Part of the new habits I had to develop to lose weight [1] included revamping my breakfast routine. Though I thought the standard breakfasts I had eaten for years were pretty healthy — a bowl of Cheerios, avocado toast, greek yoghurt with fruit — I learned that they contained lots of carbs and sugar that slowly translated to my pants not fitting. When I worked out with a trainer, the first question she always asked me before our early am weight training sessions was, "What did you eat for breakfast?" She and I worked together to come up with this breakfast that I could quickly assemble and consume at the crack of dawn before hitting the gym.

To this day, the combo we created is still my go-to. High in protein and healthy fats and low in sugar and carbs, this breakfast keeps me full for hours and best of all, fuels me for a strong workout with minimal DOMS. When eating this exact breakfast three days a week (on my weight-training days), I could lift more almost every session and yet never felt so sore that I needed to resort to Advil. Talk about a win-win!

• Tea: I kicked my coffee habit entirely. I transitioned from regular to decaf and then turned to loose-leaf jasmine green tea. I tend to be anxious-prone and coffee tends to leave jittery, but I find that drinking green tea (one bag, re-seeped several times for about two to three cups total) regularly in the morning helps give me calming energy [2]. When I'm on my cycle, I kick caffeine entirely and drink roasted dandelion tea, a digestion and weight-loss aid.
• 4 ounces of smoked salmon: My absolute favourite source of protein in the morning is smoked salmon [3]. The saltiness offers a much-needed boost in electrolytes pre workout and bonus, I load up on essential omega-3 fats [4].
• Four strawberries: My trainer told me I can't exceed 5 grams of sugar at any meal, and fruit is one of those secret, sugary foods. Believe it or not, each large strawberry contains about 1 gram of sugar. That said, she encouraged me to surround my carb intake around my workouts, but I personally felt stronger if I limited myself prior and instead saved the bowl of oatmeal [5] for after my workout.
• Half an avocado: Rich in cholesterol-fighting monosaturated fats, avocados are said to help combat belly flat. A typical serving of avocado is half of the whole fruit [6], though some nutritionists say it's OK to have half an avocado per day if you're subbing it out for carbs. Since I'm doing just that, my trainer OKed that portion.

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