Stop eating breakfast. Here's why.

TateFTW

I disagree. Once I started eating more often, I have lost weight. Besides, MFP says I need to eat 1200 calories. There is no way I am eating 1200 in one sitting. To eat 1200 in one sitting, it would have to be foods that are loaded in calories. Even my trainer says to eat 5 little meals a day!

Once again, I'm not really sure where people are getting the idea that we're talking about eating all yoour food in one sitting. First and foremost, the article just suggests moving breakfast back a couple hours. That's it. Secondly, even when I'm doing IF I eat throughout the day, starting around 3 in the afternoon. I hardly ever eat more than 500 calories in one sitting.

ivikatasha

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

HMonsterX

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

But this is the point. It wasn't breakfast boosting your metabolism, waking it up, burning more calories. It was, no offense, you not being able to control your cravings later on.

There's a big difference between it having a huge biological effect, and your own personal cravings.

ivikatasha

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

But this is the point. It wasn't breakfast boosting your metabolism, waking it up, burning more calories. It was, no offense, you not being able to control your cravings later on.

There's a big difference between it having a huge biological effect, and your own personal cravings.

It wasn't just that. I used to go to Curves. If it didn't eat breakfast, I would have a lot less energy and my workout would suffer and I burned less calories. Eating breakfast gave me the energy to burn more. I still ate the same amount of calories a day whether or not I had breakfast. It made a difference in my workouts.

HMonsterX

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

But this is the point. It wasn't breakfast boosting your metabolism, waking it up, burning more calories. It was, no offense, you not being able to control your cravings later on.

There's a big difference between it having a huge biological effect, and your own personal cravings.

It wasn't just that. I used to go to Curves. If it didn't eat breakfast, I would have a lot less energy and my workout would suffer and I burned less calories. Eating breakfast gave me the energy to burn more. I still ate the same amount of calories a day whether or not I had breakfast. It made a difference in my workouts.

I'm not denying that! But eating the breakfast didnt boost your metabolism. It simply gave you more energy so you felt you could burn more during exercise. And that's a great valid reason why people should try eating breakfast. That however isnt the issue here. The issue is so many people think that eating breakfast really helps them lose weight purely from a metabolism viewpoint! The weight you lost was due to the calorie deficit, which in your case was done by the exercise. I just find eating breakfast is simply extra calories to burn, and calories i would rather have when i really want them, later on.

Personally i find i feel a lot better and more active if i dont have breakfast. But i wouldn't say that it makes a difference to my metabolism. Just me personally

ivikatasha

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

But this is the point. It wasn't breakfast boosting your metabolism, waking it up, burning more calories. It was, no offense, you not being able to control your cravings later on.

There's a big difference between it having a huge biological effect, and your own personal cravings.

It wasn't just that. I used to go to Curves. If it didn't eat breakfast, I would have a lot less energy and my workout would suffer and I burned less calories. Eating breakfast gave me the energy to burn more. I still ate the same amount of calories a day whether or not I had breakfast. It made a difference in my workouts.

I'm not denying that! But eating the breakfast didnt boost your metabolism. It simply gave you more energy so you felt you could burn more during exercise. And that's a great valid reason why people should try eating breakfast. That however isnt the issue here. The issue is so many people think that eating breakfast really helps them lose weight purely from a metabolism viewpoint! The weight you lost was due to the calorie deficit, which in your case was done by the exercise. I just find eating breakfast is simply extra calories to burn, and calories i would rather have when i really want them, later on.

Personally i find i feel a lot better and more active if i dont have breakfast. But i wouldn't say that it makes a difference to my metabolism. Just me personally

O.o I didn't actually say it boosted my metabolism. I was just saying how eating breakfast worked for me. How it helped me in different ways. And whatever works for a person is great.

HMonsterX

I eat breakfast because it stops me from going a little crazy and eating terrible and large amounts of food later. Plus it makes me feel better.

When I used to weigh like 230 I NEVER ate breakfast. I started eating breakfast and it helped me lose weight.

It is going to be different for everyone, whatever works!

But this is the point. It wasn't breakfast boosting your metabolism, waking it up, burning more calories. It was, no offense, you not being able to control your cravings later on.

There's a big difference between it having a huge biological effect, and your own personal cravings.

It wasn't just that. I used to go to Curves. If it didn't eat breakfast, I would have a lot less energy and my workout would suffer and I burned less calories. Eating breakfast gave me the energy to burn more. I still ate the same amount of calories a day whether or not I had breakfast. It made a difference in my workouts.

I'm not denying that! But eating the breakfast didnt boost your metabolism. It simply gave you more energy so you felt you could burn more during exercise. And that's a great valid reason why people should try eating breakfast. That however isnt the issue here. The issue is so many people think that eating breakfast really helps them lose weight purely from a metabolism viewpoint! The weight you lost was due to the calorie deficit, which in your case was done by the exercise. I just find eating breakfast is simply extra calories to burn, and calories i would rather have when i really want them, later on.

Personally i find i feel a lot better and more active if i dont have breakfast. But i wouldn't say that it makes a difference to my metabolism. Just me personally

O.o I didn't actually say it boosted my metabolism. I was just saying how eating breakfast worked for me. How it helped me in different ways. And whatever works for a person is great.

Yeah, sorry, i sort of ...drifted back to a lot of posters in this epic thread! :flowerforyou:

mmkgny

I stumbled on this thread by googling "started skipping breakfast" and "lost weight" (with quotes). So guess what: I fall on the side of skipping breakfast and losing weight.

Here's how it happened:

1. Don't like breakfast.
I never liked breakfast in the early morning before a stressful day (and I consider any day where I'm not 100% free to do exactly as I please to be stressful, which means for most my life, weekdays have been stressful, weekends, not so much). My poor mom, bless her heart, tried everything to get me to eat before school, from breakfast junk food (there used to these really horrifying Carnation breakfast bars that tasted like wax poured over sugary rat food with chocolate chips for added barfiness) to canned fruit cocktail to healthy real fruit to yogurt. Yech. (And when I do feel like eating I love yogurt and fresh fruit, but not when forced.) However, later, as an adult who did end up putting on too much weight, taking it off, putting it on again, taking it off again, etc. I bought into the zombie-like chant of the masses: YOU MUST EAT BREAKFAST TO LOSE WEIGHT. Although I sometimes had my doubts, I trudged on, insisting on breakfast, even if I didn't like it and even if eating it seemed to trigger me to eat much, much more than when I didn't (or feel super hungry if I didn't give into the cravings that happened after breakfast and lasted all day) which leads me to...

2. Eating breakfast makes me hungrier over the course of the day
Eating breakfast just revs my hunger up to want more. Some people say, "That's your metabolism kicking in. Yay!" But is hunger the same as metabolism? I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I believe there is a difference.

3. Should we follow study results as lemmings might follow each other off cliffs?
If "studies" show that the majority of a sample benefited from eating breakfast and lost weight, then maybe I'm in the minority of people who do not. After all, a majority begins at 51% in round numbers and maybe I'm in the 49% who do better without breakfast. Even if it shows 99% do better with breakfast, maybe I'm in that weird 1% for whom it doesn't work. Humans are incredibly varied and we have to take our own best judgment into consideration sometimes, rather than blindly following what everybody says.

4. I feel better
Now that I've stopped breakfasting for the past few weeks, I actually feel better physically and mentally than I did as a reluctant breakfaster. My head is clearer, I'm not hungry all day, I feel like I can move better and with more agility than before, and on and on.

5. The advice is contradictory
Here's one conundrum that always confused me:
A. Only eat when you're actually hungry.
B. Always eat breakfast.
So what if I'm not hungry for breakfast? Where does that leave me?


6. It works for me
I've already lost weight. Add feeling better to losing weight and so far it's a win. I eat a small lunch each day, by the way, and by then I'm ready. I have an appetite, but not a humonguos one like I would if I'd had breakfast, and I can be content with a small, reasonable lunch. Then healthy snacks and a good, satisfying dinner (not too late in the evening, of course). So far: lovin' it. Wish I had listened to my body all those years instead of corporate cereal commercials!

Now, if there are people who do well for themselves by eating breakfast, then that's really wonderful. I just wish they wouldn't insist that *I* have to do it. It's annoying. It's like they're trying to convert me to their religion. I'm just not going to do it, no matter how much they insist that I must.

deinajury

u can eat 3 times a day... or once at 3 pm... eat the same calories, but spread them out so u arnt starving your *kitten* off all day with headache and no energy! your crazy!

Naomi_84

Not eating until 3 may work for you but I don't believe it's good for you. And no good nutritionist or Dr. would give you this advise. You will lose weight as you'll be putting your body into ketosis but by far the best way based on evidence is eating regularly; 3 meals with snacks or 6 small meals to keep your metabolism going and to give you energy.

I'm glad you're succeeding with your fitness and weight loss but I'm gonna carry on the way I am

hockey7fan

The only issue I have with the article posted is that the author makes the point that the breakfast he's talking about is 30 grams or more of carbs. My breakfast typically doesn't have carbs or if it does, I keep it to under 10 grams. Heck, I rarely eat 30 grams of carbs in a day.

I would have a big issue with eating 30 grams of carbs for breakfast for me.

iamthevieve

I disagree, if I dont eat breakfast then I tend to eat way more during the day, and they usually are not good options Im eating.

I do the smae thing. I try to make sure I eat a big breakfast loaded with healthy carbs, fruit and protein. I don't always, but I've noticed the days I do, I tend to eat less for the rest of the day.

SoCalWoman

I don't eat breakfast regularly. Days where I force myself to eat it I tend to over eat the rest of the day.

^^THIS^^ I have learned to eat when I'm HUNGRY! Forcing myself to eat breakfast when I don't wake up hungry has really messed me up over the years.
If it works for some, fine. But it doesn't for me.

EarthquakeZinGirl

Skipping breakfast = face plant into my computer keyboard by 8:00 A.M.

No thanks.

ShiloughCoy

I agree. I'm not hungry in the morning, nor am I hungry every two hours. I stopped buying into the notion that I need to force feed my body and started to lose weight. My body is smart enough to figure out when I need energy

stephabef

But I'm HUNGRY in the morning. I've fasted all night and my body is all "hey, I need some nutrients in my body so you can do things like live and work and play"

aNEWmarcus

It's an interesting article and as with all articles that are published online nowadays there will be another version of it that contradicts all the research. I'm certainly no guru, but I'd say that if it works for you, then great - it may not work for others, as we know we are all built differently.

Personally I've skipped breakfast a few times without realising and then late morning felt hungry, so I ate and actually grazed throughout a day, versus sticking to normal meals - it is rare that I do it. I've had breakfast ever since I was a kid and I look forward to it, but as I said, if it works for you and others, then great.

There's hundred of other ideas out there, such as drink warm lemon juice before you eat anything or only have coffee in the morning or make sure you eat an apple before you eat anything at all - as the old saying goes "horses for courses", but appreciate you posting this - it is an interesting read.

katz22

My thoughts.
a) The time of day you eat won't make you lose/gain weight. It's the net calories which does that
b) The planets won't go out of alignment if you eat your first meal later in the day and don't have what's considered a breakfast

iuew

i prefer to have breakfast. i would be useless at work if i were starving to death.

chrisdavey

Naomi_84: what if you eat your 3 - 6 meals a day starting from 3pm & fit your macro/calorie goals?

hockey7fan: no need to be scared of the carbs