ο»ΏThe Morning Metabolism Reset: Why Your First Meal Determines Fat Burning vs. Fat Storage
The most important meal of the day is the meal that you're choosing to break your fast, because what you choose to eat at this time is literally going to determine whether you're burning fat or storing it for the next 12 hours.
So if you want optimal health, you need to know the best way to fuel yourself for the day ahead, and that's exactly what I'm going to be sharing with you today on the Why Weight Start Now podcast.
Welcome to the Why Weight Podcast. I'm your host, Sheryl Takayama, qualified nutritionist, emotional eater, and weight loss coach who walks the talk. I've maintained my 30-kilo weight loss for the past 23 years following a low-carb plan, and now I coach other women online so they can do the same.
It's my mission to help women get off this crazy diet wagon and find a way of eating and a way of thinking that works, so you too can lose your weight for life. Join me each week for lots of practical advice, tips, and motivation so you can start now.
The Foundation: Why Morning Nutrition Matters
So last week we talked all about mindset, which is the absolute foundation of every health journey, especially when your goal is weight loss. Now I really believe that mindset is the most important thing to focus on, especially when you're getting started, but a close second is your nutrition.
You need to know what to intentionally put in your head when you first wake up, but you also need to know what to put in your mouth, and that's what I'm going to be talking about today. We want morning nutrition that is going to work with our body, not go against it.
So we're going to talk about how you start the day, why skipping breakfast often backfires, especially if you're a woman over 35. Then I'm going to share with you the golden formula for optimal morning nutrition.
So by the end of this podcast, you're going to know exactly what to eat and have some really good examples that you can get started with. And I'm even going to share some recipes with you in the show notes.
So if you're a little bit unsure right now about how you're going to start your day, you're going to have a lot more clarity in about 15 minutes.
Why Your First Meal Is So Critical
Look, the morning is so important because your body has been in a fasted state for what, 8 to 12 hours? It's very delicate. The first meal that you're eating is going to send some really powerful signals to your hormones, your metabolism. It's going to determine how your appetite regulation goes, and it's so important to set the tone for your blood sugar stability throughout the entire day.
You really want to think of this morning meal as kind of programming your metabolic computer for the day ahead.
This is why what you're eating is so important, because if you choose, let's just say, a high-carb cereal, which is quite typical... I mean, when I look at people's food diaries and they're coming to see me, and they might be having Weet-Bix with some milk and perhaps a bit of fruit - I mean, that wouldn't be seen as a necessarily unhealthy breakfast, especially in New Zealand.
But that is a very high-sugar option. There's a lot of energy in that breakfast which, if you're an athlete or if you're a person who has a really fast metabolism, will most likely be fine. But if you're someone who struggles with your weight, that is going to give you a heck of a lot of energy and an insulin spike, which is not going to set you up for success during the day.
Now, if this is the first time you're tuning into this podcast, you'll find many episodes previously that talk about why low-carb is a much better way to fuel yourself and why these high-energy foods aren't great. So please go back and have a listen.
And I often find with clients, one of the biggest things they notice is that when they get breakfast right, they're not grabbing for those snacks later in the day. So they don't have that same energy slump because they've got it right straight from the get-go.
Step One: The Gentle Wake-Up
So let's start with step one, and I talked about this last week, which is that gentle wake-up. The first thing I want you to do when you wake up is to have a lovely drink of warm water with lemon, because that really is good for your liver. It helps wake up your digestive system after your overnight fast, it gets those digestive enzymes going, it's brilliant for detoxing. It's just a fantastic way to start your day and probably one of the most powerful habits that you can create.
Now, it doesn't mean you can't have coffee, but it just means that before you put any coffee or tea into your system, make sure you have that water first, because that's going to really help wake your body up.
I like to wait at least sort of half an hour after I've had my water before I have that first coffee. And remember, you've got to be a bit cautious of really milky coffees because there's a lot of sugar in milk in the form of lactose, so not a great way to start the day. It's much better to have coffee with perhaps a splash of cream, or you could use almond milk - coconut milk is a good choice as well. If you do that, it's just not going to give you that same blood sugar spike that having normal milk will if you like a milky coffee.
The Truth About Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 35
Now, I know that it can be quite a popular option, especially if you're trying intermittent fasting, to delay breakfast, and that's probably the most common way that people do it. They will finish eating in the evening and then try and go as long as possible through the night and into the next day before they eat again.
Now, if you're currently doing fasting and it's working for you, that's fantastic. But it actually does not work for a lot of people, and intermittent fasting in this way is not a one-size-fits-all deal.
I found with many clients who have tried fasting that actually, while it might work in the beginning - and this is especially when weight loss is the goal - they might lose a little bit in the beginning, but then it plateaus quite quickly. And it's because of the fact that we get into this pattern of doing the same thing every day, which actually stops working because our body adapts to it.
But I think especially for women over 35, the other thing that comes into play is stress. An older body doesn't tend to react to stress as well as we do when we are younger, and this is what can turn fat burning off.
