Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - good breakfast suggestions

okay, every morning (well at least 5 mornings a week) I get up and go for a ~8~10 mile bike ride. I don't eat before I go, I drink a tall glass of water and hit the road. When I get back after my ride (40minutes to 1 hour later) Im starving. What ends up happening is I stop at (insert popular drivethrough here) for a small breakfast of some kind.

What im looking for is healthy breakfast suggestions that still taste good. I fear that riding off 400 calories only to stop at mickey D's is being counter productive. any suggestions?

oatmeal.. Seriously, one of the best slow carbs in the world... I have a bowl every morning... Fills me up and keeps me full for a long time

I normally chew down a whole grain toast with peanut butter and a sliced up banana on top. Sprinkle a little honey on top and I'm good for an hour ride easy. After I come back from the ride I chew on a small bowl of cereal, again with fruit mixed in like strawberries or some other berries or maybe the rest of the banana (if my kids haven't already eaten it)

oatmeal is great.

I find oatmeal too much work (because I won't do instant), so I usually do a banana and possibly toast if I'm hungrier.

Peanut butter and honey sandwich.

+1 on the oatmeal. It's what I have for breakfast every morning.

I hate plain cooked oatmeal. I'll eat the oatmeal uncooked in a bowl of milk. Its great.
My wife makes some concoction with 8 egg whites, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, cinnamon, and a little sugar free vanilla syrup (the kind you put in coffee for flavoring) then she microwaves it. It looks like sh*t, but tastes like french toast.

what about instant oatmeal?

one of the things that I have done in the past was an egg and cheese sandwhich, one piece of toast with one egg pan fried with a piece of cheese over the top.

I generally don't eat lunch. I usually eat breakfast and then skip lunch and have an early dinner...

what about instant oatmeal?

one of the things that I have done in the past was an egg and cheese sandwhich, one piece of toast with one egg pan fried with a piece of cheese over the top.

I generally don't eat lunch. I usually eat breakfast and then skip lunch and have an early dinner...

1) It's bad to skip a meal....can make your body confused and "store fat" because it thinks its being deprived.

2) An egg & cheese sandwhich taste good, but are you trying to lose weight? Pan fried egg is fried in oil and cheese is mostly fat. Not very healthy....tasty, but not very healthy.

3) The only reason I don't do instant oatmeal is that its less natural (preservatives and stuff), but its probably better than egg & cheese sandwhich.

Oatmeal or coddled eggs

live yoghurt + mashed fruit or store bought compote (plain fruit with NO extra sugar) + sugar free muesli (NOT granola)

UK product that's easy to find as a random example
http://www.yeovalleyorganic.co.uk/tastyChoicesGroupDetails.php?group=Natural
http://www.yeovalleyorganic.co.uk/tastyChoicesGroupDetails.php?group=Fruit%20Compotes

My typical pre-ride breakfast is either a bowl of granola-ish cereal with 1% milk or a clif bar, and a glass of fruit juice (real juice, not the 'cocktail' HFCS stuff), often with a banana or apple. This gives me good fuel for the first hour or so, then gels, accelerade, heed, etc as necessary.

Jim

1) It's bad to skip a meal....can make your body confused and "store fat" because it thinks its being deprived.

2) An egg & cheese sandwhich taste good, but are you trying to lose weight? Pan fried egg is fried in oil and cheese is mostly fat. Not very healthy....tasty, but not very healthy.

3) The only reason I don't do instant oatmeal is that its less natural (preservatives and stuff), but its probably better than egg & cheese sandwhich.

im not usually hungry at lunch time. what does everybody suggest when that happens?

as for the egg and cheese, I was afraid you guys would say that.

You dont need instant oatmeal.. Get the big box of quaker oats (non-instant rolled variety) and nuke it for 2:30 with water. You need to add a pinch of salt, and if you like it sweet use honey instead of brown sugar. It is better for you. A big box will be ~$5

As for lunch time, even a power bar will let your body know there is food around. Power bar, goo, some fruit, etc...

I also dig oatmeal for breakfast. But...I hate plain otmeal. I always put non-fat yogurt or cottage cheese in there, or no-sugar maple syrup, artificial sweetener, and either fruit (berries, peaches, kiwi, and apples are nice), or couple of tablespoons of unsweetened baking cocoa powder (15 calories per tablespoon, and 1/2 teaspoon has as much "chocolate" in it as a candy bar). The added protein from the yogurt or cottage cheese makes me feel full longer, and I think it allows me to work out longer.

