Day 1 - Most important meal of the day

I woke up around 9am-ish and then had a cup of black coffee.  Black coffee in my book has none of my beloved half-n-haf and just a tiny amount of Splenda.  If you have good coffee, I recommend Trader Joe's Colombia Supremo, then this is doable.  Also a good coffee pot is essential.  If you are using an old, crappy one, you should ask yourself why?A good coffee pot does coffee right and saves you a good deal of money in the end.   


Since I went shopping to pick up all my necessary items I didn't eat until 10:40am.  Normally I eat 2 hours or more after waking, but I read that you are supposed to eat within an hour of rising.  Que sera.  


On to breakfast.  Ta-dah!

1/2 a grapefruit and 1 slice of bread with 2 TABLESPOONS PEANUT BUTTER

Seriously that looks good.  

I happen to love grapefruit so I had no problem eating the white grapefruit plain (I even drink all the leftover juice).  My tip for cutting the sections of the grapefruit is to cut the membrane between the actually fruit and peel with a small, sharp knife.  Make sure to cut nice and deep.  Then cut each small membrane that lines the grapefruit segments.  When you are done, success.  The slices can be scooped out one by one.  

In terms of why you see 1.5 slices of bread, I chose to do this because the bread in my house is the Trader Joe's whole wheat low cal bread, which is 40 calories per slice.  Bread is normally 90 calories per slice or much higher.  Hey, I'm just trying to follow what the diet says to eat ;) .  And frankly, 2 tablespoons of PB is a lot!  This is like crunchy, peanut butter heaven!  If you haven't tried Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds then you are missing out on life.  My mom suggested it to me and it has been my favorite ever since.  

Lastly I finished off my meal with black coffee (remember black means just a little Splenda) with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top (see health benefits below* or via this link).  This time drinking it I wish I had half-n-half, but over all I feel full and content.  This breakfast is a winner.  

*Health benefits of cinnamon include the following: 

• Cassia cinnamon is used for: colds; the uncontrolled farts; diarrhea; painful menstrual periods; and improving energy, vitality, circulation.  
• Ayurveda cinnamon is used as a remedy for diabetes, indigestion, colds, and helping aid the digestion of fruit and dairy products.  
• Cinnamon in general has been shown in medical studies to reduce fasting blood glucose and triglycerides while improving LDL cholestrol (that's the one you want high) when test subjects consumed 0.25 - 1 teaspoons daily. Also, other medical studies have suggested some link with cinnamon and antifungal properties.  

My own side note: Pregnant women should definitely consider taking cinnamon since yeast infections are part of pregnancy.  Also, those women who are at risk for GDM should consider this to potentially help prevent this condition or at least manage it.