Skipping breakfast... and lunch

ftsolk

My eating habits/schedule are sporadic at best. Due to my work schedule, I don't always get lunch breaks- and if I do, they are 15 minute breaks near the end of my shift. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a rough day. I arrived at work an hour early at 9am. I spent the day rushing around shopping for customers, and I finally took a break at 7pm. I managed a swig of orange juice and a bite of a whole grain raspberry "fig newton", but that was about it. My day is so hectic that, in the past, after 2 hours I've barely managed to eat half a Larabar while rushing around.

For once, I ate breakfast that morning, but I've learned that if I eat first thing in the morning, I'm often hungry 2 hours into my shift. I am actually less hungry on days when I don't eat until after 3pm. I'm not too concerned about this- as I've heard a lot about intermittent fasting. However, I'm not always able to eat on a schedule. Some days, I do eat 3 meals. Other days, I eat 1 or 2. Some days I have a little snack during the day. Other days, there are none. There is no possible way for me to even switch my eating to a specific schedule.

I've been trying to get back on track with Weight Watchers, but I've had limited success. Simply Filling does not work very well for me because it centers around a very low fat, higher carb diet, and I definitely prefer some higher fat foods. However, counting points (or calories) presents a challenge when I can go from dividing up my 1,500 calorie/30 point allowance among 3 meals and a snack one day to eating it all in 1 meal the next. It's hard enough for me to budget my calories when I can schedule meals better.

I'm just struggling with this. I know I probably should work out more, but with work-related physical issues (my foot from standing all day), and a relatively physical/active job, I don't have much motivation to hit the gym. I've tried diet pills (20 and 30 Day Diet) and while I lost weight initially, the pills don't seem to do much for me anymore.

Psychgrrl

You've got to give your body the nutrition it needs, or you will cause yourself both long and short term health problems. The hectic schedule excuse really is just an excuse. 15 minutes is enough time for a nutritious meal. Intentionally plan out your meals and have them at the ready.

Many of us have jobs, sometimes more than one, and other obligations that keep our lives moving constantly at a fast pace. If you don't make the choice to take care of yourself, no one else is going to make it for you. You can be the solution to your own problem.

Good luck--please take better care of yourself!

desidieter

I actually gained a lot of weight when I stopped eating breakfast. I used to use my crazy work schedule as an excuse to skip meals, and it ended up having many terrible effects on my health.

Can you snack at work? I used to get hungry a couple of hours after breakfast, too, so I started keeping dried nuts nearby that I could eat in between meals. Also, if you're eating a good amount of protein and other sustainable things for breakfast, you'll probably have less mid-morning hunger.

joshuadillard

one of your main problems is your calorie goal! You have to be realistic about it. Then stick to it no matter what. I have lost 30 pounds since May and my daily calorie goal is 2,300. If you just take a realistic point of view and stick to it the weight will come off. However i do work out for at least an hour 5 days a week.

amusedmonkey

It's okay to skip a meal.. or two. Some people do it on purpose for weight loss. As long as you are able to get all the nutrition you need during and after dinner you will be fine.

cw106

It's okay to skip a meal.. or two. Some people do it on purpose for weight loss. As long as you are able to get all the nutrition you need during and after dinner you will be fine.

agree.
have done this for 10 weeks now.works for some people.

wellnessjunkie

I think the important thing to note here is that everyone is different. While skipping meals may work for some, it does not work for all. If you are hungry, you should eat. Get some to-go snacks like nuts, seeds, fruit, some sort of protein. I know it's hard when you're working but they can't expect you to not eat! Find a way to get some nutrients in and see how your body reacts in a week or so.

nosebag1212

there is nothing wrong with skipping lunch and breakfast, many people do this when cutting, it's called intermittent fasting and makes it easier sticking to a deficit because you get to have larger more satiating meals, I personally do it myself and only eat 2 meals a day between 4 and 10 pm, as long as you get your daily calories/macros in that's all that matters

shabaity

Protein bars are king for bolting down a quick meal. And no there is nothing wrong with skipping meals, never been a morning eater myself I'd rather just have something caffeine laden on my way to class then eat after class is over around 1ish. This also means that if I want steak and eggs for dinner then I don't have to rearrange my day.

Mischievous_Rascal

Meal timing is irrelevant, and exercise is awesome, but your diet will determine your weight. It's calories in vs. out for weight loss.

Youcan take a look at the group below see if intermittant fasting would work for your schedule. I do it becuase that's what fits my lifestyle the best.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting

Best of luck!

Liftng4Lis

I'm there as far as breakfast, I find when I eat it, I'm usually hungrier throughout the day. You should make time to grab something for lunch before 7 p.m. though. Grab a protein bar if you have to, or plan to bring something AND utilize that 15 minutes. As far as the intermittent fasting, it works for a lot of people.

ftsolk

I really cannot eat while working. If there is no time to take a break, then there isn't any time for me to stop to eat anything. I'm technically not supposed to eat while on the clock, so I have to try to sneak little bits of food from my pocket. This means that eating a Larabar can take over an hour. It's been extremely hectic lately.

I know that 15 minutes is enough time to eat- though it's still rushed. The problem is that I don't always get 15 minutes, and sometimes that 15 minutes is near the end of my shift. Why eat lunch at 5:30 when I know I'm having dinner at 7?

Skipping breakfast isn't the problem- and I know I do better if I wait to eat anyway. The problem is that there is no consistency. At my old job, lunch breaks were 12:30-1:30 or 1:30-2:30. Even if I didn't get a break, I was able to eat while the kids were napping, so I was prepared to eat lunch sometime between 12:30 and 2:30pm. Now, I don't have any kind of set schedule. If I know I get to eat lunch around 1-2pm and dinner around 7-8pm, then I can adjust, but that's not the case at all.

mymodernbabylon

Is that even legal? Cause at every other work place I've been in, they have to legally give you a break (of a certain amount of time) after a certain number of hours...and they couldn't say you have to work 8 hours w/o eating. That is seriously illegal.

ftsolk

It is legal. Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks, and neither does the state of New Jersey- at least not for those over 18. Now, company policy/union contract is a different matter.

I was told on Wednesday that I couldn't take a break until after the work was done. That was after 10 hours of work, and I only took a 15 minute break before clocking out. 15 minutes isn't very long, but the amount of work I can get done in 15 minutes makes a huge difference. My job has us on a time restraint. There are days when I need to shop 100 line orders (that's 100 DIFFERENT items- so, 5 cases of Poland Spring Water is one line) in under 2 hours which is a HUGE challenge- even for me (and I'm one of the fastest shoppers in the department). I can get half a 50 line order done in 15 minutes, so it's understandable that they don't want me to go on my break when it's super busy.

Alluminati

Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?

ABabilonia

I think the important thing to note here is that everyone is different. While skipping meals may work for some, it does not work for all. If you are hungry, you should eat. Get some to-go snacks like nuts, seeds, fruit, some sort of protein. I know it's hard when you're working but they can't expect you to not eat! Find a way to get some nutrients in and see how your body reacts in a week or so.

I agree with this. Calorie deficit=weight loss in most of the cases, but you have to keep in mind that you digestive system has to process this food. In my case I don't try to skip meals because my metabolism is kind of slow, you maybe different, in which case skipping meals shouldn't be an issue. Eating small snacks during the day is recommended though.

llUndecidedll

Oh, you can't eat while working, either. I didn't know all businesses weren't legally required to give you breaks. When I used to work at Wal-Mart back in the day, they MADE us take our breaks. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. If they caught you working on break, there were serious consquences.

jkal1979

Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?

Obviously not, she's using the same excuses as the last time.