If I wake up late, and am doing a ride that morning, I try to keep it really light, and find oatmeal to be too heavy. On such days, I usually just eat fresh fruit and non-fat cottage cheese. There is water in the fruit, and your body burns off the fructose quckly while you ride.

my summer cold museli mix= rolled oats+raisins+hazelnuts+some other raw mixed nuts+shelled raw sunflower seeds+shelled raw pumpkin seeds+linseed+unsweetened coconut

The night before put 6-7 heaping tablespoons in a bowl with some lowfat milk, put it in the fridge, and by morning its soaked up the milk, cold and naturally softened. Cut a banana or a peach and add a bit more milk before consuming. The raisins, coconut and fresh fruit make it sweet enough that I don't add honey or sugar.

Another for oatmeal, I have been doing instant but need to move to plain. I love blueberries and they love me. I end up getting the frozen blueberries with nothing added to them due to cost. An ounce of raw almonds before your ride will go a long way to keeping you from being starved as well.

Unprocessing my life is harder than I thought it would be. Chicken Mcnugget (which I do not eat) has 37 ingredients and 72% of its calories come from corn.

1 glass of skim milk, 1 cup of weight watchers yogurt, 1/2 cup dry quick oatmeal.

Drink the skim milk as usual, then mix in the dry oatmeal with the yogurt....yummmm seriously

A protein shake can be pretty good breakfast. It will also give your muscles the energy they need to recover from your workout.
A simple recipe:
Milk or Water
Ice
Scoop of dry whey protein of your favorite flavor. (@ your local health store)
~1/3C Ground Oatmeal (I buy it and grind it in the blender then re-store it)
Frozen Berries of your choice.

Throw it all in a blender and grind.

To save time and not use the blender you can omit the frozen berries. They taste good, but sometimes it's easier to just throw it all in a bottle + shake.


Alternatively, granola bars can be good breakfast. Just check the packaging to make sure you're not getting the kind loaded with sugar.

One of my favorite pre- or post-biking breakfasts is Kashi (or similar cereal like Grape Nuts) with fat-free yogurt instead of milk, and a banana.

I love oatmeal, but I'm not a huge fan of instant. I need to try Nater's Nuked Oatmeal recipe.

I usually eat cereal, yogurt, fruit smoothie, or fress fruit for breakfast. If I'm going to ride in the AM, I'll have a PB&J or half a turkey, ham and cheese sandwich.

When I need to drop some weight in a hurry, I ride early in the day on an empty stomach too. Sometimes I'll make 1/2 a protein shake.


I'm like everyone else, when I get back I hit the oatmeal. Old-fashioned is better than instant. I add a few raisins and a little brown sugar etc.

After the ride your body needs protein too. I also try to eat some scrambled egg whites (between 3-5). I leave one yolk for coloring.

Glass of OJ and a vitamin pill.

My daily breakfast:

1/2 cup of Fiber One w/ skim milk
1/4 cup of Egg Beaters scrambled with cheddar cheese. (I mix 2% and fat free shredded to make 1%)
2 oz turkey sausage patty (Home made w/ 99% fat free ground turkey and Penzy's sausage seasoning. You can precook and then just nuke in the morning)
1 banana
4 oz glass of Vegetable juice
8 oz glass of water

Somedays I'll make a veggie and cheese omelet using 1/2 cup of egg beaters and skip the turkey sausage. I just use frozen veggies. Saute for a couple of minutes to thaw and then add the eggs.

Joe

What ends up happening is I stop at (insert popular drivethrough here) for a small breakfast of some kind.

Take a granola bar with you on your rides (or two, for longer trips). That way, if you get the munchies while you're out, you'll have a healthy alternative to fast food. Quicker energy too, in case you need to refuel mid-ride. Works for me, anyway.

For breakfast (1-2 hours before a ride), I usually have my multivitamin, a bowl of whole grain cereal with nonfat milk, a bannana and/or a container of nonfat yogurt, and a large glass of water. Sometimes I'll have a small glass of juice as well.

I find that gives me all the energy I need to get through a 2-3 hour ride, and generally carry me through until lunch. Breakfast is my largest meal of the day, so I don't feel too bad about waking up to 500-600 calories. Especially if I'm going to work most of it off before lunch anyway. :D

-DR

What im looking for is healthy breakfast suggestions that still taste good. I fear that riding off 400 calories only to stop at mickey D's is being counter productive. any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

Install a set of Tyresavers on your wheels. After running thru some fresh roadkill you can pick off some tasty tidbits. I love rattlesnake- tastes like chicken!

