After I get rid of my evil pop tarts, what would be some good low calorie breakfast ideas? Please nothing that tastes like cardboard...

I usually have oatmeal in the morning...jus one pack of it... usually that keeps me till most of the morning.... cheerios work for me too...

if you're looking for something better...i would suggest the cliff bars...really good stuff ...i usually have one before i hit up the gym...

cold fruit is always good too...

hope this helps. =)

I also am fond of oatmeal... if you have a coffee machine or water cooler at work that dispenses hot water, it's just as easy to make as it is to make toast or whatever. (If you get sad because a single packet of instant oatmeal looks like so little food... seriously, get a smaller bowl. I have a little pyrex glass custard dish that, in addition to being indestructible, is the perfect oatmeal size. I also eat cereal out of rice bowls. It turns out it's easier, for me at least, to eat normal sized portions if you don't start out with huge dishes. :) If you don't like the flavor of plain oatmeal (no cardboard!) try putting a packet of splenda on it or a little cinnamon. Or throw in a handful of raisins or dried cherries before you add the water or microwave it, and that way you get a fruit serving too.

Or, if you're looking for something on the go, maybe grab a protein shake. I like mixing them up from powders, so that way I can add extra protein powder (which, I think, makes them more filling), but the canned stuff is okay too so long as it's chilled.

Due to work, I fill myself with a big breakfast at around 500-600 calories - the bulk of my calories are right at breakfast. I have a protein shake after I perform my morning cardio, then I eat a whole wheat bagel with a light spread of non fat creme cheese, and some whole grain cereal with non fat milk. This has been effective for me.

Oatmeal is great and filling, especially on cold mornings. I usually have a Clif Bar with water in the morning.

i love sugary breakfast cereal, and when i realized that i couldn't eat it anymore, I started eating high-fiber, but still-tasty cereals like muesli, granola, banana nut crunch, etc. etc.

fresh raw fruit is also a great option.

If your able to set some time aside on the weekends this is a great way to have a quick low calorie and tasty breakfast:

Cook up enough steel cut oats to give you 5 reasonable portions (you know how much you need). You can add egg white to the oatmeal to up the protien a little if you desire. It really doesn't change the taste much and the texture is pretty consistent.

When your done cooking the oats portion into 5 individual containers (I reccomend the cheaper Glad containers obtained at the grocery store).

Let the oatmeal cool.

Once cool add some berries of your choice to each container. I also at this point sprinkle (keyword is sprinkle, a tablespoon is not a sprinkle) either a little bit of dark brown sugar or raw cane sugar over each serving.

Seal them up and throw them all in the freezer.

The advantage of this is if you eat Healthy Choice/Weight Watchers/etc meals for lunch you can grab your breakfast and lunch right out of the freezer on your way out the door.

Cheers

NOTE:
You will also notice how cheap this is in comparision to other alternatives. Steel Cut Oats go a long way. The most expensive part will probably be the berries.

I am also on the oatmeal bandwagon... (1/2 cup oatmeal; 1 cup skim milk; 1tsp brown sugar = 255 calories)... HOWEVER

If I have a little extra time in the morning... I cook some egg whites and eat them on an english muffin. The egg whites in a carton are easiest to use, and don't taste any different to me.
Stick an English Muffin in the toaster, and while it is toasting, I take a small microwavable bowl, coat the inside with fat free cooking spray, pour in about a 1/2 cup of the egg whites, and cook for about 30 secs (stir) + 30 secs. May take longer depending on microwave.

The egg will slide right out, and is the perfect size to fit on the muffin. (I use a pretty small bowl) Add a slice of low fat turkey breast to the sandwich nuke for another 15 secs or so if you need a little extra flavor... you could also add mustard if it is too dry for you.

3 Egg whites= 50 cal; 1 whole wheat english muffin = 63 cal; 1 slice turkey breast = 30 cal; 1 tsp spicy mustard = 15 cal

Add a piece of fruit (apple, banana or orange) and you have a balanced little meal.

Egg beaters (egg substitute, they're even yellow!), with mushrooms, peppers, red onion, cilantro and some kind of fake cheese. Add two slices of turkey bacon....

Weight Watchers has a killer breakfast sandwhich that actually kind of tastes like a McDonald's egg mc. muffin.

Oatmeal of course, Quaker even makes the flavored kind in low or no sugar these days.

Whole wheat anything (waffles, pancakes, etc.) with any kind of low sugar jelly or syrup.

Speaking of sugary cereals, I buy the little single-serving boxes sometimes, they are like only 120 calories a pop, and supplement with fruit or a whole wheat toast or something so Im not starving...

I like a cup of Kashi GoLean cereal, not the GoLean Crunch, in skim milk with a banana and water. It's altogether light on the calorie front and high in potassium, fiber and protein.

JB

I like Jill's idea...I'll have to try that.

Hard boiled eggs keep for a week in the refrigerator. Boil up a bunch and you will have them handy to grab and go.

I also like to mix 1/2 cup of all bran (78 calories) with a sugar free yogurt like yoplait light (100 calories).

