To eat or not to eat breakfast, that is the question

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I find it easiest to maintain a calorie deficit if I skip breakfast. I'm not a strict IFer, I just "skip breakfast" most of the time.

Penthesilea514

I feel the same way as a lot of the posters- I don't eat much in the morning because it only made my total daily consumption more as somehow I would get hungrier. I have recently changed this a little due to my workout schedule and routine shifting to lifting weights in the afternoon and I had a huge increase in hunger when I started lifting. I now eat a little something around 10am. Lunch is at noon. Afternoon snack at 2pm and protein shake usually around 3-3:15 on lifting days (about an hour before I start). Dinner around 5:45-6. I guess it is pretty close to IF 16:8 but I don't really hold myself to it. It just kind of naturally flows that way for me, and that is what I am most interested in- having it naturally work into my schedule.

everher

You'll have to experiment and find what works for you.

I skipped breakfast 90% of my life (even as a child I wouldn't eat breakfast). It wasn't until I started losing the weight this go around that I realized that not eating breakfast makes me ravenous by lunch and then it's like I can never eat enough to fill that void.

I've found though big or small breakfast doesn't matter. As long as I eat something to tide me over to lunch I'm fine. So breakfast is usually my smallest meal of the day calorie wise.

iamhylian

It doesn't matter when you eat. Watch your calories.

mygrl4meee

i recently stopped eating breakfast but was doing a protein shake but recently started just eating one of my fiber bars and coffee.. i feel like i dont get hungry until noon..before it was at 10 am. i dont track calories much to know how it balances out.

dragon_girl26

Breakfast is definitely a personal choice. I get hangry within an hour or two of waking up if I try to skip breakfast, so that wouldn't work for me. If you don't want it, though, no need to eat it.

Froggyh

I eat breakfast because I'm always hungry, if not *when* I wake up, then soon after. And I don't mean just a bit of a rumbling in my stomach, but the whole nine yards - muscle weakness, lightheadeness, it's even a migraine trigger for me. It's to the point where if I'm meeting someone *for* breakfast, I'll have a light breakfast before I head out so I don't get hangry before I get there.

I always ate breakfast growing up (my mom was very big on the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" thing), so I suspect that might be part of it; my body is just used to getting food first thing.

You do you. If you feel better eating later in the day, go for it.

BarneyRubbleMD

I'm a type2 insulin-dependent diabetic that has to eat meals on a 3-hour-between-meals schedule. So, my meals are at 9am, noon, 3pm & 6pm (Note: I'm a "morning" person & wake up around 7am). My meals are about the same "size" to keep my blood sugar more stable but my noon & 3pm meals are typically a bit larger than my 9am & 6pm meals since I just don't have much of an appetite at 9am or 6pm so it's easier for those meals to be a bit smaller. If I skip my 9am meal (breakfast), I feel like I'm dragging until noon & then "starving" & can eat too much which really mucks up my blood sugar control & my cravings go into "overdrive". I rarely eat anything after 8pm unless my blood sugar gets too low since having food in my stomach while trying to sleep (11pm) messes with my quality of sleep.

BarneyRubbleMD

everher wrote: »

You'll have to experiment and find what works for you.

I skipped breakfast 90% of my life (even as a child I wouldn't eat breakfast). It wasn't until I started losing the weight this go around that I realized that not eating breakfast makes me ravenous by lunch and then it's like I can never eat enough to fill that void.

I've found though big or small breakfast doesn't matter. As long as I eat something to tide me over to lunch I'm fine. So breakfast is usually my smallest meal of the day calorie wise.

same here!

Glistel

Personally I find breakfast works for me and my goals. But the catch is not to eat too much.
I wake up, have a full glass of water or sometimes even my full water bottle which holds 24 oz then either have something smaller that is high in protein or a gnc lean protien shake (So far Swiss chocolate is my fave).
Every time I eat it's less than 300 calories so that leaves more than enough room to snack every couple of hours or splurge a little on lunch or dinner.

lucyee

I love breakfast! Definitely my favourite meal of the day. I never limit my breakfast calories, and usually have around 500-700 calories, and then make the rest of the day fit in with it. (Goal of 1500ish + c.300-400 exercise most days) I'm not a big dinner person though, so it isn't too hard. If I know I'm going out for a large dinner, I still have breakfast and then skip lunch...

jennifer_417

I almost never eat breakfast, and it's never made a difference in my weight loss or gain.