Well, I am lucky and love oats.

My Diet Doc says you must eat something before exercise or it will bite you about 5-8 hours later. No eating and exercise triggers the starving mechanism and causes binge carbo-loading later in the day.

My Breakfast of choice is 4 Tbsps Hemphearts, half a cup palin non-fat yogurt, 1 cup of frozen mixed berries and a banana....mixed into smoothy. Hemphearts are loaded with Protien, Omega 3's, and slowish carbs and alas, no THC.

On mornings when I ride before work (on the bike about 5) I usually have a carton of non-fat yogurt (I like yoplait it's live and 100 cal even makes for convenient math) before I hit the road. Water and/or accelerade on ride depending on length/temperature and a cliff bar if its a really long one. Breakfast is about half an hour later, and is usually Kashi cereal of some kind with milk, fresh fruit, and 2 eggs worth of egg beaters that I nuke. Right at 500 calories or so, with a lot of protein and fiber, loads the system really well for long burn. I don't normally get to eat lunch (funny thing since I work in a restaurant) so lunch is granola/energy bar of some kind at 10 and then again at 1.

Shredded wheat, a banana sliced in it, skim milk and a teaspoon of sugar is a delicious and healthy breakfast. I HATE OATMEAL, but I do like Cheerios, they are good with a nanner too!

My Diet Doc says you must eat something before exercise or it will bite you about 5-8 hours later. No eating and exercise triggers the starving mechanism and causes binge carbo-loading later in the day.

My usual ride is also an AM ride -- commute to work -- and I don't find that what your diet doc says is true if I have had adequate and proper nutrition the previous day and also after exercise.

+1 to whole grain toast with peanut butter. I also like whole grain toast with an egg on top (use a non-stick pan and spray, rather than lots of oil/butter).

I've learned to "think outside the norm". A couple times a week I'll put some type of beans or peas in the crock pot about this time when I get home from work. They are done in the AM and I'll eat a bowl for breakfast and another for lunch or dinner. I've tried the instant oatmeal and didn't like it. The Wife got some steal cut oatmeal from a healthfood store today. I may try that in the morning with some sliced peaches and see how that goes.

Oatmeal for me too.....I sweeten it with different jams

I figure two mugs of coffee and the jam gets me out the door,the oatmeal lasts me down the road

im not usually hungry at lunch time. what does everybody suggest when that happens?

as for the egg and cheese, I was afraid you guys would say that.

Eat something small anyway. Carrot sticks, slice of bread w/pb, turkey sandwich, whatever. If you keep the "fire" stoked, you'll be less likely to be famished later. You also won't be tempted to munch on junk before dinner.

By the way, egg and cheese can be done a healthy way, too. Use egg whites or egg beaters and poach them instead of frying, and use low fat all natural cheese on high fiber whole grain bread. Add a little pepper. mmm mmmm good.

Personally, I find that if I try to eat throughout the day, in small snacks, 2 things happen:
1) I'm much hungrier than I would be if I ate only breakfast/nothing at all
2) The snacks (e.g., a banana, trail mix bar, etc.) don't fill me up at all.

I'm trying to get past this, and have been fairly successful with it for the last two months. Still not totally used to it though.


I seriously think the key to weightloss is Korn Flakes and low fat milk. Oatmeal might work as well. 2 servings of korn flakes and 1 cup of 1/2% milk is pretty filling for a decent while.

For breakfast today I had a bowl of bran flakes with splenda at 0700. I also made a fruit smoothie (frozen strawberries, frozen peaches, some super-light strawberry yogurt, skim milk, splenda) to put in the water bottle and take with me to work. Just had it at 10am and it was fan-tastic. I love smoothies, my better half got me addicted to them, but only like the ones I or she make. Others that I get from stores are just too dang sweet. If I wanted a slushie, I'd get a slushie.

For lunch I'll have a Nature's Valley granola bar and a bag of "Light" popcorn. I usually do that, or slim-fast and a bag of popcorn. Generally lunch is pretty light, and if I get hungry I have half a granola bar later in the day.

Dinners just depend, last night I had a ham & turkey sandwich with a bowl of salad. I found some balsamic vinegarette dressing at the store that is just great, and only 25 calories/serving! Definitely found a new staple for my diet. I got hungry again at 10pm so I had another bowl of salad, and a flour tortilla. I find the latter adds bulk, while the former satisfies the crunching urge.

