breakfast or not to breakfast

NegativeX

Studies show eating breakfast not only makes u smarter and more alert; but makes u less likely to overeat later in the day

WooHoo!

Hahahaha... I'm convinced!

brit49

I know breakfast is the most important meal... But I'm bot a huge breakfast fan... I'm also seeing that as I get my hunger under control... I don't wake up starving. Or hungry at all for that matter. So the question is... Does anyone else have this problem? Should I be forcing breakfast anyway? Just don't want to be hurting my weight loss efforts by not eating a meal.

If you're not hungry, don't eat breakfast. There is no metabolic advantage to increased meal frequency, so it will not hurt your weight loss efforts by skipping breakfast.

I personally haven't eaten within hrs of waking in months

This!!

TourThePast

There's no evidence to show that eating within a certain time of waking up is any different from eating the same foods later.

Personally though, I do eat breakfast because if I do not I feel hungry and consequently make poor choices. Not everyone will find that though, for some people eating breakfast before they're hungry is a waste of calories.

ogosun

Actually i agree with you with the breakfast. I find if i eat breakfast forcefully, i am actually even more hungry during the day. When i don't eat breakfast i have no hungry all day.If you read that book Eat for your blood type, it actually makes sense depending on your blood type some people need to eat breakfast while others do much better without breakfast.

msarro

I know breakfast is the most important meal... But I'm bot a huge breakfast fan... I'm also seeing that as I get my hunger under control... I don't wake up starving. Or hungry at all for that matter. So the question is... Does anyone else have this problem? Should I be forcing breakfast anyway? Just don't want to be hurting my weight loss efforts by not eating a meal.

If you're not hungry, don't eat breakfast. There is no metabolic advantage to increased meal frequency, so it will not hurt your weight loss efforts by skipping breakfast.

I personally haven't eaten within hrs of waking in months

The evidence does not support your claim. Breakfast intake has been shown to improve not only overall nutrition intake, but lower overall caloric intake through the day, decrease blood sugar spiking, and improve cognitive function.

A) Breakfast has shown to lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding sugar spikes/insulin releases http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016882279290017L
Breakfast has shown fairly consistently to correlate with healthy body types, as well as increased mental function (meta study)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822305001513
C) Children who eat breakfast at home have shown to eat less througout the day - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000282239391527W
D) Another study showing that obese children tend to have bad/no breakfasts - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9565828/reload=0;jsessionid=VT5NxCT991u1JUbnCRqZ.94
E) Not consuming breakfast leads to significant deficiencies in assential nutrients - http://www.jacn.org/content/5/6/551.short
F) Another study suggesting a link between school/cognitive performance and eating breakfast
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/10/1234

There's just too much evidence out there to not eat it. Anecdotal experience aside. Many more studies are available, just check google scholar (scholar.google.com).

A) Breakfast has shown to lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding sugar spikes/insulin releases http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016882279290017L

In diabetes patients

Breakfast has shown fairly consistently to correlate with healthy body types, as well as increased mental function (meta study)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822305001513

Meta review of epidemiological studies, correlation =/= causation

C) Children who eat breakfast at home have shown to eat less througout the day - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000282239391527W

Epidemiological study, correlation =/= causation

D) Another study showing that obese children tend to have bad/no breakfasts - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9565828/reload=0;jsessionid=VT5NxCT991u1JUbnCRqZ.94

Correlation =/= causation, also relies on self reported data

See a pattern here?

Provide studies that actually show eating breakfast has a metabolic advantage over not eating it

Specific to high-protein diets, but supports it still. http://www.jacn.org/content/23/suppl_6/631S.full

Another study:
http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/5/1396.abstract

Sadly I cannot find more atm, I'm not connected to any university library where I would have access to more scholarly journals.

brit49

I start eating, at about 11 am, I guess it could be still considered breakfast!!

meg0013

dont eat if you're not hungry. seriously, listen to your body. breakfast will not kickstart your metabolism. i'm a senior in biomedical sciences and i've taken enough biochemistry/nutrition classes to know this to be true. and i've lost 85 lbs without eating breakfast normally.

hadapurpura

To me, it's breakfast all the way. I need to eat something with some substance, because I do wake up hungry and eating breakfast keeps my hunger and cravings in check. I'm no expert, but that's one of the things you need to know yourself for. The most important thing is to eat properly throughout the day, according to your hunger and timing, I guess.

