Does breakfast help YOU eat less later? It hasn't yet for me.

charlenekapf

I started working with an intuitive eating certified RD to help with BED. I used to do intermittent fasting and have completely been unable to reign in my appetite later in the day. Even if I eat breakfast, snacks, lunch I still have a desire to eat way bigger meals at night. I don't even care to eat earlier than 1 pm. But I keep trying to see if I can stop the binges by stopping fasting and it hasn't helped. I've been at this for a little while and my calories are less when I fast. I have no self control at night and like fasting because I at least feel decently full if I fast until 1-2 pm.

Have you stopped fasting and got back regular fullness by eating breakfast, no fasting?
Have you started fasting and realized it works much better for fullness/life?

Appreciate input.

TimothyFish

Breakfast doesn't cause me to eat more or less, but if I don't eat breakfast I can't get much done all morning because I'm watching the clock for lunchtime.

Molly_234

When I skip breakfast I tend to not be as hungry at lunch. I was doing really well with the 16:8 for a few weeks but this week I have stopped doing it and I've been hungry all the time! I'm going to start fasting again. Breakfast for me tends to be sugary carbs any way and starting the day with sugar can make me crave it the rest of the day.

CafeRacer808

For me, it depends entirely on the breakfast. If I eat one that's high in protein, I'm satiated until lunch. If I eat one that's mostly carbs, I end up snacking all morning until lunch.

charlenekapf

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

For me, it depends entirely on the breakfast. If I eat one that's high in protein, I'm satiated until lunch. If I eat one that's mostly carbs, I end up snacking all morning until lunch.

Do you notice if either have an effect on you after lunch? My question is more about how it affects the hours after lunch. I personally feel like I'm the same level of hungry later in the day and have the desire to eat just as much having no breakfast vs having it.

marieamethyst

I find it easier when I just stick with coffee and water for breakfast, and eat more at lunch and dinner instead.

AnnPT77

Eating a solid breakfast with plenty of protein was one thing that helped me avoid dysfunctional snack-y crave-y behavior in the evening.

But I've been around MFP for a while, and it seems to me that when it comes to satiety, everyone is different. What works for you, works for you, whether it works for me, or not. I understand that you have some special considerations, so I'd certainly suggest working through these things with the professional you're working with.

tlflag1620

I've found that when I eat breakfast I'm hungrier the rest of the day, but if I skip it, I can easily go until lunch (or beyond) without feeling hungry. So I don't bother about breakfast anymore.

And fwiw, it doesn't seem to matter much what my breakfast consists of. Sure eggs and bacon leave me fuller longer than shredded wheat and skim milk, but either one leaves me hungry for lunch sooner than if I skip it entirely. It's like eating anything at all turns my appetite switch into the "on" position. Plus, I prefer larger meals at dinner (and to have room for an evening snack), so I see no benefit, and a good deal of cost, to having breakfast. If I were truly hungry in the morning I would eat (and I do so on the rare occasion that happens), but more often than not I don't feel real hunger until at least 11 am.

CafeRacer808

charlenekapf wrote: »

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

For me, it depends entirely on the breakfast. If I eat one that's high in protein, I'm satiated until lunch. If I eat one that's mostly carbs, I end up snacking all morning until lunch.

Do you notice if either have an effect on you after lunch? My question is more about how it affects the hours after lunch. I personally feel like I'm the same level of hungry later in the day and have the desire to eat just as much having no breakfast vs having it.

Hard to say, really. Once I realized that protein really satiates me, I started to include more of it in all of my meals. Since I started doing this, my snacking all throughout the day has decreased dramatically.

The point being, figuring out which foods satiate you the most (try proteins, fats, fibers and complex carbs) could very well help you manage your hunger throughout the day. Satiety is different for everyone, so you'll have to experiment a bit to see which foods work best you.

SusanMFindlay

Eating more earlier in the day makes me less likely to go overboard with evening snacking. Eating breakfast makes me less likely to go overboard with midmorning and midafternoon snacking. Recently, I've taken to getting a skim milk steamer (sugar free syrup - so, basically, a big cup of warm milk) on my way into work after breakfast, and the combination of breakfast + drink almost completely kills my desire to snack in the afternoon. So, I think that habit may be a keeper.

Ryokat

tlflag1620 wrote: »

I've found that when I eat breakfast I'm hungrier the rest of the day, but if I skip it, I can easily go until lunch (or beyond) without feeling hungry. So I don't bother about breakfast anymore.

Same. The cream in my coffee is often the only calories I take in until supper.

Unknown

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N8ilm

Doesn't matter when or what I eat for breakfast, I'm hungry 2 hours (or less) later.
I'm back on a strict calorie restriction diet. I have found that drinking 250ish cal smoothies with at least 30g of protein holds me over ok.

