Not eating breakfast :)

ManiacalLaugh

I'm chiming in under the "personal preference" camp. I used to force a 300 calorie breakfast down my throat because "breakfast is good for you", even though I'm always a bit naseous until about 10am and don't ever feel like food. Now, I have one dark coffee with a tsp of sugar every morning (okay, sometimes two on "those" days).

Not eating breakfast at the conventional time has helped me save up calories for meals where I'm actually hungry and want to eat. This has really had a positive effect on my progress, as I'd much, much rather have a late-night snack than an early-morning meal and can stick to my calorie limit a lot easier now. I have 280 extra calories to play with at the end of the night (300-20 for the coffee), and that has saved me from a ton of last minute, hunger-induced calorie surpluses.

ASKyle

I have a small amount of fruit and coffee for breakfast. I don't like breakfast. Calories can't tell time.

I agree with ManiacaLaugh above, I'd rather have the 300ish calories for something later... like wine!

spatulamom

For some reason, if I eat breakfast or eat anything before about noon, it feels like I have massive blood sugar swings for the rest of the day and I actually end up eating more than I do when I wait until noon or 1 to eat anything (and I'm rarely hungry before then anyway). I can't explain it, and I don't know if they're blood sugar swings for real, but I do know that they make me feel like crap. I've lost a significant amount of weight before and kept it off for a few years so it didn't affect my loss. I still eat breakfast food (like I'm going to give up oatmeal and pancakes), I just shift my meals so that I'm eating on more of an intermittent fasting 16:8 schedule.

Just do what works for you.

Lounmoun

chinny88 wrote: »

Not eating breakfast... Does this effect your weight. I work 3pm-1am go to bed at 2am. I have pasta and a yoghurt for lunch then have some beans and a wrap for dinner and a yoghurt at about 8pm x

The first meal you eat is actually breakfast even if it is at noon.
The amount of calories you eat each day should fit your calorie goal no matter what time you eat them. When you eat them is not important.

PeachyCarol

joeboland wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

Sweets1954 wrote: »

The purpose of eating every 3-4 hours is to maintain a more even blood glucose level.

for diabetics yes, for the rest of us, no.

Agreed. The fun thing about studies is that if you decide to go on ahead and take a "shotgun" approach to the study you're conducting, you can find all kinds of correlation, but not necessarily causation.

I'm inclined to think of that scene from the Simpsons where Lisa tells Homer that because there are no tigers around, "this rock" must keep them away.

For starters, as a proponent of intermittent fasting, I'd suggest you no longer refer to it as "skipping breakfast", as this has both an unhealthy and negative connotation to it among the fitness community, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. I prefer the term "postponed breakfast", as it's still your "break-fast", ie. your first meal of the day.

I typically eat my meals between noon and 8pm, and, in my experience, have found a notable level of fat loss by working out whilst in a fasted state (I work out first thing in the morning, around 6am). I know that there are both studies which speak of heightened insulin sensitivity from IF (a good thing), and other anecdotal testimonials that will support IF as well. How you personally react to it, though, is a "mileage may vary" kind of thing, as it can, as mentioned above, potentially lead to overeating. As long as you're getting your required calories in the day, it doesn't much matter when you consume them - the only common thought, however, is that if you're not going to eat until later in the day and work out whilst fasted, it may help to get some kind of BCAA supplement to prevent muscle breakdown.

Since going onto IF, my blood pressure is actually DOWN from what it was before, per my last physical, and my GP tells me that that I'm in "exemplary shape".

Don't let people convince you that something that clearly is working for you, isn't. Don't buy the rock.

Another IF'er who has significantly lowered her blood pressure. Old readings? 120/84 Yesterday morning (while fasted)? 102/70

I usually do about a 17 hour fast. The only time I might break from that mode is on days where I workout twice, first thing in the morning at the gym with weights, and then later in the morning at the pool for cardio. I need to eat between those times. Both of those workouts occur during my normal fasting period, but I can't do them both without getting some fuel in me.

andylllI

rabbitjb wrote: »

What makes your blood pressure rise more though, can you put them in order?

not eating breakfast
idiots
sodium
pregnancy
lazy people expecting you to fix all their problems for them
children being insufferably childish
parents sticking their nose in
being overweight
fatuous comments
husbands saying they'll do something and not doing it for weeks

Hahahaha! I have orthostatic hypotension. I would love a higher blood pressure. But I have insufferable parents, childish children and lots of annoying colleagues. So therefore I skip breakfast most days.

PeachyCarol

spatulamom wrote: »

For some reason, if I eat breakfast or eat anything before about noon, it feels like I have massive blood sugar swings for the rest of the day and I actually end up eating more than I do when I wait until noon or 1 to eat anything (and I'm rarely hungry before then anyway). I can't explain it, and I don't know if they're blood sugar swings for real, but I do know that they make me feel like crap. I've lost a significant amount of weight before and kept it off for a few years so it didn't affect my loss. I still eat breakfast food (like I'm going to give up oatmeal and pancakes), I just shift my meals so that I'm eating on more of an intermittent fasting 16:8 schedule.

Just do what works for you.

There are a LOT of people who feel like eating early turns on an appetite switch for the rest of the day. You are not alone. I'm like that, my trainer is like that, I've read other people on the forums say the same thing.

