Not hungry in the morning

bradp1979
bradp1979 Posts: 154 Member
edited December 28 in Food and Nutrition
I am rarely hungry withing the first 2 or 3 hours after I wake up. Should I eat anyways? I'm often hungry when I go to bed, or if I wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, but when I wake up, I'm not hungry anymore. I've seen conflicting messages regarding this. I have heard that you should always eat breakfast to kick-start your metabolism, and I've heard that you shouldn't eat if you're not hungry. Which is it in this case?

Oftentimes, when I wake up and am not hungry, I'll do a protein shake or a small serving of yogurt and granola or flaxseed, but this morning nothing sounded good except my morning coffee, now it's 3 hours later and I'm still not hungry.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Replies

  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    There's no real need to eat breakfast. Look into Intermittent Fasting. If I didn't work out at 4:45 am I would skip it entirely, but I do so I have a protein shake.
  • SME1976
    SME1976 Posts: 73 Member
    This is me too. I wake up around 6 or 6:30am and don't usually have have breakfast until 10am. I am just not hunry first thing. I am curious to see the replies.
  • obmckenzie
    obmckenzie Posts: 75 Member
    I;m not hungry right away either, but I make myself eat a bowel of cereal. I find if I don't eat it I won't eat until lunch and then I'm extremely hungry.
  • Sister_Someone
    Sister_Someone Posts: 567 Member
    If you're not hungry, don't eat. It's as simple as that.
  • Brandon130
    Brandon130 Posts: 15
    Your body needs energy to run. Breakfast is hard for me too because I don't wake up hungry either, but you need to eat something (healthy of course). What else is your body supposed to run off of if you aren't giving it the nutrients it needs to go? That's like taking your car to work knowing it has no gas, and expecting it to not run out.

    Another reason it is important to eat breakfast is because you will work off most of what you eat in the morning simply by going through your daily activities. It kind of gets you going for the day. Also, it has been proven that your body builds fat from not eating in the morning when you wake up. Mostly because your metabolism has nothing to work on, so fat builds.

    What I do is I will eat at least toast, it isn't really a whole lot, but at least it is something. And if I'm able to convince myself in the mornings to, sometimes I will even make myself a scrambled egg to go with the toast.

    There is actually a name for reason that you wake up not hungry, I cannot think of what it is called though at the moment though. Essentially you are skipping a meal, and while you are not supposed to eat when you aren't hungry, the body does go through phases of opposites. For instance when you are hungry and your stomach hurts, and you get the feeling that you don't want to eat, but your body is really telling you that it needs food. So is the case with our morning dilemmas.

    You should not eat when you aren't hungry, this is true. But that doesn't mean that you should skip out on essential nutrients and calories that your body needs to run off of for the day. Sometimes you have to force yourself to eat so that you do not deprive yourself from essential things your body needs.
  • mfkn_Titanium
    mfkn_Titanium Posts: 131
    ^^Incorrect.

    You don't need breakfast. Don't eat if you aren't hungry. This is a very helpful link that debunks a lot of the broscience (especially that which is perpetuated by ignorance on this site: http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html
  • SkinnyChemicals
    SkinnyChemicals Posts: 86
    No, there's simply no need to eat breakfast unless you have a medical condition that requires it.
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    Not only do you not need breakfast.. its awesome of you already dont like eating in the morning.

    this means that instead of spreading out your calories with 3 meals.. you can eat more at lunch and dinner for the same daily calories.

    Look into Intermittent Fasting... in some ways ways its just a fancy way of saying, skipping breakfast. lol
  • SkinnyChemicals
    SkinnyChemicals Posts: 86
    Your body needs energy to run. Breakfast is hard for me too because I don't wake up hungry either, but you need to eat something (healthy of course). What else is your body supposed to run off of if you aren't giving it the nutrients it needs to go? That's like taking your car to work knowing it has no gas, and expecting it to not run out.

    Your body has glycogen stores in the liver it can run off in the morning.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    If you aren't hungry don't eat. You don't NEED to eat first thing in the morning... it doesn't start your metabolism or any of the other myths.

