How important is breakfast?
ShaeSweetie
Posts: 156 Member
Okay..this may be a stupid question, but how important is breakfast really? I mean i think its very important because it kick starts your metabolism..but how does it help or hurt the body if your workout without eating anything? No im not anorexic..some mornings it just works out better that i wake up..go straight to the gym and then eat breakfast...Opinions? Is it negatively affecting me to not eat breakfast before i workout?
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Replies
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For me it is very important. You need to decide if it is for you.0
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If you have the energy, I don't see a problem with it… Make sure you are hydrated, though. It is easy to get dehydrated when sleeping, so water when you wake up is super important.0
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I workout MOSTLY first thing in the morning. Almost always on an empty stomach. This works fine for me. I agree with Topher though, Hydration is KEY. Ever notice how dark your pee is in the morning? Dehydration! Water does the same thing for kickstarting your metabolism if you can't seem to stomach food first thing in the morn (like me!)0
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There is a bit of evidence out there indicating breakfast is not very important and can actually be counter-productive to fat-loss. The very basis of the information seems to indicate that morning cortisol levels are elevated but it's useful in the morning for mobilizing fat. When you introduce food and elevate insulin production then it's counter-productive. You can go to the Leangains website, Dr. Berardi discusses it in his report on Intermittent Fasting and if you just do some Google searches you'll likely find more information. Basically if you can teach your body to live without breakfast it becomes better for you. It's difficult at first but once you do it, it's easy.0
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I eat breakfast every day, my wife doesn't.
In terms of "kickstarting" your metabolism it makes no difference, your metabolism chugs along 24/7. If you consume the same amount of food spread over 6 meals or 3 the TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) is the same.0 -
Not very important at all from a weight loss perspective despite all the malarky about needing to kickstart your metabolism. I generally prefer to eat an early lunch, although I've been experimenting with eating a cliff bar every morning.0
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Alright alrightt im getting it..breakfast is my favorite..i usually have a big breakfast...but some mornings i go to class and then straight to the gym without eating so i was just wondering..thankss everyone!0
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You don't have to eat breakfast before you work out (although you should drink water). In fact, many say waking up first thing in the morning and working out is a great way to burn fat (because you have nothing in your system, the theory is you'll push your body to burn fat). I'm not a scientist, but this made sense to me and I think it has helped me.
Right after exercise is also prime fat burning time. Any carbs are long gone, and you are burning fat to recuperate. The first thing you eat stops fat burning and starts your digestive system providing energy. So delaying eating is good.
Although these are good ideas for weight loss, they are not good ideas if your goal is optimal athletic performance. Eating something before you exercise should give you more readily available energy to do your workout. And eating right after will aid in faster recovery. It just depends on your goal.
Personally, I hate running with much of anything in my stomach, so will never eat anything before I run first thing in the morning. (When I did my triathlon I ate a little something first and mildly regretted it because I had an upset stomach near the end.) After I'll drink water and then take a shower and get ready for work. Last thing I do it eat something (usually light - like a protein shake and apple). This gives me about a 45 minutes between finishing my run and eating anything for fat burn, and then revs up my metabolism.
If you are not exercising first thing in the morning, definitely eat breakfast.
YMMV0 -
For me, very, because I go from fine to starving and dizzy in a matter of minutes (hypoglycemic tendencies.) For some people it's not important at all, and they aren't hungry until later in the day. Eat when you're hungry. Not when someone tells you it's "important." Calorie wise it doesn't matter when you eat.0
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There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING. Even if it's a small bowl of oatmeal, yogurt with fruit/gronola, or a breakfast smoothie. It will set your metabolism's tone for the day. No breakfast=sluggish body and metabolism.0
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There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING.
Not true. A fair amount of information is pointing to the exact opposite now. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day, breakfast gets your metabolism going, etc, are old basically turning into myths at this point.0 -
There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING.
Not true. A fair amount of information is pointing to the exact opposite now. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day, breakfast gets your metabolism going, etc, are old basically turning into myths at this point.
Wrong penguin man...
Is anyone taking muscle growth/loss into factor here?? If you're looking to get toned and gain a little muscle mass like most of us are, then you need to eat breakfast... And that's when breaking the fast comes into play. You have to take your body out of the muscle breakdown state it is in when you wake up after not eating for hours.
If you are looking to lose the right type of weight (fat) then you have to eat breakfast. Otherwise you may risk losing muscle weight as well.0 -
Dis gone bee gud0
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There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING.
Not true. A fair amount of information is pointing to the exact opposite now. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day, breakfast gets your metabolism going, etc, are old basically turning into myths at this point.
Wrong penguin man...
Is anyone taking muscle growth/loss into factor here??
Yes, and until you can show me that skipping breakfast makes a difference in NET CHANGE IN LBM then I'll continue to claim that breakfast is not a necessity.