LisaMariaCallow

I wake up hungry in the morning....especially when I don't eat late at night. I look forward to breakfast!

season1980

Dont eat breakfast if you dont feel like it......do you think cavemen ate within X amount of minutes of waking every day. I think there is way to much emphaisis put on meal timing. People say "dont fast it will destroy the metabolism" but you fast every night when you sleep.....just my opinion.

garlic7girl

Keep it small...5 almonds, half a banana or other fruit, 6 oz OJ...breakfast does not have to be big...not at all.

HopefulLeigh

I'm shocked by the number of people suggesting that you force yourself to eat when you aren't hungry. I don't know about you, but that's part of why I'm fat.

Reinventing_Me

Could this be because eating actually does rev up the metabolism, which causes the body to burn energy and, therefore, need more nourishment? As opposed to remaining in "sleep mode" due to not eating. It is a fact that the metabolism slows down somewhat when we don't eat in order to preserve what energy and nutrients it can. Now whether or not it's a typical breakfast meal is a whole other issue... no one says it has to be. Fruit is fine, smoothies are fine, toast and peanut butter is fine, etc. - as long as its healthy and nourishing. If it is, it will sustain you for a good 2.5 to 3 hours or so, at which time you may begin to feel hungry. Grab some water and a light snack (fruit & nuts, yogurt & berries, etc.) to carry you through to lunch. There's no shame in feeling hungry. That's our signal that the body has used up the food we gave it and it's time to replenish.

Here's another way to look at it. You wouldn't drive your care without refueling would you? What would happen if you knew you needed gas but didn't stop to get any? Eventually it would sputter and run out of gas leaving you stuck with no options for fuel or that only gas station in sight is the one that you know for a fact makes your car run like crap...the one that has you sputtering and coughing all the way up the road. Then you'll be wishing that you stopped and got at least a gallon's worth of the stuff you know your car likes.

Reinventing_Me

Actually i agree with you with the breakfast. I find if i eat breakfast forcefully, i am actually even more hungry during the day. When i don't eat breakfast i have no hungry all day.If you read that book Eat for your blood type, it actually makes sense depending on your blood type some people need to eat breakfast while others do much better without breakfast.

Could this be because eating actually does rev up the metabolism, which causes the body to burn energy and, therefore, need more nourishment? As opposed to remaining in "sleep mode" due to not eating. It is a fact that the metabolism slows down somewhat when we don't eat in order to preserve what energy and nutrients it can. Now whether or not it's a typical breakfast meal is a whole other issue... no one says it has to be. Fruit is fine, smoothies are fine, toast and peanut butter is fine, etc. - as long as its healthy and nourishing. If it is, it will sustain you for a good 2.5 to 3 hours or so, at which time you may begin to feel hungry. Grab some water and a light snack (fruit & nuts, yogurt & berries, etc.) to carry you through to lunch. There's no shame in feeling hungry. That's our signal that the body has used up the food we gave it and it's time to replenish.

Here's another way to look at it. You wouldn't drive your car without refueling would you? What would happen if you knew you needed gas but didn't stop to get any? Eventually it would sputter and run out of gas leaving you stuck with no options for fuel or that only gas station in sight is the one that you know for a fact makes your car run like crap...the one that has you sputtering and coughing all the way up the road. Then you'll be wishing that you stopped and got at least a gallon's worth of the stuff you know your car likes.

firedragon064

Eat when you are hungry. Get in touch with your body, so only eat when you TRUELY hungry, not for food craving or emotion eating or because its' TIME to eat. When you want to eat, ask yourself this "Would I eat an apple right now?" if the answer is No, then you know what to do.

I gained weight because I DID NOT listen to my body. Why you think people who had gastric (sp?) surgery and then stretch their stomach out again like the famous country singer? We have to find out what's reason that makes us overweight, solve it
before the healing progress-lose weight! This is the reason why at least 80% of people who lose weight, gain them back again in a year!

I've been eating 2 meals a day. It's so easy for me to stay in my calorie range. I hardly eat breakfast. Sometimes I got up and feel starving then I eat big breakfast. I noticed once I start eating and my digestion system started the chewing process, I would get hungry more often.

Acg67

Specific to high-protein diets, but supports it still. http://www.jacn.org/content/23/suppl_6/631S.full

Another study:
http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/5/1396.abstract

Sadly I cannot find more atm, I'm not connected to any university library where I would have access to more scholarly journals.

Specific to high-protein diets, but supports it still. http://www.jacn.org/content/23/suppl_6/631S.full

it does not support that eating breakfast has a metabolic advantage.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/5/1396.abstract

Correlation =/= causation

Since you can't provide any studies showing a metabolic advantage to breakfast, how about you explain why you think there is one?

Acg67

Could this be because eating actually does rev up the metabolism, which causes the body to burn energy and, therefore, need more nourishment? As opposed to remaining in "sleep mode" due to not eating. It is a fact that the metabolism slows down somewhat when we don't eat in order to preserve what energy and nutrients it can. Now whether or not it's a typical breakfast meal is a whole other issue... no one says it has to be. Fruit is fine, smoothies are fine, toast and peanut butter is fine, etc. - as long as its healthy and nourishing. If it is, it will sustain you for a good 2.5 to 3 hours or so, at which time you may begin to feel hungry. Grab some water and a light snack (fruit & nuts, yogurt & berries, etc.) to carry you through to lunch. There's no shame in feeling hungry. That's our signal that the body has used up the food we gave it and it's time to replenish.

The myth of increased meal frequency = greater metabolism is from the thought of a more frequent boost from TEF, from lyle mcdonald to easily explain it

Eat more frequently and metabolic rate goes up more, right? Because you’re stimulating TEF more often. Well, no. Here’s why:
Say we have two people, both eating the same 3000 calories per day from identical macronutrients. One eats 6 meals of 500 calories/meal while the other eats 3 meals of 1000 calories/meal and we’ll assume a TEF of 10%. So the first will have a TEF of 50 calories (10% of 500) 6 times/day. The second will have a TEF of 100 calories (10% of 1000 calories) 3 times/day. Well, 6X50 = 300 calories/day and 3X100 = 300 calories/day. There’s no difference.

msarro

Specific to high-protein diets, but supports it still. http://www.jacn.org/content/23/suppl_6/631S.full

Another study:
http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/5/1396.abstract

Sadly I cannot find more atm, I'm not connected to any university library where I would have access to more scholarly journals.

Specific to high-protein diets, but supports it still. http://www.jacn.org/content/23/suppl_6/631S.full

it does not support that eating breakfast has a metabolic advantage.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/5/1396.abstract

Correlation =/= causation

Since you can't provide any studies showing a metabolic advantage to breakfast, how about you explain why you think there is one?

Sadly at this time I can't. I have no access to a university network to start browsing for more scholarly journals.

However, I think your understanding of statistics is slightly flawed. While causation!=correlation, consistent correlation shows that there is some type of link (causitive or otherwise), we simply don't understand its nature.

A link which constantly appears most likely does exist, see the law of large numbers.

I'll take the huge risk and continue eating breakfast. It seems to have worked for the first 140 pounds I lost pretty well. For now the studies showing improved satiation alone are enough for me.

Acg67

Sadly at this time I can't. I have no access to a university network to start browsing for more scholarly journals.

However, I think your understanding of statistics is slightly flawed. While causation!=correlation, consistent correlation shows that there is some type of link (causitive or otherwise), we simply don't understand its nature. See the law of large numbers.

I'll take the huge risk and continue eating breakfast. It seems to have worked for the first 140 pounds I lost pretty well.

Might eating breakfast be correlated to greater weight loss not due to a metabolic advantage, but due to people that tend to skip breakfast have crappy eating habits in general?

Studies on meal frequency show no metabolic advantage and i posted above why people tend to still beleive that there is one (TEF mostly)

And you can continue to eat breakfast, it's a personal preference, but again yields no metabolic advantage to not eating it

ElizabethRoad

Here's another way to look at it. You wouldn't drive your care without refueling would you? What would happen if you knew you needed gas but didn't stop to get any? Eventually it would sputter and run out of gas leaving you stuck with no options for fuel or that only gas station in sight is the one that you know for a fact makes your car run like crap...the one that has you sputtering and coughing all the way up the road. Then you'll be wishing that you stopped and got at least a gallon's worth of the stuff you know your car likes.

If I fuel up my car at night, I don't need to do it again in the morning.