    As long as not eating breakfast doesn't make you overeat later in the day you are fine.

    Regularly I don't eat until 10am if not later some days.
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    Your body needs energy to run. Breakfast is hard for me too because I don't wake up hungry either, but you need to eat something (healthy of course). What else is your body supposed to run off of if you aren't giving it the nutrients it needs to go? That's like taking your car to work knowing it has no gas, and expecting it to not run out.

    Your body has glycogen stores in the liver it can run off in the morning.

    exactly
    a more accurate analogy would be:
    everyone gets in their car every morning with their gas tank 80% full, then drive to the gas station to fill (or in some cases overfill) the tank because the morning fill-up is the most important fill-up of the day.
    Skip the morning fill-up until the tank is lower, or until its more convenient to you. In the mean time, you'll just burn off your 'saved' fuel.
  • cynthiajschoch
    cynthiajschoch Posts: 4
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    You need to eat something every four hours while you are awake or else your body will think it is starving and will start burning simple sugars and storing the complex carbs and proteins that you're eating because it slips into survival mode. If you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up to gain weight throughout that day.

    The less often you eat, the more your metabolism slows down. The same thing happens if you are not eating enough calories. Obviously this is unhealthy, but even aside from that, it will make your weight loss more difficult.

    I've read that drinking 2-3 glasses of water before bed will help you feel hungry in the mornings, as well as getting enough sleep and not eating too late at night. Also, try starting the day with a cup of hot tea or water with a slice of lemon and/or a sprinkle of ginger. It will wake your belly up and prepare it for food. And, if you're still not hungry, try a breakfast you can drink, like Kefir or a Bolthouse Farms smoothie (you can buy them in the produce area).
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    eat when you want to eat, meal timing is pretty much irrelevant.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    contrary to popular belief, breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Eat when you're hungry. Not hungry, don't eat. I know I got fat by not following that simple rule by eating when bored, stressed, etc. I also don't eat breakfast many days, or have a fresh fruit & veg smoothie I have made. And coffee of course.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    No.

    And this thread is a year and a half old.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    You need to eat something every four hours while you are awake or else your body will think it is starving and will start burning simple sugars and storing the complex carbs and proteins that you're eating because it slips into survival mode. If you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up to gain weight throughout that day.

    The less often you eat, the more your metabolism slows down. The same thing happens if you are not eating enough calories. Obviously this is unhealthy, but even aside from that, it will make your weight loss more difficult.

    I've read that drinking 2-3 glasses of water before bed will help you feel hungry in the mornings, as well as getting enough sleep and not eating too late at night. Also, try starting the day with a cup of hot tea or water with a slice of lemon and/or a sprinkle of ginger. It will wake your belly up and prepare it for food. And, if you're still not hungry, try a breakfast you can drink, like Kefir or a Bolthouse Farms smoothie (you can buy them in the produce area).
    I really hope this is sarcasm??
    :grumble:
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    You need to eat something every four hours while you are awake or else your body will think it is starving and will start burning simple sugars and storing the complex carbs and proteins that you're eating because it slips into survival mode. If you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up to gain weight throughout that day.

    The less often you eat, the more your metabolism slows down. The same thing happens if you are not eating enough calories. Obviously this is unhealthy, but even aside from that, it will make your weight loss more difficult.


    I've read that drinking 2-3 glasses of water before bed will help you feel hungry in the mornings, as well as getting enough sleep and not eating too late at night. Also, try starting the day with a cup of hot tea or water with a slice of lemon and/or a sprinkle of ginger. It will wake your belly up and prepare it for food. And, if you're still not hungry, try a breakfast you can drink, like Kefir or a Bolthouse Farms smoothie (you can buy them in the produce area).

