620 without exercise. By adding the 642 calories I 'gained" this morning my revised calorie allowance for today is now 2,262. I enter the info on the phone but it automatically sync's it to my account on the website which is easier to use for tracking progress etc.

    myfitnesspal.jpg

    I highly recommended it.

    Ben


  • Registered Users Posts: 2 katherinekk


    BenThere wrote: »
    Hi Cokcomp,

    I actually downloaded the www.myfitnesspal.com Android app last week and I have to say it's a seriously useful way to set your target and track your calories Vs target. You input your height, age weight etc, then set your weight loss goal and timeframe ie. lose 5KG in 3 months or whatever and it calculates what your daily calorie consumption should be to achieve that. It also sets targets and tacks carbs, fat and protein etc.

    Each day you input the foods you eat and the exercise you do and you track your weight. You get "extra" calories added to your allowance for doing exercise.

    I think it's an excellent tool for getting a black and white handle on

    a) what you should be eating
    b) how you are doing against your plan

    It's not at all intrusive or difficult to use. At the end of each meal it takes 30 seconds to enter what you've just eaten and you instantly see how many calories you have left for the day.

    Here's my record so far today. What you don't see on this screen is the option to enter exercise. I did a 45 minute run this morning so that gave me back an additional 642 calories. My daily calorie target is 1,620 without exercise. By adding the 642 calories I 'gained" this morning my revised calorie allowance for today is now 2,262. I enter the info on the phone but it automatically sync's it to my account on the website which is easier to use for tracking progress etc.

    myfitnesspal.jpg

    I highly recommended it.

    Ben
    just joined myfitnesspal due to ur post, its very handy and id say helps keep u motivated! im struggling with motivation after i lost weight very easily earlier in january and now am sturggling to keep up ( lost 1 whole stone in ten days!!!) pm me and il add u as a friend!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    just joined myfitnesspal due to ur post, its very handy and id say helps keep u motivated! im struggling with motivation after i lost weight very easily earlier in january and now am sturggling to keep up ( lost 1 whole stone in ten days!!!) pm me and il add u as a friend!

    I find it incredibly motivating because it allows you to track your calories in real time and you are in no doubt about it. Without some sort of tracking app like this I'd always "forget" how many calories I'd had so far that day or under estimate both of which undermine my objective.

    Not into the whole tracking friends thing though so please don't take it personally that I won't be connecting with you, I won't be connecting with anyone!! Not my scene. Sorry. :o

    Ben


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    BenThere - Are you using a HRM to get your calories from exercise or using MFP estimates?

    The estimates are WAY off. Gave me 450 calories for a 30min run whereas my HRM gave me 300 ish.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    BenThere - Are you using a HRM to get your calories from exercise or using MFP estimates?

    The estimates are WAY off. Gave me 450 calories for a 30min run whereas my HRM gave me 300 ish.

    Not using a HRM, am interested in getting one but so far haven't been able to find one for a decent price. Was looking at something bluetooth which would hook up with my Android phone when out running but they are €80 and more. Can you recommend something?

    I am generally using MFP estimates but I like to find two or three sources and pick the lowest for exercise and the highest for food i.e. err on the side of caution. I do check the calories burnt when I input my details on the treadmill and the 642 calories it gives me for my 7km (45 minute) run is actually less than the 740 the treadmill itself calculated. 450 for 30 mins does n't sound too high if you're doing 10 minute miles and you're 205lb weight (apologies for the imperial measures) according to this site http://www.nutristrategy.com/caloriesburnedrunning.htm

    I'm 95KG (210 Lbs) and I run at 8.7km per hour which is 5.4 mph so my 45 minute run should be burning 628 calories according to that site but given I'm a little heavier than 205 Lbs and running a little faster than the 5.2 mph on the matrix the 642 calories MFP is estimating looks like it's spot on for me.

    Obviously an actual device which is correctly calibrated and accurate in it's measurements will give you better results but hopefully the site I linked to above will be of some assistance when calculating your calorie burn during exercise if only for validation purposes.

    Ben


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    BenThere wrote: »
    Not using a HRM, am interested in getting one but so far haven't been able to find one for a decent price. Was looking at something bluetooth which would hook up with my Android phone when out running but they are €80 and more. Can you recommend something?

