Hi Jenna,

Great questions! I'm glad you are joining us here and posting.

I will address some of your questions below right in your post, but I'd also like to encourage you to ask these questions on the step 1 list as well, since those folks are so great with ideas about what makes up a super breakfast and how to find breakfasts that work for you and that you love.

You can join that list by going to the "Make Connections" tab above on this forum page, then clicking on the "online group" highlight and scrolling down to Step 1.

: i'm on step 1 and confused about the
: kind of complex carbs i'm supposed
: to be having with breakfast. on
: the "7 steps/step 1"
: page, all the complex carbs listed
: are whole grain. but i recently
: read the "7 steps/step
: 5" page, and it says to START
: shifting the kinds of carbs you
: eat from white to brown. does this
: mean that on step 1 for breakfast
: you are already supposed to shift
: your carbs from white to brown
: (but you can still eat
: "white" carbs at your
: other meals)?

*yes, it means for breakfast you need to add in what we call a 'brown' -- it's really not quite accurate to simply call it a complex carb because technically broccoli, apples, and many many more are 'complex carbs.'

i got more confused
: when i read in the
: "resources/helpful
: hints" page that cottage
: cheese and strawberries were an
: acceptable breakfast, but on the
: step 1 page under "breakfast
: ideas" one of the options is
: cottage cheese w/fruit but with a
: muffin (and is that muffin
: supposed to be whole grain, or is
: white flour OK?).

*it should be whole grain -- but please note that some of the breakfast suggestions are for someone who is slowly moving their breakfast choices to fit the RR breakfast.

Here's a step 1 breakfast:

1) eaten within an hour of getting up
2) having adequate protein (a rough guide line is about 1/6 of your body weight = grams of protein to have for breakfast)
3) a brown, often called a complex carb, but really, specifically, one of the complex carbs listed for step 1 that you were checking out earlier
4) eaten consistently every day

: i would be grateful if i could get
: some guidance as to whether the
: following are acceptable breakfast
: choices:

: white flour bagel and the right amt
: of protein (or would i have to add
: a complex carb, like beans or
: oatmeal?)

*yes, you would have to add a complex carb like beans or oatmeal

: scrambled eggs w/cheese and fruit
: (again, would i have to add a
: complex carb like whole wheat
: toast, or does the fruit serve as
: an acceptable carb?)

*you would need to add whole grain toast, or some other 'brown'.

: i eat mostly whole grains and only
: occasionally white flour, but i do
: enjoy a particular variety of
: white flour bagel that i can't
: find in a whole grain version.

: thanks for any and all advice!

: jenna

Jenna, after a while it gets to be second nature and really quite easy. Please hang in there because what's ahead is SOOO worth it.

Joy S