She Lost 40 Pounds and Kept It Off with These 5 High-Protein Breakfasts

Are you trying to lose weight in your forties but aren’t sure what to eat? Ashley DiGiacomo Schwartz is a Fitness & Nutrition Body Recomposition Coach-BA/IMBA who transformed her body by making a few changes to her lifestyle, including her diet. In a recent social media post, she revealed the meals she fueled up with at the start of the day to burn body fat. “Here are five high-protein, low-calorie breakfast ideas, each providing around 30 grams of protein. These recipes are designed to support fat loss and muscle maintenance goals while keeping calories in check,” she says.

Egg White Veggie Scramble with Turkey Bacon

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• 1 cup egg whites
• 2 slices of turkey bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1 tbsp salsa (optional)

Protein: 30g, Calories: ~230.

Greek Yogurt Protein Bowl

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• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup mixed berries
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp honey

Protein: 32g, Calories: ~270.

High-Protein Oatmeal

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• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tbsp peanut butter powder
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup blueberries

Protein: 30g, Calories: ~320.

Protein Smoothie

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• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/4 cup spinach
• Ice cubes

Protein: 30g. Calories: ~270

Cottage Cheese and Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl

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• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese (112g)
• 2 turkey sausage links
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 avocado
• Salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

Protein: 30g, Calories: ~330 (with avocado).

Why Breakfast Is So Important

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In another post, she explains the science behind healthy breakfast meals. “One of the big things I work with clients on is their overall protein intake. When clients first come to me, they’ll often complain of brain fog, fatigue, poor sleep, irregular periods, and more. And one of the first things we look at is caloric and protein intake!” she says.

“Then incorporate a carb; some of my favorites to pair with breakfast are sourdough, berries, and black beans. Making sure you get food fats in through dairy and meat sources is also helpful, or cooking breakfast with grass-fed butter or olive oil also helps.”

RELATED:From Struggling Mom to Fit Influencer: How I Dropped 40 Pounds with These 3 Simple Habits

Not Enough Carbs or Low Fat Can Harm Hormonal Balance

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“I like to ensure that clients are getting well-rounded meals of carbs, proteins, and fats throughout their days,” she says. “Often times women have a ‘no carbs’ or ‘low fat’ approach to their lives after YEARS of chronic dieting. But it actually harms our hormonal balance,” she says.

Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day

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“I find that quite often, my clients aren’t eating enough. Undereating is a bi-product of diet culture. And most aren’t able to consume enough protein throughout the day. Breakfast is always one of the first things we work on, as breakfast truly sets the tone for the day.”

Here Is Why

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“These are some reasons why starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast is so important for overall health,” she says.

• Protein at breakfast helps keep blood sugar and energy stable.
• Eating breakfast lowers cortisol.
• A high-protein breakfast helps regulate your appetite all day long.
• Protein is essential for many bodily processes.
• A breakfast of 30-40g of protein helps clients more easily hit their protein goals for the day, which typically consist of around 150 grams.
• Aim for at least 30-40g of protein at breakfast.

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These Foods Are High in Protein

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“I personally have cottage cheese, yogurt, and collagen in my coffee most mornings to hit my 30-40g,” she says, revealing a few other foods that are high in protein.

• 1 egg 6g
• 1 scoop collagen 10g
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese 12g
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt 15g
• 1 scoop protein powder 25g

And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Have you been trying to lose weight but been unsuccessful? Sadie Chartrand of Slim Sadie Coaching is a weight loss coach, military spouse, MO, and Registered Nurse (RN) who “helps women who have been battling their bodies and struggling with their weight for their entire lives” get into shape. In a new viral YouTube video, she reveals how she did it. “This is how I lost 80 pounds in just five months,” she says at the start of the clip. “My only hope is to help you all lose weight based on my own experiences.”

She Was “So Heavy” That She Thought She Had a “Disease or Disorder”

“Two weeks before December 13th, 2017, I had decided at some point that the reason that I was so heavy had to be because of some kind of disease or disorder. So I went to the doctor, and I told myself when I went into the doctor's office if all of my results came back negative, I had to lose weight. I have no more excuses. This was December 13th, 2017. I went into the office, and she read my results back to me. Everything was totally normal,” she says in her post.

She Went to a Doctor and Had Her BMR Calculated

“I stuck to my promise to myself, so I asked this doctor to help me lose weight. The first thing that she did was body composition. From that, she showed me what my BMR was, which was basal metabolic rate. And then she explained to me that to lose weight, I needed to eat about 1,157 calories a day, no more than that,” she continued.

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She Amped Up Her Protein Intake

She is also excited about her protein intake. “She wanted to make sure that I really increased my protein. So I ate one gram of protein per pound of skeletal muscle that I had, which was about 75 grams of protein per day,” she continues.

She Cut Carbs

She also stopped eating carbs. “At the time, she really cut my carbs out. So I was only eating less than 20 net carbs per day, less than 50 total carbs per day,” she says.

Here Is What She Ate in a Day

She was eating a protein shake for breakfast and a protein shake for lunch. “And these are Premier Protein shakes, pre-made,” she says. “For dinner, I was having four ounces of meat and two cups of vegetables.”

