To eat breakfast or not... that is the question?!

L_amore

Okay, I know all experts say yes, eat breakfast, and to be honest I have never been one to eat breakfast. The only thing in the morning that I used to consume was just a coffee with cream and sugar, if that. But now that I'm on mfp (for about 3 weeks now) I'm trying to be good and eat breakfast, but I swear it seems like I'm more hungry now that I eat breakfast and that frustrates me to no end. Do you all feel the same and any suggestions?! Because I'm contemplating just going back to just coffee and cream or uping my workouts to 2x a day one in the morning before breakfast and one in the evening... to burn more calories that I seem to want to consume more of, since I started eating breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I usually don't go over my calorie goals, but I swear, I feel like I'm starving sometimes now and I never used to feel like that when I didnt eat breakfast?! Btw, breakfast is always just 1/2c plain old instant oatmeal, with 1/3c craisens and 1/3c raisens with 2tsp brown sugar. Any tips/suggestions are welcome...

HeidiRene

Everybody is different. Contrary to popular belief diet is not "one size fits all." That being said, although breakfast might be indicated for most people it's not actually a magic meal. :-) I say that b/c I am sure many will post to the contrary. I do not eat breakfast. I previously lost weight not eating it and stayed thin long term not eating it. Personally, I will only eat more if I eat breakfast. So, breakfast just plain doesn't work for me and is not needed by all. Good luck!

xraychick77

i agree with the above poster.

some simply cant handle food first thing in the morning..and contrary to pop belief..its not need to 'kick start' your metabolism..its always going regardless of food intake.

this myth comes from a few studies that have shown folks who do eat breakfast lose more weight or weight less..simply because it can cause you to be very hungry later and binge..hence intake more calories than you would have if you ate breakfast.

sure we can get into the whole, need glucose to power your body etc blah blah..but the principle still stand..calories in calories out.

lilangelgirl963

It's totally and completely up to you! I find that depending on what I eat for breakfast seems to set the tone for the whole day! When I make smoothies in the morning I crave healthier foods... but when I eat cereal in the morning (shredded wheat) I seem to have a harder time staying away from other processed foods as well. Find what works for you... and feel free to switch it up!

41degsouth

Given you've reported being on MFP for three weeks, and in that time you've tried to be good with breakfast as well, is it possible that you're actually more hungry now because you're creating a consistent calorie deficit, rather than because you're eating breakfast?

Easy check. Go back to your old breakfast for a couple of days. See how you feel. You may find yourself just as hungry, or even more hungry, than now. Or, you may find you're right—that you feel more hungry having eaten breakfast. Then you've got more data to make an informed decision on.

L_amore

Thank you for your feedback, its appreciated! And its good to know, I'm not the only one that feels more hungry when I eat it. =/ And thats exactly what I was thinking on the calories... but then I was second guessing it cuz everyone always says breakfast kick starts your metabolism. So that prompted me to get my fellow mfp members feedback on the subject...

wildkatt7

do what is right for your body, period...

capriciousmoon

Eat when you are hungry, time doesn't matter. Just make sure you're eating enough to keep your body properly fueled and healthy.

If you eat food at all the first thing you eat is breakfast, even if you eat it at 10pm, because it "breaks your fast". :flowerforyou:

L_amore

Given you've reported being on MFP for three weeks, and in that time you've tried to be good with breakfast as well, is it possible that you're actually more hungry now because you're creating a consistent calorie deficit, rather than because you're eating breakfast?

Easy check. Go back to your old breakfast for a couple of days. See how you feel. You may find yourself just as hungry, or even more hungry, than now. Or, you may find you're right—that you feel more hungry having eaten breakfast. Then you've got more data to make an informed decision on.

Its funny you say this (great minds think alike) because I've actually done this, and yep, I do feel like I'm more hungrier now that I'm eating it... thats why I was like, hmm, am I the only one that feels like this, lol. So I had to post it up to ask... ;o)

zafferFL

I didn't eat breakfast for most of my life, and was always told I was not eating right.
Then I started, practically forcing myself to eat every morning because I was sure this was the cause of me not having any energy at work.

Didn't work for me. I'm back to no breakfast, no snacks in the morning and my mind is clear, I have more energy and I'm getting back to the weight I used to be.

If you don't feel like eating breakfast, don't.

shushu10

I definitely can't handle breakfast either (the suggested 300-600cal meal), it typically makes me groggy and hungrier earlier as well.

