March 15, 2022

Oatmeal for Weight Loss – High Protein Breakfast

Name: Oatmeal for weight loss
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ½ cup old fashioned oats (41 g); 1 cup water; ½ cup 2% milk (4 oz/112 g); ¼ cup egg whites (2 oz/ 56 g); pinch salt; ¼ tsp cinnamon; ¼ cup blueberries (frozen wild) (2.5 oz/ 70 g); 2 tsp monkfruit sweetener (8 g); ½ cup strawberries (frozen or fresh) (4 oz/112 g); 2 tsp monkfruit sweetener (8 g); 2 tbsp PB2 - peanut butter powder (16 g); 1 tbsp Collagen peptides - Vital Proteins (10 g); 1 tbsp sugar free syrup (14 g (you can use a 2 oz banana instead )); ⅓ cup greek yogurt (85 g)

Oatmeal for Weight Loss – High Protein Breakfast

Oatmeal is not only a great breakfast for weight loss but if prepared right, can be a high protein breakfast you cannot live without. And that is exactly how it works for me. It is one of my favorite breakfast dishes.

I have tweaked this recipe so much that I can’t count. My first oatmeal creation was Chia and Flaxseed oatmeal. It was very filling and satisfying and lower in carbs. I had eaten that oatmeal every day for at least a year!

That oatmeal took a while to make. I eventually replaced chia seeds and flax seeds with 2% milk, lowered the calories and reduced the cooking time. And my creamy oatmeal with milk was born. With time, I figured out how to simplify the process and make it even faster.

Today, I even use almond or cashew milk when I want to reduce calories further. All of the options are great!

For step by step video instructions visit Quick and Creamy Oatmeal:

There are different type of oats

old fashioned rolled oats

I have used all of them, with quick oats being my least favorite as I feel like all nutrients are removed (or most of them).

Old fashioned oats are great when you have only 15 minutes to cook your oatmeal. Steel cut oats take me at least double the time and oat groats take an hour to cook to my desired texture.

If you have never tried oat groats, I strongly recommend to experiment. It does take long to cook them but the flavor is so much different. I really enjoy the chewiness and nuttiness. When cooking, keep in mind you will need more liquid than for rolled oats.

Is oatmeal good for losing weight?

Oatmeal is a great breakfast option for losing weight. It is filling and full of nutrients. Per serving, which is a half of a cup (41 grams) there are 150 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

What makes this oatmeal good for weight loss is the way I prepare it and the extra ingredients that I add without adding too many calories. Many recipes for oats add items that can be very high in calories and not filling, like nuts and dried fruit. These are great tasting toppings and I do add them sometimes but they are very high in calories and do not make me full.

Oatmeal toppings that are great for weight loss

Greek Yogurt (non fat being the best option)

PB2 (powdered peanut butter) is a great choice because it has way less calories than regular peanut butter and it adds 8 grams of protein per 70 calories.
Whole fruits like berries or apples. To make the fruit sweeter I add a little bit monkfruit sweetener to blueberries or strawberries and cook them until they release liquid and reduce it to form a thicker sauce. Apples do not require any sweeteners or sugar to sweeten them. I cook them on low heat, sprinkled with cinnamon, and covered. They release juices and once the juices reduce and thicken, apples get softer and taste very sweet.

How to make high protein oatmeal

Why would you even care to add more protein to your oatmeal?

Protein is a great macronutrients as it makes you full faster than any other macronutrient and has the highest thermic affect of food (TEF), in short, burns most energy when being consumed. Comparing it to other nutrients, it is definitely a winner:

Fat has 9 calories per gram, and its TEF is 0–3%
Carbohydrate has 4 calories per gram, and its TEF is 5–10%

Protein has 4 calories per gram, and its TEF is 20–30%

Best high protein options I like are:

PB2 – powdered peanut butter. 70 calories and 8 grams of protein. It adds creaminess and flavor to your oats.
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides are a great source of additional protein. They are not just a protein powder, these are just plain peptides. They do come with different flavors but I prefer just plain that has no taste at all. They add a whopping 10 grams of protein in one scoop that has only 35 calories. There are also different flavors available like Dark Chocolate & Blackberry, Vanilla, Chocolate.

Egg whites are another good choice to add to your oats to have more protein but keep the calories low. Do not worry about the taste. You won’t even know they are there and they will add a beautiful creaminess and fluffiness to your oats (when cooked the right way, see the video). You get 5 grams of protein per 25 calories!
Milk – I like to add 2% fat milk. This option is not very high in protein (4 grams of protein per 60 calories) but it can still be a good option. You can also use almond or cashew milk and lower the calories even more, however, you will also lower the protein as the plant based milk does not have much protein.
Greek yogurt – I use it as a topping that I add right before I serve the oats. It adds flavor and if you are using a non fat option you get 9 grams of protein per 45 calories (85 grams of yogurt)

All these will add up to a good amount of protein per serving. This way, you get a bowl of oatmeal that will make you fuller much longer.

How to make a creamy oatmeal for weight loss

In a small pot, boil one cup of water.

Add oats, cinnamon and pinch of salt to the boiling water and cook until water is completely absorbed.

Add milk and egg whites and stir right away.

Keep on stirring until the oats start to boil. Keep the heat on low. The constant stirring will keep the egg whites from separating and keep them creamy.

Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until the oats reach your desired texture and thickness.

How to create a perfect bowl of oatmeal

Start with adding PB2 and collagen peptides to a serving bowl. To make a paste you can either add sugar free syrup of your choice or water. A banana is also a good choice to sweeten your oats – keep in mind, banana will add extra calories.

protein for oatmeal — PB2, peptides and banana

Add hot oats and mix all together.

Add Greek yogurt and hot blueberry or strawberry sauce, recipe below. You can also prepare apples with cinnamon as a topping. I make the apples the same way as the apples for my Apple Crumble recipe.

If you do not mind the extra calories, you can sprinkle some nuts on top. My favorite are almonds and pumpkin seeds.

Blueberry and strawberry sauces

The sauces are very quick and easy to make and add lots of flavor. I use monkfruit sweetener to sweeten them. Also, the way I cook them infuses even more sweetness by reducing the liquid.

For one serving of blueberry sauce: add 70 grams (2.5 oz – 1/4 cup) of frozen wild blueberries to small sauce pan. Add 2 tsp of monkfruit sweetener or sweetener of your choice and cook until the liquid thickens.

For one serving of strawberry sauce: same steps as above, using 100 grams (4 oz – 1/2 cup) of frozen or fresh strawberries.