Is breakfast absolutely necessary?

It's only necessary if you think it is. For me- my breakfast is at ~4pm (I get up between 10am-noon usually) If I eat when I first get up I'm starving for the rest of the day. It's more important how it makes you feel and how it works for your goals.

I am not a breakfast person, but I always make myself get something into my stomach. Always a cup of tea and usually a banana or protein shake made with whey protein powder, some almond milk, fruit and ice, blend it all together and you are good to go. I stick a granola bar into my purse to snack on before lunch since I usually eat my breakfast pretty early.

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!

Breakfast is really essential. Many dieticians say you should have a breakfast in an hour after u get up to make your metabolism working. While you're sleeping your stomach is empty for nearly 8-9 hours. If u don't have breakfast, you'll get pretty hungry. That makes u eat much more in lunch.That is what happens to me when skipping meals.

I never skip breakfast, if I do I'm hungry all day long and can't get on top of it.

Eating breakfast will boost your metabolism because you need to take your body out of its overnight fasting mode. You need to fuel the fire!!!

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

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.

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,

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.

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

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!