Consuming a breakfast high in protein will keep you feeling full and satisfied longer between meals. Eating enough protein can reduce muscle loss at the expense of fat loss, especially if you are eating at a calorie deficit. Also, protein has the highest thermogenic effect of food out of the other macronutrients. This is the energy expenditure after a meal due to digestion and metabolism. Protein raises EE by 20-30%, while fat raises it a mere 3% and carbs 5-10%.
Skip the Carbs Early in the Day
Carbs also make you sleepy so you tend to be less fatigued. Ever feel so tired after a high carb meal, or what I like to call a carb induced coma? I know we all have. This is due to the spike in insulin these high sugar and flour foods cause into order to process the carb-rich breakfast you just ate. This rapid increase in insulin shuttles the glucose into cells for storage leaving little glucose on which brain cells can operate. Over time, this low blood sugar following a massive insulin response will result in brain fog and sleepiness. The level of glucose also determines to a great extend whether we feel full or hungry. When your blood sugar drops down low and can't give your body energy you will start to feel hungry again sooner and will feel like you need a snack, usually a sugary or starchy one rather than protein or fat. This is a "false hunger" to restablilize blood sugar, and will usually go away after abstaining from eating for about 15 minutes after consuming sugary carbs.
HIGH PROTEIN + VEGGIES + HEALTHY FAT
So if I eat 50 at each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) i can do 150 g easily. I also have a quest bar or post-workout protein shake each day, so that's 20-25 g being consumed, meaning one meal can be 25 g and I'll still reach my goal (that's like 4oz of chicken on my salad at lunch, which I usually have). I actually tend to eat more like 160-180 grams when I have class because I have to go 4-5 hours between meals and I load up on protein at breakfast and lunch to keep me feeling full.
If I don't start my day with lots of protein, fat, and fiber from the vegetables by the end of the day I'll be hungrier and more likely to snack, eat more calories during the day and leave myself with few for dinner, and be short on my protein goal.
Without further ado, Here is a full list with tons of pictures of my most common breakfast creations that keep me feeling full until lunch time 4-5 hours later:
- Steak and eggs with a veggie like tomatoes or garlic kale
- Ground beef sautéed with Brussels sprouts and red pepper, topped with a fried egg in coconut oil
- Bacon, chicken sausage, kale, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites cooked in grassfed butter
- 2 over easy eggs, 1 italian chicken sausage, kale, cherry tomatoes
- Ground turkey and kale with a side of 3 eggs
- Ground turkey with tomatoes, artichokes & fresh parsley, topped with a runny egg
- 2 eggs, ground beef, chopped avocado, sautéed mushrooms and kale
- Egg cups wrapped in bacon with a side of veggies
- 3 eggs, broccoli mash (just broccoli put through a food processor and cooked with butter until soft) with chopped tomato and leftover already cooked salmon
Don't want to eat eggs everyday? No problem!
- Leftover pork with asparagus, mushrooms, and fresh avocado
- 2 chicken sausages with bell peppers and kale tossed in coconut oil
- Just eat a steak! (with vegetables)
- Try mixing in 1 cup for your protein source with cinnamon, a spoonful of nut butter, and fresh fruit like berries (to sub the carbs from veggies, and berries have the most fiber)
- Add in a scoop of protein powder to get ~50g of protein!!
- Or combine eggs and a side of greek yogurt & chia seeds if you don't have any meat prepared
STAY HUNGRY,
Leighann