do you notice losing more eating breakfast?

elisa123gal
elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've heard all the studies and advice about eating breakfast. But, when I eat breakfast..I'm actually more hungry all day. I'm looking for people who know for sure from the scale..not studies and advice they've read... that they lose more one way or the other.

I've been eating breakfast to see if it makes me lose faster; my thinking is maybe my metabolism is working faster that is why I'm so hungry all day.

Any of you know for sure that you lose more eating breakfast?
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Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    The only thing that makes you lose weight is a calorie deficit. Time of eating, how much you eat in one go, etc, has nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter if you eat nothing all day then your entire days allowance for dinner.

    If breakfast makes you hungrier, skip it.
  • mamahannick
    mamahannick Posts: 322 Member
    It's all personal preference and what your body likes. Eating breakfast for me helps me NOT be as hungry during the day and evenly space out my calories. If you don't want to eat breakfast because it makes you hungrier, then don't. Just make sure you're getting in enough calories the rest of the day. Too little calories can be just as bad as too many. :)
  • Steph_in_Mississippi
    Steph_in_Mississippi Posts: 70 Member
    I eat a small breakfast around 7 am, a snack around 9:30, lunch around 12, another snack around 2:30 then dinner around 6:30. I found adding those small 100 calories snacks keeps me for binging at meals.

    When I say small, I normally eat yogurt for morning snack and a piece of fruit for afternoon snack.

    Good luck! :smile:
  • helen195
    helen195 Posts: 90 Member
    I eat a small breakfast around 7 am, a snack around 9:30, lunch around 12, another snack around 2:30 then dinner around 6:30. I found adding those small 100 calories snacks keeps me for binging at meals.

    When I say small, I normally eat yogurt for morning snack and a piece of fruit for afternoon snack.

    Good luck! :smile:

    Same here - little and often during the day.
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    Nope, lost over 50lbs usually breaking my fast at noon or later. It really is about the amount of calories you consume and has nothing to do with what time you eat them/how you divvy them up.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I am not a fan of breakfast. But I do eat it early on the mornings that I go to the gym, just for the fuel and energy. I have found that eat dinner foods for breakfast lessens my food cravings throughout the day, but maybe that's just me.
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
    I eat a small breakfast around 7 am, a snack around 9:30, lunch around 12, another snack around 2:30 then dinner around 6:30. I found adding those small 100 calories snacks keeps me for binging at meals.

    When I say small, I normally eat yogurt for morning snack and a piece of fruit for afternoon snack.

    Good luck! :smile:

    Same here - little and often during the day.

    Same. I don't eat a regular meal at work for lunch. I just snack throughout the day. Fruit and peanut butter, yogurt and nuts, protein bar.. keeps me full so I don't binge before dinner.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
    Adamant breakfast eater here that has been plateaued for a month. Stopped eating breakfast Monday and have dropped 5 pounds. I weigh everyday, same time, same circumstances. Maybe a fluke but I will know more in a month or so.
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
    I dont really think it matters when you eat... but I do think that some people who skip breakfast are so hungry by lunch time that they over-eat. and I think that leads people to think that eating breakfast aids weight loss.
  • exmsde
    exmsde Posts: 85 Member
    I eat a small breakfast (<300 calories) although for most of my life that wasn't the case. I did it for two reasons. First, I was taking vitamins in the morning and they are better absorbed with food (anything fat soluble needs trace amounts of fat to bind to). The vision supplement I take says "preferably with food" right on the directions. Second, I would walk into the Office and someone would have brought donuts or some other goody and I needed more willpower to resist. I also found that eating breakfast allowed me to function better when lunch was delayed (e.g., a meeting went over) and make better choices at lunch.

    On some mornings I will also have a small (<150 calorie) snack mid-morning. But that more depends on where I am. Usually I find lunch is upon me before thinking about a snack.

    Now does any of this directly translate into losing more weight? Probably not. Does it translate into feeling better and actually being healthier? Probably.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    eating breakfast always makes me hungrier for lunch and even before. I usually have about a cup of almond milk (30 calories). That gives me some calcium and something to sip on...but it doesn't make me hungrier for lunch. Also, I can save my calories for my lunch and dinner.