I like bran-flakes a lot, though. They have a lot of bulk, and are good-tasting. I'm going to give oatmeal a shot, as I used to LOVE it.

I'm big on Kashi "Go Lean" products... The oatmeal is awesome and the cold cereal is spectacular! Plus they have a great balance of carbs and protein so they can be an entire meal in themselves!

-Josh

There are some good suggestions in here (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=238744) too. For those who like oatmeal (and actually some that don't) and want a little something different check out the oat pancake:


So, I've been hooked on oat pancakes (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=231402) for breakfast:


Oatmeal has been my fuel of choice for a long time. Its easy to make nice sweet snacks too that are not messy and keep great if you cant get to a fridge.

Get a cup of Oatmeal (Regular Quaker stuff that looks like horse food) and throw it in a food blender to make a coarse flour. Put that in a cereal bowl with just enough milk to make a consistency like plaster of Paris. Then add a couple of spoons of natural honey and stir it in well. Put the sticky mix into a non stick fry pan with no oil. Tamp it down to about 8mm thick and put it on a low heat. Cook and flip and then slide it out of the pan (it should have been dry/stick enough that it should leave no mess at all) then slice it up like a Pizza and there you have about 4-500 calories of perfect biking fuel

My 'improvements' as of late to that:

- 1 cup of oats
- 1 apple
- 1 tablespoon of pumpkin (I have a can of pumpkin pie filling (just pumpkin) and spoon out a tablespoon a day)
- honey
- pumpkin pie spice (has some cinamon, ginger, nutmeg)
- a little milk

In a food processor I throw in everything and blend together, then make the pancake. I find for my particular processor it works better by putting the apple and pumpkin first and everything on top. The last thing is a few drops of milk (I use a can of nonfat evaporated milk - lasts a long time and I don't drink milk otherwise). If you have too much pumpkin in there the middle won't cook - though it won't taste bad even if it doesn't :)

Super filling!

Addition of peanut butter is also rocking in there too.

For breakfast today I had a bowl of bran flakes with splenda at 0700. I also made a fruit smoothie (frozen strawberries, frozen peaches, some super-light strawberry yogurt, skim milk, splenda) to put in the water bottle and take with me to work. Just had it at 10am and it was fan-tastic. I love smoothies, my better half got me addicted to them, but only like the ones I or she make. Others that I get from stores are just too dang sweet. If I wanted a slushie, I'd get a slushie.

For lunch I'll have a Nature's Valley granola bar and a bag of "Light" popcorn. I usually do that, or slim-fast and a bag of popcorn. Generally lunch is pretty light, and if I get hungry I have half a granola bar later in the day.

Dinners just depend, last night I had a ham & turkey sandwich with a bowl of salad. I found some balsamic vinegarette dressing at the store that is just great, and only 25 calories/serving! Definitely found a new staple for my diet. I got hungry again at 10pm so I had another bowl of salad, and a flour tortilla. I find the latter adds bulk, while the former satisfies the crunching urge.

I like bran-flakes a lot, though. They have a lot of bulk, and are good-tasting. I'm going to give oatmeal a shot, as I used to LOVE it.

Wow. If that's your typical daily diet AND you're riding, you won't be 'chubby' for long. Good job!

Jim

Well I have been working on this for awhile. I usually eat oatmeal with Kefir and blueberries, with maybe some eggs. I used to eat before my morning commute (I am a bus driver so I ride in early, drive, and ride home 17 mi round trip get home at 9:30) but that ended up making me more hungry throughout the day. I found that if I didn't eat then when I got to work had a few rice cakes and then did not eat until I got home I was much more stable throughout the day. Today I had a new concoction which was

6 frozen Strawberries
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
2 Tb of protein powder
3 Egg whites (raw...yes I said raw)
1/2 cup Kefir
1 Tb of whet germ
2 Tb of milled flax seeds
1/2 cup of scottish oats soaked overnight in 1 cup of almond milk (or rice milk)

blended it all together and got a sherbert type of thing that tasted pretty good. (Approved by one wife and two children). Kept me full well into lunch time, but since I them commute again back and forth for the afternoon shift I ate a salad before I went.