Do you like it spicy? My favorite is Kristi's breakfast burrito.

whole wheat tortilla, egg whites, 1/2 potatoe (hashed w/ no fat spray), fresh mushrooms, onions and most importantly NEW MEXICAN green chile (Hatch). Very filling and 250 - 350 calories.

It keeps me going until lunch. Sometimes she throws in some ham, canadian bacon, or chicken but it's usually just veggies. Give it a try!

Here's my fabulous breakfast:

1/2 cup lowfat Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup berries (I like either blueberries or sliced strawberries)
Sprinkle slivered almonds.

Yummy!

i just discovered Grape Nuts trail mix crunch, which is absolutely delicious. I usually have a bow of that for breakfast plus maybe a banana and some grapefruit juice.

Since I'm not a big fan of oatmeal, I generally tend towards either a bowl of cheerios or a homemade smoothie for breakfast - they're both super easy and (if you do it right, at least) nutritious.

Cheerios (the regular kind, not honey-nut or any of the others) are great for health benefits, but they're bland, so I usually add either fresh fruit or dried fruit to top it off (you can get great dried, unsweetened fruits like strawberries at places like Whole Foods that won't add lots of sugar to the cereal)

I also really like making my own smoothies, but this can be dangerous territory if you don't watch out - I think there is already another thread about this, but basically with some smoothies you can rack up as many as 600 to even 1,000 cals. I generally take frozen fruit (nothing added), about a half cup of 1% milk or soy milk, a few ice cubes, and some psyllium husk to up the fiber content a bit. The psyllium husk also thickens it, which is nice. If I have some around, I add a bit of protein powder to help the drink stick with me a bit longer, especially if I'm making it after working out.

Yoghurt with fruit mixed in is pretty good; add muesli for extra fibre... All that will work out at something like 250 to 350kcal (depending on the yoghurt).

I have 2 scoops of Extreme's MRP (www.extremenutrition.co.uk [NB website seems to be down atm]) with an added scoop of whey for breakfast, and a glass of fresh orange juice or grapefruit juice. 500 calories total, ~70 grams protein, 50 grams carbs, minimal fat. Tastes good and takes about 1 minute to prepare.

Nick

Other breakfast cereals to try, if you don't like oatmeal: Shredded Wheat, Grapenuts, Uncle Sam.

Try brown rice and veggies, with your protein of choice, in the morning. You can chop up the veggies earlier in the week, cook the brown rice earlier in the week, and nuke the mix in the am.

I have to agree with Liz.

I usually have
1/2 cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese (90 cals)
1/2 cup fruit ..... (canned pinapple is 60 cals)

I've also been known to have Oatmeal... Though for a bigger appetite, add a 1/2 cup of PLAIN oatmeal to your packet. The flavour carries over.


I've also been meaning to do this receipe I read in Mens Health.

Grease a muffin tin.
Break an egg into each cup of the muffin tin.
Add a small amount of Chopped peppers, onions, ham or other lean meat.
Mix the ingrediants in the tin.
a dash of cheese on top.
Bake in the oven (350 i believe)

Pop them out of the cup and drop them in the freezer.
Instant mini-omletes. And Not too bad for calories/points/whatever you are counting.

muscle milk mocha joe for breakfast. Fills you up and gives you 36 grams of protein and tastes great. I dont usually like to eat a big breakfast.

I used to like cold pizza for breakfast. Here's my substitute:

spaghetti sauce (low fat low cal etc)
cheese (low fat, enough for flavor)
raw veggies
[optional: edamame or whatever for protein]

Nuke for 2 minutes. This steams the veggies and melts
the cheese. Yum.

I have a new favorite breakfast...also good as a snack. It's one piece of Ezekiel Bread (80 calories, 0.5 g of fat (no trans or saturated), 15 g carbs, 0 sugars, 3g of fiber, 4 g protein), 1-2 tsp of natural peanut butter (100-200 calories depending on serving size) and 1/2 of a banana on top. Yum, yum, yummy!!!! The Ezekiel bread is found in the frozen section of my grocery store (also in health food stores I'm told) but I keep in the fridge once I get it home so it's easier to separate the slices.

How about 2 slices of crispbread (the ultra fiber kind) with diet cottage cheese (you can ladle it on, there are hardly any calories in it) with sliced red peppers or radishes, and a big glass of freshly squeezed orange juice?

If you want to add more calories, have an egg, too, and/or some fruit. You can also have a smoothie instead of the juice. I make mine non-dairy:

1/2 mango
1 yellow kiwi

Blend until... smoothie-esque.

Put 1/2 cup (or about a dl) frozen blueberries in a glass, top it up with the smoothie. It's thick, so I eat it with a spoon.

make sure the kiwi fruit is from nz ;)

Another vote for an oatmeal-like breakfast here. I'm a big fan of Arrowhead Mills's 7-grain Hot Cereal. I like its grainy texture and find it filling. It, plus an apple and 1 oz. of cheese, keeps me going 'til lunchtime.