I rarely eat breakfast

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michaeljdougherty1
michaeljdougherty1 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I rarely eat breakfast. I am trying to get better at it, but most days I eat nothing. I have done this my whole life. I ran cross country and track since 3rd grade all the way through college, but after college stopped, and a few years later, I am now on mfp. I am trying to lose the weight (well at least some of it) that I gained since college. How much is not eating breakfast effecting me? Will I still be able to lose weight if I keep my daily calorie intake near my goal, without breakfast?

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  • gympamela
    gympamela Posts: 188 Member
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    I find that I do better if I dont think of it as breakfast- I hate breakfast foods! Eat whatever kind of food that is on your diet- I had a turkey breast wrap this morning. I always have to wait about 30-60 mins after I wake up to eat or I get nauseous. Thats the only thing thats worked for me.
  • tanyewest
    tanyewest Posts: 113
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    Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - that's what I was always told, as I was the only one who never ate breakfast out of my friends and family. I never fancied anything in the mornings, but after almost 3 years of forcing myself now, I feel much better in the mornings and it stops me snacking during the day.

    PLUS: Breakfast kicks starts your metabolism. So if you don't eat breakfast, when you finally do eat during the day your body has to work 100 times harder to burn that energy off than if you had had breakfast in the first place.

    Hope this helped. Good luck!
  • T_R_A_V
    T_R_A_V Posts: 1,629 Member
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    Breakfast is a must....boosts metabolism for the day, and without it most people stuff themselves later....

    DO IT....eat breakfast...haha
  • kingnatalie
    kingnatalie Posts: 163
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    I had never ate breakfast until becoming addicted to mfp - it really does help, I try to eat a large breakfast, it fuels me for the day, I am not as hungry, and my body has time to burn it off. Start with your biggest meal (breakfast), and smaller meals throughout the rest of the day. My breakfast is usually close to 400 calories (on a 1200 calorie a day plan + exercise calories). You just have to see what works best for you and your body, but don't be afraid to give it a try. I am a beliver in breakfast now.
  • lt_mrcook
    lt_mrcook Posts: 389 Member
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    You REALLY need to eat something in the morning. Your body has been starved (fasted) all night long, and now that you are up and moving it needs some extra energy. If it's a time issue, try to prep something portable the night before. If it's a type of food issue, then eat whatever you'd like that's natural and healthy. If it's a "I've always done it this way issue, well that process got you here didn't it? You should try to space you calories into 3-5 smaller meals/snacks thorughout the day to keep your metabolism reved up. If you keep starving your body in the morning, and then hammering it with all your remaining calories later in the day that's not good. Your metabolism will be sluggish from early, and then you have all your calories in a short period of time which you can't use all of so guess what happens to un-needed calories? They get stored. Do some more research, but I don't think you'll find anything that would champion you not having something to eat in the morning.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    short answer to your question is probably yes, but that doesn't make it the right way to do it. Breakfast allows your body to recover from a small fast, it gives your body the fuel it needs. Clinical studies prove that the metabolism is the highest in the morning. If you don't feed your body in the morning, you are slowing down the metabolic rate (a little) prematurely.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,550 Member
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    I never ate breakfast in my life until I started seriously trying to lose weight (in a healthy way). What I've learned, and what got me eating breakfast, is that breaking the fast from the night before actually changes the hormone levels that control your metabolism. In doing so, your metabolism will operate at a slightly higher rate than if you did not eat. In addition, the carbs seem to be an energy boost to help you physically move faster. I don't have statistics to back this up, just tons of research. If it was wrong, then why would just about every weight loss expert claims eating a breakfast is a must? I'll take absolutely anything that will give me an 'edge' in this battle of the bulge, so after 45 years, I began eating breakfast. It used to nauseate me and make me sleepy, but I've come to depend on it and enjoy it.

    However, if you can lose the weight without eating it, go for it!
  • Stephomie
    Stephomie Posts: 89 Member
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    You are really hindering your weightloss by not eating breakfast. You burn up 80% of your glycogen stores while you sleep, so when you get up and start moving, you only have 20% left to fuel you until you eat. With nothing to burn for fuel, your body will start to break down lean muscle tissue for energy. You should eat something within the first 1/2 hour you are awake, some sort of lean protein source and and complex carb to get your body burning the right fuels all day. Our bodies are designed to protect us from starvation, so when you deprive it of what it needs for fuel, you store anything you eat as fat, in case you need to use it later for energy, and end up in "Starvation Mode".
  • rlinson
    rlinson Posts: 62 Member
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    I eat breakfast on the go - one container of lite yogurt (80 calories) and a slice of bread is enough to get me started in the morning. It is cheap, easy and ready to go out the door with me in seconds.
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
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    If you can't handle eating a good breakfast, then just eat something small. Like a granola bar or a yogurt. If I am in a hurry, I just grab a protein bar and go. Sometimes I eat it right away, sometimes I wait an hour. I would definitely agree that breakfast gets your metabolism going and gives you energy to start your day off right. Just eat a little something! You could even think about a smoothie or a protein shake if you don't like the idea of "eating" anything in the am. It WILL help your weight loss!
  • johnson30usa
    johnson30usa Posts: 30
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    I have found that the bigger the breakfast the more weight I lose. A 455-500 calorie well balanced breakfast. I almost cant move after, but it works wonders. 1/2 bananna, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 hard boiled egg on a sandwhich thin. I have to force myself to finish it all, but now I finally started to lose weight.
  • SturgeonGal
    SturgeonGal Posts: 88
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    I find that I do much better on days when I actually eat something in the morning even if it is just a mini bagel with a little peanut butter on it while I am on my way out hte door .. I have also tried eating a little something in the morning and around 10 or so have an apple or some kind of snack.. gets me thru til lunch time...

    Good luck
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
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    Yes- you should eat something in the morning, whether it's a typical "breakfast food" or not. I don't eat a "normal" breakfast. I eat Quaker Chocolate Crunch rice cakes with peanut butter on them because I have to eat gluten-free. I used to always have an english muffin with peanut butter, but since I can't eat bread anymore, I have the rice cake. It's more like a snack food, but it's food, it serves it's purpose and gets me through the morning. Eat whatever you like- fruit, a sandwich- whatever you like! :flowerforyou:
  • LivyJo
    LivyJo Posts: 355 Member
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    Think of your metabolism as a fire, and your food is the logs you put on the fire to get it to burn. If you wait until mid day to start up that fire, you are losing out on energy and burned calories, your body wont be as awake as if you had fed it. you should keep that fire going strong all day long!

    That being said, calories are calories. If you eat your alloted calories during the day, you should still lose weight. You body just wont be "as" charged up or motivated to give you a boost with your weight loss. Take care of your body, and it will take care of you!

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