Eating within an hour of waking?

tinatwin1971

I have to get up at 6am in the week and leave for work at 7. I can just about manage a cup of tea that early in the morning, but the thought of eating anything that early fills me with dread. I normally have some sort of breakfast when I get to work at 8, normally fruit, or cereal bars etc. Weekends I don't tend to wake up till later, so will eat closer to when I get up.

Kate7294

I think you should eat when you feel ready; however, I'm a believer in eating a mostly clean diet and trying to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Space them out evenly and this will help your metabolism stay strong and working all day long!!

In my case where I have PCOS and was "past tense" pre-diabetic I agree with above. In the case of everyone else...it may not be a concern. You need to figure out for yourself what works for you.
I do find if I go to the gym I need to eat a little something prior to working out ( was feeling dizzy) and again after. Good luck!

aceink64

It does not mean a slower one but it does mean that it might not be as efficient, do to the fact that it is most efficient when it is in the right sugar range, and not in a peak or valley, eating more often and smaller meals keeps your system more balanced. However it is hard for most people to eat this way since the US culture is not designed around that.

brightsideofpink

There have been fairly recent studies that have shown equal weight loss in people who eat breakfast when compared with those who do not. So I would suggest just following your own body cues. I used to be a big breakfast eater- if I didn't have it I felt very off. But since I've started to exercise in the morning, it has curbed my craving for early meals. I eat very light in the morning and save my calories for lunch and dinner, with small snacks in between, and I have been losing weight at a healthy pace of about 1lb per week while still maintaining good blood glucose levels.

That said, and in line with what another poster has added, timing of meals does matter quite a bit if you are diabetic or borderline. This has to do with how the body processes glucose and creates insulin, and where and how it will create sugars if none are available and furthermore, how increased insulin effects fat storage. But I won't get into that as I don't think thats a concern for most people who are just trying to get healthy/lose weight/stay healthy.

I know it sounds like a commercial, but everybody should really take the time to get a good professional assessment of their health, including screening of blood pressure. Obese people (and the range for this is probably lower than you think) should test their A1C at least once per year.

cindytsx

Thanks for all the replies. Having a good read here.

There's no time limit on eating. Many people on here practice intermittent fasting and don't eat until the late afternoon.
You eat when you feel ready, choose things which fit into your calorie budget (weigh them on a food scale), and your metabolism will be just fine. Really. :flowerforyou:

Your metabolism doesn't suddenly stop when you go to sleep. Your body doesn't need to be "kick started". Eat your first meal when you choose.

I don't eat until I'm hungry, which sometimes is around lunch time. It hasn't stopped my weight loss schedule one bit. Calories in versus calories out, it doesn't matter what time you eat them.

Yes I totally agree with the three of you! That is why I'm looking out for research/studies/some form of evidence that supports the idea of eating without adhering to the time of the day. I'm pretty sure I've read it in Kimberly Synder's book about this.

I don't know anything about how accurate the body scan bmr measurement is. I do know that the formula gives you an estimate only.. And the most accurate formula takes body fat percentages into consideration, which might be part of the difference.

Yeah, that was why I was kinda sad - considering the fact that my actual BMR is lower than the calculated BMR. Now I'm really trying hard to gain muscle mass to increase my BMR

Although, in general the simple "eat only before 8," "eat breakfast within an hour," "eat early," eat late," etc. recommendations that have been around forever rest on myth and guesswork. That's why many of us will pooh-pooh them.

BUT -- and it's a big but -- very recent research is showing some evidence that time of eating and circadian rhythms may make a difference. The research is at a very early state. Consider this abstract sentence from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23357955:

"There is emerging literature demonstrating a relationship between the timing of feeding and weight regulation in animals. However, whether the timing of food intake influences the success of a weight-loss diet in humans is unknown."

In other words, there is some evidence that it does make a difference when and what you eat how soon or after you exercise and breakfast content and size may make a difference. Also, adequate sleep may have a greater effect on obesity and weight loss.

Don't leap to conclusions yet and suspect anybody who tells you that something is absolutely known about this at this point.

Thanks for your share on the article abstract, I've completed reading the entire article here (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3756673/) and indeed, interesting findings but it lacks statistical significance due to the minimal population size. The study is rather skewered too :x But hey, I've read some interesting facts, so thank you

...regarding the practice of mini meals rather than a few larger meals...that seems to work well for many people. For me it's the fastest route to feeling vaguely hungry all of the time and never fully satisfied, and experiencing some mild emotional distress when I eat with friends or family who eat a "regular" sized meal. No thanks.

I can't handle mini meals for nuts, I just snack :P

.. (eating small meals) give you more control over each meal at a more granular level. People losing weight may feel less hungry if they space out their meals; they end up in a binge less often. People seeking to gain weight (such as myself) feel less bloated when they arn't trying to pile down >1000 calories in a single meal.

yes totally agree, thats why I take small snacks in between to keep those hunger pangs lying low. I do realize I snack more when I'm bored

I think you should eat when you feel ready; however, I'm a believer in eating a mostly clean diet and trying to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Space them out evenly and this will help your metabolism stay strong and working all day long!!

I mainly agree with this, but I do believe you need to give your body something before you get it moving even just a good piece of fruit. Eat with 30 minutes of waking. Doing things through out the day without eating is like asking your car to run without gas.:drinker:

Fortunately we have this thing called body fat which, to go along with your analogy, would be the gas in the car.

HAHAHA THIS ^ .. well this adds on to another reason why it's not a MUST to eat within an hour of waking up >__<

Thanks for all the awesome & interesting replies. I'd likely not adhere to eating within an hour of waking up - purely due to logistical issues ie. get out of house so that I'd be able to get my butt on time for work:P

Personally, I've also noticed that if I do grab breakfast (0.25 cup of oats) prior to leaving the house -- I'd usually sleep while commuting to work which is very likely due to the sugar rush. /: I find it more feasible to have my breakfast at my work desk, & sip on some pippin hot coffee.

Thanks again, let's keep going & work hard at achieving our goals. Fight on!