Breakfast - a waste of calories?

slim_photographer

I'm glad to see that there's a few of us who doubt the 'experts' advise about breakfast. I have no problem eating all the time just like another person here already said, however if I skip breakfast or eat like a 100-150 calorie small item, then I find myself leaving the bulk of my calorie allowance for later in the day when I will truly be hungry.
There's on scenario where I will definitely always try to eat even a hefty breakfast and that's when I go the gym first thing for weight lifting. A couple of times I almost fainted because I have low energy in my system and started to get cold, steady and light headed.
I hear the logic of kicking off your metabolism but for me I get more benefits from not going over my calorie limit and I can easily do that if I have a super small breakfast (cereal bar + coffee).
Having said all of it, I keep my mind open for later in the game when I'm closer to my goal weight. I'd be interested to see if the starting thermo genesis as soon as you wake up helps burn the most calories in a day.
Thanks for posting such a daring question too, I expected the MFP community to jump all over this one but they didn't [yet]

CaseRat

Eating at 5, 6, 7 or 8 AM doesn't jump start anyone's metabolism. Metabolism doesn't stop. And, if you choose to wait until noon for your first meal, assuming your last meal was 6, 7, 8 or 9 PM the previous evening, then your body isn't going to slow down in that period of time. It's more like a 72 hour period before metabolism starts to slow.

If you don't enjoy eating early in the morning, then there is no metabolic advantage to forcing yourself and you will not be stalling your weight loss efforts.

Thank you!

Edit: I often lift weights or run before eating, in the morning. I might not eat until 11am if I have a bit of a sleep-in then do a workout. I get through the workout, same as I normally would if I did it at 6pm that night. Some days I even get through it easier.

Jaw_g

I need my breakfast. If I don't, I will eat rubbish mid-morning. But if you don't, I wouldn't worry about it and eat when you're ready for it.

^ This

Have to say , you would not run your car on empty , why do it to your body?

I also agree with the first quote - I try to eat breakfast, but sometimes I don't feel like eating when I first get up so just have a cup of tea or something until my tummy feels up for it.

With regards to the second quote - sometimes you can run your car on empty until you make it to your first stop then put petrol in ;p Same thing here, maybe some people still have a little bit of food leftover from the night before LOL

Breadbar

I mix a double protein shake most mornings & add in 1/2 my daily fruit. I enjoy it real thick & eat it slowly as it is the only meal I get to eat alone. I make up for all the usual breakfast foods I'm missing out on by having them @ dinner time - I make dinner omelets a couple of times each week. The shakes are satisfying & keep me going so I don't mind using 1/4 of my calories in the am.

I agree with others who have expressed that you have to figure out what works best for you so long as you are getting in enough calories each day & not overeating to compensate for skipping breakfast.

jonski1968

300gr Yogurt and a big scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein for me...every morning without fail..

joankpoirier

I am usually not hungry when I wake up. But have gotten into the habit of drinking my Shakeology first thing (6 am.).and have noticed I don't have that craving around 10-11 for snacks

foxbat2828

Eating at 5, 6, 7 or 8 AM doesn't jump start anyone's metabolism. Metabolism doesn't stop. And, if you choose to wait until noon for your first meal, assuming your last meal was 6, 7, 8 or 9 PM the previous evening, then your body isn't going to slow down in that period of time. It's more like a 72 hour period before metabolism starts to slow.

If you don't enjoy eating early in the morning, then there is no metabolic advantage to forcing yourself and you will not be stalling your weight loss efforts.

While metabolism doesn't stop, it does slow and does have "gears" throughout the day that can be tweaked. Also, while focusing on the idea of 72 hours of something, for example caloric deficit or caloric binging, making metabolism change may certainly hold, everyday of a similar pattern of 12-hour breaks in caloric intake can also causes the body to form habits as well.

HonkyTonks

I think it's up to the individual. But personally for me I prefer to just skip it and then have something later in the day. My favourite meal is actually dinner, so most of calories are eaten at dinner and some at lunch.

Natty0506

I eat breakfast most days because I'm hungry. Some days I'm not so I just don't eat until later in the morning. But I'm up at 5 am every day with my husband, so by the time I'm done with my workout (which I just finished now at almost 6:30 am), I'm starving.

HonkyTonks

Eating at 5, 6, 7 or 8 AM doesn't jump start anyone's metabolism. Metabolism doesn't stop. And, if you choose to wait until noon for your first meal, assuming your last meal was 6, 7, 8 or 9 PM the previous evening, then your body isn't going to slow down in that period of time. It's more like a 72 hour period before metabolism starts to slow.

If you don't enjoy eating early in the morning, then there is no metabolic advantage to forcing yourself and you will not be stalling your weight loss efforts.