EDIT: I'm NOT in the camp that it's arbitrarily beneficial for everyone as I believe that meal frequency, in general, should primarily be dictated by personal preference for adherence reasons.
www.leangains.comIf you're looking to get toned and gain a little muscle mass like most of us are, then you need to eat breakfast..
.And that's when breaking the fast comes into play. You have to take your body out of the muscle breakdown state it is in when you wake up after not eating for hours.
Wouldn't it stand to reason that you're not going to be catabolic and anabolic at the same time? What makes you think you're oxidizing muscle instead of fat? What makes you think that you don't have sufficient blood amino acids in circulation considering that people who skip breakfast, by default, are usually consuming larger evening meals that take longer to digest and keep blood aminos present?If you are looking to lose the right type of weight (fat) then you have to eat breakfast. Otherwise you may risk losing muscle weight as well.
Losing muscle weight will be largely determined by deficit size, protein intake totals, and training protocol (and current bodyfat% and I would imagine genetics play a role too).
Unless you're doing some sort of insanely idiotic meal frequency, like 1 meal per day, the overall impact that meal frequency will have on this is going to be somewhat small.0 -
I've never liked to eat breakfast. However, when I used to eat a carb-based diet, skipping breakfast would increase over-eating at night. I over-ate anyway, but skipping breakfast made it worse.
Now that I don't eat grain and legumes, skipping breakfast works really well. It would still depend on what I am doing and if I was doing something really strenuous in the morning or travelling, I would probably have breakfast, even if just a whey shake. Right now, I'm often intermittent fasting; eating my first meal at shortly after noon and last meal at 8 or 9 pm. However, I can ONLY do this now that I am settled in my eating plan which excludes grain and legumes.
There's no right answer; do what works for you. Just be aware if skipping breakfast makes it easier or harder to stick with your eating plan.0 -
There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING.
Not true. A fair amount of information is pointing to the exact opposite now. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day, breakfast gets your metabolism going, etc, are old basically turning into myths at this point.
Wrong penguin man...
Is anyone taking muscle growth/loss into factor here??
Yes, and until you can show me that skipping breakfast makes a difference in NET CHANGE IN LBM then I'll continue to claim that breakfast is not a necessity.
EDIT: I'm NOT in the camp that it's arbitrarily beneficial for everyone as I believe that meal frequency, in general, should primarily be dictated by personal preference for adherence reasons.
www.leangains.comIf you're looking to get toned and gain a little muscle mass like most of us are, then you need to eat breakfast..
.And that's when breaking the fast comes into play. You have to take your body out of the muscle breakdown state it is in when you wake up after not eating for hours.
Wouldn't it stand to reason that you're not going to be catabolic and anabolic at the same time? What makes you think you're oxidizing muscle instead of fat? What makes you think that you don't have sufficient blood amino acids in circulation considering that people who skip breakfast, by default, are usually consuming larger evening meals that take longer to digest and keep blood aminos present?If you are looking to lose the right type of weight (fat) then you have to eat breakfast. Otherwise you may risk losing muscle weight as well.
Losing muscle weight will be largely determined by deficit size, protein intake totals, and training protocol (and current bodyfat% and I would imagine genetics play a role too).
Unless you're doing some sort of insanely idiotic meal frequency, like 1 meal per day, the overall impact that meal frequency will have on this is going to be somewhat small.
Dis wuz gud0 -
haha well there was quite an up and down of opinions here...but i appreciate everyones opinions! thanks guys and gals!0
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There is a reason it's call breakfast... because your body has literally been fasting all night. You NEED something even if you have energy. Your body needs SOMETHING.
Not true. A fair amount of information is pointing to the exact opposite now. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day, breakfast gets your metabolism going, etc, are old basically turning into myths at this point.
Wrong penguin man...
Is anyone taking muscle growth/loss into factor here?? If you're looking to get toned and gain a little muscle mass like most of us are, then you need to eat breakfast... And that's when breaking the fast comes into play. You have to take your body out of the muscle breakdown state it is in when you wake up after not eating for hours.
If you are looking to lose the right type of weight (fat) then you have to eat breakfast. Otherwise you may risk losing muscle weight as well.
Was I just insulted by the dude from Jersey Shore?
Are you basing your statement on stuff you currently read or ten-year old assumed concepts on human physiology?
1. New article: http://www.leangains.com/2012/06/why-does-breakfast-make-me-hungry.html
2. Almost 3 successful years now: http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html
3. Supported by another well known Doctor and professional trainer http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting
4. Additional support (authors sources are linked at the bottom) http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/carb-back-loading-step-1-breakfast
Read a little and then come back and discuss. k, thx :yawn:0 -
haha well there was quite an up and down of opinions here...but i appreciate everyones opinions! thanks guys and gals!
