I'm ditching breakfast...
GretaGirl8
Posts: 274 Member
I have been whining about how my weight has gone up a couple of pounds and not settled back down in over a month! I've accepted it is real weight gain and not a passing fluctuation. So, what have I been doing differently? At first, I couldn't think of anything signficant. But, to be honest, there is one thing...I started to eat breakfast (though a small, nutrient packed one). I think those extra two-hundred calories and the resulting "hunger" I get mid-morning from eating it--resulted in weight gain. I know that sounds strange (why eating breakfast would make me hungrier). It does. So, I am taking breakfast off the menu.
I guess I thought since it was a small amount (and I thought I was accomodating elsewhere in my daily menu) I had it figured out. clearly, I did not. no other explanation for the weight gain other than too many calories.
I guess I thought since it was a small amount (and I thought I was accomodating elsewhere in my daily menu) I had it figured out. clearly, I did not. no other explanation for the weight gain other than too many calories.
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Replies
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okay, this is partly a shamless bump of my post. but wondering if anyone else doesn't eat breakfast and if eating breakfast makes others more hungry as well.
another thought about my weight gain. i am so stupid i didn't recognize this earlier. i have recently been ordering my tea with an inch of steamed soy milk. i drink A LOT of tea. obviously, I am not there measuring the amount of soy they are adding. i could easily be getting an extra 100-200 calories a day from topping off my tea with soy milk. such an idiot!0 -
If you are still in a calorie deficit each day - then no - eating a healthy breakfast is not causing you to put on weight. Maybe open your diary so people can take a look and see if it is something else you are doing?
You say it makes you hungry - maybe make sure you eat a lot of protein and slow release carbs in your breakfast, then a healthy snack at around 11am.0 -
I'm not a huge breakfast fan but I find I work out better when I eat. I don't like traditional breakfast foods either.
You have to do what works for you.0 -
There you go - you just found ~ 400 extra calories per day in your diet. That will definitely hinder weight loss progress, assuming that is all you are logging incorrectly then that's all you need to fix... do you log accurately with weighing solids and measuring liquids? If not, that'll help you too.
There are tons of threds on MFP that expand on the eating breakfast. Many do not. Try a search.
Good luck with meeting your goals!0 -
I don't eat breakfast on the weekends! I just get up, sip my coffee, do things around the house. I often don't eat until noon or sometimes even later. On the weekdays I do eat b-fast b/c I am getting up earlier and going to work. But I find no b-fast on the weekends helps me fit in the "treats" on the weekends. Breakfast is over rated.0
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Yes, breakfast makes some people hungrier:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/17/eating-breakfast.aspx
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/995886-eating-breakfast-is-making-me-hungrier
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/599373-if-i-eat-breakfast-i-get-hungry?hl=breakfast+hungrier
Yes, a lot of people around here skip it, for various reasons.
Yes, you the added milk in your tea could be wiping out your deficit if you're not accounting for it.0 -
Some days i do (most days) but if i'm not hungry, i dont eat, aside from some cream in my coffee. i am an early lunch guy though (11 AM). Lots of times i just have a scoop of muscle milk (150 calories) for breakfast. If i do eat breakfast, its a couple eggs, or egg beaters, or a fiber one bar and 2 servings of fruit, usually a few strawberries and an orange.0
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The only times I eat "breakfast" are school days and that's more like lunch because I've already been awake since 4:30AM.
Other than that I don't eat breakfast because it makes me hungry. I'll usually have unsweetened, plain tea or coffee with a bit of creamer in the morning but nothing beyond that because any solid food in the morning makes me starving about an hour after I eat and I find it makes me eat more throughout the day. It just depends on your body and how it functions most effectively I guess.
I don't like breakfast all that much unless I have a long trip ahead, then I eat breakfast.0 -
If you are still in a calorie deficit each day - then no - eating a healthy breakfast is not causing you to put on weight. Maybe open your diary so people can take a look and see if it is something else you are doing?
You say it makes you hungry - maybe make sure you eat a lot of protein and slow release carbs in your breakfast, then a healthy snack at around 11am.
yes, i think you have a point with the protein comment. my breakfast now is All Bran cereal (.5 cup) and I mix it with an apple sauce cup...lots of carbs. I like the bran because it is amazing high in dietary fiber...but maybe i can rework it somewhere in a different meal.
i know, my diary is closed. i truly do keep track of my eating but don't always log it into MFP. many times I keep handwritten notes of my intake and just google the calorie content if I don't know it. It would probably be beneficial to start logging religiously.0 -
I feel the same way - without breakfast I naturally get a little hungry right around noon - and I eat. If I do eat breakfast (yes, something with lots of protein like a quest bar), I find myself ravenous by the time noon rolls around and I overeat. So, I decided to stop eating breakfast and sticking with coffee until I get hungry. It works for me and then I have room for a snack in the afternoon so that I can push dinner a little later.0
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It's called intermittent fasting. I do it. A lot of people do.