    There is no truth to metabolism being boosted by breakfast. Or so I read recently on the internet. So, who knows.
  • splatt1961
    splatt1961 Posts: 18 Member
    I also find eating a breakfast makes me hungry for some reason, it seems to start me thinking about my next lot of food.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I have a very good nutritionist and she talked me into trying eating breakfast. I had always felt like I was "saving" the calories for later in the day. It tended to make me hungry by the time lunch came also, but after a few weeks that went away. Now, I need something in the morning. Breakfast for me tends to be about 300 cals during the week.

    I've found that if I don't eat breakfast I'm starving by the time lunch rolls around and I'm grabbing anything I can find, usually something high in processed sugar or carbs and calorie dense.

    I've also found that if I start my day thinking about what I'm eating, I do much better staying mindful the whole day.

    It makes sense to me that a metabolism is your body's fire, and fire needs fuel to burn. But there is all kinds of research that says kids mentally perform better and aren't as sluggish/sleepy if they eat a good breakfast, so there must be something to it, even the research doesn't hold up for losing weight.

    As much as some people here who will say you're no special snowflake, and I believe that's true in some things, I do think that everyone is different particularly when it comes to motivation. Experiment - and find what works for you.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    The reason it's a good idea to have a little something within a couple hours of waking is because it's not good to starve your metabolism to it for 12, 15, 16 hrs. Eating breakfast isn't the end all be all of what will make you lose weight it's about keeping your body in check, keeping your metabolism steady which in turns helps with weight loss. There are more factors then just eating breakfast that will help you lose weight.

    I found that when I ate a breakfast that was high in sugary carbs, yes I was hungry well before lunch. When I changed to higher protein I wasn't hungry. The reason your hungry has nothing to do with the fact your eating breakfast.
  • ThinLizzie0802
    ThinLizzie0802 Posts: 863 Member
    I always do better sticking to my calorie limit for the day when I have a satisfying breakfast, two mini lunches, and dinner
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    no. i've just been having coffee recently and not having an actual meal till around 2ish - no difference in weight loss, it just means i can snack at night, which i like to do :)

    i have done 6 small meals before and this works too - as long as you burn more than you eat, you'll lose.

    edit to add: i'm the same as you - if i eat breakfast i'm hungry all day (regardless if its a sugary pastry or bacon & eggs). atm, i watch the clock to remind myself to have lunch - its all about what works for you.
  • brucedelaney
    brucedelaney Posts: 433 Member
    The reason it's a good idea to have a little something within a couple hours of waking is because it's not good to starve your metabolism to it for 12, 15, 16 hrs.

    FALSE
    In 2004 a group of 29 men and women fasted for 12, 36 and 72 hours for a study in the British Journal of Nutrition and their metabolism was measured before and after each fast. The results showed that their resting metabolic rate had not changed at all after a 12 hour fast, had actually increased by the 32 hour fast, and it wasn’t until after the 72nd hour of fasting that they started to notice a decline in their metabolism.

    cited: http://ifasters.com/intermittent-fasting-and-your-metabolism/

    And there are dozens of other studies out there refuting your blanket statement
  • Asheriee
    Asheriee Posts: 28
    I see a difference. But then again, I eat a few times a day but they're all small meals. Eating breakfast is supposed to start up your metabolism early on in the day. With that, I know for myself, if I eat breakfast I also have more energy throughout the day and I'm less likely to over eat by the end of the day.
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
    I think it depends on the person... as far as losing more weight I can't say that either .. I know I feel better if i eat breakfast. I eat the weight control Instant oatmeal every morning and have found it holds my hunger off better than cereal or other breakfast foods... That's just me though. May not work for everyone.
  • Bowsa
    Bowsa Posts: 30 Member
    The only thing that makes you lose weight is a calorie deficit. Time of eating, how much you eat in one go, etc, has nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter if you eat nothing all day then your entire days allowance for dinner.

    If breakfast makes you hungrier, skip it.


    This

    Personally I find once I start eating I get ravenous! So usually wont eat until 21:00 - 22:00 ish When I'll have ~2k cals

    But that is what works for me. @ weekends I like to spread things out a bit so that I can go and have that fry up etc. :)
  • Asheriee
    Asheriee Posts: 28
    Adamant breakfast eater here that has been plateaued for a month. Stopped eating breakfast Monday and have dropped 5 pounds. I weigh everyday, same time, same circumstances. Maybe a fluke but I will know more in a month or so.

    This might be due to the fact that there have been studies showing that a fast CAN be beneficial. If you do it once or twice a week. But not everyday. It's like a shock to your system. If you do the same thing everyday it can actually cause you to plateau because your body is used to it.

