Skipping Meals Help

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flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First off, I want to say off the bat that I know it is very bad to skip meals, especially if you are wanting to loose weight like I am.

However, I have a CT scheduled tomorrow and I can't have anything to eat after midnight tonight. My CT is set to go off late morning / early afternoon, so by the time I get out of there even a late breakfast is going to be out of the question as it will be nearly lunch time.

Is there any way to offset the weight gain and other things that seem to accompany skipping meals (especially breakfast), in cases where you have to skip a meal?

Replies

  • featherbrained
    featherbrained Posts: 155 Member
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    Hi there!

    The only way skipping meals will trigger weight gain is if you tend to binge after skipping. I frequently skip meals, and twice a week, I skip whole days of eating. By not eating a meal, you can either increase your daily deficit, or you can make up that meal's calories in your next meal/meals.

    Some of us don't need to eat every two hours like infants. So long as you keep to a reasonable calorie goal daily, you'll succeed! :)

    Good luck!
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    Who told you that skipping meals is bad for weight loss? It isn't. Well, unless you overrate after that cos you feel super hungry after you skip a meal, and ate more cals than you should that day. But generally it's about calories you ate daily, doesn't matter if it's in one meal whenever you feel like it or ten regular meals at a set time of day.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,264 Member
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    Meal timing and frequency have no impact on weight loss. At least, according to the science.
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
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    There's this strange rumor going around on MFP that states that if you do not eat, you gain weight.

    Let's all just step back and use a little common sense here folks. :D
  • HealthyVitamins
    HealthyVitamins Posts: 432 Member
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    you don't gain weight by skipping meals, you gain weight by eating too much.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    It doesn't matter if you skip meals or not, or what time of day you eat! The ONLY thing that matters is total calories in and total calories out.
  • dcjackson50
    dcjackson50 Posts: 196
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    I agree with the previous posters. And yes MFP has a huge amount of people that swear by the three meals a day plus snacks approach. Ideally maybe but our lifestyles and schedules all differ. The calorie deficit is most important for loss. Besides I have eaten because it was time too but was not even hungry,......that just feels stupid!! Good luck
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Yup, meal timing/frequency is irrelevant unless it affects how you eat the rest of the time (binging, etc). Here are some useful reads:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol
    http://www.biolayne.com/nutrition/carbs-at-night-fat-loss-killer-or-imaginary-boogeyman/

    The first has more to do with meal frequency and the second with eating at night, but I have found both very informative.

    ETA: The article this is from is referenced in the first post (http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html), but specifically regarding breakfast:
    7. Myth: Skipping breakfast is bad and will make you fat.

    Truth

    Breakfast skipping is associated with higher body weights in the population. The explanation is similar to that of lower meal frequencies and higher body weights. Breakfast skippers have dysregulated eating habits and show a higher disregard for health. People who skip breakfast are also more likely to be dieting, thus by default they are also likely to be heavier than non-dieters. Keep in mind that most people who resort to breakfast skipping are not the type that sit around and read about nutrition. They are like most people dieting in a haphazard manner. The type to go on a 800 calorie-crash diet and then rebound, gaining all the weight (and then some) back.

    Sometimes, an argument is made for eating breakfast as we are more insulin sensitive in the morning. This is true; you are always more insulin sensitive after an overnight fast. Or rather, you are always the most insulin sensitive during the first meal of the day. Insulin sensitivity is increased after glycogen depletion. If you haven't eaten in 8-10 hours, liver glycogen is modestly depleted. This is what increases insulin sensitivity - not some magical time period during the morning hours. Same thing with weight training. Insulin sensitivity is increased as long as muscle glycogen stores aren't full. It doesn't disappear if you omit carbs after your workout.

    2kowpi.jpg
  • merylritchie2
    merylritchie2 Posts: 3
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    I totally agree. All I head lately is to eat 6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism going... I am not sure I buy into that, it may keep you r blood sugar at a more consistent level, but I also have skipped meals and sometimes feel like I am getting toward goal quicker. Any thoughts?
  • merylritchie2
    merylritchie2 Posts: 3
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    At the end of the day, a calorie is a calorie, the less the better.....
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
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    Will you look at that! Not a single pseudo-sciency, speed-up-your-metabolism, BS response! I'm so proud of you today, MFP! :drinker:
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Will you look at that! Not a single pseudo-sciency, speed-up-your-metabolism, BS response! I'm so proud of you today, MFP! :drinker:

    This!
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    Is it bad if you don't eat all day- and then try and make up calories toward the end of the day? I'm not a huge breakfast eater- frankly, it makes me sick if I eat early. For the rest of the day, I'm very busy and *poof* it's 5pm. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode, like that dreaded little message with the red lettering states when I eat less than 1200 calories, so I try and eat close to 1200- which usually includes an indulgence. Is that okay? Or is that "binging"?

    So far, that's what I've been doing and despite some weird glitch that's happened that causes my profile to show that I've only lost one pound (happened when synched my fit bit), it's been working- I've lost 7-8 pounds.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Regularly undereating isn't good for you. However undereating once in a while isn't going to do you any harm. Meal timing makes a difference in terms of helping people stick to their calorie goal (and what good meal timing is depends on the individual, you can basically say good meal timing is whatever meal timings help you best to stick to your goal) but if you're hitting your calorie goal each day, it doesn't really matter what time you eat your food.

    So don't sweat it, it's not going to do you any harm. Just don't let yourself get hungry/feel deprived enough that you end up overeating on stuff you didn't really want to overeat on. (but overeating once in a while won't do any harm either... it's what you do day in day out that makes the difference....)
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Is it bad if you don't eat all day- and then try and make up calories toward the end of the day? I'm not a huge breakfast eater- frankly, it makes me sick if I eat early. For the rest of the day, I'm very busy and *poof* it's 5pm. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode, like that dreaded little message with the red lettering states when I eat less than 1200 calories, so I try and eat close to 1200- which usually includes an indulgence. Is that okay? Or is that "binging"?

    So far, that's what I've been doing and despite some weird glitch that's happened that causes my profile to show that I've only lost one pound (happened when synched my fit bit), it's been working- I've lost 7-8 pounds.

    aim to hit your calorie goal each day, and get enough protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals fibre and water in the process. Don't worry about meal timings, just do what's sustainable for you. Little "indulgencies" so long as you stay in your calorie goal and get the nutrients you need are perfectly fine, in fact it's good, because it helps you to stick with it in the long term.

    binging = uncontrolled eating of huge amounts of food, thousands of calories. a meal of 1200 cals is not a binge, and it's only overeating if it puts you significantly over your calorie goal for the day.
  • okgal247
    okgal247 Posts: 68 Member
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    Is it bad if you don't eat all day- and then try and make up calories toward the end of the day? I'm not a huge breakfast eater- frankly, it makes me sick if I eat early. For the rest of the day, I'm very busy and *poof* it's 5pm. I don't want to put my body into starvation mode, like that dreaded little message with the red lettering states when I eat less than 1200 calories, so I try and eat close to 1200- which usually includes an indulgence. Is that okay? Or is that "binging"?

    So far, that's what I've been doing and despite some weird glitch that's happened that causes my profile to show that I've only lost one pound (happened when synched my fit bit), it's been working- I've lost 7-8 pounds.

    aim to hit your calorie goal each day, and get enough protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals fibre and water in the process. Don't worry about meal timings, just do what's sustainable for you. Little "indulgencies" so long as you stay in your calorie goal and get the nutrients you need are perfectly fine, in fact it's good, because it helps you to stick with it in the long term.

    binging = uncontrolled eating of huge amounts of food, thousands of calories. a meal of 1200 cals is not a binge, and it's only overeating if it puts you significantly over your calorie goal for the day.

    I'll take it!! :bigsmile:
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
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    As others have said, meal timing is irrelevant. I eat a small snack at around 2:30pm, then eat when I get home from work at 9:30-10pm. If I eat early in the day I tend to eat more because it actually makes me hungrier (something sciency about the timing of some peoples' insulin spikes or something like that). I don't have a scale at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I'm losing weight. I'm at least losing inches...
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
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    Is there any way to offset the weight gain and other things that seem to accompany skipping meals (especially breakfast), in cases where you have to skip a meal?

    OP. Please don't make a drama out of this. It's only a morning and its for very good reasons. Go and have a fry-up as soon as the scan is over and you'll be back on the road again.

    I hope whatever the scan is for turns out ok for you.

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