Breakfast - a waste of calories?

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  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    If I get up super early, I eat breakfast, but not until about 2 hours after I wake up. If not, I just skip it and save it for lunch and dinner.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    I never used to eat breakfast for the reason that I just wasn't hungry. I have started eating breakfast ever day now because of all the benefits I heard it has (jump starting metabolism for the day, less cravings, burn more fat) etc.

    I have found that I have had way less urges to snack during the day since starting to eat breakfast. At first I had to force myself to eat breakfast and now it's just normal for me.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    jump start my metabolism. I remember reading somewhere that your metabolism doesn't really get started for the day until you eat something and have water (something to that effect).
    That does not make any kind of sense. What does "jump start" even mean? Jump starting is what you do when your car battery is dead. If your metabolism is not working, you are dead.

    It's a figure of speech, meaning to signal to your metabolism that it’s time to start working and get out of "rest mode".
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
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    I find if I eat a big breakfast I an not usually hungry for the remainder of the day. If not I am usually so hungry I make bad choices. Plus I am a believer of breaking the fast so I try to either drink some almond milk or at least have toast with peanut butter or something small about an hour after I wake up.
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
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    jump start my metabolism. I remember reading somewhere that your metabolism doesn't really get started for the day until you eat something and have water (something to that effect).
    That does not make any kind of sense. What does "jump start" even mean? Jump starting is what you do when your car battery is dead. If your metabolism is not working, you are dead.

    It's a figure of speech, meaning to signal to your metabolism that it’s time to start working and get out of "rest mode".

    And a poor figure of speech at that, even at "rest" your cells are requiring energy to function. Your metabolism does not enter a rest state, it is always going, 24hrs a day 7 days a week.
  • student37
    student37 Posts: 29 Member
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    I may be aging myself. I work in a school system and we push that breakfast is very important. I am not a big breakfast eater either. I have med I have to take with food so I usuall have a banana or light yogurt. It is enough for me...don't get me wrong...there are several days I have to force myself to eat it.
  • Il_DaniD_lI
    Il_DaniD_lI Posts: 1,593 Member
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    jump start my metabolism. I remember reading somewhere that your metabolism doesn't really get started for the day until you eat something and have water (something to that effect).
    That does not make any kind of sense. What does "jump start" even mean? Jump starting is what you do when your car battery is dead. If your metabolism is not working, you are dead.

    It's a figure of speech, meaning to signal to your metabolism that it’s time to start working and get out of "rest mode".

    And a poor figure of speech at that, even at "rest" your cells are requiring energy to function. Your metabolism does not enter a rest state, it is always going, 24hrs a day 7 days a week.

    True, but your metabolism does slow down at night.
  • violabeatle
    violabeatle Posts: 87 Member
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    I am a CHRONIC late night snacker (one of the toughest things for me to overcome!) and this becomes 10 times worse when I do not eat breakfast. I usually have a bowl of ceeal with milk and maybe a yogurt if I am still hungry.
  • Inebriated
    Inebriated Posts: 271
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    I feel like it's a waste, I'd rather eat at lunch/dinner and around night-time. I'm not hungry in the morning and I don't see the point in eating if I'm not hungry. Plus, it makes me feel groggy and gross if I eat too early in the day and then I'm hungry constantly. If I skip it, I'm not hungry and grouchy constantly.
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    For me personally, I workout on a morning so breakfast is very important even if Im not hungry. I cant workout without something in my system, I really lag badly. BUT if you don't want to eat it, it's a personal choice and so long as your cal intake is spot on throughout the day, all well and good x

    I normally work out in the afternoon, but on the weekends I try to go first thing. Because I didn't want to upset my stomach I waited to eat until after the gym. I couldn't get through my cardio. Now I'll have a yogurt or a banana before going to the gym in the morning and then have breakfast when I get back.
  • Aineko
    Aineko Posts: 163
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    jump start my metabolism. I remember reading somewhere that your metabolism doesn't really get started for the day until you eat something and have water (something to that effect).
    That does not make any kind of sense. What does "jump start" even mean? Jump starting is what you do when your car battery is dead. If your metabolism is not working, you are dead.

    It's a figure of speech, meaning to signal to your metabolism that it’s time to start working and get out of "rest mode".

    And a poor figure of speech at that, even at "rest" your cells are requiring energy to function. Your metabolism does not enter a rest state, it is always going, 24hrs a day 7 days a week.

