Is breakfast absolutely necessary?

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  • sarahlfleck
    sarahlfleck Posts: 8 Member
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    YES. It is necessary. I used to diet without eating breakfast, didn't lose anything. Actually gained.

    Nope, you gained because you still ate to much during the day.
    Thanks everyone! I'm a student so im not having to leave the house extra early. atm im usually up about 10am but like @chasetwins i cant face food. i could easily go all day without eating if i dont start! (and when i was at college i used to do this cos i was embarrassed to eat in front of others because of my size but lets not go there) but i usually eat about 1/2pm. Think i would rather eat more for my lunch than use up calories on breakfast. because after having breakfast i am starving by the time 2pm comes then i feel like im just putting food in to a bottomless pit! its terrible. but thanks!!
    If skipping breakfast works for you then go ahead with your plan. I had this same problem you have. Breakfast just made me hungrier all day, plus I was eating breakfast when I wasn't hungry. For the last 2 months my first meal isn't until 1pm on IF, best decision I could have made for myself.

    Incorrect! I gained because I ate two meals and wasn't getting enough calories! It's better for your body to eat multiple smaller meals through out the day and not all of your calories at once (keeps your metabolism going). This is how my body works, I know because it's MINE. You do not. Thanks for playing though :D

    You sound like an info mercial. Eveything you said is not true. You do NOT gain weight by eating too few calories. LOL.

    I don't know what you want me to say, it happened to me.

    You don't really GAIN weight by eating too few calories, but you can stall your weight loss by eating too few calories. All that stuff about "starvation mode" is true. You just gotta' feel out your own body.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Everything I have ever read.. say's it is IMPORTANT to eat breakfast. It can help jump start your metabolism, if you eat a protein it will keep you full longer throughout the day. If you truly do not feel like eating breakfast why not opt for a home-made protein packed smoothie.. ( vanilla whey powder is great to add to smoothies and gives you the protein you need).

    Read other things. "Jump Starting Metabolism" is a bunch of nonsense.
    Not really nonsense:

    It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."

    source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

    That does NOT say it jump starts your metabolism. In fact, during the first 24-48 hours of not eating, your resting metabolism is +/- 15% higher, and metabolism does not begin to reduce until about 3 days into fasting.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292
    Resting energy expenditure in short-term starvation is increased as a result of an increase in serum norepinephrine.
    Zauner C, Schneeweiss B, Kranz A, Madl C, Ratheiser K, Kramer L, Roth E, Schneider B, Lenz K.
    Source
    Intensive Care Unit, the Department of Internal Medicine IV, Universityof Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
  • jdelot
    jdelot Posts: 397 Member
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    Everything I have ever read.. say's it is IMPORTANT to eat breakfast. It can help jump start your metabolism, if you eat a protein it will keep you full longer throughout the day. If you truly do not feel like eating breakfast why not opt for a home-made protein packed smoothie.. ( vanilla whey powder is great to add to smoothies and gives you the protein you need).

    Read other things. "Jump Starting Metabolism" is a bunch of nonsense.
    Not really nonsense:

    It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."

    source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

    That does NOT say it jump starts your metabolism. In fact, during the first 24-48 hours of not eating, your resting metabolism is +/- 15% higher, and metabolism does not begin to reduce until about 3 days into fasting.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292
    Resting energy expenditure in short-term starvation is increased as a result of an increase in serum norepinephrine.
    Zauner C, Schneeweiss B, Kranz A, Madl C, Ratheiser K, Kramer L, Roth E, Schneider B, Lenz K.
    Source
    Intensive Care Unit, the Department of Internal Medicine IV, Universityof Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

    Actually, that's exactly what it says:

    It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH,
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I just started my diet 4 days ago and on day 1 & 2 I didn't feel hungry at all but yesterday and today have been a KILLER!! and the only difference i can see is that i ate a breakfast those days. are breakfasts absolutely necessary to lose weight?

    No. It may be beneficial for some, but it's not necessary.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Everything I have ever read.. say's it is IMPORTANT to eat breakfast. It can help jump start your metabolism, if you eat a protein it will keep you full longer throughout the day. If you truly do not feel like eating breakfast why not opt for a home-made protein packed smoothie.. ( vanilla whey powder is great to add to smoothies and gives you the protein you need).

    Read other things. "Jump Starting Metabolism" is a bunch of nonsense.
    Not really nonsense:

    It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School. "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."

    source: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

    That does NOT say it jump starts your metabolism. In fact, during the first 24-48 hours of not eating, your resting metabolism is +/- 15% higher, and metabolism does not begin to reduce until about 3 days into fasting.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292
    Resting energy expenditure in short-term starvation is increased as a result of an increase in serum norepinephrine.
    Zauner C, Schneeweiss B, Kranz A, Madl C, Ratheiser K, Kramer L, Roth E, Schneider B, Lenz K.
    Source
    Intensive Care Unit, the Department of Internal Medicine IV, Universityof Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

    Actually, that's exactly what it says:

    It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, says Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH,

    No, that's the author's interpretation of what he thinks it says. What Politi says is " "When you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight."

    Which as you can see, says nothing about jump-starting metabolism. Besides, that doesn't make any sense at all. When you haven't eaten is exactly when your body produces the enzymes to metabolize fat.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    It's not necessary for losing weight, but I would highly suggest eating somehting within the first couple hours of waking up in order to get your metabolism going. If the last time you eat is like 7-8 at night and then you don't eat again unitl noon the next day, your body is going without food for over 12hrs. That is not good. In order to keep your metabolism up you need to feed your body on a regular basis several times throughout the day. Higher metabolism is what helps you lose weight.
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
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    Incorrect! I gained because I ate two meals and wasn't getting enough calories! It's better for your body to eat multiple smaller meals through out the day and not all of your calories at once (keeps your metabolism going). This is how my body works, I know because it's MINE. You do not. Thanks for playing though :D

    That's still nothing to do with breakfast, just your over all intake for the day.

