Never skip breakfast!

First off, let's consider how breakfast relates to weight loss: You've just been asleep for 7 or 8 hours. Your body needs to recover from this brief period of starvation. Skipping breakfast keeps your body in "starvation" mode, while eating a good meal will give your metabolism a boost. This is because being inactive (and not eating for this extended period of time) causes your metabolism to plummet. If you're trying to lose weight, the last thing you want to do is keep your metabolism at this lowered state. Partaking of a morning meal will rev up your fat burning ability.




Eat Early, Weigh Less Later
Why does eating breakfast help people lose weight? It defies common sense that eating all those calories in the morning instead of simply skipping them would help.

Many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

Why? One theory suggests that eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day and help people make better food choices at other meals. While it might seem as though you could save calories by skipping breakfast, this is not an effective strategy. Typically, hunger gets the best of people who skip breakfast, and they eat more at lunch and throughout the day.

Another theory behind the breakfast–weight control link implies that eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle that includes making wise food choices and balancing calories with exercise.

It’s worth noting that most studies linking breakfast to weight control looked at a healthy breakfast containing protein and/or whole grains—not meals loaded with fat and calories.

Eating breakfast also gives you energy to do more physical activity and be more productive in everything you do, which is also vital to weight control. So make the effort to get up in the morning and fix yourself a healthy meal.


Eggs have a greater satiety value than cereal and white bread. This means that they are more satisfying in giving you that feeling of fullness, while you may actually be eating less. One of the reasons for this is that eggs are high in protein, which is known to increase satiety. Proteins also have a higher thermic effect, meaning that it takes more calories to digest them. Studies have compared an egg breakfast to a bagel breakfast of the same caloric value and weight. A research center discovered that people who ate the eggs for breakfast ate less at lunch and less throughout the rest of the day compared to people who ate the bagels, even though they had the same amount of calories for breakfast.

In the past, eggs have had a bad rap because of their high cholesterol content. However, eggs today have lower cholesterol counts than in the past due to the healthier feeds given to chickens. Additionally, research has shown that moderate egg consumption of about 1 per day does not increase the risk of coronary heart disease in healthy individuals. If the cholesterol count is a concern, then egg whites, which are free of cholesterol yet rich in protein, are a good alternative. Eggs are also a good source of essential nutrients riboflavin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium and protein.

If you aren’t too keen on eggs, try low-fat or non-fat dairy products like yogurt, which are also high in protein. High-fiber complex carbohydrates like whole-grain breads and cereals will keep you satisfied. Fiber also increases that sensation of fullness. Overall, whether you choose eggs, cereal or fruit, your breakfast should fall in line with your dietary weight-loss goals. Choose foods that fit your lifestyle and that you will enjoy.
Banana with peanut butter
Banana sliced into yogurt
Oatmeal with fruit -- like apples, blueberries, or peaches
Small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries. Roll it up, slice it. It works for kids and adults.
Breakfast smoothies -- berries, ice, and milk or yogurt. "They're portable -- throw some in a cup, and you're out the door," he notes.
As for the much-beloved bagel - sadly, it's the calorie equivalent of five slices of bread, says Stokes. "Just eat half. Better yet, don't bring them into your home. You'll just end up eating the whole thing so it won't go bad."
As I have blogged before, rain or shine I have my 3 egg white omelet. I LOVE IT!!!
It fills me up, satisfies me all morning. Its great for after my workout!



Apple Butter French Toast
Ingredients:
- 6 slices light bread
- 3/4 cup egg substitute
- 2/3 cup fat-free skim milk
- 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp slivered almonds
- 1 tbsp honey
- a few spritz’s of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:
Place bread in a 9-inch square baking dish that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, combine egg substitute, milk, apple juice concentrate and vanilla extract. Pour over bread and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Spitz with a few sprays of the 0 calorie butter spray, drizzle with the honey, and then sprinkle with the almonds. Combine apple butter and allspice; serve with French toast.

Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1 slice
Each serving = 2 Point Total

If you love southern cooking like I do, you’ll love my homemade apple butter recipe, complete with step-by step instructions. I worked really hard to make this tasty sauce with fewer calories so that I could stay within my Weight Watchers Daily Points range. And it turned out amazing! This is definitely a must try.

And for those of you who’ve never had it before, here’s a little background info… Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce, produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than applesauce. The term “butter” refers to the thick, soft consistency, and apple butter’s use as a spread for breads. Typically seasoned with cinnamon, cloves, lemon juice and other spices, apple butter may be spread on buttered toast, used as a side dish, an ingredient in baked goods, or as a condiment.







Apple Butter Recipe
Makes 4 cups

12 medium Granny Smith or other cooking apples, peeled and cut into fourths
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix all ingredients in 5-6 qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 8-10 hours or until apples are very tender. Mash apples with potato masher or large fork. Cook uncovered on LOW 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is very thick. Cool about 2 hours. Spoon apple butter into container. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.

Per table spoon: calories 30, fat 0g, saturated fat 0g, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 0mg, carbohydrates 9g, fiber 1g, protein 0g

Weight Watchers Points Value = 1