Do I really need to eat breakfast?

I don't eat breakfast and do better losing weight when I don't. Eating any less than 2 hours after I get up makes me sick when this passes I'm starving and end up eating more for the day. I do drink 2 mugs of tea though, I couldn't manage without that.;-)

I never eat breakfast. In fact my lunches are pretty small too. I really enjoy having a nice dinner with a sizable piece of meat so I basically save up my calories for that meal. I also love to have popcorn around 9pm. Just listen to your body and design you meals to suit your lifestyle.

There are lots of interesting studies on breakfast. Here are a couple recent ones:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23672851
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957

Hello, scientist here. I'm going to translate these two articles for any non-scientist out there.

FIRST LINKED STUDY: "Effect of skipping breakfast on subsequent energy intake"
This paper did two experiments where people were given one of 4 different breakfast meals and then at lunch they could eat as much as they wanted. The four breakfast types were as follows

Breakfast 1 = no breakfast
Breakfast 2 = 335kcal of high carb
Breakfast 3 = 360kcal of high fiber
Breakfast 4 = no limit, as much as you want

They asked two questions.
Question 1: If you skip breakfast, do you eat more at lunch?
Question 2: Does the kind of breakfast matter?

Answer 1: (verbatim from the article) "neither eating breakfast nor the kind of breakfast consumed had an effect on the amount consumed at lunch despite a reduction in hunger ratings."
This is saying that whether you eat breakfast or not, you won't eat more at lunch, you'll just feel less hungry if you have breakfast. ...duh.

Answer 2: (again verbatim) "intake at lunch as well as hunger ratings were significantly increased after skipping breakfast (by 144 kcal), leaving a net caloric deficit of 408 kcal by the end of the day."
This is saying that if you skip breakfast, you eat just a LITTLE more at lunch (144kcal extra lunch). But since you skipped breakfast, you "saved" about 550kcal so you end up eating 400kcal less than the people who ate breakfast.


So that study, if anything, is saying that skipping breakfast is BETTER for weight loss!!


Study 2: "High Caloric Intake at Breakfast vs. Dinner Differentially Influences Weight Loss of Overweight and Obese Women"

I don't even need to break this study down, because right off the bat, it is a study done only with overweight/obese women with metabolic disorders. That certainly doesn't say anything about the population as a whole. Also important to note is that these caloric intakes were self-reported, so a critical eye should be skeptical about the subjects' compliance to the diet and timing.

However, for those interested, the big breakfast group lost about 3x more weight than the big dinner group, according to their statistics. While that's impressive, it should be noted that the big breakfast group only lost 8kg over 12 weeks (so about 1.5lb/week) on a 1400kcal/day diet, which is pretty much what you'd expect no matter when you're eating your meals.



<b>tl;dr - official science conclusion is that that if you don't eat food, you might be hungry. derrr</b>

Good morning MarKayDee,

After revisiting your post and reading the strong opinions of others on this subject, I would highly recommend that you visit your Doctor and get their professional take on the subject. As well as the intentions may be (including my own), no one but a Dr. should be leading you and giving you advice on your diet, which could have ramifications on your health both in the long and short term. I have yet to hear of a Dr. (one with a medical degree) tell anybody to skip meals, in fact Dr. Mehmet Oz has done shows based on the subject and WebMD has plenty to say on it as well. The good thing about WebMD is that the articles are reviewed by medical professionals before publication.
1. http://www.doctoroz.com/
2. http://www.oprah.com/health/Diet-Myths-and-Facts-Doctor-Oz
3. http://blog.doctoroz.com/dr-oz-blog/why-breakfast-can-save-your-life
4. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal
5. http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20130722/skipping-breakfast-a-recipe-for-heart-disease-study-finds
6. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast
7. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090615/skip-breakfast-get-fat

“To eat or not to eat”, that is a question best answered by medical professionals not any of us! Whatever you do I wish you the best in your endeavors and the best of health.
V/r,
DW.

Just FYI, linking to anything from Oprah or Dr Oz induces facepalms across the internet. Dr. Oz cashed in his doctor credibility to shill for supplement companies and sell a TV show. Most of what he says these days is total nonsense.

Oz and Oprah said wut? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Yes! I’m sure that you have heard that it’s the most important meal of the day, that’s not far from the truth. I’m sure you’ve also heard the importance of eating more frequent but smaller meals, also great advice. You don’t necessarily have to eat a big breakfast but eat something, it kick starts the metabolism. Try something higher in protein as it makes you feel full and last longer. You will get hungry before lunch time, that is good, have a healthy snack standing by. Also, drink plenty of water that helps to keep you feeling full longer and suppresses your appetite.
Good luck!
V/r,
DW.

LOLOLOL


NO.

sometimes I wonder if people muddle up metabolism with peristalsis!! ... all I know, when I first eat... half an hour later my gut is moving....dosnt matter what time this is after I get up!!

YES. I always thought it was a lie but once I started, I lost the most weight ever. Completely sets your tone and mindset for the whole day and helps you more efficiently burn. I either eat 2 eggs or oatmeal.. but just today I discovered Quest protein bars... which taste freakin awesome. I'm gonna use them for after workouts, but GNC said people also use em for a quick breakfast. No added sugar, 20 g of protein and only 16-190 calories (depending which ones you get).

I hate breakfast, I hate eggs, and eating before noon or so has always either made me feel sick to my stomach or starving, but I know that breakfast is supposed to be good for you especially when you're losing weight, but do I really need to eat first thing or is it just another lie, like how many carbs the food pyramid says I need?

When I was a kid, if we complained at the breakfast table, my Mom always said "If we lived on a farm you'd be up at 5AM to do chores and wouldn't get your breakfast until 8AM, your so luck that you can get up at 7:30 and have breakfast at 8"

Well, I'm not on a farm... and if I get up at 9AM and don't eat until Noon it's the same difference...
(I also don't heed the no eating after 8PM rule, being that I have a shifted work schedule and I would never get to eat dinner.)