So while there might be some women who succeed with fasting, which is great, I find I have a lot of women coming to see me who are doing fasting, who are delaying breakfast as long as possible, and it is not working. And I believe that stress has a part to do with this.
So like all of these things in a weight loss journey, we've got to look at all the different options, try it if we want to, and then see what works for us. But if you've tried fasting and found that it just didn't work for you, I want you to know that you are most definitely not alone. This is quite a common thing for women who come to see me.
And I think a good sign that you really should be eating breakfast earlier is if you wake up and you do actually feel hungry - why delay that? If you're starting to feel a little bit irritable because you haven't eaten, don't just struggle through that. It's much better for your stress hormones if you actually eat, and of course, you eat the right thing.
Now, it's a very individual thing, and some people tell me that they feel absolutely fine in the morning - they're not hungry - and if that's the case, hey, why not experiment with a bit of intermittent fasting? But more often than not, I find that women get much better results, especially for women who are feeling hungry, if they actually listen to that hunger and respond to that hunger with a great meal. It makes such a difference, especially to those stress hormones.
The Golden Formula for Breaking Your Fast
So what does a great meal look like? Well, let me share with you what I would call my golden formula for breaking that fast.
So I always recommend at least 25 grams of protein minimum for that first meal of the day, and under 15 grams of total carbs. That's the level that I use for all of my meals - I never go above 15 grams of carbs because that works really well for weight loss. But for that first meal of the day, you really want to make sure you get at least 25 to 30 grams of protein.
And at the end of this episode, I'm going to share some really simple recipes with you that I know you're going to love.
Why Protein Is So Important
The reason protein is so important, especially first thing in the morning, is that protein wakes up your metabolism. It burns a lot of calories to actually digest protein. Protein burns about 30% of its calories just in this process of being digested, so it really wakes up your metabolic fire, and it really helps with appetite control.
Protein triggers your hunger hormones and your satiety hormones like GLP-1 - it's those hormones that tell your body that you're full. So you'll probably notice that when you have a high-protein breakfast - if you've had bacon and eggs, especially when it contains protein and fat, which is the real power combo - you feel full for a long time, you feel very satisfied. And that's because your blood sugars are stable, you're giving your body that lovely, lasting energy that's just going to keep you going. That is how you want to fuel yourself in the morning.
Getting your blood sugars stable right from the get-go is so important.
Now, protein is also really critical because it helps preserve muscle mass, which as we're aging is really important.
So get your protein high and get your carbs under 15 grams. We don't have to have no carbs - we just want to keep it really low. I find that under 15 grams is a great level, and if you're going to have carbs, choose them from nutrient-dense sources. You might have some veggies with your breakfast or some berries - nice, high-fiber berries that work really well.
Another thing I recommend is to keep your options savory rather than sweet. There are some delicious recipes for pancakes and other things, but actually, I find that in terms of appetite control, people tend to respond better if they eat a savory breakfast. It just seems to keep those blood sugars a bit more stable and help with your energy in the afternoon.
5 Powerful Breakfast Recipes
So now's the fun part. Let's go through some recipes and some meal ideas that fit this criteria well, where the protein is nice and high and the carbs are low. And if you like the sound of some of these, check out the show notes because I'm going to put the recipes in there.
1. The Protein Powerhouse
So the first one is what I call the Protein Powerhouse - that good old staple breakfast of eggs and veggies. So you want to have about three eggs, and you can cook them any way you like and add vegetables if you like them. So you might want to put three eggs scrambled with spinach, you might want to have some mushrooms, some tomatoes, just whatever you enjoy, because on my plans we always add vegetables as much as we like, whenever we like.
Then for the healthy fats, have 1/4 of an avocado.
This breakfast is going to give you about 25 grams of protein. The carbs will probably be around 6 or 7 grams, depending on what vegetables you use. But of course, vegetables are high in fiber, which is really helpful. So I normally don't even count the carbs from vegetables because they're very beneficial, and that fiber is going to help keep you full and really good for your regularity as well.
2. The Greek Goddess
The next one is what I call the Greek Goddess. So this is where we make use of one of the most popular low-carb ingredients: full-fat Greek yogurt, particularly the high-protein brands.
Here in New Zealand, we have the Anchor Protein Plus yogurt, or another brand is the Kalo unsweetened yogurt, which is high in protein. So you take about 180 grams of that, and you add a scoop of protein powder, whatever flavor you like. You might like to add some berries. Then you want to have your healthy fats, so I suggest a couple of tablespoons of chopped nuts, maybe some peanut butter, or even some chia seeds.
This breakfast is going to give you about 30 grams of protein or more, depending on your protein powder. It's so easy, and plus it tastes a little bit like you're having dessert for breakfast, which has always got to be a good thing.
3. The Green Machine
Now, if you like a good smoothie, what about this idea for a Green Machine? So you're going to use protein powder again, whatever flavor you like, and then we want to use a lower-carb milk - about a cup of milk.