We might be in the minority, but we're not rare magical unicorns, either.

andylllI

I start with coffee, cycle to work (so fasted cardio right, bros?) start work at 7, eat "breakfast" if the coffee gives me gut rot around 9-10 otherwise I press on to lunch. When I'm working I'm in a captive environment so there is no food easily available. If I eat at 7 im forcing it, and hungry at 9-10 anyway so it just adds calories. And I have a hard time keeping within my caloric goal.

debsdoingthis

PeachyCarol wrote: »

spatulamom wrote: »

For some reason, if I eat breakfast or eat anything before about noon, it feels like I have massive blood sugar swings for the rest of the day and I actually end up eating more than I do when I wait until noon or 1 to eat anything (and I'm rarely hungry before then anyway). I can't explain it, and I don't know if they're blood sugar swings for real, but I do know that they make me feel like crap. I've lost a significant amount of weight before and kept it off for a few years so it didn't affect my loss. I still eat breakfast food (like I'm going to give up oatmeal and pancakes), I just shift my meals so that I'm eating on more of an intermittent fasting 16:8 schedule.

Just do what works for you.

There are a LOT of people who feel like eating early turns on an appetite switch for the rest of the day. You are not alone. I'm like that, my trainer is like that, I've read other people on the forums say the same thing.

We might be in the minority, but we're not rare magical unicorns, either.

I'm one of those people. I'm up everyday at 6am and rarely break my fast before 10am. The days I do, I'm starving all day and eating everything in sight.

stormyview

robertwilkens wrote: »

I actually had a doctor who last week told me it's reasonable to have two cups of coffee w/ Half-and-half (which has calories) for breakfast (figure 150-200 calories), and that would be a reasonable amount of calories and helpful to weight loss efforts. I like the idea (coffee is a good source of energy for day).

Any "real world" opinions on this? I'm struggling right now with whether or not to have half a bagel as well, or maybe save the bagel for lunch.

Wow, that's a lot of half and half! Glad you enjoy it! I also drink a cup or two of coffee with half and half, for a total of about 20-40 calories, and then I don't eat until early afternoon, when I'm naturally hungry.

stormyview

spatulamom wrote: »

For some reason, if I eat breakfast or eat anything before about noon, it feels like I have massive blood sugar swings for the rest of the day and I actually end up eating more than I do when I wait until noon or 1 to eat anything (and I'm rarely hungry before then anyway). I can't explain it, and I don't know if they're blood sugar swings for real, but I do know that they make me feel like crap. I've lost a significant amount of weight before and kept it off for a few years so it didn't affect my loss. I still eat breakfast food (like I'm going to give up oatmeal and pancakes), I just shift my meals so that I'm eating on more of an intermittent fasting 16:8 schedule.

Just do what works for you.

Oh! Me too! If I eat breakfast, I'm much hungrier all day long. If I wait to eat until I'm actually hungry (usually around 1:00, sometimes by 11:00), I have more calories for wine or dessert or just extra yumminess at dinner, and I don't end up feeling like I'm starving all day. Trying to fight that starving feeling was not fun, and I'm much happier skipping breakfast now!

TheGoktor

PeachyCarol wrote: »

There are a LOT of people who feel like eating early turns on an appetite switch for the rest of the day. You are not alone. I'm like that, my trainer is like that, I've read other people on the forums say the same thing.

We might be in the minority, but we're not rare magical unicorns, either.

Regardless of whether I'm working, working out, or just being a bludge, most days I don't eat breakfast until way past noon. On the rare occasion I do eat brekkie earlier, I find I'm absolutely famished by about 11.30am, setting the pattern for the entire day.

I have no idea whether IF actually does me any good - it's just something I've always done, and TBH, didn't even know it was a thing until I saw people here on MFP talking about it.

~~~

Re. the claim that not eating brekkie can raise your blood pressure - speaking from personal experience, I've always had super-low BP, and still do... so much so that my GP makes zombie jokes about it. Given that I've never been one for eating early in the morning, I can honestly say that it's never raised mine.

Oh, and regarding that Forbes article; since it's been allowing every Tom, Dick, and Harry to be contributors, Forbes has become pretty notorious for publishing sensationalist material, a lack of fact-checking, and a lack of credible writers (not to mention a lack of proofing and editing). It's rapidly becoming on a par with the Huffington Post, so I would never take something I read on Forbes at face value. Especially not when very often they have advertorial material dressed up to look like editorial. Far better to go to the original source material.

spatulamom

PeachyCarol wrote: »

spatulamom wrote: »

For some reason, if I eat breakfast or eat anything before about noon, it feels like I have massive blood sugar swings for the rest of the day and I actually end up eating more than I do when I wait until noon or 1 to eat anything (and I'm rarely hungry before then anyway). I can't explain it, and I don't know if they're blood sugar swings for real, but I do know that they make me feel like crap. I've lost a significant amount of weight before and kept it off for a few years so it didn't affect my loss. I still eat breakfast food (like I'm going to give up oatmeal and pancakes), I just shift my meals so that I'm eating on more of an intermittent fasting 16:8 schedule.

Just do what works for you.

There are a LOT of people who feel like eating early turns on an appetite switch for the rest of the day. You are not alone. I'm like that, my trainer is like that, I've read other people on the forums say the same thing.

We might be in the minority, but we're not rare magical unicorns, either.

I'm glad because I am so sick of being told that I'm going to screw up my health if I don't eat breakfast. Seriously, it's all over the damn place (and I hear it at work when we have breakfast meetings or are at staff meetings out of town).

Sometime i do feel like a fluffy rare unicorn. Luckily, I can come here and realize I'm not the only one who eats like this (and kind of NEEDS to eat like this).

barbecuesauce

jemhh wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

According to studies by the National Weight Control Registry, 78% of those who have lost at least 30 lb. and kept it off for at least a year eat breakfast every day.

This tells me that breakfast is a popular meal and keeps many people from getting too hungry. It also tells me that breakfast is not for everybody. Do what makes you feel the best and works in with your calories.

That is interesting. I wonder what percentage of the general population eats breakfast every day.

Most of them, apparently:



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/11/31-million-americans-skip_n_1005076.html