October 09, 2012

Breakfast

You know those days where you wake up and the air in the room is so cold that you really don't want to throw back the covers and get out of bed? It's actually been that cold in Michigan for the past few days. I turned on our furnace, but I am trying my best not to turn the heat up high, because it's only the beginning of October!

This morning, I was SO comfy in bed under my electric blanket, that the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. I was up early enough that I had time to take a shower before waking the kids, so I basically went from electric blanket to hot shower in one motion. Then I dressed in jeans and a sweater.

It was kind of a hectic morning. I saw a couple of bits and pieces of The Doctors yesterday (or was it Dr. Oz?), and one thing that stood out was that people who wait longer than one hour after waking to eat breakfast are 50% more likely to be obese. That was shocking to me! I rarely eat within an hour of waking--usually it's about two hours after I wake up.

I like to be able to sit and relax with my breakfast, while I read e-mail or blog comments. This means waiting until after I put the kids on the bus, because there is no way I can sit and relax over e-mail while getting my kids ready for school.

Anyway, after seeing that little clip of the show, I decided to try and eat breakfast within that hour window. I got out of bed at 6:10, and after my shower, got the kids up and dressed. I cooked them breakfast (Noah requested eggs, because he had MEAP testing today, and his teacher told the class to eat a high-protein breakfast); and after all was said and done, it was 7:15 before I started making my own breakfast. Not exactly an hour or less, but a little sooner than I normally would have eaten (8:00).

I have no idea how much truth there is to the relation between what time you eat breakfast and obesity, but I've heard similar stats before--so it can't hurt. Maybe I'll try getting up and eating before waking the kids tomorrow.

Speaking of breakfast, I've tried the Pumpkin Spice Bagel Thins, and wasn't a big fan. It's not the flavor, it's the bagel thin itself. I love bagels! But these are not at all comparable to a bagel. They weren't terrible by any means, but I don't think I would buy them again. I looked for the Laughing Cow cinnamon cream cheese spread that some people mentioned, but couldn't find it. So I made my own spread by combining 2 Tbsp fat free cream cheese + 1 tsp. sugar + 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. The spread was good!


My library book finally became available today:
The problem with being on a hold list at the library for so long is that I completely forgot what the first book (Divergent) was about.


Something very strange happened about six weeks ago. I suddenly was completely turned off to ice. I've had an ice-chewing addiction for YEARS. I've written about this before. I would chew ice all day long, and when I wasn't chewing it, I was thinking about it. I constantly walked back and fourth to the freezer for an ice cube. (And because someone is bound to ask, the answer is no--I am not deficient in iron. My doctor checks this every year specifically because of the ice chewing). It was just a compulsive habit.

Anyway, out of nowhere about six weeks ago, I just stopped chewing ice. I even found myself dumping ice out of my glass after a drink instead of chewing it (unheard of for me). And even the thought of chewing ice makes me cringe.

This is a good thing! I always wanted to give up the habit, because I knew it had to be bad for my teeth. And I know the noise is annoying to people around me (although Jerry never complained). It's just so strange that I quit so easily, and without even trying. Maybe grapes have some sort of vitamin that I was lacking ;) I've certainly been eating my share of grapes.


My friend Sarah from Arizona is in Michigan for a visit, and she's coming over tonight with her brand new baby. I'm so excited to see him! (Her too, of course). This is probably the closest I will ever come to being an aunt, and that's what this feels like for me. Sarah and I were practically sisters while we were growing up. We were born three days apart, we lived just two houses apart, we were best friends all through school, roommates in college, and the maid of honor in each others' wedding. She got married last October, and then pregnant almost right away. I just wished she lived in Michigan! Anyway, I'm looking forward to visiting with her tonight :)

25 comments:

  1. That's an interesting stat! On the weekends i eat shortly after waking, but during the week i get up at 5:40 and if I ate that early I'd be starving by 9am!

    Have fun with your friend. Almost all of my best friends have babies and I'm now an "aunt" to all of them.. it's great :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I too like to wait till the kids are gone to eat. I think I'm eating within the hour though, will have to check!
    I really don't like bagel thins either!
    I got Insurgent from the library too! I'm almost done. I think she does a pretty good job reminding you what happened in the first book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pepperidge Farm makes cinnamon swirl and cinnamon raisin swirl bread - smaller loaves, my mom used to buy them and make French toast for special occasions. She said they had a pumpkin swirl one that she tried and loved - my store only had apple cinnamon swirl, though. (I made the most amaaaazing grilled cheese sandwich with a couple of slices of it and very sharp cheddar!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The "within an hour" statistic is almost certainly due to confounding variables... like perhaps people who have a set schedule (ex. wake up, eat breakfast, go to work) are less likely to be obese. Or people who eat right when they wake up so that they can exercise early. Data like that is almost never meant to be taken literally.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The best I can do is 2 hours after waking up since I work-out right after we get our daughter on the bus (before my work day starts). I guess eating breakfast at all is better than nothing (I'm hoping! :) That is so crazy about the ice - it will be interesting to see if your interest in it comes back. Have fun with your friend!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The chewing ice thing gets me everytime-like nails on a chalkboard! Honestly, even reading about how you used to chew ice gave me chills (literally). I think that might almost be as crazy as how much ice you ate ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. We've had chilly mornings for awhile now (northern Canada) and I agree, snuggling up in bed is just the best!