    True, but your metabolism does slow down at night.
    your BMR does not drop at night (as many here seem to suggest). You burn less calories at night simply because you are not active. I'm not saying fight your hunger so you can save calories for later, I'm just talking from a perspective of someone who doesn't need/like eating in the first few hours after waking up (and who has been harassed by "eat your breakfast!" a lot in recent years :smile: ). So again - how does breakfast "jump start/speed up/send 'end of rest' signals" any better than 10 jumping jacks straight out of bed?
  • KitchenCourses
    KitchenCourses Posts: 27
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    I think what tends to happen is people don't eat breakfast or eat a non-nourishing breakfast and then end up binging later in the day to make up for those calories. So instead of eating at regular times during the day, they may end up eating no breakfast, an unhealthy snack because they're too hungry to wait for lunch, then eat lunch, then another snack, then dinner... basically instead of keeping the body nourished all day long, giving it little bites of energy when it needs it - it's like the body gets confused into thinking it won't be eating that day and then feels the need to catch up. I get like this often when I skip breakfast, or really any meal. I'll find myself much more snacky, then be prone to picking unhealthy choices to get my blood sugar level again.
  • edena1987
    edena1987 Posts: 66 Member
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    I have a bowl of oatmeal (Apple Cinnamon) with low-fat milk every morning. It makes me feel more alert then when I don't have breakfast or if I have a crappy breakfast (i.e., sausage biscuit from Mickey D's).
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    jump start my metabolism. I remember reading somewhere that your metabolism doesn't really get started for the day until you eat something and have water (something to that effect).
    That does not make any kind of sense. What does "jump start" even mean? Jump starting is what you do when your car battery is dead. If your metabolism is not working, you are dead.

    I agree with this. The metabolism doesn't stop. Plus, eating breakfast doesn't necessarily kickstart your metabolism anymore than maybe a glass of cold water or a walk.
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    Agreed. When you eat in the morning you Break your Fast. This starts your metabolism up at the beginning of the day. If you don't eat breakfast it won't make you "fatter" but it definitely will be harder to lose weight. That was the first thing I started to do when I started my weight loss and it really did help. I didn't do anything differently except that and I saw great results.

    So, you ate the same food, except spread it out and included in in breakfast, and saw great results?
    Nonsense. That's Impossible. You'd still be taking in the same amount of calories, the same macros, and burning the same amounts of energy. You won't lose weight simply by spreading half your lunch over to breakfast if you never normally eat breakfast.

    I suggest you read this:
    http://www.soheeleefitness.com/2012/02/29/correlation-vs-causation/
  • splucy
    splucy Posts: 353
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    I found that I was snacking a lot through out the day when I was having a tiny breakfast / no breakfast.

    Now that I am having bigger portion breakfasts, it seems to fuel me better and I don't seem to crave sweets as much or feel so starved.

    but that's just me. Everyone is different :)
  • toomanycurves
    toomanycurves Posts: 110 Member
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    An exercise physiologist who recently tracked my metabolic rate told me to start eating breakfast to curb my night eating. She told me that I was eating so little during the day that it was expectable that I would be ravenous at night. I am rarely hungry in the morning. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I am a night owl (or, as one physician bluntly put it, I have a circadian rhythm disorder) and my body doesn't want food even though, to most observers, I am awake in the morning and moving around. For me, simplicity might be a necessary key. I can make myself a delicious dark organic chocolate smoothie (100 calories), microwave a bowl of frozen oatmeal (yep, it's out there at your local Whole Foods) to be topped with a cup of berries and a little milk--all in five minutes.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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    The reverse though, the benefits or not eating breakfast is not shown anywhere.

    Are you kidding? There are numerous studies showing the benefits of intermittent fasting. They can be found at www.leangains.com. Most of the recent studies touting the importance of breakfast were funded by cereal and orange juice companies. I stopped eating breakfast a few months ago (I do have coffee), and haven't noticed my muscles wasting away. I don't really get hungry until I've been up for 6 hours. If I do eat something when I wake up, I get hungry again within a couple hours.
  • nproulx410
    nproulx410 Posts: 1 Member
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    I never used to eat breakfast, would actually feel nausious at the thought of eating in the morning. When I got serious about health and weightloss I took the experts advice about breakfast being the most important meal to get your body working. I started by having a Special K shake every morning...something very quick and easy, didn't have to actually eat or cook anything and was still getting some nutrients first thing in the AM. I eventually started wanting breakfast most mornings and only having a shake when I was in a hurry. Now I find that I would possibly die (maybe a little dramatic?) if I didn't have breakfast within a half hour to an hour of waking up, I wake up hungry and ready to eat.
  • delraybuzz
    delraybuzz Posts: 2,779 Member
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    We can find studies to prove or disprove anything...anywhere. Most nutritionists agree that starting the day with protein, a healthy carb, 1 dairy, and 1 fat of a healthy nature will be the best way to start losing weight in a manner that benefits your health. I find a nice omelette of 1 whole egg, 2 whites, with a wholesome vegetable filling (I love spinach and my dairy is goat cheese) and perhaps these new 100 calorie whole wheat bagels, is a filling delicious breakfast, and I don't starve before lunchtime. I had a successful period of weightloss before certain physical problems distracted me from my goals, but then I'm much older than most of you, so maybe I'm entitled:laugh:
    Buzz

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