Also, I ALWAYS wake up hungry, there's no way I could skip breakfast. If I do, I can feel my brain and body just coming to grinding crash.

charlenekapf

All different and interesting responses. Crazy how no one size fits all on this. Appreciate any other input as well.

red99ryder

I used to skip bfast , then got into the habbit of eating bfast ,, i miss the larger calorie lunch and dinner . but eating bfast does help me eat better at lunch , just gotta do what works for ya

good luck

Sheisinlove109

Never skip breakfast! I drink a large full glass of water when I wake up. 30 min later a Premier Protein Chocolate drink. Few hours later, carrots and almonds or one slice toast with peanut butter and banana. Lunch a little later, small snack midafternoon like yogurt string cheese, then dinner. After dinner a little before bed, grapes or apple

lulalacroix

When I eat very early in the day it seems to stoke my hunger all day long. Therefore I usually eat my first meal after 2 pm and I can keep my calories in check.

You should do what works for you.

lightenup2016

Eating breakfast makes me hungrier all day. I eat at 1pm (coffee and small piece of dark chocolate in a.m.).This has been working well for me for the past 6 months.

livingleanlivingclean

I don't eat in the morning because I feel the hunger all day. I actually wake up hungry, but can ignore it if I don't eat.

I like to eat bigger meals at night - it works for me as I also train at night. Waiting til the evening doesn't make me binge though, I stick to my macros and don't need to look for other food.

lost_work7

When I wake up, I'm not really hungry, but I force myself to eat anyway and it typically holds me over until dinner with a light snack in between (a protein bar). My problem is that since I'm not hungry until 6-7pm, I have to eat more calories when I'm not hungry because I didn't eat enough throughout the day.

CattOfTheGarage

I can't function without breakfast, I end up sick and dizzy and it messes up my whole day. I don't need much, about 200cal is plenty (i'm a wholegrain cereal or toast person) but I need something.

Like you, I like a large dinner, so I eat about 200cal breakfast and 300-400 for lunch to save calories for dinner.

GottaBurnEmAll

Tea with milk for me until my yogurt about 1:00 or so or else I eat all day.

SoyD986

If I eat in the morning, I end up being hungry all day ... I suppose it's all mental ... but breakfast is not a good thing for me when it comes to a healthy way of life. I get my calories and nutrients from meals after around 12pm during the week. During the weekend, when I do eat around 10am, I find my calorie consumption is higher ... but again, my schedule is different and a lot of it is mental, I think!

tinkerbellang83

I have 1 weetabix biscuit with a little milk around 1030 and then a couple of snacks between then and 1300 when it's my lunchtime. On a weekend I've been known to totally forget to eat until about 2/3pm in the afternoon so tend to have a higher calorie brunch instead of seperate breakfast and lunch. You just got to work out what works for you, that might include eating breakfast or it may not. The timing of meals, etc will only work on a mental level. If you feel like you need to eat a lot later at night, maybe just have lighter meals during the day and something more calorific in the evening.

Machka9

Does breakfast help YOU eat less later?

Nope. Eating breakfast is like flipping an "ON" switch ... I just want to keep eating all day long.

animatorswearbras

I don't think there's a hard and fast rule that fits everyone, if you're not seeing any benefit to breakfast and skipping it doesn't make you lethargic then personally I wouldn't bother especially if its making you feel worse and more likely to binge. I'd definitely speak to your RD with your concerns, but in the meantime do what works for you. x

Floatingpencil

As with other people, I find if I eat breakfast - any breakfast - it sets me off and I'm hungry all day. If I eat breakfast at 7 I'll be hungry at 9 and ready to roast and eat my colleagues by 10:30. I usually have a large glass of water first thing, then have something at around 10 - that seems to be the earliest I can go with it. If I don't eat at all, it'll be 3pm before I get really hungry.

MissMaggieMuffin

This discussion is so interesting. I never used to eat breakfast until I bought-in to the weight loss programs (specifically Weight Watchers) that were adamant that you MUST eat breakfast to fuel your body. Like many posters above, I always felt that I ate more during the day when I did have breakfast. Now I find myself going back to the no-breakfast or light breakfast preference.

MalkinMagic71

happilymegan wrote: »

When I eat breakfast I tend to eat more later. So I skip breakfast and stick to lunch and dinner. Sometimes an evening snack.

This is what works for me too.

MelodyMomof2

I'm not usually hungry in the morning. If I make myself eat a little something, it seems like I'm starving by 10:00 or 11:00 am. If I don't eat breakfast I'm fine until lunch. The only time I eat early is if I have a long run or something to do and I'll try to eat a cereal bar or a banana or something like that.

singingflutelady

I'm on team eating breakfast makes me eat more so I always skip it.