Although, I found that I like having a healthy breakfast bar in the morning with my coffee. A little sugar pick-me-up to fuel me right for the morning.

sexycheesemonkey

Eat when you are hungry, time doesn't matter.

This is my method, I get up around 530am every day and just dont get hungry until around 9am or possibly later. If I dont get hungry until later I skip breakfast and just have lunch instead. :-) I say go off of what your body tells you, when it's hungry eat, when it's tired sleep and when it's raring to go...go!

Jadesmommy2003

Like you I never ate breakfast and after I got my lapband it wasn't as big of a deal to begin with but since I have lost 113lbs and joined MFP to loose the last 40, I have now learned to train my body different. I eat (drink) a good but heavy breakfast and then I eat less carbs throughout the day and I sleep better at night. It took me awhile to find the right combination because solid food is not my thing in the am. I have a cream of wheat protein shake so to speak. Make one serving of cream of wheat with unsweetened almond milk put in blender after heated, add one banana, 1 scoop cytosport 100% whey protein vanilla, and about 1/2 cup more almond milk and blend. I have that then one cup of coffee with two tablespoons of sugar free hazelnut cream and I am good to go. 497 calories about half is from the banana, 77 carbs (51 from the banana), 4 grams of fat, and 29 grams of protein. So good.

However, like I said, I had to work on getting the right mix for me. I feel full all day and my lapband is completely unfilled and I am losing weight. It is awesome. Best of luck and if you would like to friend me and see my diary I welcome it.
Crystal

trixirn

Eat when you are hungry, time doesn't matter. Just make sure you're eating enough to keep your body properly fueled and healthy.

If you eat food at all the first thing you eat is breakfast, even if you eat it at 10pm, because it "breaks your fast". :flowerforyou:

^^This

41degsouth

... but then I was second guessing it cuz everyone always says breakfast kick starts your metabolism.

I have no opinion on whether this is true or not, but if it is true that eating breakfast "kick starts your metabolism", what you'd expect to find is that you'd feel hungrier if you consumed breakfast as part of the same number of total calories for the day, as opposed to consuming those calories primarily in later meals.

So you could argue that your experience supports the idea that your metabolism is being kicked up a notch. Whether you want that is up to you. If it is true, then a week of eating the same calories including breakfast would result in more weight loss than a week consuming those calories but without having some of them at breakfast.

Personally, my reading of what evidence there is suggests that there is no evidence that eating more times in the day matters at all, even though many people believe it does. (There are other resaons you may need to do this, if you are trying to *gain* weight, like putting on muscle bulk, where you may just not be able to eat enough in only three meals... different issue.)

ahavoc

I had that problem too, but now I don't have carbs for breakfast, I have protein. Center cut bacon, 3 pieces 70 calories, and an egg. Or a turkey burger, or a burger. If I eat carbs I get hungry in about an hour, if I eat protein, I can get by until lunch. Lunch is tuna, or turkey breast.

Everyone is different, but for some, eating carbs raises your blood sugar, then your blood sugar dips so your body wants more food so it can raise the blood sugar again.

Complex carbs are better for you, whole wheat, multigrain, brown rice, as they are absorbed more slowly into your system and your sugar doesn't spike. So when you do have carbs, choose the complex ones.

So you might try having more protein in the morning, and adding complex carbs as you go along.

abigailmariecs

I too have had problems eating in the morning. Before I had my children I never had breakfast and frequently did not have much or anything to eat before 2 pm. I nursed and followed the guidelines for all meals which included eating breakfast. I started with just half a slice of toast and can now eat a serving of cereal. Most days breakfast does make me hungry throughout the day and if I skip breakfast I can still go till 2 before I eat. One big difference, I eat smaller meals and fewer calories throughout the day if I eat breakfast, if not I tend to binge when I do finally get around to eating. I would suggest looking at the total calories from both a breakfast days and no breakfast days if you are eating fewer calories all around then skip breakfast.

Olblueiiii

How much protein have you been eating for breakfast? There're so many doctors and nutritionists saying "eat plenty of protein for breakfast" that there must be something to it. I can say from my own experience that eating a good amount of protein first thing in the morning has worked well for me.

jadedone

I am a chronic breakfast eater. In fact, if I don't have breakfast within about 90 minutes of waking up I get cranky and have nausea. Unfortunately I take a medicine in the AM that requires waiting 30-60 minutes before consuming anything, and I wake up hungry most mornings, no matter what I eat the day before.

