Is this a myth?

megpapier

Soooo The next couple days I won't be able to eat breakfast until a few hours after I wake up. I wake up at 5 and won't be eating until 9. I've always heard you're supposed to eat within an hour of waking up or your metabolism slows exponentially. But I've been reading things on here saying it doesn't even matter if you eat breakfast at all....So which is true? Thank you!

katyejean

Well, I'm not sure about whether there is a right or wrong answer. I know for me, personally, adding breakfast as one of my meals has helped my weight loss greatly. I don't think a couple of days would do a great deal of harm, but if it were possible to find something just for those couple of days to grab as you go out the door, that may be something to look into. I hope you can find a true answer to your question.

Mom2rh

Interested in the answer. I usually wait about 2 or so hours...

CoraGregoryCPA

Try it...see what happens...everyone is different. I know a girl on here that really doesnt eat breakfast or lunch but gets all of her calories in at night...she does an excellent job at losing weight..she sets a good example.. dont believe everything you read..gotta try it out for yourself! Just make sure to get those calories in at another time. You know you still need those calories

Sidesteal

I absolutely agree in the "see what works" idea in that personal preference should drive pretty much every dietary decision as long as it doesn't hurt your progress.


To answer your question though, it's MYTH. You can literally eat nothing all day and then eat all your calories before bed and it will not effect your weight loss as far as any metabolic process.

Now of course, if you feel like crap from skipping breakfast, or skipping breakfast makes you binge later because you're so hungry, then obviously you would want to fix this -- but as far as metabolism and weight loss goes, you aren't going to slow your weight loss by skipping meals provided you still hit your end-of-day nutritional targets.

vim_n_vigor

It will really come down to what works for you. Most days I don't have breakfast. I am not hungry in the morning, and if I eat too early and while not hungry, I get sick. Maybe my metabolism would get a boost in the morning, but I won't deal with the side effects. When I do eat in the morning, it is usually 4 or more hours after I get up. If you aren't used to it, you will probably feel pretty hungry though. If you are hungry, try to find something you can take with you so you don't have to wait too long to eat.

Mrsfreedom41

How about grabbing a protein bar to eat until you can have your regular breakfast.

LorinaLynn

It's a myth, but even if it wasn't, if it's just for the next few days, it wouldn't make any difference.

dls06

I never eat breakfast. It had no bearing on gaining or losing.

For me, It is more about WHAT I eat, then WHEN I eat it. :drinker:

kennethmgreen

To answer your question though, it's MYTH. You can literally eat nothing all day and then eat all your calories before bed and it will not effect your weight loss as far as any metabolic process.

Now of course, if you feel like crap from skipping breakfast, or skipping breakfast makes you binge later because you're so hungry, then obviously you would want to fix this -- but as far as metabolism and weight loss goes, you aren't going to slow your weight loss by skipping meals provided you still hit your end-of-day nutritional targets.

Yes and Yes. I think the reason this issue gets debated so much is included here. People's reactions/personal choices to meal frequency can play a part in their choices throughout the day, which can lead to bad workouts, overeating, other poor choices, so the data reporting gets skewed. If I skip breakfast, and am "starving" all day, then decide to binge on pizza for lunch, get depressed and have ice cream for dinner, I might gain weight if I do that for awhile. But my metabolism isn't changing. And my weight gain isn't because I skipped breakfast, either.

aquapussy

Soooo The next couple days I won't be able to eat breakfast until a few hours after I wake up. I wake up at 5 and won't be eating until 9. I've always heard you're supposed to eat within an hour of waking up or your metabolism slows exponentially. But I've been reading things on here saying it doesn't even matter if you eat breakfast at all....So which is true? Thank you!

Total myth. So much garbage info out there. The whole "don't eat at night" thing is a myth as well. It basically comes down to how many calories you eat in a day, not when you eat them.

If you eat late at night you might find your morning weight is not as nice, but it is meaningless, it's just because the food is still in your system.

BrettPGH

I'm not a breakfast guy at all. I'm up at 5 or 6 and only have a banana and/or an oat bar around 9am. I've lost weight. So I don't listen to people who talk about "jump starting their metabolism" because they're usually using bad information, from what I've learned.

CyberEd312

I am a type 2 diabetic so I eat within 20 minutes of waking up in the morning.... I try to stick to a regular routine myself eating 5-6 times a day at or around the same times.. Its a myth though, you can eat at anytime, just for me i know what works best to keep my Diabetes in ck.......

diaryoffatdad

ya i wouldn't worry about it too much. The advice I got was to eat within 30-60 mins of waking, but had nothing to do with my weight loss was a recomendation to help me fight cravings. I found it worked wonders for me to follow this, structured meals spaced evenly thoughout the day has really helped me with my cravings (wicked sweet tooth) and eliminated my binging all together. however if this is not an issue for you, I'm sure you will be fine.

CoraGregoryCPA

Im impressed with how many people say its a myth...i was just waiting for someone to say it was true...maybe MFP is starting to change people's crazy ideas of these myths. Very cool! Good posts too!

I think this idea was pushed before and "worked" for some because if you start out your day eating healthy then hopefully the rest of the day will follow. Also, like someone else already stated, that maybe it prevents binging from hunger later in the day.

Kind of like "working out in the morning is better for you", I think that idea also came from the thought that if you work out in the morning then your mind set for the day will be to make better choices to eat healthier. Ya know what i mean?

BrettPGH

Im impressed with how many people say its a myth...i was just waiting for someone to say it was true...maybe MFP is starting to change people's crazy ideas of these myths. Very cool! Good posts too!

Don't get too excited. For every myth busted someone else has to come in with "Where can I buy Mexican HCG with no prescription?" or "Everyone's body is completely different. Some people are made entirely of jam."

CoraGregoryCPA

Lol! That just made me laugh out loud..literally!

kennethmgreen

Im impressed with how many people say its a myth...i was just waiting for someone to say it was true...maybe MFP is starting to change people's crazy ideas of these myths. Very cool! Good posts too!

I think this idea was pushed before and "worked" for some because if you start out your day eating healthy then hopefully the rest of the day will follow. Also, like someone else already stated, that maybe it prevents binging from hunger later in the day.

Kind of like "working out in the morning is better for you", I think that idea also came from the thought that if you work out in the morning then your mind set for the day will be to make better choices to eat healthier. Ya know what i mean?

It's the problem of not knowing the difference between causation and correlation (http://tinyurl.com/8y99kyx). You will see this problem multiple times per day on MFP on a variety of subjects.

TourThePast

Total myth.

What really matters is WHAT you eat and HOW MUCH of it you eat, and how much you BURN during the day.

Get those three things right and nothing will stop you losing weight.

Personally, if I don't eat breakfast at all, I end up starving hungry and by midday I've eaten everything in sight - but that's a different matter entirely! :bigsmile:

KokomoJoe

For years I never ate breakfast, and I still have problems getting up and eating. That being said now that I am ensuring I eat something in the morning (about 45 minutes to an hour after waking) it does make me feel better all day. What I have to do when I wake up is get a litre of water into me. I usually am dying of thirst when I get up.