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Walking Was Also Key

And, she got her steps in. “As for exercise, all I did was walk,” she says. A 2018 study published in the journal Obesity found a link between walking 10,000 steps a day and weight loss and weight management. Other studies published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in JAMA Neurology and in JAMA Internal Medicine also linked walking 10,000 steps a day to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure, and fewer strokes.

She Lost Weight Fast

When she went in for her two-week checkup “and just to check in to see how things were going,” she learned she had lost 14.7 pounds in just two weeks. “At first, I was so excited, and then everyone said, ‘It's water weight. It's going to come back. Don't get yourself all excited about this.’

She Went on to Lose 80 Pounds in 5 Months

“It never came back. And I continued to lose weight. At the end of the first month. I had lost basically 25 pounds in one month, which was my goal. I just barely miss it by a few ounces. But basically, it was 25 pounds. About two months into my journey, I had lost 40 pounds. And at the end of five months, I had lost 75 pounds. So that's why I say I lost 80 pounds in five months.”

She Gained Some of It Back

Unfortunately, she ended up gaining back 40 of those 80 pounds within a few months. “I got back into it, and I committed again. I lost all of the weight again by May of 2019. Her lowest weight was 180, and she admits that she is now 223.

RELATED:Nutrition Expert Reveals 2 Natural Alternatives to Expensive Weight Loss Drugs

She Is Now Back on Track and Using These Tips

“I am embarrassed, I'm disappointed. But the most important thing that I have to keep reminding myself is that I've done this not once but twice before. I know how to do this, and I can do it. It's just a matter of convincing myself each and every day to do this. It's been a lot, but it's also been absolutely life-changing for me, and I was really missing out on life. So my motto is losing weight and gaining life.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Do you want to lose weight without intermittent fasting? Kathy Wieliczko is a Midlife & Menopause Weight Loss Mentor with over 100,000 followers on Instagram and who devotes her time to “Inspiring Women Shed Belly Fat, Look & Feel Great in Menopause & Beyond,” she says in her Instagram bio. “I’m 52, in menopause since 2017, and finally lost the belly fat when I stopped intermittent fasting all day,” she writes across the video. “Here’s what worked for me,’ she added in the caption.

She Intermittent Fasting for Years

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“I understand the struggle of menopause belly fat because I’ve been in Menopause since 2017,” she writes in the post. “And I intermittent fasted for too many years, 18-hour fast & 6-hour eating window, but my weight still fluctuated.”

She Did Orange Theory

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“So I would increase the intensity of my workouts at HIIT classes like orange theory,” she continued. “Then, after fasting 18 hours, I was starving and ultimately overeating in my 6-hour window.”

She Started Eating Normally and Stopped High Impact Workouts

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“So when I stopped orange theory and started increasing my low impact cardio like walking and focusing on building muscle,” she says. “I started eating ‘normally’ again. 3 balanced meals with at least 30g of protein every day.”

She Also Amped Up Hydration

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She amped up her hydration as well. “More water,” she writes. According to the Mayo Clinic, hydration is important for a variety of reasons. Water helps get rid of waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements, keeps your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, and helps protect sensitive tissues.

RELATED:10 Rules Help Petite Women Drop 15 Pounds in 90 Days

She Has Never Felt Better

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“I have never felt better; my body composition is completely different. I have more muscle, which ultimately allows me to eat more and burn more fat,” she says. “And here’s the thing, if you stop eating after dinner, say 6-7 pm, and wait to have breakfast by 8-9 am- that IS a fast.”

She Starts the Day with a High Protein Breakfast

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“Start with a savory high protein breakfast like eggs, cottage cheese, lean chicken, beef, and avocado instead of a sweet breakfast like sugary yogurt, cereal, granola, or peanut butter,” she continues. “Savory breakfast reduces post-meal glucose spikes and keeps you full.”

She Meal Preps This Chicken Dinner on the Fly

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In another post, she reveals a few of the meals she preps. “Full disclosure: I always meal prep on Sundays, but I went to the Eagles game and didn’t get to it. So here’s a quick & easy dinner on the fly with rotisserie chicken and nonfat Greek yogurt because they give you the best high-protein, low-fat bang for your buck. I also doubled the recipe so I can take it for lunch,” she writes.

RELATED:11 Walking Tricks This Coach Uses to Burn More Fat

Rotisserie Chicken with Creamy Avocado Sauce

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Here’s how to make it:

Ingredient for chicken:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, take all the white meat off the bone and shred the chicken
• 1/2 cup Low fat cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup Cholula hot sauce
• 1/2 cup Nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 large low-carb tortillas
• Salt, pepper, Chipotle Pepper Powder, Ancho Pepper Powder

Creamy Avocado Sauce:

• one ripe avocado
• 1/2c non-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves, minced garlic
• 1/2 squeezed fresh lime juice
• Blend until smooth.

Nutrition Info

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While the exact nutrition is not known, she maintains that 6 ounces of cooked Rotisserie Chicken is 52g of protein and ½ Cup Siggis nonfat Greek yogurt is about 12g of protein. “Pair 1 whole chicken quesadilla cut in half with a salad, and that’s a filling high protein meal in 20 minutes or less,” she adds. “And cooking your food at home will always save you fat and calories, and then if you ordered takeout or went through the chicfila drive-through,” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.