Brekkie bloating

I've been trying to lose weight for quite some time now, and I've done a lot of research into different types of dieting.

There is one important thing I know I'm missing from my diet, which is breakfast. But in the morning I lack any motivation to eat breakfast. I can force myself to eat but then after eating cereal I always feel bloated as if I've put loads of weight on.

Is this natural? How can I try and get my body to accept breakfast as part of my routine?

It is great that you are carrying out your own research into the different diets available rather than jumping on the diet bandwagon every time a new fad comes along. This way you can find the right diet for you, one that is healthy, fits around your lifestyle and more importantly one that you are more likely to stick to.

Regardless of your objectives for losing weight, it is always important that you slim sensibly. Not only will this make it easier for you to maintain any weight loss, it will also ensure that your body continues to get the nutrients that it needs to keep everything running smoothly.

As you have already discovered, breakfast does play an important role in most diets. This is because it sets your body up for the rest of the day, both mentally and physically.

Feeling bloated after eating cereal is quite normal and generally down to the cereal doing its job. Wholegrain cereals like bran flakes and porridge oats are classified as unrefined carbohydrates. This means that they contain lots of fibre, which makes you feel fuller for longer. These types of carbohydrates are also processed by the body to produce glucose, which gives you the energy that you need to think clearly and be active throughout your day. So it is ideal to include unrefined carbohydrates in your diet because you are less likely to snack or eat unhealthy throughout the day.

Cereals are also classed as insoluble fibres, which means that when mixed with water they create a bulking effect that improves the movement of waste around your digestive system. It may well be a variety of these processes that is making you feeling bloated in the morning after eating cereal. However, these are all good and healthy processes and will aid any potential balanced diet that you choose to try.

There are lots of things that you could do to make breakfast more enjoyable. You could try different things each morning, like adding various fruits to your cereal or using natural yoghurt instead of milk. You could try having breakfast as a reward for something difficult that you have done that morning, like getting up earlier than usual or as a treat after exercise. Alternatively, changing the conditions in which you have breakfast may help you to relax and enjoy it. For example you could use it as a more social time with your family or partner or perhaps something that you do once you get to work or college when you are away from the stresses of home life and in the company of your colleagues or friends.

Do you ever have these feelings towards food at any other meal times? If so, you might want to talk to your local doctor (GP) about why this is happening. It is possible that your loss of appetite is a result of a medical condition or illness.

Updated: 03/12/2007

Question answered by bss