Eat Breakfast!

You have heard this one before:

DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!!!

I am awful at this one.

I have to take medicine in the morning that requires and empty stomach

so I have to wait at least an hour to eat in the morning and by then the kids

are up and hungry and I am feeding them.

making lunches for school,

double checking the homework folder,

changing diapers,

fixing crazy bed head hair,

catching the mismatched outfit moments before we need to leave the house

and then having to scramble to find something else for her to wear

while she cries and yells because that is her

absolute FAVORITE outfit.....

I'm sure you get what I'm throwing here-

mornings are busy for me and before I know it

I have been up for 2.5 hours and not put a thing except a half cup of coffee in my mouth.

Then I head to the gym to burn anywhere from 350 to 1000 calories

and then end up running errands (yes, I do this sweaty and smelly-if you have ever run into me at the grocery store or BJ's around 11am I apologize...) and before I know it the clock (and my toddler) say its lunch time and I have not eaten a thing.

That does NOT do the body good.

Whatever your morning time story is, it's hard to make time for breakfast,

but we need to make it a priority if you really want to lose weight and keep it off.

By eating something within the first 2 hours of your day you start your metabolism for the day and allow your body to start burning calories and working more efficiently which is a really good thing.Not only will it give you fuel and energy to start your day with but it will help you efficiently burn more calories through out the morning and help prevent you from overeating or binge eating later in the day.

But when I say you need to eat something I am not talking about a donut or 3 sitting on the table in the break room at work or a cheese danish or a piece of cake left over from the party last night.

I am talking about filling your bodies fuel tank with the most bang for your buck and that means some combination of complex carbohydrates with protein and a bit of healthy fat.

What the heck does that mean?

Here are some good options:

How about 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of whole-grain toast,

a cup of Greek yogurt with a handful of berries and chopped nuts stirred in,

a bowl of oatmeal topped with berries and two slices of lean bacon on the side.

Shakeology

a low sugar protein bar

smoothie with Greek yogurt and fruit and protein powder

or try this easy and yummy 'overnight oatmeal'

Overnight Oatmeal:

Before bed grab a jar or Tupperware container

In the bottom layer

1/2 cup of plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

(if using plain you could mix in a teaspoon or so of maple syrup or honey for a touch of sweetness without the sugar) and top with

1/3 cup of steel cut oats (or old fashioned-just don't use quick unless you want a jar of mush)

and then pour just a splash of almond milk, coconut milk or skim milk over the top of the oats.

(you can also top with chopped fruit of your choice but I only had 8oz jars on hand and I had trouble fitting just the yogurt and oats in there without making a huge mess so if you want fruit definitely use a larger container!

Close it up and pop it in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours)

In the morning grab the jar, open it up to find this: