Another dumb question about oatmeal...

sooner_ed · 30-Sep-04, 04:11 PM

I know I'm at least doing the right thing by having oatmeal for breakfast. My question is how much is ok? I've heard some people say they have a huge bowl of oatmeal and others say you shouldn't have that much. Obviously, if I'm having other foods with my oatmeal, I shouldn't eat that much. But if oatmeal is all I'm going to have, is it ok to have a lot? Currently, I have a big bowl of cheerios in soymilk to go with my 1/2 cup of oatmeal. If I'm trying to lose 10 pounds (5'6", 160), should I continue to eat both or drop the cheerios and have more oatmeal? I know this sounds like a dumb question, but given my current weight loss of 60 pounds this year and my increased phsyical activity, I'm no longer sure what will help me reach my goals. If it helps, I do 30 minutes of stationary bike and lift for 30-45 minutes before eating breakfast, so I want to make sure my body is getting what it needs afterwards.

Lift2Live · 30-Sep-04, 04:47 PM

An easy way to gauge how much you need to eat is how much you need for the upcoming activity. If you eat a medium sized bowl and find that you are getting through your workout just barely, you should eat more. If you get through fine, drop it some until you know you need to eat by the time you get home or a bit more. It's just a basic gauge. You have to play with foods to see where you need to be. Everyone is different and what might be enough for you could not be for someone else.

sooner_ed · 30-Sep-04, 05:46 PM

I work out before breakfast. After eating breakfast, I go to work at a desk job. So I don't really have much of an activity after eating breakfast. That's why I'm not quite sure how much I should be eating for breakfast. I know I need to give my body what it needs after working out, but not sure how much is too much for going to work at a desk job afterwards.

Octagon · 30-Sep-04, 05:56 PM

Going right from breakfast to a desk job is another point for oatmeal and against cheerios. The oatmeal will digest quite a bit more slowly which is exactly what you want during periods of low activity.

I would drop the cheerios and concentrate on deciding how much oatmeal you want for that meal.