Can you explain the breakfast thing?

bexxgirl
bexxgirl Posts: 260 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So my husband is quite interested in my journey and the discoveries that I make in the process.

I've read often on the boards that it doesn't matter what time of day you eat, whether you eat breakfast or not, and that the "6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism going" thing is hokum.

I totally agree with all of that, from various things that I've read, but I struggled to explain it to my husband. Can anyone give me a reasonably succinct explanation for it?

Replies

  • sweetlyybroken
    sweetlyybroken Posts: 209 Member
    What scientifically and biologically decides whether you lose weight or not is simply "Are you burning (through metabolism or exercise) more calories than you are consuming?" That's it! Every debate out there is simply arguing the details and management of that.

    Yes, it's been proven that eating breakfast reduces calories eaten later in the day (usually) and increases self control (Especially around high sugar foods), but eating breakfast in and of itself doesn't help you lose weight. Same with the 6 meals, that's mainly to prevent high calorie, high sugar snacking or bingeing.

    So the conclusion is, all that matters is how many calories you eat. Period. Eat less than you burn, you lose weight.
  • bexxgirl
    bexxgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Yeah, that's kind of what I said. Because for me, eating breakfast makes me hungrier all day, and the later I leave it to eat something (normally post-gym around 10:30-11am), the more in control I feel of my day's calories, because I'm not so ravenous.

    I also feel like eating a breakfast I am neither hungry for nor interested in uses up 300-odd cals that I'd much rather eat as an afternoon snack!
  • sweetlyybroken
    sweetlyybroken Posts: 209 Member
    Good explanation then! And yeah, today I didn't eat breakfast, but had oatmeal as an afternoon snack and it kept me much more satisfied!
  • bexxgirl
    bexxgirl Posts: 260 Member
    Bump for any other thoughts?
  • mejustmichael
    mejustmichael Posts: 109 Member
    My trainer explained it to me a few weeks ago and I finally understand.

    So you wake up, eat, your body is happy and cool.
    Hour one after you eat, still cool.
    Hour 2, still cool.
    Hour 3, man I really hope he feeds me
    Hour 4, kind of getting hungry
    Hour 5, HOLY **** IM NEVER GOING TO EAT AGAIN, IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD, FAT AND EXTRA CALORIES COME HIDE IN HIS THIGHS, BUTT, AND GUT!!!

    What you want to do is prevent your body from going into a starvation mode, to do this you need to feed it every few hours to keep your metabolism working at a constant pace. It also helps if you eat fattier food in the beginning of your day, lightning up as you reach your bed time.

    Keep in mind if you are a normal person who is up 16 hours a day and sleep 8 hours a night, 3 main meals with snacks in between are important, and your snacks can be as simple as an apple, or a hand full of almonds. Also the number of meals is irrelevant as long as you eat every few hours… after all you may be awake 16 hours a day or 24… Hope this helped. Add me to take a look at my diary. I’ve only been doing this again for 2 weeks or so…
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    http://stronglifts.com/7-reasons-why-you-should-not-eat-breakfast/
    That may help.

    With that being said, if I don't eat in the morning I am pissed off til lunch.
  • niftyafterfifty
    niftyafterfifty Posts: 338 Member
    Check out intermittent fasting on mercola.com.
  • afrogirlie
    afrogirlie Posts: 2 Member
    I think you have to find what works best for you. I know i have to eat a breakfast high in protein especially on the days that i workout otherwise i want to eat anything that is placed in front of me.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
    My trainer encourages overnight fasting. Finish your meal earlier in the evening and then wait for 'breakfast' as long as you can, even if that ends up being lunch.

    Honestly, I'm not naturally hungry first thing in the morning. It actually makes me feel kind of sick to eat it if I'm not feeling in the mood for it. I much prefer saving some calories for the evening when the hunger monster strikes.

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