Breakfast, redux

No, this isn't one of those newbie pleas - the one where they're wondering
if they're going to have to keep eating nothing but eggs and bacon by the
pound for the rest of their lives. It's just that I've had some experience
that I think is sort of unusual and am wondering about it.

When I started low-carbing, I leaned heavily on the shakes. They were
fast, reasonably tasty, filling and I could leave them in the fridge at
work so I could have breakfast at my desk. Then, later, when I found some
I liked, I started filling in with the bars every now and again.

As my experience with this WOE increased, I started branching out - I'd
have salmon cream cheese roll ups, or quiche, or yogurt with fruit. At
first that worked well, but I started noticing that even if I had quite a
lot of calories for breakfast, I was still getting quite hungry by the
time lunch rolled around, and then I'd already blown quite a considerable
portion of my calories for the day.

At first, I thought I wasn't getting enough fat or was having too many
carbs to start the day, so I tried permuations where I had more fat and/or
more protein to start the day. Sometimes, it was satisfying, but others I
still was getting the hungries - not any time a meal was late, but just
that lunch was creeping earlier and earlier.

So, more by happenstance than anything else, I started having a protein
bar for breakfast (the Atkins Peanut Butter ones are quite nice as are the
Strive S'mores). I found that these really did satisfy my hunger, and at
~200 - 250 calories, they leave some room for a snack later if I want one.

But the really weird thing? I found my weight loss, which had slowed to
the rate of glass flow, had picked up the pace again.

Now, of course we know that post hoc doesn't necessarily mean propter hoc,
and I'm sure there are confounding factors, but it is an interesting data
point.

If I had my druthers, I'd rather have the yogurt, with or without fruit,
or a quiche, just because those are foods I enjoy more, but from the point
of view of food as fuel, the bars seem to work for me.

Martha


--
Begin where you are - but don't end there.

I have been saving a lot of bars, Atkins as well as Carb Solutions, which I
have been saving since I first started on Atkins in July 2001. I think I
will start using these up by eating them for breakfast for awhile and see
how they affect my weight loss.

Julia
250/180/150

"Martha Gallagher" wrote in message
...
No, this isn't one of those newbie pleas - the one where they're wondering
if they're going to have to keep eating nothing but eggs and bacon by the
pound for the rest of their lives. It's just that I've had some experience
that I think is sort of unusual and am wondering about it.

When I started low-carbing, I leaned heavily on the shakes. They were
fast, reasonably tasty, filling and I could leave them in the fridge at
work so I could have breakfast at my desk. Then, later, when I found some
I liked, I started filling in with the bars every now and again.

As my experience with this WOE increased, I started branching out - I'd
have salmon cream cheese roll ups, or quiche, or yogurt with fruit. At
first that worked well, but I started noticing that even if I had quite a
lot of calories for breakfast, I was still getting quite hungry by the
time lunch rolled around, and then I'd already blown quite a considerable
portion of my calories for the day.

At first, I thought I wasn't getting enough fat or was having too many
carbs to start the day, so I tried permuations where I had more fat and/or
more protein to start the day. Sometimes, it was satisfying, but others I
still was getting the hungries - not any time a meal was late, but just
that lunch was creeping earlier and earlier.

So, more by happenstance than anything else, I started having a protein
bar for breakfast (the Atkins Peanut Butter ones are quite nice as are the
Strive S'mores). I found that these really did satisfy my hunger, and at
~200 - 250 calories, they leave some room for a snack later if I want one.

But the really weird thing? I found my weight loss, which had slowed to
the rate of glass flow, had picked up the pace again.

Now, of course we know that post hoc doesn't necessarily mean propter hoc,
and I'm sure there are confounding factors, but it is an interesting data
point.

If I had my druthers, I'd rather have the yogurt, with or without fruit,
or a quiche, just because those are foods I enjoy more, but from the point
of view of food as fuel, the bars seem to work for me.

Martha


--
Begin where you are - but don't end there.