Breakfast - a waste of calories?

jfan175

People who eat breakfast lose and gain weight, people who IF lose and gain weight. It's all a matter of calories in/calories out. There's no evidence that eating breakfast (or not eating breakfast) helps anyone burn more calories. Just use MFP and take in the correct amount. They've made it simple. Some people are better able to maintain appetite control by eating breakfast, and others keep their calories in check by IF. Whatever works for you is what you should do.

Personally, I find that an 6-8 hour eating window makes tracking my diet much easier, and I'm free from thinking about food for half my waking hours. I realize IF isn't for everybody, and those who do need to eat breakfast should also recognize that many people have built great bodies without eating breakfast. There's nothing to be gained by making unfounded statements about starvation and metabolism slowdown. I do enjoy reading everyone's personal experiences in this area. It just goes to show that there are many ways to skin the cat, and if one method doesn't fit our lifestyle...we have other options.

grrrlface

I don't usually eat breakfast, it doesn't appeal to me and I usually end up feeling sick afterwards.

I use the calories later on in the day instead, much more yummy things to eat that I wouldn't consider 'breakfast' food. :P

imogenjade

i was talking to some sted head and asked how to lose weight etc. he said i could just have a coffee in morning to speed up my motabolism.
why dont you just have a coffee, or even if its a piece of fruit, seeds or nuts xx

carlydee3

The best way to split up calories is to eat like a king for breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a peasant at dinner. The reason you probably aren't very hungry at breakfast is because you might be having a bigger meal before bed. I was doing the same before and skipping breakfast, and eating a huge dinner. Eating at breakfast will also kick start the metabolism, it's also best to eat within 2 hours of waking up.

jfan175

Eating at breakfast will also kick start the metabolism, it's also best to eat within 2 hours of waking up.

Oh Lord!

Di3012

No matter what I do I can't help but feel like breakfast (for me!) is a waste of calories. I know some people enjoy it, but I am neither hungry nor do I enjoy eating breakfast. So I usually don't eat it and save those calories for later in the day.

Just wondering if there are other like minded folk who don't think much of breakfast and prefer to save their calories for later in the day?

Or if you are a big breakfast fan, what you like about it?

Although I have breakfast, I do not eat it immediately upon waking up (I usually ensure I have opened my eyes first haha j/k). Seriously, though, my breakfast will often be me eating it about two hours later, I still count it was breakfast though as that is my first meal of the day after rising from my pit.

Ralphrabbit

I do not like breakfast but do not eat when I very first get up. It is usually about an hour or so after I wake up & is only a cereal bar so I don't have to think too much. I know it is good for me & certainly stops the overwhelming hunger urges mid morning but doing it this way works for me.

jaydubbayu

I love breakfast. I work third shift, so my "breakfast" on MFP is actually my lunch break at work (2:30 AM). But when I'm off for a few days, I wake up in the morning and I love making a nice breakfast. It's my favorite meal. Back when I worked 1st shift, I always had a bowl of cereal before going to work, and a peice of fruit for the in-between times.

EmmaR84

I've never been a breakfast fan, and for years I haven't bothered with it but I try to make an effort now to have something, even if it is just a banana.
I get up most days at 5-5.30 depending on how many times I hit snooze, I will have soem water before leaving the house as I'm always thisrsty but I generally don't eat breakfast for a couple of hours, I normally eat soemthing between 9 and 10. If I force myself before that I feel sick.

CookieCrumble

Breakfast isn't a necessity. Health 'experts' say that it's the most important meal, and there's the whole myth about breakfast skippers being fatter, but that's simply because most people that don't eat breakfast tend to pig out and eat more throughout the rest of the day.

http://www.leangains.com/p/my-transformation.html
^ This bloke here does intermittent fasting, eating only for 8 hours a day from around 1pm-9pm. He looks pretty damn good to me. A lot of people I know doing IF are succeeding in their goals of muscle gain or fat loss.

This makes perfect sense to me, thank you for the link. I loathe and detest eating breakfast so I just don't. I have a cup of tea before going to the gym, I'm generally there between 10am and 1pm - I eat 'breakfast' when I get home at about 1.30pm. I eat dinner with my husband at about 7pm. It's not hampering my weight loss at all.