    False, false, false. The only things that will up your metabolism (and only slightly) is exercise and carrying more muscle. If you could slow your metabolism simply by not eating breakfast, I would not have needed radioactive iodine treatment to stop my hyperthyroidism. I would have just skipped breakfast and would have been good, right?! :noway:

    Eat when you want. I wake up every morning about 4AM and hit the bricks to run or cycle by 4:30. I rarely eat breakfast until at least 9. Until then, I'm running on coffee...:drinker:
  • jess135177
    jess135177 Posts: 186 Member
    If you're not hungry don't eat breakfast. On the plus side... you can have more calories for lunch or dinner!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    You need to eat something every four hours while you are awake or else your body will think it is starving and will start burning simple sugars and storing the complex carbs and proteins that you're eating because it slips into survival mode. If you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up to gain weight throughout that day.

    The less often you eat, the more your metabolism slows down. The same thing happens if you are not eating enough calories. Obviously this is unhealthy, but even aside from that, it will make your weight loss more difficult.

    I've read that drinking 2-3 glasses of water before bed will help you feel hungry in the mornings, as well as getting enough sleep and not eating too late at night. Also, try starting the day with a cup of hot tea or water with a slice of lemon and/or a sprinkle of ginger. It will wake your belly up and prepare it for food. And, if you're still not hungry, try a breakfast you can drink, like Kefir or a Bolthouse Farms smoothie (you can buy them in the produce area).

    wtf-am-i-reading.jpg

    nope. just....wrong.


    im not a morning eater (food), so i typically have my oatmeal around 10, lunch around 130, then i have a gloriously big dinner after the gym at 1015ish.
    not hungry? dont eat. forcing yourself to do so will NOT result in some magical "metabolism boost".
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    I can't believe some of the responses to this post. Aside from it being completely unhealthy to skip meals, YOU NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST, IDEALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OF WAKING UP or else your metabolism will be slow all day. If you do not "wake up" your metabolism early in the day, it will continue to go slow and your body will store more calories than it burns because it thinks you are starving.

    You need to eat something every four hours while you are awake or else your body will think it is starving and will start burning simple sugars and storing the complex carbs and proteins that you're eating because it slips into survival mode. If you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up to gain weight throughout that day.

    The less often you eat, the more your metabolism slows down. The same thing happens if you are not eating enough calories. Obviously this is unhealthy, but even aside from that, it will make your weight loss more difficult.

    I've read that drinking 2-3 glasses of water before bed will help you feel hungry in the mornings, as well as getting enough sleep and not eating too late at night. Also, try starting the day with a cup of hot tea or water with a slice of lemon and/or a sprinkle of ginger. It will wake your belly up and prepare it for food. And, if you're still not hungry, try a breakfast you can drink, like Kefir or a Bolthouse Farms smoothie (you can buy them in the produce area).

    None of this is good advice. None!

    Skipping breakfast does not flip your body into 'survival mode'.

    Most people in the world don't eat breakfast, or have just coffee, and they are doing just fine.
  • rachelgarcia442
    rachelgarcia442 Posts: 1
    Based on what is out there: if you are trying to lose weight, it does not matter when you ingest the calories as long as it is less than what is used (from BMR and exercise).

    Eating the calories at different times of the day does effect your metabolism. Ideally you want to metabolize all the calories you eat during the day so eating a big breakfast will do so. Since you didn't eat much during the day your body will kick metabolism late and then you want to eat when you wake up in the middle of the night.

    You would rather be hungry when you are active (during the day) than when you are sleeping.

    For me: I used to be a late eater and hate breakfast. When I started my weight loss I shook up my eating patterns and for 21 days ate breakfast within the first 2 hrs. Now I do not depend on coffee as much to give me energy in the mornings. Also the only way I eat breakfast is usually in a prepackaged frozen form ( I like Jimmy Deans turkey sausage bowl with egg whites). It makes it easy for me to count calories and easy to fix. I also ditched drinks (like tea and juices) for about 21 days too except my beloved coffee with nonfat milk. This led me to drink water. Now, I drink whatever but prefer water since it has no calories. What I have noticed is that I am not so hungry anymore at all at night any have my dinner 2-3 hrs before I go to bed. If I am craving something I will have a protein shake afterwards.

    Hope this helps.
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