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Breakfast yes or no?
karmelpopcorn
Posts: 77 Member
in Debate Club
I'm not sure if this is really a debate so much as a personal choice, but I know there are disagreements among experts about whether eating breakfast assists in or inhibits weight loss.
Most of our lives, we've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there has been some more recent research on skipping breakfast that makes it sound a little more like fasting. When you fast for a day, your overall calorie intake is lower because you are never able to make up for those calories in the long run. Same with skipping breakfast.
However, for some, breakfast is essential for regulating appetite (and it's definitely important if you're doing a rigorous morning workout). I try to have a 400 calorie or lower breakfast (Ezekiel bread with something spread on top), but I used to skip breakfast, and I don't think I was that much worse for it.
What are your thoughts?
Most of our lives, we've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there has been some more recent research on skipping breakfast that makes it sound a little more like fasting. When you fast for a day, your overall calorie intake is lower because you are never able to make up for those calories in the long run. Same with skipping breakfast.
However, for some, breakfast is essential for regulating appetite (and it's definitely important if you're doing a rigorous morning workout). I try to have a 400 calorie or lower breakfast (Ezekiel bread with something spread on top), but I used to skip breakfast, and I don't think I was that much worse for it.
What are your thoughts?
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Replies
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I happened upon this a few days ago: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/56172?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-13&eun=g436715d0r&utm_content=bufferd71f3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Basically, it's a new study supporting the idea that breakfast doesn't matter (or is personal preference).
I don't find breakfast matters much to my overall appetite (I'm a creature of habit and can adjust to different eating patterns), but I really enjoy breakfast and find it easier to get in the protein and vegetables I want if I eat 3 meals a day (sometimes with a snack). So I am definitely on the personal preference side.0 -
I never liked breakfast but started eating it based on all the "consensus" view that it was most important meal of the day. Reading post on MFP has changed my 20 year mindset but its now become a hard habit to "break." My new thing is to have my first meal when I feel hungry and I hope I'm able to reteach my body to wait till lunch as the first meal of the day. I have found, like the article the OP posted, that delaying he first meal leads to less overall calories for the day. For me, I eat a lot of small meals during the day. Delaying the first meal compresses the time between the meals and thus makes it less likely for me to feel the need to have something extra.0
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I don't eat breakfast and find that if I do I get hungrier for lunch earlier and eat more than if I don't eat breakfast1
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singingflutelady wrote: »I don't eat breakfast and find that if I do I get hungrier for lunch earlier and eat more than if I don't eat breakfast
Same.0 -
+1. I am ravenous for dinner if all I can have in the morning is yogurt, coffee, a shake or some other "medicine on an empty stomach." You know that sinking feeling you get right after downing multiple pills without eating first? Um, yeah. That's me if I don't include at least a small piece of real food in the morning or for brunch.quiksylver296 wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »I don't eat breakfast and find that if I do I get hungrier for lunch earlier and eat more than if I don't eat breakfast
Same.0 -
I have a protein shake with fruit in the morning, because it's hard for me to get enough protein and produce in just two meals. I like the idea of IF and I've used it for weight loss, but I struggle to eat enough fruit, veggies and protein even with three meals daily. I don't think I could do it in one or two.0
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I think that breakfast helps the intake of nutrients. The fact that at the begginig of the day you are already on your way to achieving your set calories/nutrients etc. Also since it's the first meal of the day, it is (in my case) kind of a set time, unlike lunch or dinner that vary (like when you have to push lunch/dinner because of work/school/special events).0
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karmelpopcorn wrote: »I'm not sure if this is really a debate so much as a personal choice, but I know there are disagreements among experts about whether eating breakfast assists in or inhibits weight loss.
Most of our lives, we've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there has been some more recent research on skipping breakfast that makes it sound a little more like fasting. When you fast for a day, your overall calorie intake is lower because you are never able to make up for those calories in the long run. Same with skipping breakfast.
However, for some, breakfast is essential for regulating appetite (and it's definitely important if you're doing a rigorous morning workout). I try to have a 400 calorie or lower breakfast (Ezekiel bread with something spread on top), but I used to skip breakfast, and I don't think I was that much worse for it.
What are your thoughts?
In all honesty, whether I eat 2x a day or 5x a day, my calories are the same. Albeit, I tend to gravity towards 3 because I like huge meals.
Oh and my typical breakfast is either a protein bagel with peanut butter, an apple and quest protein bar (work combo) or a 2 egg, 4 egg white omelet with peppers, onions, cheese, salsa, a side of bacon and another side (fruits, greek yogurt or anything else around the house)0 -
Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents0 -
I personally eat breakfast because my stomach becomes an acid bath if I don't. Like, it's physically uncomfortable. but I usually can get away with just having a slice or two of some whole-grain bread and I'm fine0
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UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
Just to make sure I am reading this correctly, are you honestly suggesting that skipping breakfast makes you catabolize muscle mass?0 -
I skip breakfast sometimes, it has not stopped my weight loss at all. Sometimes I just ain't hungry. I go with the flow.0
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UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
It doesn't kick-start our metabolism. Our metabolism is a 24 hour a day thing. It doesn't turn off or anything. I get sufficient protein and have no issues with muscle breakdown0 -
UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
Your body works hard to make muscles, why would it skip the fat reserves that are there to act as... well energy reserves ... and just turn muscle tissue straight into aminos? The use of amino acids as fuel is mostly dictated by the amount of freely available amino acids you have, and usually your body would start with free floaters in the blood, followed by liver available ones, and finally breaking down muscle. Using aminos preferentially usually only happens when having fast digesting protein because there is no much ability to store protein as fuel for use as fuel later. If your body is low on freely available amino acids, it is liable to strongly down regulate using it as fuel.0 -
I have always been unable to eat breakfast/food until almost lunch time - about 10:30 - 11:00 a.m., no matter when I ate dinner the night before. I still remember those standardized tests in school and teachers making everyone eat a snack before it started. ("You have to eat breakfast to do well on the test" - pu-leeze!) I would never eat mine and get in trouble for it! The few times I did just to shut the teacher up, I would become almost ill. My system is simply not ready for real food until almost lunch time.
With that said, I have trained myself to drink a small protein drink before the gym when I wake up at 5:00 a.m. I mix a scoop with cold coffee so I have the energy for the gym from the protein and a quicker muscle warm-up from the caffeine. With body inflammation from an auto-immune disease, I found that this helped me quite a bit. YEah, it is calories that could be counted as "food" but it is not a solid food and therefore my body handles it better. I have tried smoothies which is not a solid but nope, my body thinks it is solid food.
Bottom line - listen to your body and follow its cues ... there is no right or wrong answer - just the answer for yourself.0 -
I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.0
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I go to the gym very early every morning, fasted.
I could never make it through the day without eating something after working out, but it definitely is a personal preference situation.0 -
UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
Just to make sure I am reading this correctly, are you honestly suggesting that skipping breakfast makes you catabolize muscle mass?
I need to interpret this Info a little more in detail and depth so nothing is taken out of context. If you starved yourself everyday from calories in general.. would you lose weight? Yes (health complications come into play as well ppl) You'd lose fat as well as muscle. So please don't interpret that any other way.
I was talking of supplementation with aminos as example btw.singingflutelady wrote: »UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
It doesn't kick-start our metabolism. Our metabolism is a 24 hour a day thing. It doesn't turn off or anything. I get sufficient protein and have no issues with muscle breakdown
So when you eat a biiiig meal, you don't feel full? You just put a lot of calories in your body to breakdown.
So that isn't going to cause your metabolism to slow down a bit, making you feel tired? If that isn't the case, you have never eaten a big meal.
Same goes for small meals. Think of your metabolism like building a fire...put little pieces of wood on the fire and it will burn efficiently...put Too much on and it will smother and burn it out.
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UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
Just to make sure I am reading this correctly, are you honestly suggesting that skipping breakfast makes you catabolize muscle mass?
I need to interpret this Info a little more in detail and depth so nothing is taken out of context. If you starved yourself everyday from calories in general.. would you lose weight? Yes (health complications come into play as well ppl) You'd lose fat as well as muscle. So please don't interpret that any other way.
I was talking of supplementation with aminos as example btw.singingflutelady wrote: »UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Eating breakfast *Kickstarts your metabolism* (speeds up) making you feel hungry sooner than if you skipped (depending if you are substituting with coffee etc)
Would you get in your car to drive a mile or few with NO GAS? (no calories) I wouldnt.
You need fuel to function, yes you will go into your body's store reserves for energy from fat but with skipping breakfast you aren't getting aminos (protein) to maintain and prevent (catabolism)muscle breakdown.
We work hard for muscle..Why would you want to lose it?
My .02 cents
It doesn't kick-start our metabolism. Our metabolism is a 24 hour a day thing. It doesn't turn off or anything. I get sufficient protein and have no issues with muscle breakdown
So when you eat a biiiig meal, you don't feel full? You just put a lot of calories in your body to breakdown.
So that isn't going to cause your metabolism to slow down a bit, making you feel tired? If that isn't the case, you have never eaten a big meal.
Same goes for small meals. Think of your metabolism like building a fire...put little pieces of wood on the fire and it will burn efficiently...put Too much on and it will smother and burn it out.
Bro, your body isn't a fire.. smaller meals have NO impact on your metabolism, nor the ability to lose weight. Small frequent meals =/= increase fat loss or muscle preservation. And considering it takes over 72 hours with 0 calories to have any metabolic compensation, its an incorrect analogy.0 -
Everyone is different. Find what works for you. More intense daily activities will require more fuel (calories) than someone sitting on their butt all day. What are your goals? Fat loss, strength gain, weight gain all have their own way to eat and train accordingly to achieve results with no plateau. I do not have any clients that eat or train the same. If you lose muscle by not providing protein for recovery and building, your metabolism will not be optimal. Plain and simple.0
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Not eating breakfast doesn't mean I'm starving myself smh. Meal timing is irrelevant. I eat enough calories I just later than breakfast0
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UHhhhhhWHAaaTmf wrote: »Everyone is different. Find what works for you. More intense daily activities will require more fuel (calories) than someone sitting on their butt all day. What are your goals? Fat loss, strength gain, weight gain all have their own way to eat and train accordingly to achieve results with no plateau. I do not have any clients that eat or train the same. If you lose muscle by not providing protein for recovery and building, your metabolism will not be optimal. Plain and simple.
You are confusing calorie restriction (especially, extended periods of calorie restriction), supplementation and training, with the personal preference that is meal timing and frequency. MT/MF have 0 impact on any of what you are saying. If I eat 2500 calories (~20% less than TDEE), macros at 1g of pro and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass, the rest carbs and a workout that encompasses both weight training and HIIT.. it won't matter if I eat 2 meals a day or 6 meals a day, the results will be the same.0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.
I find second breakfast often comes up short.0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.
I find second breakfast often comes up short.
Third breakfast owns all... In fact, that is my plan for tonight!0 -
Which is why a snack after second breakfast before first lunch comes in real handy.nakedraygun wrote: »I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.
I find second breakfast often comes up short.
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nakedraygun wrote: »
Which is why a snack after second breakfast before first lunch comes in real handy.nakedraygun wrote: »I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.
I find second breakfast often comes up short.
Elevenses?0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »
Which is why a snack after second breakfast before first lunch comes in real handy.nakedraygun wrote: »I say YES to first breakfast and YES to second breakfast.
I find second breakfast often comes up short.
Don't forget elevenses. VERY important meal.0 -
I love breakfast. I could probably count on one hand how many times I've skipped it since I was a kid. For me, it is the most important meal of the day and if I don't eat within 20-30 minutes of waking, I'm dizzy and getting a headache. I also love breakfast for lunch or for dinner. Breakfast is Awesome.0
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I personally love breakfast! I have been eating it every morning since I can remember.
I do think it's personal choice, for some people it simply might not work, but I could not function without it!0 -
I agree with those members that state breakfast is important. It doesn't have to be a large breakfast but at least get a good quality meal replacement shake or nutrition bar with sufficient protein.0
This discussion has been closed.
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