Meal frequency and timing are purely preferential. Just have to find an eating schedule that allows you to stay in a calorie deficit. Makes losing weight a whole lot easier. But, no, it's not the act of eating breakfast that is making you gain weight or not lose weight, you're simply consuming too many calories in general during the day.0 -
Also, if you're not weighing solids and measuring liquids and logging daily, then you aren't even remotely accurate in your tracking.0
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I eat low carb. I just have coffee for breakfast. Then I eat a low-carb lunch around 1, then dinner. I'm not hungry in between meals, and my blood sugar stays pretty level throughout the day. So, it works well for me. I don't crash around 3 o'clock like I used to and I feel good enough to lift weights when I get home. Just experiment without breakfast for a couple weeks and see if you weight goes back down. Good luck!0
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I don't usually eat breakfast because like you, I get hungry because of it. Lately, though, I've been having some fruit to eat. It's helped me push my lunch to a little later (I usually eat around 11:00 and then am starving by dinner). There is nothing wrong with not eating until you're hungry.
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thank you, everyone, for your comments. i think i am going to drop breakfast for a week and skip asking for soy milk in my tea. i think i will just add a little milk instead (that way I have control over how much actually gets added)...and see where that takes me.0
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A high protein, low calorie breakfast helps me personally with junk food cravings. When I eat in the morning, I'm usually good until lunch time and I don't even think about junk food around mid-afternoon slump. My body is definitely trained after several months of portion control using weight watchers and mfp.
Chances are it's not that you are eating breakfast that's making you gain weight, it's what you are eating period. Look at the other things in your food like carbs, sugar and sodium. You may be making your calories, but skyrocketing in the other areas. There are a lot of things to factor in... cutting out breakfast totally is the last step I would take in trying to lose weight.0 -
I always eat breakfast (lunch, dinner, and snacks) but I find that if I don't log, my weight creeps up (like 1 pound every 3 months) from not paying attention to that extra beer or that extra snack or that extra helping that I tend to do on a daily basis. So my thoughts are for you to log your calories on days WITH breakfast and days WITHOUT breakfast and do a compare and contrast of calories, protein levels, etc. You might find that you are indeed going over calories on the days you eat breakfast.
That being said, they say it is healthier to eat breakfast rather than not, and for me, I feel like crap if I don't, but I know lots of people who don't like to eat breakfast and they are healthy. If it works better for you, than I would go with that.0 -
I have found that the time of day that I eat isn't as important as WHAT I eat. Four or five small balanced meals certainly work better than three big ones, if your goal is weight loss. Try adjusting the time you eat and fool your brain into not thinking it's time to eat. Changing times does help.0
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I stopped eating breakfast a few weeks ago because I prefer having a slightly larger lunch.0
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Also, if you're not weighing solids and measuring liquids and logging daily, then you aren't even remotely accurate in your tracking.
ugh...no, i don't weigh solids. i do measure food (with the exception of the soy milk topper to my tea). I know that isn't the same as weighing. My bran cereal says 80 calories per half cup...i measure and log that. my packet of tuna says 70 calories. I log the 70 calories--but do not weigh it. vegetables I measure and don't weigh. I measure my dressing for my salad. soup I take at face value--whatever the can states (I eat no salt added soup, btw). I log large eggs as 70 calories per egg. my popcorn states it is 100 calories per minibag...i log accordingly. Do you think these measurements need weighing? how off do you think they are? i am wondering if i can just add X amount of misc calories everyday to cover the potential descrepencies.0 -
okay, this is partly a shamless bump of my post. but wondering if anyone else doesn't eat breakfast and if eating breakfast makes others more hungry as well.
Yes. I rarely eat breakfast, and if I do I am hungrier and tend to eat more throughout the day. I wait until I get hungry and then I eat. It's often not for 6 or 7 hours after I rise.0 -
Also, if you're not weighing solids and measuring liquids and logging daily, then you aren't even remotely accurate in your tracking.
ugh...no, i don't weigh solids. i do measure food (with the exception of the soy milk topper to my tea). I know that isn't the same as weighing. My bran cereal says 80 calories per half cup...i measure and log that. my packet of tuna says 70 calories. I log the 70 calories--but do not weigh it. vegetables I measure and don't weigh. I measure my dressing for my salad. soup I take at face value--whatever the can states (I eat no salt added soup, btw). I log large eggs as 70 calories per egg. my popcorn states it is 100 calories per minibag...i log accordingly. Do you think these measurements need weighing? how off do you think they are? i am wondering if i can just add X amount of misc calories everyday to cover the potential descrepencies.
The more calorie dense an item is the more accurate you need to be with measuring how much you are eating. Things like butter, nut butter, cheeses, fattier cuts of meat should for sure be weighed as a small error in weight can lead to a substantial error in calories.You can get a food scale for pretty cheap these days, btw.0 -
okay, this is partly a shamless bump of my post. but wondering if anyone else doesn't eat breakfast and if eating breakfast makes others more hungry as well.
Yes. I rarely eat breakfast, and if I do I am hungrier and tend to eat more throughout the day. I wait until I get hungry and then I eat. It's often not for 6 or 7 hours after I rise.
The thing is...i knew this was the issue from past experience, but I was ignoring it. the extra 200 cals and being hungrier (inevitably eating more) is what likely did me in. I hope to report a successful update in two weeks.0 -
I stopped eating breakfast a couple years ago. I have my coffee in the morning and my lunch and dinner later. I have no reasons for quitting breakfast. I do like breakfast foods though. I've only noticed a change in weight while I was in a caloric deficit.0
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okay, this is partly a shamless bump of my post. but wondering if anyone else doesn't eat breakfast and if eating breakfast makes others more hungry as well.
Yes. I rarely eat breakfast, and if I do I am hungrier and tend to eat more throughout the day. I wait until I get hungry and then I eat. It's often not for 6 or 7 hours after I rise.
The thing is...i knew this was the issue from past experience, but I was ignoring it. the extra 200 cals and being hungrier (inevitably eating more) is what likely did me in. I hope to report a successful update in two weeks.
If your goal was 500 calories less per day (example only, I have know idea what your deficit is set to) just upping your calories by 200 would still allow for weight loss, just slower weight loss. It has to be more than just the breakfast...0 -
Also, if you're not weighing solids and measuring liquids and logging daily, then you aren't even remotely accurate in your tracking.
ugh...no, i don't weigh solids. i do measure food (with the exception of the soy milk topper to my tea). I know that isn't the same as weighing. My bran cereal says 80 calories per half cup...i measure and log that. my packet of tuna says 70 calories. I log the 70 calories--but do not weigh it. vegetables I measure and don't weigh. I measure my dressing for my salad. soup I take at face value--whatever the can states (I eat no salt added soup, btw). I log large eggs as 70 calories per egg. my popcorn states it is 100 calories per minibag...i log accordingly. Do you think these measurements need weighing? how off do you think they are? i am wondering if i can just add X amount of misc calories everyday to cover the potential descrepencies.
Don't forget the weight on the packaging includes the packaging.
Buy scales and weigh everything. Ok so it can be a nuisance but it is worth it, you will be surprised.0 -
Yes, having breakfast makes me hungrier. But then, as some days I don't get a chance to eat till 4/5pm, not having breakfast makes me ravenous. So, I have a milky coffee or two every morning with the full fat milk. I tend to find that I don't think about food till around 4pm after that anyway.0
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You gained weight because you were eating more than you were burning.
If you like eating breakfast, then start logging your food and make it fit into your day.
I am on an IS plan... It's called Intermittent Snacking... yes, I just made it up (well, it's new to me).
I snack on little stuff almost hourly, and try to make it so that I have about 1000 left by supper time. (I eat 2000 in a day).
This is because I love late night IS. LOVE IT. LOOOOOOOOVE IT. And if I don't have enough calories to allow me to ISAN (IS at night), then I will go over.
I often exercise so I can eat more. Yep. That's me.
TLDR: Find what works for you. And log your food. The End
eta... 2000/day PLUS exercise cals... I can easily put back over 3000 a day when my exercise supports it. 0 -
Also, if you're not weighing solids and measuring liquids and logging daily, then you aren't even remotely accurate in your tracking.
ugh...no, i don't weigh solids. i do measure food (with the exception of the soy milk topper to my tea). I know that isn't the same as weighing. My bran cereal says 80 calories per half cup...i measure and log that. my packet of tuna says 70 calories. I log the 70 calories--but do not weigh it. vegetables I measure and don't weigh. I measure my dressing for my salad. soup I take at face value--whatever the can states (I eat no salt added soup, btw). I log large eggs as 70 calories per egg. my popcorn states it is 100 calories per minibag...i log accordingly. Do you think these measurements need weighing? how off do you think they are? i am wondering if i can just add X amount of misc calories everyday to cover the potential descrepencies.
Don't forget the weight on the packaging includes the packaging.
Buy scales and weigh everything. Ok so it can be a nuisance but it is worth it, you will be surprised.
NO. Weight of food on the nutrition label does not include the weight of the packaging.
A food scale will help your weight loss. period.0 -
I have been whining about how my weight has gone up a couple of pounds and not settled back down in over a month! I've accepted it is real weight gain and not a passing fluctuation. So, what have I been doing differently? At first, I couldn't think of anything signficant. But, to be honest, there is one thing...I started to eat breakfast (though a small, nutrient packed one). I think those extra two-hundred calories and the resulting "hunger" I get mid-morning from eating it--resulted in weight gain. I know that sounds strange (why eating breakfast would make me hungrier). It does. So, I am taking breakfast off the menu.
I guess I thought since it was a small amount (and I thought I was accomodating elsewhere in my daily menu) I had it figured out. clearly, I did not. no other explanation for the weight gain other than too many calories.
I know what you mean about eating in the morning and then getting mid-morning hunger pangs. My friend calls it "opening the floodgates" when you eat/drink in the morning. THEN you're hungry.
I cannot have any carbs in the morning or it does that to me. If I eat strictly protein, or very little carbs, then I'm okay.
It takes some tweaking. You'll figure it out!0
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