My breakfast is at around 8:00 - 8:30 in the morning after a one hour work out starting around 5:00 a.m. I will have about 3 ounces of OJ and a vitamin around 6:15. My current weight loss breakfast is one scrambled egg with some hash browns and breakfast sausage cooked together with a little bit of home made salsa and then a little shredded cheddar cheese. It is not a super low fat/low calorie, but it works great for me, and I am not hungry until around noon when I eat a small lunch (tuna fish sandwich on one piece of toast and a package of funyuns). Dinner is completely different each night, and depends upon our schedule.

I attempted some of the things people have listed, and will stick with what I have and what I like. It works great for me and my blood workup is the best it has been in the last 5 years.

... It is not a super low fat/low calorie, but it works great for me ... I attempted some of the things people have listed, and will stick with what I have and what I like. It works great for me and my blood workup is the best it has been in the last 5 years.

I'm with you - I definitely feel better if I don't do the super-low fat thing (though I do watch the calories - a bit of fat actually makes it easier for me to eat less), and oatmeal, while tasty... well, I eat half a bowlful, feel stuffed and sick, then am famished an hour later. I don't worry about eggs - my bloodwork is great too, so I enjoy them! Am I gonna be the only one at RAGBRAI not eating oatmeal?? ;)

Those apple-pumpkin pancakes look GOOD, though. I'm gonna try that.

+1 on Kashi Go Lean.

Really easy as it's a cold cereal and VERY filling.

+1 on oatmeal, too.

For oatmeal, try getting real oatmeal (not quick oats, or <yuck> instant) and cooking in the microwave. Oats plus water plus 2 - 3 minutes in the microwave, then stir and let it sit for a few minutes. Works really well. Also try adding a few chopped nuts or dried cherries for additional flavor.

If you are looking for something quick I suggest one of these


Protein powder and milk - I've been very happy with ON Gold Standard 100% Whey. It mixes easy, has very few carbs, tastes great and packs ~35 gr of protein with the milk.
A slice of sprouted whole grain bread with peanut butter and no sugar added preserves.
A 1/2 cup of Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin granola and 1/2 cup of Trader Joes (or similar) high-fiber cereal. With milk, it rounds out to 300-350 cals. Satisfying and holds you for a good while.


Now, if you have a couple of minutes, as many others have said - oatmeal. My favorite is McCann's Steel Cut Instant. Nuke for 2 minutes, add a butt load of cinnamon (great for regulating blood sugar), a splash of milk and some Splenda to sweeten.

In addition to any of these, one of the most important things to do is to drink your damn water. Pound 16 oz as soon as you get back and at least another 16 with your food. I feel, think and act so very much better if I'm properly hydrated.

*update*

after reading everybody's suggestions I decided to forgo the mickey d's from now on, as well as the egg and cheese (might still ahve that every once in a while) and instead stick to a koshi bar before my moring ride, and an apple on my way into the office (usually start around 10) and then a light lunch.

so far it seems to be working.

I'm on this 1500 calorie a day diet, so what I have for breakfest on most day is a Special K Cereal Bar which comes in some very good flavors and are only 90 calories. Add a cup of 2% milk and some a cup of Melon and I'm full for only 242 calories. If I don't do the bar, I'll have some whole grain light wheat toast which is only 45 calories a slice, with some butter and jelly on it and still under 250 for breakfest.

I'm on this 1500 calorie a day diet, so what I have for breakfest on most day is a Special K Cereal Bar which comes in some very good flavors and are only 90 calories. Add a cup of 2% milk and some a cup of Melon and I'm full for only 242 calories. If I don't do the bar, I'll have some whole grain light wheat toast which is only 45 calories a slice, with some butter and jelly on it and still under 250 for breakfest.

i am not watching calories. I am trying somewhat to follow the weightwatchers guidelines. But im not actively watching my points. WHat i do is quickly and roughly calculate what i have eaten for the day and then kind of try to stick to around 28 points a day, most days I go over but on those days that I do, i never count my activity points, so for those days where I did go over by a few, I figure I have the bicycle riding so im good.

I tried the toast with organic peanut butter and raw honey (ran out of bananas though) suggestion this morning and felt like a million bucks during my ride :).

Egg whites on whole wheat bread.

Some fruit and oatmeal are the best bet. It's a good topic. I find if I don't eat breakfast I end up starving by six and eat far too much. The real problem is TIME. I just never seem to have enough, esp. when I'm trying to get set up for the commute. I'm actually thinking about bringing a portable hot water maker to work with oatmeal packets and just making the stuff right here, since there's always periods of downtime.