Really dumb question...

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allison7922
allison7922 Posts: 276 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
that I think I know the answer to anyway, but I value your input. Is not eating breakfast (drinking coffee only) hurting my weight loss? I haven't lost anything in a few weeks and I am trying to figure out if that could be the reason....thanks!
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Replies

  • brooksingletary
    brooksingletary Posts: 34 Member
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    I don't eat anything for breakfast, as I just don't get that hungry. I've lost about 25 pounds. But, I usually snack on almonds around 10-11am.
  • brett1117
    brett1117 Posts: 208
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    YES!! You need to jump start your metabolism. Coffee doesn't do it.. You actually need to EAT to lose weight!!
  • NakedLunchTime
    NakedLunchTime Posts: 559
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    I feel it depends on the person, but maybe try to eat a little something in the morning and see if that helps with your weightloss at all.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    No, breakfast does not jump start your metabolism. There are some studies that suggest that people who skip breakfast may tend to overeat more later in the day, but that doesn't mean that you will. If you feel fine, dont' have any medical issues that require you to eat regularly and don't overeat later on, there is no need to eat breakfast.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 616 Member
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    YES!! You need to jump start your metabolism. Coffee doesn't do it.. You actually need to EAT to lose weight!!

    Not entirely true. Yes you need to eat to lose, but breakfast jumping starting metabolism isn't necessarily accurate. I looked at your diary. It looks like you are doing a good job of staying at a caloric deficit and keeping carbs/protein/fats in check. I might try upping your calories more. Maybe to around 1500 to 1600 a day. You probably have your settings at lose 1 lb a week. Try switching to maintenance for awhile and see if that helps. I had to do that last week and I can tell a difference.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    Breakfast is no more or no less important than any other meal. With that said, if you're hungry, eat, if you aren't, then don't.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    YES!! You need to jump start your metabolism. Coffee doesn't do it.. You actually need to EAT to lose weight!!

    Is force feeding yourself when you're not hungry a sound weight loss strategy?
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
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    No, breakfast does not jump start your metabolism. There are some studies that suggest that people who skip breakfast may tend to overeat more later in the day, but that doesn't mean that you will. If you feel fine, dont' have any medical issues that require you to eat regularly and don't overeat later on, there is no need to eat breakfast.

    ^^ I agree with this. I usually eat breakfast, but there are times when I just don't want it or would rather sleep in than eat. If you are doing well without it, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • teagin2002
    teagin2002 Posts: 1,901 Member
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    YES!! You need to jump start your metabolism. Coffee doesn't do it.. You actually need to EAT to lose weight!!

    Not entirely true. Yes you need to eat to lose, but breakfast jumping starting metabolism isn't necessarily accurate. I looked at your diary. It looks like you are doing a good job of staying at a caloric deficit and keeping carbs/protein/fats in check. I might try upping your calories more. Maybe to around 1500 to 1600 a day. You probably have your settings at lose 1 lb a week. Try switching to maintenance for awhile and see if that helps. I had to do that last week and I can tell a difference.

    ^^ this is a wonderful post!! and I would agree :)
    Edited to add, don't force yourself to eat, if your not hungry then your not hungry :flowerforyou:
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I think that breakfast helps me. Because I am very sluggish and don't think very well without fuel. I used to never eat breakfast on weekdays, and I never could get all the cylinders of my brain firing to do much work. I would always do better work in the afternoon. Now I have been eating in the morning regularly. Not a lot, usually yogurt, cheese stick and apple. And now I am a lot more productive all day long. And I don't pig out at lunch any more because I'm not starving. For me it was a really good change.

    I looked at your diary and I would recommend adding more fruits and veggies, even if you don't eat them in the morning.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    Personally, I just found that if I didn't eat breakfast I tended to overeat later in the day. I like spacing my meals out every couple of hours. It also helped keep my blood sugar levels at a more stable, even level. I felt that I had more energy consistently throughout the day.

    But that's just me - you could be totally different. :)
  • allison7922
    allison7922 Posts: 276 Member
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    Thank you all so much!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yes. And it's not dumb. The experts (trainer Bob and Jillian Michaels) always say that breaking your fast i.e. eating breakfast sets the tone for the day. For example, let's say you eat one organic oatmeal packet (as I do). I get whole grain, low sugar, and something that digests slow. This holds me off until 11am or so when I have fruit.

    I go to bed around 11pm. I eat dinner around 8:30pm. If I did not break my fast 12 hours later (8:30am) I would be setting myself up for a really bad day food wise. Get what I'm saying. BREAK THAT FAST and fuel your body to success.
  • natalieg0307
    natalieg0307 Posts: 237 Member
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    I don't eat breakfast. I have two cups of coffee. I'll eat a little something around 11am (1/2 a bagel, banana muffin, etc.). By this time, i'm hungry and then I won't be starving at lunch time. I'm not hungry at breakfast time. I'm not going to eat if i'm not hungy. I joined MFP right after Christmas and have been losing weight.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    YES!! You need to jump start your metabolism. Coffee doesn't do it.. You actually need to EAT to lose weight!!

    Is force feeding yourself when you're not hungry a sound weight loss strategy?

    If I eat dinner at 8:30 and I'm not hungry by 8:30am I know darn well I over indulged the night before. If you eat clean you can bet your bottom you're hungry 12 FRICKIN' HOURS later at 8:30am. If not, well, you're doing it wrong.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 616 Member
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    Yes. And it's not dumb. The experts (trainer Bob and Jillian Michaels) always say that breaking your fast i.e. eating breakfast sets the tone for the day. For example, let's say you eat one organic oatmeal packet (as I do). I get whole grain, low sugar, and something that digests slow. This holds me off until 11am or so when I have fruit.

    I go to bed around 11pm. I eat dinner around 8:30pm. If I did not break my fast 12 hours later (8:30am) I would be setting myself up for a really bad day food wise. Get what I'm saying. BREAK THAT FAST and fuel your body to success.

    There is no magical time window to break your fast. It can vary from one person to the next. There are several people on this site that practice Intermittent Fasting and may not eat until 2:00 PM. These folks are all very lean and have great success.

    Focus should be placed on caloric deficit and keeping macros in line. What time of day you do these things is irrelevant.
  • adamsilva
    adamsilva Posts: 261 Member
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    ^^^
    what Myak623 said! i am just curious about blood sugar dipping and insulin spiking during the morning 'fast' or absense of brekkie. your thoughts....
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    ^^^
    what Myak623 said! i am just curious about blood sugar dipping and insulin spiking during the morning 'fast' or absense of brekkie. your thoughts....

    I also agree with Myak623. I don't really understand your questions though. if blood sugar dips, insulin does not spike. In fact intermittent fasting helps with insulin sensitivity so there are some postives to it. FTR, the OP is not talking intermittent fasting. They are talking about skipping breakfast everyday. My bigger concern would be what you eat first when you finally do eat. Complex carbs and some protein would be best so as not to spike blood sugar and get the insulin flowing. Other than that, listen to your body.

    BTW, there is some correlation with caffiene and increased insulin so if you are keeping to a cup or 2 you should be ok but 3 or 4 cups does trigger some insulin response.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    Many would say its just fine, others will say you should eat....

    My suggestion try to eat breakfast for a full week - see how you feel in comparison to not eating - your own body will let you know what it likes and doesn't like and what is healthy for you and it isn't...

    If I don't eat breakfast, I can't function... but then again, I eat mostly 6 meals a day...
  • skmurray531
    skmurray531 Posts: 1 Member
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    I am having a really hard time with the fact that some of you don't eat breakfast just because you're not hungry. I'm certainly not an expert, but I do know that if I wake up hungry and I have to wait any length of time before I eat, I sometimes don't feel hungry anymore. I think you may want to consider that you are actually so hungry that you are no longer feeling the hunger pains. It does happen. You must eat breakfast. It doesn't need to be a big production. I eat 2 egg white and a small bowl of oatmeal. It gives me the nutrients and energy I need, but I'm not overdoing it.

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