    OP, if you can skip breakfast and still meet your caloric requirements/ not exceed them then go ahead. Sometimes I eat breakfast, sometimes I don't, depends how hungry I am.
  • barebon
    barebon Posts: 80 Member
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    You haven't ate for 8 hours. Your body will start eating the muscle first because it uses the most energy to run. Unless you want to look like a meth head all skin and bones I would recommend eating breakfast. Just go to bed when you get hungry. If you aren't hungry first thing in the morning you are eating too much at night time.
  • Yeller_Sensation
    Yeller_Sensation Posts: 373 Member
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    You haven't ate for 8 hours. Your body will start eating the muscle first because it uses the most energy to run. Unless you want to look like a meth head all skin and bones I would recommend eating breakfast. Just go to bed when you get hungry. If you aren't hungry first thing in the morning you are eating too much at night time.

    WHAT? :noway:
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    no. If you arent hungry, dont eat. The only time it becomes a "problem" is if skipping it makes you so ravenous that you overeat at lunch. I dont typically eat anything until 1030am.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    actually, digestion practically shuts down while we are sleeping. It starts up again when we eat. This is why eating breakfast will often make a person hungrier.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    YES. It is necessary. I used to diet without eating breakfast, didn't lose anything. Actually gained.

    Nope, you gained because you still ate to much during the day.
    Thanks everyone! I'm a student so im not having to leave the house extra early. atm im usually up about 10am but like @chasetwins i cant face food. i could easily go all day without eating if i dont start! (and when i was at college i used to do this cos i was embarrassed to eat in front of others because of my size but lets not go there) but i usually eat about 1/2pm. Think i would rather eat more for my lunch than use up calories on breakfast. because after having breakfast i am starving by the time 2pm comes then i feel like im just putting food in to a bottomless pit! its terrible. but thanks!!
    If skipping breakfast works for you then go ahead with your plan. I had this same problem you have. Breakfast just made me hungrier all day, plus I was eating breakfast when I wasn't hungry. For the last 2 months my first meal isn't until 1pm on IF, best decision I could have made for myself.

    Incorrect! I gained because I ate two meals and wasn't getting enough calories! It's better for your body to eat multiple smaller meals through out the day and not all of your calories at once (keeps your metabolism going). This is how my body works, I know because it's MINE. You do not. Thanks for playing though :D

    False. Meal timing or how often you eat has nothing to do with your metabolism. If that we the case those who do IF wouldn't have the results they do when some only eat one large meal a day. Eating smaller meals throughout the day keeping your metabolism running is a myth.

    Not eating breakfast, or lunch or whatever meal/snack during the day will not make someone gain weight. Weight gain comes from consuming too many overall calories.

    OP, if you don't have time for breakfast, can't eat early, whatever, don't worry about breakfast provided it doesn't cause you to be overly hungry and eat more later in the day.
  • mommytoaiden
    mommytoaiden Posts: 75 Member
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    Everybody is going to tell you what works for them but you have to decide what works for you.

    Personally, I like to eat breakfast and feels that it gives me a good start to my day. If I don't eat it than I tend to snack a little more.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    You haven't ate for 8 hours. Your body will start eating the muscle first because it uses the most energy to run. Unless you want to look like a meth head all skin and bones I would recommend eating breakfast. Just go to bed when you get hungry. If you aren't hungry first thing in the morning you are eating too much at night time.

    Oh please! Stop with the drama and nonsense.
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    Do you NEED to eat breakfast, no. Do you like to, that's up to you.

    I personally have never been a breakfast person during the week. This was true when I was in tip top shape and when I was fat and unhealthy. What makes you fat is calorie surplus, eating more than your body needs. Losing weight is due to a calorie deficit, eating less than your body needs. Healthy is more about the quality of your lifestyle and food (another story and debate all in its self)

    What works for me, may not work for you. Find what being healthy means to your body. It may take a while to figure it out, but stay focused and determines and you will get where you want to be.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    Nope.

    I love it though.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    You haven't ate for 8 hours. Your body will start eating the muscle first because it uses the most energy to run. Unless you want to look like a meth head all skin and bones I would recommend eating breakfast. Just go to bed when you get hungry. If you aren't hungry first thing in the morning you are eating too much at night time.

    Seriously?

    No one is going to look "like a meth head" by not eating breakfast. As long as you have proper calories over the course of a day you are fine.

    Eating when you get up is not required unless you personally prefer for whatever reason. It doesn't jump start your metabolism... it doesn't lead to weight gain... it also doesn't mean you're going to look like a meth head.
  • missymakayla
    missymakayla Posts: 309 Member
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    I think it all depends on the person...
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    Well, the first thing you're eating is breaking the night-time fast.. so technically it will be a breakfast! haha

    Timing of the meal isn't important. Just make sure you meet your daily goals. As well, you don't need typical breakfast foods as your first meal. Do what works for you!
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
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    It isnt necessary, however for me, if I don't eat breakfast, I will usually make bad snack choices until lunchtime.

    If you dont want it, dont eat it

    Actually, I just looked at your diary and you meant the opposite. You were hungry on days you skipped breakfast. In that case, eat breakfast! You dont have to eat traditional breakfast stuff, but go for something high protein that will sustain you until lunch.

    Also, the goal is to hit 1200, not go under. Eat more! Like 300cals a day more!

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