Skyler Meine

The One Time You Shouldn’t Fight Hunger

Breakfast is possibly the most important meal of the day, yet so many people pass it up. Don’t ignore that gnawing feeling in your stomach just because you’re in a rush, or because you think it will help you reach your IdealShape faster. It won’t! Skipping breakfast is one of the biggest causes of weight gain.

On day 4, I told you to eat more often, which will actually help you eat fewer calories. This is especially true of the morning meals. One of your 5-6 meals of the day should be breakfast, followed by a well-balanced snack a few hours later.

If you miss these earlier meals, your metabolism will slow down (Weight Gain Cause #1). Then you’ll gorge at later meals and crave unhealthy snacks (Weight Gain Cause #2). Without breakfast you’ll have less energy throughout the day, either skipping your exercise regimen or simply being less active in your daily activities (Weight Gain Cause #3).

A lot of people say they aren’t hungry in the morning, or that eating right away makes their stomach upset. As far as hunger goes—once you are exercising regularly and your metabolism starts to swing upward (thanks to those small 5-6 daily meals), you will be hungry. If breakfast bothers your stomach, just try to eat and have some water as early as you can. Your stomach will start getting used to morning food, especially if it’s the right kind.

What to Eat

By “breakfast” I don’t mean a piece of white bread or a bowl of Trix. You want to avoid processed foods and go for fresh as much as possible. And remember from previous posts, the goal for each meal is a 40/30/30 ratio of carbs/protein/fat.

A few ballpark 40/30/30 breakfast examples:

1. One egg and two egg whites,  and fresh fruit with a low carb yogurt
2. Whole grain cereal with nuts, fruit, and the Ideal Shape Shake made with skim milk

The IdealShape Meal Replacement Shake

The IdealShape shake is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, making it a great on-the-go breakfast replacement. Mix the IdealShape shake with water or milk, add fruit and sprinkle some granola on top and you have a healthy, energizing breakfast in under 3 minutes.

Today’s Goal: eat breakfast. If you didn’t have breakfast today, plan for tomorrow. Choose what you’re going to eat, prepare items the night before if needed, and be sure to include a fresh fruit or vegetable. Aim to get a good portion of your calories in the first half of the day, not the latter half.

Trust me, this is one goal that delivers instant rewards. When you eat breakfast you will have more energy, and you will see your IdealShape much sooner—especially when you include the IdealShape protein shake in your meal plan.

Keep reading daily for more nutrition tips to create your IdealShape

breakfast, energizing breakfast, energy, IdealShape, meal plan, metabolism, minerals, protein, vitamins, weight gain