It's definitely time to get my body functioning normally again, so I'm adding a "cereal" meal to my menu.

My cereal this morning consisted of the following:
3 T flaxmeal
4 T unprocessed wheat bran
2 T tvp
1 T butter
2 T heavy cream
1/2 c. water
2 T. atkins vanilla syrup

It came out with a total of:
cals -- 406
fat -- 30
carbs -- 23
prot -- 19
fiber -- 16 (or 7 EEC)

It just seems strange not to be eating my eggs and bacon this morning, and I'm kind of wondering which is better for me. The numbers look good I suppose.

Maybe a better question is, did you feel better when you started eating the high fiber "cereal" instead of your other breakfasts?

Hi Annette!

I was certainly more regular when I added the flax cereal and I find that it keeps me filled up for quite a while. I don't always feel that I have to choose between the cereal and something else; if I'm hungry sometimes I'll have some cheese or an egg with it. The flax also gives you a healthy dose of Omega-3 fats which are very good for you.

I rarely have the traditional bacon and eggs for breakfast. I eat a cereal consisting of 2 Tbsp 100% oat bran with 3 Tbsp flax meal. I'll also throw in some splenda and sometimes some cinnamon and cream. I finish off with a LC protein shake, and I'm ready to go.

I've been having this same thing for quite a while now, and my weight continues to drop. I also feel fine, and I'm more "regular".

I also have 1/4 to 1/2 cup of plain splenda-sweetened yogurt with dinner; that helps as well and is very LC. Karen introduced me to the benefits of yogurt a couple of weeks ago, and I've had it every day since.

shutt

I started grooving on flax for breakfast because I needed a few more carbs when I started BFL. What I found though was it set me up for a day of wanting more sweet things, like more flax cereal.

Now I'll have it at night for a snack. A tuna salad with avocado and tomato is great for breakfast!

Karen

Karen, I've had "mouth hunger" all day and it's driving me crazy. Thanks so much for the suggestion. I know I need the fiber, but I feel out of control, though I haven't given in to the urge. I ended up eating a 2nd breakfast about 3 hrs later of eggs and bacon.

I found this odd.... I got hungry within 2 hrs. after eating flax-o-meal cereal. A couple weeks later I made the flax-o-meal pancakes for breakfast, had 2-1/2 of them, and it held me for SEVERAL hours!! I was really surprised! Maybe because I had more pancakes than I had cereal or had more butter on the pancakes. They didn't make me crave anything later.... definitely a YMMV thing once again! It still always amazes me how different we all are!!

If you can hack it, eat it without sweetener. I would also eliminate the bran and TVP. You can also mix straight ground flax with yogurt, and it's not that bad.

Karen

Definitely eliminate the wheat bran ... it's not the great panacaea that cereal manufacturers would have us believe It inhibits the absorption of minerals, esp. calcium and iron, it still has 4g digestible carbs per ¼ cup, and tastes awful

OTOH, one ounce of natural unblanched almonds lightly toasted and coarsely chopped, has 3g digestible carbs, 5g protein and 15g monounsaturate fat. Adds a nice crunch, and tastes delicious.

I also add a scoop of low-carb protein powder (one scoop = 15g prot) .. improves the texture, and boosts the nutrition I prefer unflavoured, but you could use chocolate or banana .. whatever you like. The added protein gives a little more "staying power".

4 Tbsp flax meal
1 oz toasted almonds
1 scoop whey protein
1/2 c. not-quite-boiling water
dot vanilla, cinnamon
sweetener as desired
2 Tbsp heavy cream

Total: 501
Fat: 39
Carbs: 18
Fiber: 12
(ECC: 6)
Protein: 30


Doreen

Yes! I sometimes add protein powder too, to boost the protein. In addition to almonds, coconut is also delicious. I also add a drop of natural maple extract.

Karen