Do any of you experience this?

When I wake up and during the first few hours of being awake, I literally have no desire to eat. I've never liked or eaten breakfast growing up and now I think it's just engrained into me! The problem with this is that later in the day I find myself snacking here and there more often. Do you think it would just be better for me to eat something (even if it's small) when I wake up to avoid the miscellaneous snacks later?

Replies

  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    What is the difference between a meal and a snack?
  • karmac0matic
    karmac0matic Posts: 285
    It might be a good idea to try eating something small... Though, I know that sometimes when I eat a small breakfast, that sets me up for failure later because I feel like "oh I only ate something small I can eat whatever I want now mwahahaha"

    ... maybe not so much like that, but you know what I mean. Or it kickstarts my hunger.

    Really, you just have to figure out what your body needs through experimenting.
  • lovelyfacex3
    lovelyfacex3 Posts: 68 Member
    What is the difference between a meal and a snack?

    My snacks are like 100 calories. A full meal for me is 400-500 calories.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Weekdays I'm up & out of the house by 6:30 am and I don't feel like eating a major amount. So my breakfast is typically a series of morning snacks. I'll eat an ounce of cheese on the way to work, have some fruit when I get to the office. Have oatmeal, or a small breakfast sandwich or something an hour or so later. Weekends I sleep later, and typically have a larger amount of food in one sitting. Whatever works for you. Just look at the big picture daily totals.
    When I wake up and during the first few hours of being awake, I literally have no desire to eat. I've never liked or eaten breakfast growing up and now I think it's just engrained into me! The problem with this is that later in the day I find myself snacking here and there more often. Do you think it would just be better for me to eat something (even if it's small) when I wake up to avoid the miscellaneous snacks later?
  • ErinMcMom
    ErinMcMom Posts: 228 Member
    I don't eat breakfast during the week and use those calories for snacks later in the day when I am hungry. Usually I'll have a 100 calorie breakfast bar around 10:00 am and I log that as my "breakfast". There's no reason to force yourself to eat breakfast if you don't want it.
  • Mrsbeale11
    Mrsbeale11 Posts: 126 Member
    I never used to eat breakfast but have recently changed that over the past few weeks as I was getting to hungry by 11am and sometimes wouldn't be able to eat at that time.... The first few days I had to force myself now I can eat it within 30 mins of waking up xx
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    I am not a breakfast person unless I am up super early. My acid reflux and tummy problems just does not want me eating breakfast. I sip on coffee all morning. Finally by lunch I am hungry. Not eating breakfast just gives me more calories to work with for the rest of the day. Gives me that ice cream, a bigger meal or some sort of other snack.

    You don't need to eat breakfast. It is not necessary, unless you have a problem with over eating the rest of the day. If you have no problems, I say who cares if you eat breakfast or not?! Just add those calories to other meals or have a few snacks all within your goal.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I\m not much of a breakfast person. I just prefer to eat more later, so I do. It suits me. There are people who find that if they don't eat breakfast, they have trouble controlling their intake later, and if they have breakfast, they don't have that problem. If that's happening for you, having breakfast might be a good idea. There's nothing wrong with snacking itself, as long as you're fitting it into your overall day. Experiment a bit and find what works for you.
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    Does not really matter when you eat, as long as you stay under your maintenance level you are losing weight. It also doesn't matter if you have 3 big meals or 2 meals and the rest is all from snacking. Just try and meet your macros while staying below maintenance and you will be fine.
  • JJChans
    JJChans Posts: 6
    This happened to me after 2 weeks of eating healthier... i replaced my breakfast with something i like/look-forward too like strawberry banana shake milkshake!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    What is the difference between a meal and a snack?

    My snacks are like 100 calories. A full meal for me is 400-500 calories.

    I think his point was that snacking in and of itself isn't wrong. Snacking tends to get a bad rep because most people think of junky fattening food but snacks can also be healthy things like fruit, nuts, yogurt, boiled eggs, etc. The only thing you need to worry about is eating within your calorie limits. Whether you have a 300-500 calorie breakfast of 3-5 100 calore snacks in the afternoon. It all works out to the same # of calories.
  • becs3578
    becs3578 Posts: 836 Member
    I wasnt always a breakfast person... I would just grab a diet coke and go.... Now I workout atleast 4 days a week in the eearly am and after I am starving. So it got me int he habit.

    I need between 250 and 350 for breakfast every day. I keep the breakfast pretty much the same. Just add more of some things if I am extra hungry.
  • lee91356
    lee91356 Posts: 330 Member
    I eat my breakfast at work. I pack it along with my lunch and log it all and that way I am free to eat it when I feel like it. I usually have 2 cups of coffee before I even start to consider breakfast so I usually dont eat until almost 3 hours after I wake up. I think its about how you frame the food and your choice of when/ what you eat. On days when I am hungry, sometimes a snack like some almonds or protein bar fills me and I eat later, other times I eat my breakfast as soon as I get to work. I agree it doesnt matter when you eat, just what you eat.
  • rotnkat77
    rotnkat77 Posts: 28
    I cannot eat just after awaking up.

    I get up at 4:15 am, shower, then have my coffee, and then I don't usually eat until after I get to work at 8 am.

    Also I find that If I eat every 2-3 hours after my breakfast this will usually keep me from snacking on things I didn't plan for.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    As long as you understand that a calorie deficiency, not meal timing, is the basis for weight loss, eat as you please. If weight loss is your goal then spread your calories out a little better throughout the day.
  • turtlebeth
    turtlebeth Posts: 57 Member
    I used to skip breakfast and not eat until after noon everyday. Of course by then I was so hungry I'd eat too much and set myself up for failure on a daily basis. Once I decided that I really HAD to eat something in the morning, I got into the routine. I have the exact same thing every single morning, and that works for me. I don't have to think about what to eat or the calorie count. I just prep it, eat it and move on. I guess creating this habit was necessary for me, as it has been working tremendously. A small breakfast keeps me going until lunch, where I can eat a smaller meal and still feel full.

    Snacking is something I cannot work into my day because I find myself eating too much or the wrong things. Again, sticking to a routine seems to work for me. I eat at mealtime only. If I find I am way under my calories, I will eat something late in the evening, but only to get my calories close to goal.
  • lovelyfacex3
    lovelyfacex3 Posts: 68 Member
    I used to skip breakfast and not eat until after noon everyday. Of course by then I was so hungry I'd eat too much and set myself up for failure on a daily basis. Once I decided that I really HAD to eat something in the morning, I got into the routine. I have the exact same thing every single morning, and that works for me. I don't have to think about what to eat or the calorie count. I just prep it, eat it and move on. I guess creating this habit was necessary for me, as it has been working tremendously. A small breakfast keeps me going until lunch, where I can eat a smaller meal and still feel full.

    Snacking is something I cannot work into my day because I find myself eating too much or the wrong things. Again, sticking to a routine seems to work for me. I eat at mealtime only. If I find I am way under my calories, I will eat something late in the evening, but only to get my calories close to goal.

    Your first paragraph is what I was referring too. I don't necessarily eat a lot of crap, but I wonder if I ate a balanced breakfast if I would be more full later on in the day. I understand that a calorie deficiency is what matters but given my past with overeating, snacking to me makes me nervous.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    What is the difference between a meal and a snack?

    My snacks are like 100 calories. A full meal for me is 400-500 calories.

    So you are worried that skipping a meal will cause you to snack because you are concerned that will cause you to overeat but yet a snack is considerably less calories in your estimation than a meal would be. Hence my confusion.

    If your goal is to limit your daily calories then there is nothing wrong with having a snack instead of a meal as long as you are hitting your calorie goal. The terms "snack" and "meal" are not well defined anyways. Meal timing doesn't matter, meal size doesn't matter, just matters that you eat a given amount of calories in a day basically.