So almond milk is great, you might like to use coconut milk. Remember, it does make a difference because a cup of normal milk can have up to 14 grams of lactose or sugar, whereas with almond milk, you're only getting four.
So you're going to use the almond milk, the protein powder, you might like to add some spinach, add some cucumber, blend it all up, and you're going to have this beautiful green shake. Then for some fats, you want to put in some peanut butter again, or maybe two tablespoons of LSA, which is ground up linseeds and sunflower seeds and almonds, or again, you could go for your chia seeds. That's going to give you the healthy fats, which is going to go along really well with your protein.
And once again, that's going to give you about 30 grams of protein for that breakfast.
4. Protein Pancakes
Now, if you do like something a bit sweeter, I've got a delicious recipe there for some protein pancakes, and those are made using cottage cheese - very simple - cottage cheese, egg, and a bit of psyllium husk, which helps bind that pancake.
This is one of the most popular recipes in my program, and if you want extra protein on that... that recipe in and of itself is going to be about 20 grams of protein, and if people want a bit more than that, you could always get a little bit of yogurt, add a bit of protein powder, and have that on the top almost as a protein cream. That's a really popular option.
5. Chia Seed Pudding
And the last option I want to share with you today is a chia seed pudding. Chia seeds are so brilliant - they're such an awesome source of fats, fiber, and a really nice chia seed pudding which is high in protein. You can make it just by soaking your chia seeds in a bit of hot water - that helps them gel up really quickly. Then you get your yogurt, add some protein powder, mix that together, and then you can add that into the chia seeds.
This is going to be really fast - you can make it in advance and have it ready to go if you just need to grab your breakfast and run. Once again, super high in protein, really easy to eat, and just very practical for these busy mornings.
Making It Work for You
You see, I'm always a fan of keeping foods simple, and yes, if we have time to cook a breakfast, that's great. We can have bacon and eggs or an omelet. Those kinds of things work really well. But I'm also a fan of very quick options, especially for that first meal of the day, so you can make sure you're getting all the protein you need but in a way that really works for you.
Of course, some other things you could do to prepare in advance might be hard-boiled eggs. I've got a couple of clients who even use biltong because they're traveling, and they really love that. And look, that does the job as well.
If you have to go to work early and you know you're not going to have an appetite to eat at home, take some protein powder to work, and you can use that to have a quick protein shake or mix it into some yogurt. Protein powder is really helpful for getting enough protein, and especially at that first meal of the day, particularly if you're not someone who's always hungry.
If You're Not Hungry in the Morning
Now, let's talk about that, because one of the common things I hear from people who struggle with eating breakfast is that they're just not that hungry in the morning. And I always wonder: is that because you're eating later at night?
So if that's the case, I just want you to experiment with cutting back that evening eating, because that's always a good action to take anyway, especially when weight loss is your goal. So stop eating at night and just see what a difference that can make in the morning. And hopefully, you're going to start to notice that you do feel a little bit hungry.
You don't have to do this straight away - you might find that it takes a few days for you to reset your circadian rhythm when it comes to eating. But just keep going, and hopefully, you'll find that if you start eating a bit earlier in the evening, you're going to wake up feeling hungry, which is great.
If you're someone who is super busy in the morning and you're telling yourself, "Look, I don't have time, I'm just too busy," then go for one of these simple options that I've talked about, like the chia pudding or the yogurt with protein powder. That's a really easy thing to make up a few batches of, have it in the fridge, then you just need to grab and go. The quicker, the better.
Your Action Step to Start Now
Okay, so to wrap up for today, I want you to just really value this first meal of the day, because morning nutrition is the absolute foundation of your metabolic power for the day ahead. What you choose to break your fast has a major impact on how the rest of your day is going to go, so you want to get it right.
Of course, my magic formula is having a good amount of protein - at least 25 grams or more - and keeping your carbs low, under 15 grams. This is going to help you get sustained energy during the day and control your appetite.
Now, this is never about being perfect - it's just about being consistent and creating some new habits so that nine times out of 10, you're starting the day really well. And I'm sure that once you make this change and notice the difference, this is going to be a habit that you want to continue.
Now, to finish today's podcast, I want to give you the action that I would love you to do to start now so that you can see progress, and it's going to be to commit to one of these simple breakfast options - have that for at least seven days in a row. Do that consistently and start to notice the difference that having that protein is going to make.
Remember, you're not just feeding your body - you're really programming your body for success with what you're putting into your mind and what you're putting into your mouth. Every single morning, there's a fresh start for you to choose good foods, put great things into your head, and have an awesome day.
Connect and Get Support
Thanks so much for listening, and if you want support in your weight loss journey, I would love to help. You'll see the links in the show notes to my socials as well as my fab freebie: a five-day low-carb meal plan and five delicious dinner recipes. You'll also see the link for my four-week Foundations of Fat Loss program. This is the program I've designed specifically for the unique needs of women over 35.
Remember, the only thing that's going to stop you reaching your goal is if you quit. Never, ever give up.
