Is breakfast essential?

caffeinatedcami

Hi . I'm looking for some advice. I understand that eating breakfast helps satiate you so you don't eat too much later, but I'm wondering if it's absolutely necessary. I am just not hungry in the morning and it doesn't seem to affect how hungry I am by lunch. I used to not eat anything (but coffee) in the morning. Now I have been eating a low sugar whole grain cereal every morning but today I overslept and wasn't able to eat until lunch. I get really hungry in the late afternoon and I found that I could eat a few more calories at that time and stay under my goal. I was just wondering if I am doing myself a disservice in the long run by skipping it.

mccindy72

It's entirely up to you when you eat. As long as you are under or at your calorie goal, you'll be successful. There are different trains of thought as to how eating breakfast affects your brain as far as working, school, etc.... but as far as weight loss - when you eat is all on you and you'll continue to lose if you're under your deficit.

Viva_Karina

Meal timing is irrelevant.

Calories in < calories out to lose weight

stephanieluvspb

I discovered if I ate an early breakfast I would eat more throughout the day. Now I eat when I'm hungry, usually 2-4 hours after I get up and its much easier to stay within my calorie goals

ahoy_m8

Nope. Do what works best for you. I, too, am happy with coffee until lunch and appreciate the extra calories in the afternoon. That pattern of eating, BTW, is sometimes called 8:16 intermittent fasting (8 hr eating window & 16 hr overnight fast). It has a big following, and probably a MFP group if you want to learn more.

ncboiler89

camillemilton1 wrote: »

Hi . I'm looking for some advice. I understand that eating breakfast helps satiate you so you don't eat too much later, but I'm wondering if it's absolutely necessary. I am just not hungry in the morning and it doesn't seem to affect how hungry I am by lunch. I used to not eat anything (but coffee) in the morning. Now I have been eating a low sugar whole grain cereal every morning but today I overslept and wasn't able to eat until lunch. I get really hungry in the late afternoon and I found that I could eat a few more calories at that time and stay under my goal. I was just wondering if I am doing myself a disservice in the long run by skipping it.

No

mgonyer123

I haven't consistently eaten breakfast since I was 15. I'm just usually not a morning eater. It makes me feel sluggish and sick a lot of times and I'm simply not hungry.

SergeantSausage

Back when you were a kid ... and they all told you "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" ... yeah - they lied.

caffeinatedcami

Thanks for the responses. It's probably just my moms voice in my head that made me hesitate but I should listen to my body and only eat when I am hungry.
ahoy_m8 I have heard a lot about intermittent fasting and i didn't even think about this being in the same category. I will look at some of the other posts about it.

ncboiler89

camillemilton1 wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. It's probably just my moms voice in my head that made me hesitate but I should listen to my body and only eat when I am hungry.
ahoy_m8 I have heard a lot about intermittent fasting and i didn't even think about this being in the same category. I will look at some of the other posts about it.

FYI...learn everything you can about weight loss and then these questions become self-evident.

Machka9

Is breakfast essential?

No.

ncboiler89

Machka9 wrote: »

Is breakfast essential?

No.

Fruit loops....yo

Domicinator

I almost never eat breakfast, and I never have. I'm just not hungry right when I wake up. I usually have a healthy snack at around 10 am to hold me until lunch.

misskarne

ncboiler89 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Is breakfast essential?

No.

Fruit loops....yo

Also lunch or dinner food.

SLLRunner

camillemilton1 wrote: »

Hi . I'm looking for some advice. I understand that eating breakfast helps satiate you so you don't eat too much later, but I'm wondering if it's absolutely necessary. I am just not hungry in the morning and it doesn't seem to affect how hungry I am by lunch. I used to not eat anything (but coffee) in the morning. Now I have been eating a low sugar whole grain cereal every morning but today I overslept and wasn't able to eat until lunch. I get really hungry in the late afternoon and I found that I could eat a few more calories at that time and stay under my goal. I was just wondering if I am doing myself a disservice in the long run by skipping it.

Breakfast is only essential if it's essential to you. If you are not hungry in the morning, there is no reason to eat.

Meal timing has nothing to do with weight loss. You can eat when you want as long as you stay in your calorie goals.

That said, I LOVE my breakfast- oatmeal with fruit and coffee. Mmmmmm good!

SLLRunner

SergeantSausage wrote: »

Back when you were a kid ... and they all told you "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" ... yeah - they lied.

This is true.

middlehaitch

I naturally prefere the majority of my food between 6-9 pm. When I first started counting calories I decided I would try eating breakfast and lunch because it seemed the thing to do. Ugh, I was miserable and everyone knew it.

I returned to my preferred eating times, everyone was happy, me most of all, and I lost the weight.

Eat when it suits you; not the clock.

Cheers, h.