Breakfast - is coffee enough?

skasi1

I know everyone says you need to eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism but I'm really trying to figure out if that is true or not. Is coffee with fat free creamer enough? I have been eating egg white sandwiches (200 calories) every day but wondering if I should keep or skip this meal to afford something else in the day. I would love to hear your advice.

Atlantique

Nope, coffee is not enough.

I'd stick with a real breakfast. Research has shown over and over again that people who eat breakfast are more successful in their weight loss nd less likely to overeat later in the day.

dakoerber

I do think you need to eat breakfast. If you are go over your calories toward the end of the day you may want to see where you are eating too many calories but the calories you are consuming for breakfast is low so I don't think that is an issue.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Never skip breakfast, and even though coffe may be my favorite part of breakfast is not alone a breakfast. Breakfast should be well balanced. You want to eat more calories at a different time of the day? Exercise and earn them.

Jorra

Breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism for the day and gives to the energy (real energy, not from caffeine) to keep you going. And again, people who don't eat breakfast overeat later because they haven't been properly nourished.

DanaKinzer

Your egg is a good start, but how about a small bit of dairy in there and either fruit or vegetable? Oh also, the yolk may be the fattiest but it also has the highest protein. This is what I do:

Egg, tomato, spinach, green pepper, onion, mushroom and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Add in 1 cup of milk. Guess what? It's healthy, nutritious, and around 250 calories.

kappy_hollowell

Eat something with substance to it. If you don't have to chew it, then it's not good enough. At least some yogurt and berries or something, but nothing is not adequate.

Breakfast gets your metabolism going. If you aren't hungry, then you ate too much the night before. You should feel hunger pangs within an hour of waking. Once you start making breakfast a norm, then your body will want breakfast every morning.

Me, personally, I cannot leave the house in the morning with out breakfast.

EmBlazes

Agree with the posts here.. you should eat something good for breakfast. Depending on whether you can find them, there are "breakfast biscuits" you can buy now which are designed for people who don't like the idea of breakfast. They contain complex carbs and stuff to keep you going until lunchtime.

You could also try a smoothie and add some protein powder?

SpaceMarkus

You want to eat the bulk of your calories in the morning. Most people eat them for dinner then just sit on them all night. Eat big in the morning and it'll raise your metabolism and give you a good boost through your day.

biketrainingblog

no.

Jodi_O

I know that I should be eating breakfast, but I have three kids ages 3 years, 17 months and 3 months old. I am in bed late and up anytime between 5:30 and 6:30 am. I am also up at night with kids trying to climb into my bed AND a crying baby. I NEED my coffee with real cream and sugar or else I might break out in tears and have a mommy-melt-down. Any other moms or dads out there know where I am coming from?

datzun

- Yogurt
- Oatmeal
- Fruit (banananananana)

All of those will give you a bit of sugar to start your day off.

TheKitsune6

It doesn't actually "jump start" your metabolism in any special way. Every time you eat your metabolism is "jump started" but you still burn and consume the same amount of calories. There may be other reasons to eat breakfast though. Some people find it prevents them from getting too hungry later in the day which would cause them to binge. Some people can't exercise on an empty stomach because they get cramps. Some people need it just to wake up and feel like they're functioning.

If none of these apply to you (or other reasons that I didn't mention) then yes. Coffee should be fine. Personally, I start off my day with coffee and a V8 because I like to save most of my calories for dinner. A lot of people have these really convoluted and mystical ideas about how metabolism works because it makes sense for us to believe the body is more complicated than it really is. Yes, your calorie burning spikes when you eat - and it stays at that elevated rate until the food is digested. It doesn't matter how much you eat in a sitting, how often or when as long as you are in a deficit for the day you will lose weight.

FrancesGallagher

Try a little variety, there is no need to eat the same thing every day (unless you really love egg white sandwiches). Some fruit or juice (1/2 cup) and a toasted half an English muffin with your coffee would be a change. Another time Honey-nut cheerios (or other cereal as long as it isn't one of the sugar coated ones) and 1/2 a banana with skim milk. Make you morning more interesting. Good luck, FG

psuLemon

Nope, the best thing is to have a good source of protein and complex carbs. Breakfast truely is the most important meal of the day.

Sublog

I know everyone says you need to eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism but I'm really trying to figure out if that is true or not. Is coffee with fat free creamer enough? I have been eating egg white sandwiches (200 calories) every day but wondering if I should keep or skip this meal to afford something else in the day. I would love to hear your advice.

The simple fact is meal timing is irrelevant. Eating breakfast or not eating breakfast does nothing to help or hurt your metabolism. Just hit your daily calorie and macro-nutrient goals and profit.

Taken from here:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

7. Myth: Skipping breakfast is bad and will make you fat.


Truth

Breakfast skipping is associated with higher body weights in the population. The explanation is similar to that of lower meal frequencies and higher body weights. Breakfast skippers have dysregulated eating habits and show a higher disregard for health. People who skip breakfast are also more likely to be dieting, thus by default they are also likely to be heavier than non-dieters. Keep in mind that most people who resort to breakfast skipping are not the type that sit around and read about nutrition. They are like most people dieting in a haphazard manner. The type to go on a 800 calorie-crash diet and then rebound, gaining all the weight (and then some) back.

Sometimes, an argument is made for eating breakfast as we are more insulin sensitive in the morning. This is true; you are always more insulin sensitive after an overnight fast. Or rather, you are always the most insulin sensitive during the first meal of the day. Insulin sensitivity is increased after glycogen depletion. If you haven't eaten in 8-10 hours, liver glycogen is modestly depleted. This is what increases insulin sensitivity - not some magical time period during the morning hours. Same thing with weight training. Insulin sensitivity is increased as long as muscle glycogen stores aren't full. It doesn't disappear if you omit carbs after your workout.

Origin

First of all, we have the large scale epidemiological studies showing an association with breakfast skipping and higher body weights in the population. One researcher from that study, commenting on the association with breakfast skipping or food choices for breakfast, said:

"These groups appear to represent people 'on the run,' eating only candy or soda, or grabbing a glass of milk or a piece of cheese. Their higher BMI would appear to
support the notion that 'dysregulated' eating patterns are associated with obesity, instead of or in addition to total energy intake per se."

Kellogg's and clueless RDs love to cite them over and over again, so people are lead to believe that breakfast has unique metabolic and health-related benefits. In reality, these studies just show breakfast eaters maintain better dietary habits overall.

Other studies frequently cited claiming that breakfast is beneficial for insulin sensitivity are all marred with methodological flaws and largely uncontrolled in design.

In one widely cited study, subjects were entrusted to eat most meals in free-living conditions. The breakfast skipping group ate more and gained weight, which affected health parameters negatively.

From the abstract: "Reported energy intake was significantly lower in the EB period (P=0.001), and resting energy expenditure did not differ significantly between the 2 periods." EB = eating breakfast. In essence, people who ate breakfast could control their energy intake better for the rest of the day. They didn't gain any weight but the breakfast skipping group did. Fat gain always affects insulin sensitivity and other health parameters negatively. Thus what people took this to mean is that breakfast is healthy and improves insulin sensitivity. Which isn't at all what the study showed.

Kimrenaud

i remember those days and that's what made me sick. You need food and take care of your self for your kids! eat a cheese stick, hard boiled egg with a piece of whole wheat toast......graze thru the day!

Schwiggity

Coffee and creamer isn't very nutritious.

Sublog

It doesn't actually "jump start" your metabolism in any special way. Every time you eat your metabolism is "jump started" but you still burn and consume the same amount of calories. There may be other reasons to eat breakfast though. Some people find it prevents them from getting too hungry later in the day which would cause them to binge. Some people can't exercise on an empty stomach because they get cramps. Some people need it just to wake up and feel like they're functioning.

If none of these apply to you (or other reasons that I didn't mention) then yes. Coffee should be fine. Personally, I start off my day with coffee and a V8 because I like to save most of my calories for dinner. A lot of people have these really convoluted and mystical ideas about how metabolism works because it makes sense for us to believe the body is more complicated than it really is. Yes, your calorie burning spikes when you eat - and it stays at that elevated rate until the food is digested. It doesn't matter how much you eat in a sitting, how often or when as long as you are in a deficit for the day you will lose weight.

Great response! She knows what she is talking about.

bms34b

You know, I'm going to be the minority here.

It's supposed to not be good for your metabolism, and hurt weight loss, but I had coffee with cream and honey for breakfast every day for the first 12lbs of my weight loss. I was at school and in a dorm, and it was easier and I honestly wasn't hungry anyway. If I was, I'd eat an apple or a granola bar or something.

I know that it's probably not ideal to have coffee for breakfast, but it sure isn't going to screw over your diet if you do it occasionally, especially if you're someone like me who doesn't really do that much activity. I'm just sayin.

amberc1982

I wake up at 5:00 every morning in order to get myself and my son ready for work and daycare. I am in to much of a rush to eat anything before I leave. So I normally drink coffee with non fat creamer and splenda. Then around 8:00 when I am finally at work and settled I will drink my Shakeology or eat something small. There is just no time in the mornings before I leave the house for me to have anything other then coffee.