I'm going to go and read that link now. :happy:

Aineko

If you were in court and somebody puts there case across, isn't it in your best interest to fight that claim with your own evidence no matter how strong the defendants is?

actually, no, that's not how science works. if you make a claim it is on you to provide evidence (and yeah, many ppl here will only take peer reviewed studies as a relevant evidence), there is no need for anyone else to 'attack' your point or prove that it's wrong before you can actually prove that it's right. all you need to do is to find a study showing that not eating soon after waking up, everything else being kept the same, makes you burn less calories during the day.

now, there are studies showing:
1) that IF does not slow down your metabolism (in fact, it seems to 'kick start' - my new favourite word - fat burning cycle.
2) that meal frequency is not directly influencing weight loss.

between the two - you go figure.

but burden of proof aside, I'd really like if you, or anyone else claiming similar thing, would explain in physiological/energy expenditure terms what this mythical 'kick start' actually means? (bare in mind that BMR is ~70% of your TDEE and that you have same BMR at 3am as in 3pm). I asked this question many times on topics like this and none seems willing to answer it.

avafrisbee

I eat breakfast between 8 and 9 after I've been awake for a couple of hours. If I do not, then I am starving by lunch time and I over eat. The idea of eating anything besides tea or coffee within minutes of waking up kinda makes me gag.

Around 8:30ish though I have 30g oats with a tsp of milk and a tsp of brown sugar. It works out to about 140 calories and keeps me full until lunch.

I have some really tasty apple vanilla tea I think I am going to 86 the milk and put a tbsp of the brewed tea in and a pack of stevia tomorrow to see if I can reduce the calories a bit.

unicornpoop

Just do whatever works for your body. I have to force myself to eat because I am a teacher. If I don't eat before school, I'm going to be starving between when the kids get to school and when they have lunch. I can't really stop to eat ever in the classroom. Do that works for you.

BrokenBarbiexoxo

I can't eat breakfast, I get up at 5.45am and don't get hungry until at least 12pm and I never eat after 7pm at the very latest (so mine isn't that I'm full from the night before).

I'm losing weight easily, I think everyone is different, every single body functions in a different way, so for me, they're wasted calories as well

Acg67

lol just one more question

How did you help me?

Hopefully you came to the realization that you were wrong and will stop spreading nutritional myths. And maybe you learned that a random article on a random site does not prove anything.

do you have any proof that these are Myths?

You keep trying to shift the burden of proof, you've still yet to provide a single shred of evidence supporting your claim. That in and of itself should give you an idea that your claim is BS. So got any evidence yet?

bcattoes

The best way to split up calories is to eat like a king for breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a peasant at dinner.

Why is it the best way? I do the exact opposite. Breakfast is just a cup of soy milk, a light lunch, and pre-workout snack that is about the same size as lunch and big dinner with wine (usually half my daily calories). I've had no trouble losing or maintaining weight loss with this.

So what, exactly, is better about it? Other than personal preference, of course.

joejccva71

The best way to split up calories is to eat like a king for breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a peasant at dinner. The reason you probably aren't very hungry at breakfast is because you might be having a bigger meal before bed. I was doing the same before and skipping breakfast, and eating a huge dinner. Eating at breakfast will also kick start the metabolism, it's also best to eat within 2 hours of waking up.

No no no no no no no no no no...and no.

seebeachrun

That's okay I'll eat your share for you. I had a huge breakfast today! nom nom nom!

Jacwhite22

I usually take in about 2600 calories a day and take in about 10% of that before noon........

irishcanadianwoman

Breakfast does 'kick start' your metabolism. It tells your body that it is not starving and it does not have to save every bit of energy it can- so your body will burn calories for fuel, not store them as fat. (That advice was given to me by a clinical nutrition prof. at the local university) I don't like breakfast myself, but I am now in the habit of grabbing a homemade healthy muffin or a mini yogurt after my morning routine, just before I leave for work. I can't face food as soon as I wake up! Good luck!