While metabolism doesn't stop, it does slow and does have "gears" throughout the day that can be tweaked. Also, while focusing on the idea of 72 hours of something, for example caloric deficit or caloric binging, making metabolism change may certainly hold, everyday of a similar pattern of 12-hour breaks in caloric intake can also causes the body to form habits as well.

I was under the impression metabolism actually increased after a period of fasting. eg. that you burn more fat say 12-24 hours after not eating and then it starts to decline after the 36+ hours after you stop eating

SueGeer

I think you'll find mymost health experts will tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Personally, I can eat all day every day (that's the problem)

Same here! I eating!

sunkisses

I'm usually not hungry in the morning. When I am, I have breakfast. It is not the most important meal of the day. It is not going to affect your metabolism if you either have it or not. These are myths, as stated above. If you like breakfast, eat it. If not, don't.

ironanimal

With over 2k to eat a day, I can fit it in fine and it helps me wake up and function, so not a waste.

samntha14

I'm not hungry when I first wake up so I have breakfast about 1.5 hours later. I also eat something with about 10g of protein so I'm satisfied until lunch. It cuts down on my snacking. I still believe breakfast is the best way to jump start your blood sugar and keep your metabolism going.

slim_photographer

According to the
The National Weight Control Registry
http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm

Only 78% of successful long term losers eat breakfast everyday.
That leaves 22% of us who can successfully lose weight and not necessarily have to eat breakfast every single day or a big one anyway.

TotalTiger

I would say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but you've lost 72kg so keep doing what you're doing. It's obviously working for you.

foxbat2828

I think it's up to the individual. But personally for me I prefer to just skip it and then have something later in the day. My favourite meal is actually dinner, so most of calories are eaten at dinner and some at lunch.

I certainly sympathize with you on this idea ... dinner, for better or worse, tends to also be my focus meal and I find myself often going through the day "stealing" some calories from lunch and breakfast so "spend" them on dinner.

I also think, like you said, you have to look at things like what works for the individual. If you don't like breakfast or get nauseous eating breakfast, then while you might be losing weight, if you start your day on a bad note, it may not be worth it to your overall benefits. Nonetheless, I would certainly say, give breakfast an experimental try. I've made a game of figuring out how to eat some protein in the morning without feeling like I ate a full meal and without feeling like I've had to "force it down." Those butter toffee almonds make it feel like "cheating" in the morning because they have such a great taste to them. Like I said, in my case, I did nothing more than start adding a little something in the morning, and saw mini-plateaus break.

In the end, each person has to find what works safely for them, but I would certainly encourage experimenting with breakfast intake just to see if it changes anything for you. I started in exactly the same mindset that you did, and to some extent, still wrestle with it because I love dinner so much and really don't care for breakfast at all, but I can't argue too much with the individual results that I've seen for myself ... your mileage may vary.

elishabeish

I'm not a breakfast fan either so a friend suggested smoothies and it has worked well for me here's a recipie:


good base for smoothies is 1 cup of frozen sliced bananas (i buy them, and cut them up all at once and measure into containers), 1/2 cup of whatever other kind of fruit you like- frozen (i like blueberries or strawberries), 1/2 cup of plain yogurt,.(has alot less calories than the flavored ones), and 1 cup of milk (i use 1% but could probably even switch to fat free for this bc you wouldn't be able to taste the difference)
mix in the blender and enjoy at your own pace

Millefleur

I've never really been a breakfast eater but I keep a tin of Slimfast powder in the cupboard in case I don't feel hungry but know I'll be too busy that morning to eat when my appetite wakes up. Not the best alternative I know but I'm not much of a milk drinker either and it has a few added vitamins and stuff so maybe it's not too bad. I've just had a 'proper' breakfast at 11.40am (two small slices of plain toast and a tin of sardines in tomato sauce, about 330 cals)

Aineko

By saying you think breakfast is 'a waste of calories', it demonstrates a lack of understanding of food and why we eat it. As has been said breakfast is the most important meal of the day for several reasons.

Your body been in a state of rest all night, meaning it needs a 'kick start' to have you functioning properly.

what exactly does this last sentence mean in terms of metabolic/physiological parameters?

As a recovering eating disorder sufferer, it blows my mind to see people on here encourage others to fast. I'm sorry, but no-one will ever be able to tell me fasting in any way, shape or form is good for them.

not encouraging anyone to do anything, but I have to notice - so many people around the world are doing occasional fasts for religious purposes. I understand it might sound incredibly extreme or harsh to people who didn't grow up in such environments, but I'm coming from one such country and I really don't see it as a big deal.

and, yeah, I always have breakfast (sometimes at 10am, sometimes at 1pm ).