As I've gone through this journey over the years, I've always heard the "Eat your breakfast!" rule. You know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You've heard that right?

My excuses?

1. I don't like breakfast - I really don't. Unless it's french toast or pancakes with bacon, really. Other than that, breakfast kind of seems boring and flavorless and bland to me. It could be because I like neither eggs nor milk - two of the breakfast staples.

2. I'm not hungry when I get up. I'm not. But I usually am within an hour.

3. The thought of food when I get up makes me nauseous (this goes with #2, really). It does, but it doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't eat.

4. I don't have time. I start work at 7am. I'm not a morning person. The snooze alarm is not my breakfast friend.

What I've learned in the past couple of weeks? A good, hearty, balanced breakfast will make me feel full all day. All day. If I eat ~500 calories for breakfast? I will eat WAY less during the rest of the day. Why? Because I'm not hungry again at 8am. I'm not craving crap at 9am.

Yes, I said 500 calories.

It's kind of a shocking number, isn't it? Some days, I can't actually eat all of the planned calories (usually because of time, so I'm stuffing a sliced orange into a sandwich bag and into my purse for when I get to the office)

In the past, I've skimped on calories in the morning because I tend to get hungrier in the afternoon.

I get hungrier in the afternoon BECAUSE I skimp on my breakfast calories.

What do I eat for breakfast?

A bowl of cereal (high fibre) and milk, a piece of fruit, a piece of whole grain toast with peanut butter.

A smoothie packed with fruit and yogurt.

Oatmeal with berries, yogurt and nuts.

This time, playing with what I eat and when has really helped me balance my day and figure out what will keep me satisfied throughout the day. But the reality is, I need to eat. I need to eat healthy, filling, nutritious food.

My favorite quote from my husband last week? He'd just gotten home from work: "I'm so stuffed. I ate all the food you packed for me, and I was never hungry. And I didn't get tired in the afternoon!"

Score.