    Really, you just have to find something that works for you.
  • sunfirelynn
    sunfirelynn Posts: 186 Member
    I'm the same way, if I eat breakfast I feel hungry ALL day:frown: So I just have coffee I do much better that way!
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
    I think that if you lose weight eating breakfast, it has more to do with PREFERENCE and DIET ADHERENCE than it does "boosting your metabolism."

    I did just fine at first losing weight when I ate breakfast and 4 other meals throughout the day, but when I started lifting more, I noticed I was constantly hungry and started overeating. I craved more at dinner and ALWAYS wanted dessert whether I had the calories left or not. I didn't lose weight simply because I was going over my calorie goal.

    So I stopped eating breakfast. Now, I have nothing but a 90-calorie coffee in the mornings (which isn't truuuuuly by intermittent fasting standards). I eat 1800 calories between 12P.M. and 9P.M. I get to have the huge dinner and dessert that I crave. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. I am much HAPPIER, and I am CONSISTENT in meeting my calorie and macro goals. For that reason, I have been more successful in losing weight.

    It has nothing to do with my metabolism and everything to do with my preference for a big dinner and dessert and the likeliness of adhering to my calorie goal.
  • LaserMum
    LaserMum Posts: 133
    I have been at a plateau for a few months. I know it was because I was eating too much to lose. I decided to try IF and found that on the days when I was fasting, I didn't have breakfast (except a cup of coffee) and I didn't get hungry. It didn't even bother me whether I had lunch or not!

    I now fast every day until about 4:30pm when I get home from work and have a filling sandwich or salad. I then have a hearty dinner (sometimes, I don't even want dinner either!).

    I am now staying under my target reasonably easily (unless I have a massive treat like I did last night :blushing: ) and it's all because breakfast made me hungry. Missing breakfast means I can keep under without feeling deprived.

    ETA: I lost 2 lbs last week eating like this, then got silly and binged over the weekend and put it back on. I've lost 3 lbs since Monday.
  • StrictlyPro
    StrictlyPro Posts: 72
    When I eat breakfast, I lose the ability to eat more food later in the day.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    I eat a huge fatty breakfast and later, a small dinner. I find that it helps me. The satiety of your breakfast can sometimes depend on it's macro nutrient composition. If I eat a bowl of Lucky Charms, I'm going to be hungry 2 hours later. If I eat bacon and eggs, I won't be hungry until dinner. *shrug*
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Looking over my diary from the past few months, I found that I had the easiest time staying in my net cal zone on the days when I ate a breakfast including two eggs, some meat and cheese, and vegetables. Close second were the days when I slept through breakfast and put the extra calories into a nice big lunch. The protein and fat keep me satisfied on 2-3 meals a day.
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    I've heard all the studies and advice about eating breakfast. But, when I eat breakfast..I'm actually more hungry all day. I'm looking for people who know for sure from the scale..not studies and advice they've read... that they lose more one way or the other.

    I've been eating breakfast to see if it makes me lose faster; my thinking is maybe my metabolism is working faster that is why I'm so hungry all day.

    Any of you know for sure that you lose more eating breakfast?

    No. Actually there are studies that show a boost in hgh from skipping it. Of course this is the body's response and attempt at equilibrium but the point is you don't have to eat it.
  • kelseymaccombs
    kelseymaccombs Posts: 61 Member
    I've heard all the studies and advice about eating breakfast. But, when I eat breakfast..I'm actually more hungry all day. I'm looking for people who know for sure from the scale..not studies and advice they've read... that they lose more one way or the other.

    I've been eating breakfast to see if it makes me lose faster; my thinking is maybe my metabolism is working faster that is why I'm so hungry all day.

    Any of you know for sure that you lose more eating breakfast?

    From what I hear, eating breakfast gets your metabolism started early (ideally you'd eat within 30 minutes of waking up), which would cause you to be hungry throughout the day, because your metabolism is burning through energy. I eat a light breakfast and two small snacks all before my lunch at 1 pm, and it seems to be working well toward my goals.

    Eating breakfast isn't the key to losing weight, but I do think it is good for your metabolism. A calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight, with or without breakfast.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    when i'm on point eating and exercising i invariably wake up famished, so there is NO WAY I can even think about going without breakfast.

    A lot of bigger muscle guys i know say that too, and i don't think you could classify them as your classic 'dieter'.

    so maybe waking up after not eating for 5-8 hrs hungry is really just a healthy thing

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