Check my last post, those links aren't opinions.
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I'm not bothering to read the articles since I don't need convincing, and I doubt this will look as official, but here it is anyway
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1239158210 -
I would recommend a small amount of food before working so your blood sugar doesn't drop too far. It could be a small cup of yogurt which will give you carbs and protein or something like it. I don't like a big meal before I work out because I get sluggish. But you have fasted all night and need something. Most articles I've read recently advise to not work out on an empty stomach. You really don't burn that much more if any and could risk getting light headed or nauseated. Make sure you at least have some water to hydrate yourself.0
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I would recommend a small amount of food before working so your blood sugar doesn't drop too far. It could be a small cup of yogurt which will give you carbs and protein or something like it. I don't like a big meal before I work out because I get sluggish. But you have fasted all night and need something. Most articles I've read recently advise to not work out on an empty stomach. You really don't burn that much more if any and could risk getting light headed or nauseated. Make sure you at least have some water to hydrate yourself.
Are those articles based on facts or just traditional "hi I'm a trainer that paid $400 for my certificate and this is my opinion" facts?0 -
To me?? Not really important. Overall daily caloric intake is what counts, really. In fact, I've pretty much given up eating in the morning because I feel fine throughout the day without it. I usually just drink some water and I'm good to go.
Get an idea of what works for you. Workout on a empty stomach and see if you have enough energy, if not, then eat a small snack before hand.0 -
They have also done studies that show people who do eat breakfast tend to weigh less than people who don't0
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They have also done studies that show people who do eat breakfast tend to weigh less than people who don't
Wasn't that a fairly old study and they didn't mention what their normal diet habits were. If I recall, the subjects only requirement was to not eat breakfast, so they could've eaten like **** all day long and not exercised.
Just remember when talking about healthy people (no diabetes, thyroid disorders, etc), there's a difference in what works for an individual in-terms of what they can tolerate and then there's what's physiologically true. Not everybody can manage hunger-pains and there's nothing wrong with that but it doesn't discredit modern research or support older research.0 -
This topic is always so weird to me. Breakfast is as important or unimportant as you want it to be. You don't have to eat it, or you can eat it every day and it will not be detrimental to your goals. Personally, I eat breakfast, because I wake up incredibly hungry. Works for me. But if you're aren't hungry, or don't have the time, then don't force yourself to eat. For the life of me I can't figure out why the True Believers on each side keep citing study after study saying you should or you shouldn't and then saying the other side's study was faulty. Guess what? All studies are faulty. Eat if you want to eat, don't if you don't.0
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I usually don't eat breakfast right away. If I wake up really early I'll wait a couple hours before I'm hungry, but breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I wouldn't miss it 0
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For the life of me I can't figure out why the True Believers on each side keep citing study after study saying you should or you shouldn't and then saying the other side's study was faulty. Guess what? All studies are faulty. Eat if you want to eat, don't if you don't.
You are right, you can find evidence to support either side and you never know who's funding these studies right? The one thing that perked my interest is for one, what happens with the hormones makes sense. But you definitely gotta do what's in your comfort zone.0 -
Okay..this may be a stupid question, but how important is breakfast really? I mean i think its very important because it kick starts your metabolism..but how does it help or hurt the body if your workout without eating anything? No im not anorexic..some mornings it just works out better that i wake up..go straight to the gym and then eat breakfast...Opinions? Is it negatively affecting me to not eat breakfast before i workout?
I'm not anorexic either and I skip breakfast every morning. I'm perfectly vibrant and healthy without it. I've never had an eating disorder and will avoid anything that would lead to it.
Skipping breakfast and heading straight to the gym helps your body internally create HGH which helps you lose weight among many other benefits. It's described in Rusty's Vacation Body Blueprint. I tried the experiment of doing Rusty's process here and it was pretty amazing results --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/745151-i-got-a-compliment-from-rusty-moore-from-fitness-black-book0 -
For the life of me I can't figure out why the True Believers on each side keep citing study after study saying you should or you shouldn't and then saying the other side's study was faulty. Guess what? All studies are faulty. Eat if you want to eat, don't if you don't.
You are right, you can find evidence to support either side and you never know who's funding these studies right? The one thing that perked my interest is for one, what happens with the hormones makes sense. But you definitely gotta do what's in your comfort zone.
You're probably right that there is some hormonal effect doing it one way or the other. But I bet it's around 2-5% or so. That's nice and all, but probably doesn't override how much better a person would do if they were a program that they enjoyed more or fit their lifestyle better. I've seen people have amazing results eating 5-6 meals. I've seen tremendously fit people that do one version of IF or another, I've seen Paleo give results just as fast as somebody eating chicken and rice. Even if we could prove without a shadow of a doubt that one of these is better than the other, the small difference wouldn't be worth the hassle of switching to something you hate.0
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