The rest of my family (mom, dad, sister) only eat breakfast occasionally, typically when it is an occasion. Different results for everyone: some people are smaller and have no trouble maintaining and other people are overweight

I'd say experiment, not all breakfasts are created equally for everyone. I find the best success with:
light breakfast: greek yogurt, fruit, and a little granola or cereal, energy bar like a Lara Bar, coffee and yogurt, oatmeal, smoothie

heavy breakfast: pancakes and eggs, waffles and a latte

What doesn't work for me: protein filled. I can eat 2 eggs, bacon and I will be hungry in an hour. This week I had a breakfast of 2 eggs, bacon and 2 pieces of fruit. I was hungry within 90 minutes.

I seem to have beter success with carbs or carbs + fat and a little protein.

rockinsue285

I agree with above, Ive hardly ever done breakfast mainly because I just cant face eating first thing but love my cup of tea, I know if I WAS TO HAVE BREAKFAST IT WOULD MEAN EXTRA CALS FOR ME TOO, If you like a breakfast go for it but low cal and if you are used to having it, but if like me you simply cant eat it, i cant see a problem, maybe have a healthy snack before lunch when you feel like something

NewDad12

Breakfast is a MUST, it's not a question at all. Eating breakfast gets your metabolism working and fuels you for the day, making you more likely to have the energy to work out. It's ideal to work out at night because then your metabolism works while you sleep through the night burning fat. Then when you eat a healthy breakfast the next morning, it makes your metabolism kick back in and it gives you the energy to go through your day and work out again.

Skipping breakfast and not eating multiple small meals a day is part of the reason women have a hard time losing weight.

Sidesteal

Breakfast is a MUST, it's not a question at all. Eating breakfast gets your metabolism working and fuels you for the day, making you more likely to have the energy to work out. It's ideal to work out at night because then your metabolism works while you sleep through the night burning fat. Then when you eat a healthy breakfast the next morning, it makes your metabolism kick back in and it gives you the energy to go through your day and work out again.

I'm curious, did you read the replies in this thread or just the first post?

Sublog

Breakfast is a MUST, it's not a question at all. Eating breakfast gets your metabolism working and fuels you for the day, making you more likely to have the energy to work out. It's ideal to work out at night because then your metabolism works while you sleep through the night burning fat. Then when you eat a healthy breakfast the next morning, it makes your metabolism kick back in and it gives you the energy to go through your day and work out again.

Wrong. ^^^

Skip breakfast if you want to. It's a personal preference thing and has ZERO bearing on weight loss.

NewDad12

I read some of the replies, yes. What does that matter? I'd rather trust studies and the Mayo clinic than a few self proclaimed nutrition geniuses. Sorry I answered, obviously this community has some big heads.

laurastrait21

I think it's a personal thing as well. Listen to your body and watch how it responds when you skip breakfast and when you don't. I do much better overall and feel like I jump start my metabolism if I eat breakfast, but I am someone who wakes up and is hungry!! I pretty much have to eat a little bit every few hours.

frazzle29

Do what works for you! Sometimes I just have coffee as well for breakfast. Sometimes just yogurt and sometimes I go all out and hae bacon and eggs or whatever. You have to do whats best for you

Sidesteal

I read some of the replies, yes. What does that matter? I'd rather trust studies and the Mayo clinic than a few self proclaimed nutrition geniuses. Sorry I answered, obviously this community has some big heads.

Do you have any of the studies and would you mind sharing them? If I present you with multiple peer reviewed studies showing that breakfast has zero effect on metabolism, would you read them?

Also, I simply asked you a question and I don't think you need to resort to personal attacks.

DL121004

I'd rather trust studies

Can you show me those studies that prove a causation between eating breakfast and weight loss (not a correlation)?

catattack13

I breakfast! but I mostly just like eating at all times of the day. if you're hungry, eat some food. if you're not, don't eat some food.

xMsAlly

I love breakfast-y foods! But I don't always eat it due to time and straight-up not feeling it (I refuse to force myself to eat if I'm not hungry). But other times, I make sure to get a great breakfast if I know that I'm going to be doing something important that day (ie. taking a test or going to an interview).

NewDad12

Wait a second, you attacked my opinion first. I didn't attack yours. I simply stated my opinion based on studies and a nutritionist I talk to. I shouldn't have to to teach you how to use Google, look up the Mayo clinic, Livestrong, or call a nutritionist. I'm not saying eating breakfast is the direct leading factor to weight loss itself, but it gives you the energy to work out and the earlier you have your calories in the day, the sooner you start fueling your body and the less likely you will be vulnerable to bad choices when you do become hungry.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/25335-breakfast-helps-weight-loss/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119