    I am generally using MFP estimates but I like to find two or three sources and pick the lowest for exercise and the highest for food i.e. err on the side of caution. I do check the calories burnt when I input my details on the treadmill and the 642 calories it gives me for my 7km (45 minute) run is actually less than the 740 the treadmill itself calculated. 450 for 30 mins does n't sound too high if you're doing 10 minute miles and you're 205lb weight (apologies for the imperial measures) according to this site http://www.nutristrategy.com/caloriesburnedrunning.htm

    I'm 95KG (210 Lbs) and I run at 8.7km per hour which is 5.4 mph so my 45 minute run should be burning 628 calories according to that site but given I'm a little heavier than 205 Lbs and running a little faster than the 5.2 mph on the matrix the 642 calories MFP is estimating looks like it's spot on for me.

    Obviously an actual device which is correctly calibrated and accurate in it's measurements will give you better results but hopefully the site I linked to above will be of some assistance when calculating your calorie burn during exercise if only for validation purposes.

    Ben

    The treadmill calculators aren't much better tbh.

    I have a Polar FT7. Got it in America but you can pick them up in Argos.

    Lidl/Aldi sometimes have them on offer. Not sure of the quality of them though.

    Why would you want it to hook up to your phone? As far as I know you'd still have to manually imput it into MFP.

    If your looking for something to hook up to a website I'd recommend a Garmin Forerunner. Sync's to the garmin website. More expensive though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    Why would you want it to hook up to your phone? As far as I know you'd still have to manually imput it into MFP.

    I use RunKeeper https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fitnesskeeper.runkeeper.pro&feature=related_apps#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwOSwiY29tLmZpdG5lc3NrZWVwZXIucnVua2VlcGVyLnBybyJd when out running to track KM's and pace etc. It's fantastic and if you have a bluetooth HRM it will track your heart rate as you run i.e. you set your target heart rate and it will tell you (via your ear phones) what your heart rate is Vs target etc. I think it's an amazing app. You can listen to your music as you run but as you approach predefined distances or times it cuts into your music and tells you "5km, 35 minutes, 20 seconds, average pace xxx, current pace yyy" etc

    It also maps your runs on the Runkeeper website so you can see where you went and see the routes other people take.

    Ben


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    Ah ok fair enough.

    Don't have any reccomendations for a bluetooth model.

    Best of luck.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,596 ✭✭✭✭dahat


    BenThere wrote: »

    Thanks alot for this link,it is exactly what i was looking for....


  • Registered Users Posts: 727 ✭✭✭prettygurrly


    The treadmill calculators aren't much better tbh.

    yeah, in the gym there's about 15 treadmills and they vary for calorie count by 30%...unbelievable...


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 38,921 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    Ben,
    Your daily goal is 1600 calories and you are eating nearly half of this at breakfast. Thats not very good planning.

    There is nothing wrong with an off the food, you are just eating too much.

    Have porridge OR eggs and toast but not both. THe screen shot above says two slices of bread is 39 calories. Not a chance.


  • Registered Users Posts: 38,921 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    yeah, in the gym there's about 15 treadmills and they vary for calorie count by 30%...unbelievable...

    Calories burned is proportional to your size.
    If you set a run properly on a treadmill (as in not just quick start) it will ask for this info. Most people don't so the treadmill just used the default of the previous persons weight. Which is why it varies.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,539 ✭✭✭BenEadir


    Mellor wrote: »
    Ben,
    Your daily goal is 1600 calories and you are eating nearly half of this at breakfast. Thats not very good planning.

    There is nothing wrong with an off the food, you are just eating too much.

    Have porridge OR eggs and toast but not both.

    You're dead right there Mellor, I'm used to having a 'hearty' breakfast and then very little until dinner. I'll try to even that out a bit more during the day and as you say have the porridge OR the eggs but not both. Got some 85g tins of flavoured tuna (dolphin friendly and all!) in Aldi and they are exactly what I need around lunchtime to stave off hunger if I haven't had a big brekkie. Only 99 calories a can and it's pure tuna flakes so should fit right in with a more balanced and spread out eating plan. The have great flavours like lemon and black pepper, Thai chilli, tomato and onion etc.
    Mellor wrote: »
    The screen shot above says two slices of bread is 39 calories. Not a chance.

    It's Aldi multi grain bread and the screenshot says 79 calories which I trust is closer to the mark??

    Ben


Advertisement