Breakfast metabolism myth?

SkyMusic

Is it really true that not eating breakfast lowers your metabolism?

HonkyTonks

No it is not true!

gooiyw

But I'd be really hungry...

muzmacol

No its just important to eat breakfast regardless, the clue is in the name.

PHLLLY

Well think about when the last time you ate dinner, to the next time you had breakfast or your next meal. Say I finished dinner at 8 didn't wake up until 8. You've been fasting for 12 hours. True you aren't burning as many calories while you sleep, but you still are at that. Why do they recommend eating small frequent meals? Your body doesn't want to starve itself any further. It wants food when you wake up so it can have enough energy to conquer the day until the next meal.

Pebble321

I've read varying reports on this - mostly they say it doesn't matter when you eat, but I'm sure I've read at least one that say that breakfast eaters lost weight faster.

In practice I think its a personal choice. I get very grumpy if I don't eat breakfast, so skipping it doesn't work well for me.

Generally I think weight loss comes down to calories in - calories out.
Eat when it works for you, fit in a bit of exercise and don't make this process harder than it needs to be by adding unneccessary rules.

HonkyTonks

No its just important to eat breakfast regardless, the clue is in the name.

You don't need to eat breakfast to lose weight. I have lost plenty without it. Eat breakfast if you WANT to or like eating breakfast, but it'll make no difference to your metabolism or weight loss - caeteris paribus.

susannamarie

Where not eating breakfast will mess with your weight loss is if you (like me) end up having trouble controlling your portions at midmorning/lunch due to being hungry.

If I eat breakfast, I can usually keep lunch under control. If I don't eat breakfast, I'm at the vending machines or the hot dog stand by ten.

If you don't have this issue, there's no real difference. If you're just not a breakfast person, you don't need to force yourself.

cramernh

Honestly speaking - each person is different, each person's current health is going to be different... Some may actually need to eat a meal in the morning (or when they wake up for their day), while others simply arent hungry yet.

For me, I like my cup of coffee to wake up with first - usually within the first 45 minutes to an hour, I finally start feeling that true hunger pang kick in.

I just cant eat right away - Id rather start my day with a cup of coffee... obviously this hasnt hurt me given my current stats so.. it works for me.

dad106

Nope def. not true.. just like eating 4-6 meals a day raises metabolism.

As long as you get all your calories in, it doesn't matter when you eat them.

rileysowner

Meal timing and frequency has nothing to do with weight loss. It does not affect metabolism at all. It would take fasting for almost 72 hours for most people to have their metabolism slow down. Eating frequently is only helpful for people psychologically if they need to eat frequently, or eat their breakfast. What is more important is what will help you personally maintain your calorie deficit. If that is 2-3 meals a day or 5-6 meals a day, the number of meals makes no difference. The sheer amount of research into this is amazing and the conclusion is that what it important is maintaining a moderate calorie deficit. Whatever helps you do that is what you should do, but the calorie deficit is what causes the weight loss, not the meal frequency or having breakfast within some magic number of minutes or hours of waking up. He is a post on meal frequency http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency

ravihira1892

To be honest, eat when you feel hungry. If your not used to eating in the morning your body is very clever in adapting to a type of routine. With me i can't survive without breakfast, i need calories in me first thing in the morning. some people survive on a cup of coffee till lunch others don't. Its upto you really, just make sure your hitting your end of day calorie intake etc.

Dieting should not be a chore but a lifestyle.

myfitnessnmhoy

It may or may not mess with your metabolism, but I find that, for me, it severely messes with my ability to lose weight.

I have a light snack before bedtime (8PM-ish), and I usually eat breakfast about 7AM. That means that breakfast (so named because it breaks your overnight fast) puts calories into my system after the longest period of not doing so. I feel hungry and unenergetic all morning if I don't eat something first thing, which gives me no interest in engaging in physical activity and I feel like crap.

Then, of course, lunchtime rolls around and if I haven't eaten in the past 18 hours, my body is now screaming for food and all rational food decisionmaking capability is now out the window and I eat more at that one sitting than I would have between a rational breakfast and lunch combined.

I don't know if "feeling tired" in the morning means I'm not burning as many calories, but for me a light breakfast, elevensies, a small lunch, and my two-o'clock snack are the key to keeping myself from getting so hungry I make poor eating choices when I eat. I'm never actually all that "hungry" when I eat, so I can enjoy and savor my food, and make better choices.

EDIT: Having said all that, as many other posters have already said - each person is different and what works for me won't necessarily work for anyone else. If you find yourself skipping breakfast to lose weight, just pay close attention to what you are choosing for lunch. You might find that a small breakfast actually benefits you by allowing you to make better choices for lunch. If you can skip breakfast and still make good decisions for lunch, then good on ya', and you need to do what works for YOU.

myfitnessnmhoy

Eat when it works for you, fit in a bit of exercise and don't make this process harder than it needs to be by adding unnecessary rules.

^^^^ This needs to be the new site motto. WELL SAID!!!!

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I don't think so but the problem with skipping breakfast is the same as when you skip lunch or dinner, that is you get too hungry to even think of good food choices & overeat. But its safe to say that we should eat at least 3x a day because our bodies are like cars wherein it needs a full tank to function at its maximum. Same with our bodies.