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Diet Satiety, Feeling Full While Dieting

Three Breakfast Menu Suggestions for Dieters

Dieter Rob enjoyed a large breakfast: 1/2 a honeydew melon, 1 piece of toast prepared with plain white bread (the 35 calorie bread) served dry with no added fat along with a cup of coffee with artificial sweetener.  

Two hours later, Rob is famished.

Even the stale cupcakes in the office vending machine suddenly look tempting.  

What went wrong? The melon was very filling at breakfast. It assisted in getting that dry wedge of toast down his throat along with the coffee - although that sugar substitute left an unpleasant after-taste in his mouth.

Let's see if we can find out what went wrong with Rob's low calorie breakfast menu before he makes the mistake of inserting those quarters into the vending machine and heads off to Diet Neverland....

Healthy Foods With Low Satiety Power Work Against Satisfying Hunger

While eating foods that are low in calories is a good thing when one is dieting, sometimes those "big eats with the little calories" don't last a long time. In Rob's situation, the melon consisted mostly of water. Rob probably got that out of his system thirty minutes after he arrived at work while enjoying his first powder room break.

The honeydew melon that he consumed was very small at about 5" in diameter. Energy from the melon (caloric value) equaled 180 calories. Total fat content equaled 0.75 grams. He did consume about 4 dietary fiber grams along with significant sugar gram - a tab over 40 of those.

Albeit the sugar grams were derived from a natural source, sugar is quickly dispensed once it enters the body as it is recognized as 'quick energy'. The melon on its own also provided 30 mg of calcium, which was nice as well as the 1,140 mg of potassium and 90 mg of sodium. Keep in mind that sodium, potassium and calcium are three electrolytes that work to balance the fluids in the body.

The melon also contained 2.70 protein grams. And finally, the melon provided a 90 mg blast of Vitamin C. However, that wedge of dried bread - diet bread at that, didn't take long for Rob's body to process. The coffee was nothing more than empty calories.

How to Satisfy Appetite & Hunger While Dieting

So what could Dieter Rob have eaten for breakfast that would last him through lunch time with zero hunger pains? A couple of eggs plus a bowl of oatmeal plus a couple of strips of bacon plus toast or an omelet?No - not all at once!

We've got suggestions below for your reference, though. What Rob needs is a healthy mix of foods that will stick to his ribs for a longer period of time - those foods with strong satiety powers, not those that will quickly escape in one powder room break.

Eggs, Rich in Satiety Power

Note that in a recent study a couple of eggs kept dieters satisfied for longer. It may be one of the hidden success factors in the low carbohydrate diet.

Not to deflate this bit of good news, but the Diet Jury is still out on the effect that more than one egg per day has on one's health.

And now for our list of breakfast foods that help your feel full and that can rescue our Rob come the morrow. By the way, he was able to resist inserting those quarters and after following our sage advice, he went on to lose all those pesky pounds. Isn't that swell?

Low Calorie Diet Breakfast Menus - Foods With Satiety Power

Breakfast Menu #1

Breakfast Menu #2

Breakfast Menu #3

About 300 calories

1 scrambled egg* prepared with reduced fat milk, a dash of salt, a dash of pepper and a couple of dashes of low fat milk AND cooked using zero calorie butter flavored cooking spray OR low fat margarine.

*Health Tip: use 1 whole egg yolk and two egg whites in this recipe; the yolk contains the bulk of caloric values and all of the cholesterol grams.

1 slice of whole grain toast (60 to 70 calorie bread) plus one serving of reduced fat margarine (40 calories)

1 cup of skim milk (90 calories)

About 300 calories

Omelet prepared as follows: 2 egg whites, 1 egg yolk, salt, pepper, dash of skim milk. 

Whip with a fork and pour into a pan sprayed with no calorie butter flavored spray. When the eggs are set on the bottom, flip carefully to cook on the other side. Top with 1 serving of reduced fat cheese.

Add any of the following healthy vegetables: sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers (yellow, green or red), chopped onion, or chives.

1 cup of strawberries - or your favorite berry. Our calorie estimate above is based on fresh strawberries. Sprinkle the berries with Splenda if desired.

1 cup of skim milk

About 330 calories

1/2 toasted English Muffin and a serving of reduced fat margarine.

1 serving of oatmeal topped with 1/2 serving of reduced fat margarine.

You can also add the following to your cooked oats:

1/2 cup of reduced fat milk;

A sprinkle of dried cranberries, dates, dark raisins or golden raisins;

One chopped nut of your choice. You can also add a spoon of dark or light brown sugar if you wish.

1 cup of TROP50 Orange Juice (only 50 calories and packed with a healthy dose of vital Vitamin C)

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