Recently changed to having a hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, instead of my typical smoothie. The bowl of oatmeal made me hungrier the rest of the day (I think?) Maybe it's just the morning smoothie is easier to digest so my body gets the hit of protein more quickly in the morning, and it calms the appetite down
Anyhoo, my weight jumped up from 222 something to a consistent 224lbs for well over a week after I made the switch to Oatmeal bowls for breakfast. Stayed stuck around 224 even though I've been biking a lot. Makes sense though after calculating the calories of my new breakfast.
I'd switched to a heaping cup of peanut butter flavored Oatmeal, about 400 calories, (see recipe) for breakfast instead of a protein smoothie, but I'd also end up eating more for breakfast in general
- a peeled apple (100 calories)
- a slice of 50% whole wheat sourdough bread with PB (200-250 calories)
- 9-12 dark chocolate covered almonds, 160 calories
- a handful peanuts, 160 calories
I switched back to my Smoothie breakfast option, (250 calories... 1 cup soy milk, 1 Scoop Orgain protein powder, 1 scoop pbfit powder, 1 cup of water)
- 1/2 cup COLD peanut butter oatmeal OR a half slice of 50% w.w. bread with PB. 150 calories
- 1 apple or 1 peach 80-100 calories
- 3 dark choc almonds 50 calories
I think the smoothie helps me feel "full" more quickly, probably because of the bigger volume? When losing weight you always feel slightly hungry, but there's manageable "hungry" and then there's low blood sugar HUNGRY!!!!.
So I'm switching back to my Smoothie breakfasts as I do my final weight loss push to get under 220lbs.
To lose 1 pound per week, you need a 500 calorie deficit per day, so it's easy to see why I got stuck at 224 after switching to daily oatmeal bowl breakfasts.
BUT!!! this experiment was worth it because I've found 2 new dessert ideas that will work long term with my new healthy lifestyle
Eating a cold half cup portion of the peanut butter flavored Oatmeal (150-200 calories), (see recipe), satisfies my ice cream cravings. Oats are great for managing cholesterol too.
One or two 50 calorie servings of Almond Flour Based Protein Bars recipe Unrelated to the smoothie vs oatmeal for breakfast issue, it's just a recipe I found recently. I wanted a healthy alternative to Clif Bars when out bike riding, and I had a bag of almond flour in the pantry I needed to figure out how to use.
The first batch of almond flour protein bars I made using Orgain Peanut Protein Powder, https://a.co/d/03iQw5A7 and BJ's Wellsley brand natural peanut butter. It frikkin rocked!
Totally reminded me of these peanut butter squares I made during Covid shutdown, this recipe, which totals almost 5000 calories vs the 1600 calorie total for the aforementioned Almond Flour Based Protein Bars recipe No wonder I ballooned over 300 lbs during Covid. Btw, it's easy to copy paste recipes into Google's AI prompt now to get a calorie total, just FYI.
Regarding the Almond Flour Based Protein Bars recipe, the 2nd batch I made with Orgain Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder, and BJ's almond butter. Still good but way less addictive, a good thing. I cut them into small 50 calorie, 1 inch square sizes. I also only use 1/3 cup of maple syrup because the Orgain Protein Powders have natural sweeteners like Stevia.
They help me not overeat after getting home after long rides. Packs well on longer rides too, but we haven't had a super hot day yet. They could get messy when it's over 80F/27C. Clif bars get boring after awhile, and I don't want to get in the habit of eating junk food when I'm out bike riding. Part of my minor weight uptick was overindulging in ice cream or a pizza slice when out riding. I can do that after I get down into the 210's, but I need to lose 5-10 more lbs first.
I look forward to getting to enjoy the extra 3500 calories per week though, once I'm down in the 210's. Food-wise, I'm very happy with the healthier stuff I make and eat, but the occasional pizza slice or ice cream cone will be fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment