Breakfast. Is it really necessary?

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  • bratius
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    Nope but I can't function if I don't eat something for breakfast
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    I have an apple on the way to work after I have been up for a couple of hours. I work out without eating and I don't find that I have any less energy doing so.
  • lchovet
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    So I can eat once a day? lol

    check out his diary. guy pretty much consumes all his calories at one meal. works for him.

    me, i just can't sit and eat that much at once, so i eat about 4 hours. and i love breakfast. to each there own.

    Also doesn't look like he needs to LOSE weight either.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    Yes, exactly right. My Dr told me to eat if hungry and don't eat if not hungry. No need to force food............My Dr also has a secondary degree as a registered dietician and holistic nutrition.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,016 Member
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    So I can eat once a day? lol

    Yes. You could eat your entire day's calories right before bed if you so wish, as long as you don't create a calorie excess.

    This would lead to low blood sugar, which is not healthy.
    Not neccessarily.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    So I can eat once a day? lol

    Yes. You could eat your entire day's calories right before bed if you so wish, as long as you don't create a calorie excess.

    This is so NOT true!!! And I hope no one listen to this. I have read and heard a million times that eating close to bedtime is not a good idea and can affect weight loss. I have found this to be completely true.

    Many times I have had to eat some stuff before bed just trying to get in the calories I lack for the day. Big mistake! Every single time I have ever done this, my weigh ins were not good. I would either maintain or gain. Never lost!
    I've been told it's because your spiking your sugar levels. I have also been told that the reason not to eat right before bed is because we use energy while sleeping. Therefore, calories burned over night. Not if you have food digesting.

    So you think breakfast makes a huge difference to weight loss, and that eating late also affects weight loss?

    Ok. Please, show me some peer-reviewed research to back up these claims that i am giving false information.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    This is so NOT true!!! And I hope no one takes this for face value. I have read and heard a million times that eating close to bedtime is not a good idea and can affect weight loss. Now, I'm no professional, but my experience has proved to me that this is completely true.

    Many times I have had to eat some stuff before bed just trying to get in the calories I lack for the day. And I;m not talking unhealthy snacks. But either way, it was a BIG mistake! Every single time I have ever done this, my weigh ins were not good. I would either maintain or gain. Never lost!

    I've been told it's because your spiking your sugar levels. I have also been told that the reason not to eat right before bed is because we use energy while sleeping. Therefore, calories burned over night. Not if you have food digesting.

    You are confusing water weight with fat gain. And in your readings what did it say about eating like a stick of butter before bed since that would have no effect on your blood sugar levels, is that ok?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    So I can eat once a day? lol

    Yes. You could eat your entire day's calories right before bed if you so wish, as long as you don't create a calorie excess.

    This is so NOT true!!! And I hope no one listen to this. I have read and heard a million times that eating close to bedtime is not a good idea and can affect weight loss. I have found this to be completely true.

    Many times I have had to eat some stuff before bed just trying to get in the calories I lack for the day. Big mistake! Every single time I have ever done this, my weigh ins were not good. I would either maintain or gain. Never lost!
    I've been told it's because your spiking your sugar levels. I have also been told that the reason not to eat right before bed is because we use energy while sleeping. Therefore, calories burned over night. Not if you have food digesting.

    I eat roughly 1/2 my daily calories just before bed every night. I met my goal last April, exceeded throughout the next few months and have maintained since. Actually, if my scale is correct I seem to have begun losing slowly again, though I haven't changed anything.
  • PaleoPath4Lyfe
    PaleoPath4Lyfe Posts: 3,161 Member
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    Not necessary as increased meal frequency does not offer a metabolic advantage. Breakfast and # of meals per day is a personal preference

    So I can eat once a day? lol

    Yes. You could eat your entire day's calories right before bed if you so wish, as long as you don't create a calorie excess.

    This is so NOT true!!! And I hope no one takes this for face value. I have read and heard a million times that eating close to bedtime is not a good idea and can affect weight loss. Now, I'm no professional, but my experience has proved to me that this is completely true.

    Many times I have had to eat some stuff before bed just trying to get in the calories I lack for the day. And I;m not talking unhealthy snacks. But either way, it was a BIG mistake! Every single time I have ever done this, my weigh ins were not good. I would either maintain or gain. Never lost!

    I've been told it's because your spiking your sugar levels. I have also been told that the reason not to eat right before bed is because we use energy while sleeping. Therefore, calories burned over night. Not if you have food digesting.

    It doesn't matter what time of the day or night one eats..............

    And again, it is not so much about the calories as it is about the nutrient content of the food we eat.

    I am a believer in Intermittent Fasting. Some days I do short fasts and other days long ones.................So sometimes I eat 2 times per day and other days I eat only once.

    And yet again, it depends on what your eating to determine if the blood sugar levels are spiked. Me, I am a fat and protein and very little carbs girl, so blood sugar stays pretty stable with little rise in insulin.
  • lexagon
    lexagon Posts: 495 Member
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    I used to hate eating breakfast, just seemed silly to me and required me to get up a little earlier than I wanted LOL

    I finally started eating breakfast again and it's changed my day honestly. Sounds kinda weird, but I end up having so much more energy throughout the day if I have a good breakfast. I never believed that growing up, but then again I didn't eat "balanced" either. It's weird how the body works. Even something small can help.

    I typically have to eat small meals though, and that has worked out well too.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
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    i was never a breakfast person but i've read that it's important to eat to jump start your metabolism for the day. whether that's true or not i don't know but i just have something small like a banana or a 100 cal snack bar, something small and i'm usually still a little hungry but it goes away after a while. i use to just not eat in the morning and stay hungry so i figure to just have something small so i eat something.
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    The first meal of the day is pretty necessary. But how early that needs to be is an individual thing.

    Haha! True!

    I tried eating a big breakfast because "everyone" said it was necessary. It ended up being kind of torturous, so I gave up on the conventional wisdom and opted for something I wanted to continue for the rest of my life.

    I'm not much of a breakfast person, so tend to go with a homemade mocha (unless I happen to be hungry). Then I have a light/medium lunch and a bigger supper and, of course, a bedtime snack. I actually like most of my calories in the evening, so that's what I've gone with. It's worked out great!
  • ShannonMK9
    ShannonMK9 Posts: 65 Member
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    Your digestion slows down when you sleep, wich is why it is a bad idea to eat before going to bed - unless you are so hungry it keeps you from sleeping. Eating breakfast is just that breaking your fast from the time you were sleeping - if you eat on a fairly regular schedule then it doesn't realy matter when you eat, but eating all your calories at once is alot of food and will stretch your stomach wich will make you want to eat more food - that is why it is recomended to eat small meals several times a day - I do not care for breakfast either but do eat something so I have energy to get threw my workout that I do in the morning.
  • amandavictoria80
    amandavictoria80 Posts: 734 Member
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    I've heard it makes a huge difference in weigh loss, and I think that's so true.

    You've heard from who/where? There is actual proof out there to show as long as you keep your calorie deficit it actually makes no difference whatsoever. It's all calories consumed throughout the 24 hours. WHEN you eat them makes no difference.

    Well then. I'll have to tell my doctor and all the trainers I've spoken to that they are clearly wrong and you have corrected them. And now I know that my own experience with this was just a major hallucination on my part. Both the way my clothes fit, measurements and the scale. All in my mind.
  • Jolenebib
    Jolenebib Posts: 142 Member
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    It works for some and not for others. Some do just fine and lose weight not having breakfast. Others start eating breakfast and lose weight - probably because they eat less throughout the day. Try it and see how you feel. I usually don't eat first thing in the morning, but have oatmeal after I get to work. You could try by just having a small snack size meal.
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
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    I cant do lunch. I have to eat breakfast, take my ADHD meds 2 hours later, by lunch the meds have my stomach locked up so I cant eat. Then I have dinner and usually a snack about 9-10PM. (celery and water of course *wink*) As long as you get the calories you need, it doesnt matter what time.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    When I was a kid my Mom always told us how lucky we were to have breakfast when we got up.
    "If you lived on a Farm you'd be up at 5 AM doing your chores and not have breakfast until 8 or 9 AM..."

    I figure if I get up at 8:30 AM and eat lunch at around 1PM, pretty much the same difference time-wise, but with less physical labor...

    So as long as I get the right amount of calories in for the day, I don't stress over it.
  • amandavictoria80
    amandavictoria80 Posts: 734 Member
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    You're are so wrong. Eating later at night DOES matter. If it doesn't for you, you've been a lucky girl.
    Cause it matters for me. My doctor has confirmed this and three trainers.
  • greyrealm
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    When I started using MFP I realized that I was consuming most of my calories later in the day so I made an adjustment and started trying to get them in earlier, which meant eating much more food before 11am. I eat about every hour or two and have lost 13 pounds in a month (age 36, starting weight 142, height 5'5, minimal exercise). I find that when I eat calorie and carb heavy (but nutritious) foods in the morning, I have more energy and less cravings for bad stuff. I also don't feel as starved throughout the day. On the days that I have made the mistake of eating too light in the morning, I was more likely to binge later in the evening and exceed my daily calorie goal, which led to weight gain. So, my advice would be to give it a try, even if yoiu don't eat traditional breakfast foods (which I am not partial to either). If you don't see results in the form of more energy and control throughout the day, go back to your old habits.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    You're are so wrong. Eating later at night DOES matter. If it doesn't for you, you've been a lucky girl.
    Cause it matters for me. My doctor has confirmed this and three trainers.

    Do your doctors and trainers have degrees and training certs in broscience?