    Have you tried the strawberry cream cheese? Seriously it's the best. I actually quit buying it because i'd eat it right out of the package with a spoon!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm waiting on the same book! Finally number 6 on the waiting list so hopefully I can read it soon : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. I heard about the breakfast thing and once followed a diet that had great results but it was hard to keep doing forever, this book said to have something at your bedside so as soon as you get up from bed you eat that,it was something really small, think of a pre-breakfast snack. For example you can have a few grapes and a couple of almonds (the same book convinced me of always eating a couple o almonds with fruit to combine protein and fat with sugar).
    You can have that little snack, then do your things and have the formal (larger) breakfast 2 hours later.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's supposedly to get our metabolism revving again. The sooner we do it, the better. I will eat something small, like half a Power Bar or a lower calorie Fiber One bar with my coffee. Then, later I'll have my relaxing breakfast with a big cup of chai tea.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I found out that if you crave ice, you may have an iron deficiency.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have actually read a few studies lately disputing the whole eating within an hour of waking myth. Which made me feel better, because if I eat within an hour of eating, I always feel pretty crappy for the rest of the day. I sure can't exercise after eating.

    I too am a bonafide ice eater, and my iron is actually high for a woman. With me it comes and goes in spurts and has to do with the quality of the ice. Give me a cup of pelletized ice and I am a happy girl! So, congrats for not chewing it lately, your dental work will thank you for it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obviously that should say within an hour of waking! Ha!

      Delete
  13. I think it may be because if you wait until you are super hungry you eat too much or the wrong things. I don't really want to eat so soon after I get up and I take thyroid medicine that I have to take on an empty stomach and am not supposed to eat for 1-2 hours after so I have to wait until I get to work anyway but it is true I sometimes get so hungry I eat more than I should.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am always amazed at how early you get up. You are so self-disciplined. I realize during the school year you have to get up to get the boys ready for school, but if I was you, during the summer I would sleep in every single day. I know you want to get out there and run before it's hot in the summer. Another example of your self-discipline! I sleep til about 9 a.m. most of the time (if I can!) on my 3-day weekends, and plan on continuing that practice EVERYDAY when I retire at the end of the year. Another example of my lack of self-discipline. I figure I've been getting out of bed before dawn for over 35 years, I've earned the right to sleep in now if I want to!

    Seems like ice eating wouldn't be such a bad habit. At least there's no calories in it. My teeth are ultra sensitive to cold and hot so I don't do it much.

    That's interesting about people tending to be obese if they wait more than an hour to eat breakfast. When I was fat I never ate real breakfast. I would bring a big old quart size baggie full of potato chips with me to work, and about 9:00 start eating them while I sat at my computer, even though they were supposedly for my lunch! Even now I can't eat right after I get up, I'm just not hungry yet. So I bring cereal and a banana to work and eat it at my desk about 9 a.m. That's THREE hours after I get up. Probably not good huh?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am just not hungry when I wake up usually by the time I get up kids up fed and where they need to go and head to work then I am hungry. And some days if work is busy right from the start I totally skip breakfast which isn't good either. Wish I could be one to wake up way before kids get ready relax eat and then wake them up.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That's a bummer...I'm on a thyroid medication, and have to take it first thing in the morning, then wait an hour before eating. Darn thyroid ;) But, even if I wasn't, I'm always hurrying to get the kids ready for school and myself ready for work. I usually take a granola bar and decaf coffee (and sometimes fruit) to have during my commute. So, it's usually about an hour or hour and a half after I wake up, anyway. On the days I stay home, I like to get the kids off to school, then enjoy my oatmeal with my e-mail, too :)
    I'm curious to see if it makes any difference for you!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, I'm also an on again/off again ice chewer, but it depends on the ice :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm not a fan of the bagel thins, either, but I can't wait to try your spread! Thanks for posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yay for not chewing on ice!

    http://www.shilohstaste.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. its hard to eat within an hour of waking up...

    ReplyDelete
  21. I tend to not eat within an hour of waking either. I've been eating breakfast when I get to work (around 9) after getting everyone ready and getting the kids to school. When I had been eating earlier, I felt like I was eating more because I had to have a snack mid morning or I was starving an hour or two before lunch. With breakfast being a bit later, I can make lunch a bit later and my day just seems to go more smoothly.
    I was a faithful early breakfast eater the whole time I was at my heaviest weight and now that I'm doing something about my weight, I'm not.
    I'd be curious to see more data on those who are obese and don't eat within an hour of waking. I wonder if it is because people who don't eat right away tend to have other bad eating habits. I think for those of us who are carefully paying attention to what we eat and when, that shouldn't really be an issue (IMHO).

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think it's a personal thing and like yourself, I like to eat it well after I get up (after everyone is out the door to school, etc.) but I always eat it. I think they say within an hour of waking because it boosts you metabolism a little, but the most important thing is to EAT BREAKFAST in the first place. It's amazing to me the number of people I know who still skip it entirely.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I agree - bagel thins are the worst part of the bagel.

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive