What constitutes a "breakfast"?

piezoeyjune

What I mean is how soon after I wake up do I have to eat to get the "benefits" of eating "breakfast"?

I am up at 530 and out the door for work at 6. I could wake up earlier to eat something but Im "not usually hungry".
I mostly grab a cup of coffee and leave...
I am done with my first shift at work at 9 am (sometimes Im home by 8).

That is when I occasionally eat something... about 930. But rarely. Often I just wait until 11 or so and have "lunch".
Sometimes I dont make it until then and have to actively prevent myself from "grazing".

So, to all you breakfast people, can you help me?

Is it nutritionally ok to eat "breakfast" at 9am or have I wasted the "eat as soon as you get up in order to jump start your metabolism" thing.

Thanks

momma3sweetgirls

I eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It takes 2 1/2 minutes to eat it. No need to get up early for that!

VeganInTraining

I don'tknow the "clinical" answer to this. But I can tell you that once I started eating breakfast within an hour of waking up I started losing weight faster. I feel like I have heard that you should eat breakfast within 30-60 minutes of waking up but I have no idea where I heard that

sporter5

You can make up some whole grain bfast burritos and have them in your freezer or fridge, then all you do is throw it in the microwave in the morning while your getting ready, grab it and head out the door, eat it on the way or as soon as you get to work

marycmeadows

You should eat within 30 minutes of getting up. Even if it's something small - it should have protein though.... Cereal has never been very good for me - but oatmeal, egg whites, greek yogurt - all great - quick easy options. (egg whites you can buy in a carton, and cook in the microwave - so no excuse - doesn't take any time!)

Connie_TN

I would suggest get up about 15 minutes earlier and make a protein shake. I use EAS vanilla with a tablespoon of peanut butter and half a banana. Sometimes I will have a boiled egg and a string cheese.

im2precious8109

I have a low calorie protein shake. It keeps me full maybe you could try a slim fast shake or a breakfast shake. It works for me

HMonsterX

What I mean is how soon after I wake up do I have to eat to get the "benefits" of eating "breakfast"?

Is it nutritionally ok to eat "breakfast" at 9am or have I wasted the "eat as soon as you get up in order to jump start your metabolism" thing.

Thanks

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

Mawskittykat

I have heard that you need to eat within 1 to 1 and 1/2 hrs of getting up and it needs to be at least 200 calories for it to count as breakfast. I do lose better when I eat breakfast also.

YoungerNextYear59937

You are "supposed" to eat breakfast within an hour of getting up in the morning. I am like you and wait until about 9 am. I used to skip breakfast altogether. However, I was told by a nutritionist to at least put milk in my coffee in the morning. Sometimes I eat a stick of lite string cheese on my morning commute. Anything. Eating helps wake up your metabolism. I was also told to eat every two to three hours to keep my metabolism going all day. If you exercise on top of that, you REALLY need to eat earlier in the day. Absolutely don't wait until lunch to eat your first meal. I started losing faster after I started eating breakfast.

kronesa

I've been wondering this, too. I'm up at 5:30 and out by 6:30 with kid in tow and coffee in hand. I eat 'breakfast' at about 9:00, lunch around noon, and dinner at 5ish. I just can't seem to stomach food at 5:30 or 6am...it absolutely repulses me. So, I'm guessing that I'm losing out on that metabolism boost, too, but I don't really feel like it's slowed me down too much. Maybe I'll have to reconsider when I get closer to my goal if my loss slows down. But, until then, I'm going to stick with my current routine.

SeasideOasis

You should eat within 30 minutes of getting up. Even if it's something small - it should have protein though.... Cereal has never been very good for me - but oatmeal, egg whites, greek yogurt - all great - quick easy options. (egg whites you can buy in a carton, and cook in the microwave - so no excuse - doesn't take any time!)

What if you are just plan not hungry though? I've tried getting up earlier to cook. I have started doing this, but I have 'zero' appetite. I take two bites and I feel like crap...

HMonsterX

You should eat within 30 minutes of getting up. Even if it's something small - it should have protein though.... Cereal has never been very good for me - but oatmeal, egg whites, greek yogurt - all great - quick easy options. (egg whites you can buy in a carton, and cook in the microwave - so no excuse - doesn't take any time!)

What if you are just plan not hungry though? I've tried getting up earlier to cook. I have started doing this, but I have 'zero' appetite. I take two bites and I feel like crap...

Then don't eat it. It won't harm or help your metabolism if you do or if you don't. Save those calories for you when actually want them.

Sidesteal

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

^ I'd type my opinion but it would pretty much be this quote. Great answer.

ElizabethRoad

Please note that whenever someone tells you that you have to eat breakfast at a certain time, they don't provide any facts to back that up.

Thomasm198

My take on all this "you must eat within a certain timeframe after waking up": nonsense.

I'm up every morning between 5.30 and 6am to go to work. I usually don't eat breakfast until around 11am. Has it done me any harm?

⇓ Look at my ticker. I don't think so. But that's just my opinion.

HMonsterX

I have heard that...

Where did you hear it? A good example of the incorrect rumours flying around...

joejccva71

The breakfast carousel just keeps on spinning around and around..


and around.....






































and around....SMH

LilChickPea

I say, do what works best for you!!! I'm not a big fan of breakfast, but I found something that I enjoy eating (low in calories) and I look forward to having it every morning. It has just become part of my routine. If you're not hungry DON'T EAT!!!!! Some experts will tell you to eat something every 2-3 hours (at least my dietician does) and I told her I just can not do that. I'm a binge eater and if I start eating when I'm not hungry, disaster can strike.

Eat when your hungry, but don't let yourself get too hungry. You'll be likely to overeat.

chrisdavey

tjnahm

Just to make sure we have all the bases covered...

* within 15 minutes
* within 30 minutes
* within 60 minutes
* within 5 hours
* there is no proof it is even needed

Did I miss any? :laugh:

I eat breakfast when I am hungry, I don't eat if I am not hungry. Sometimes I intermittent fast on my heavy lifting days, sometimes I eat before I get the kids out of the door. Listen to your body, it is amazing at telling you what you need.

dlyeates

I get up at 5:45 am to get ready for work, out the door with family at 6:30 am, drop kids off at 7 am, work by 7:45 am and I eat when I get to my desk. I make a crustless quiche on the weekend and bring a piece of that or have a bowls of cereal. But it's cuz I'm hungry and know my day is going to get crazy. Then I have my 1st lunch (I split my lunch into 2 smaller meals) around 11:45 am and then eat the main part of it around 1 pm. Snack around 3-3:30 pm (usually a fiber bar) and then dinner around 6-630 pm with a snack (sometimes depending on calories left) around 9 pm.

This works for me but I'm hungry by 7:45 am and know I may not eat again til 11!!! You do what works for you, your body and your schedule. I think the main reason to eat breakfast is so you are not so hungry at lunch that you gorge/overeat because you are so hungry. I don't know about the biology but I also believe in eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. Since most people can't do that then the experts recommend the eating schedule.

I also tend to plan my meals for the day and sometimes will log them in the morning so that I know how many calories I have, if it's an exercise day I know about how many calories I will burn and can eat them back during the day instead of having a deficit at night of 300+ calories. It also eliminates my having to think about what to eat and possibly making the wrong choices.

Good luck finding the balance for you.

piezoeyjune

Well... Thanks to everyone for... clearing that up? :laugh:

Here's what Im going to do. I will continue to sleep longer and go to work with just coffee but I'll add a piece of fruit to accompany it.
When I get home I will make myself a "breakfast" that will hopefully give me some energy/nutrition/ whatever.

I used to try to make it till "lunchtime" to have lunch that would hopefully keep me satisfied through the afternoon.
(Yeah, not working.) So now Im home and hungry so Im going to eat instead of wait.

I just made myself a 2 egg & 2 egg white omelet with 1T of Parmesan and 1/4 c salsa. 1 slice of whole grain bread with 1T pb. And an apple. (510 cals) I am stuffed. But I want to see how my body reacts to this massive amount of food and if I can then have a smaller lunch later and prevent snacking. I got the idea from this blogger... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/bjohs

It seems that basically everyones point of eating in the am; something nutritionally beneficial (not just coffee); is to prevent craving/snacking/eating pointless cr@p later in the day. (those of you who adhere to it.)

I really appreciate everyone's opinion and help. While both sides provide plausible arguments Im going to try this for a while. Maybe it will work for me. Its still early in the am and Im eating when Im hungry. Lets see how it goes.

Thanks everybody!

tigersword

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

Exactly this. Your metabolism is running constantly 24/7, it does not magically shut off when you don't eat breakfast, or between meals. It doesn't need to be "woken up." it takes several days of constant fasting to have any sort of detrimental effect on your metabolism.

As for eating breakfast "boosting" your metabolism, well, if you consider burning 15-20 extra calories a "boost," then I guess it does. Then again, you would get that same boost whenever you first eat, whether your first meal is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Its not a constant boost, it's a few extra calories.

All eating constantly does is prevent your digestive system from shutting down, and all that does is force your body to take energy from other parts of your body to keep the digestive system running, sapping energy from everything else you could be doing.

catwrangler

I'm doing this and it's very very interesting science:

http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Research

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html