Why Can't I Skip Breakfast?

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  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    Because I said so! :smile:
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    I found this article that I think helps explain starvation mode somewhat. I picked this one because it is written in plain English most should be able to understand. I will say not everyone's body reacts the same and different things can affect metabolism but that I don't think the impact is as detrimental as we sometimes believe. Basically missing a meal shouldn't ruin everything but starving yourself in general could screw your body up.

    http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501
    Uhhhhhhhhhh, citing weight watchers.........I don't think so.

    Did you read the article or my post? I picked this one not because it was weight watchers but because of the way it is written and because it was based on studies not just some one's opinion.
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    I'm guessing she was trying to help. No need to get butthurt and rude about it.

    Who are you quoting? Where is the butt hurt?

    Everyone quoting this: "Skipping breakfast makes you more tired throughout the day and slows down your metabolism. Your body goes into starvation mode because it has no idea when it's getting food next and then when you do eat it stores as much fat and sugar as possible because it's (again) not sure when it's going to get food next. If you want extra calories for dinner, try a simple workout. I walk each day for 45 minutes with my dog. That gives me 241 extra calories to use :) Cleaning your house, gardening, ect all add up."

    If butt hurt is not letting people steamroll bad info all over this thread then, sure. ...

    Do presidents use the term "butt hurt" in usual convos? Srs question.

    There's a way to correct misinformation without belittling the person and being an *kitten* about it. And if our president uses "*kitten*", I'm sure he uses "butthurt" too.

    Sorry, but some people need to be belittled (even thought she wasn't). Coming in here spouting out misinformation without fact /resources is dangerous, and not very smart. And it's pretty inconsiderate. Do research and know what you're talking about before you just come into a thread with verbal diarrhea. It can really throw someone off who doesn't know any better. Kind of like the individual who said it in the first place. She said it because someone else had verbal diarrhea.

    See a pattern?
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    Once I start eating, I am hungry the rest of the day! What works best for me is to have a snack, such as a glass of soy milk, late in the day to take the edge off my appetite. Then eat my meal within 2 hours of the snack, using up all the calories on one meal, except for the snack.
  • beckyboop712
    beckyboop712 Posts: 383 Member
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    Unless I wake up starving, I usually call it a morning with a glass of milk. If I am starving, there's toast or cereal (though that tends to make me hungrier and want lunch sooner).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I fnd it disturbing how many people think that not eating for 12hrs or longer is ok.

    I don't think it's okay, I know it's okay for me. I've done it for decades with absolutely no ill effects.

    Even a lot of people who eat breakfast don't eat for 12 hrs at a time. If you finish dinner at 7 pm and have breakfast at 7 am, then you've still not eaten for 12 hrs.

    I figure the fact that I eat dinner late is probably the main reason I'm not hungry when I wake up. I eat when I get hungry, usually around 2 pm
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    Skipping breakfast makes you more tired throughout the day and slows down your metabolism. Your body goes into starvation mode because it has no idea when it's getting food next and then when you do eat it stores as much fat and sugar as possible because it's (again) not sure when it's going to get food next. If you want extra calories for dinner, try a simple workout. I walk each day for 45 minutes with my dog. That gives me 241 extra calories to use :) Cleaning your house, gardening, ect all add up.

    It is so very, very wrong to make blanket generalizations like this. There is no starvation mode and you store fat when you eat more than you burn. That's math.

    OP, you sound like me. I've always skipped breakfast. That never made me fat. Eating too much and moving too little made me fat. Now I eat from 11 am to 9 pm each day, because I like having the biggest part of my calories at night, as well. Calories can't tell time, right?

    You may want to check out this group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting

    PS: If you walked your dog, cleaned your house and gardened and were still overweight, it's not magically exercise now, it's still part of your daily activity. Sorry, that's also one of my pet peeves.
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
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    I only eat breakfast if I am going to the gym early. People saying its a must, it may be for them.....but my entire life I have never liked to eat early in the day, it normally makes me feel sick. Some people are just different, my oldest daughter prefers 2 meals and snacks, my youngest would eat 10 mini meals daily if she could and eats at least every 3 hours except for sleeping. Both my girls are healthy and have no weight issues and I never had weight issues till the last 3 years. It may be antidotal, but saying it is harmful to not eat an early meal does not apply to everyone.

    If my plans include going to the gym early, I will wake up hours in advance just so that when I eat before hand I have already been up a few hours.
  • bowlerae
    bowlerae Posts: 555 Member
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    I've only started eating breakfast since starting my relatively new healthy living journey. Breakfast kickstarts your metabolism. It is recommended you drink a glass of water shortly after waking up followed by a meal within 2 hours of waking up. I agree that on weekends sometimes my breakfast doesn't occur until 3 pm. It is also recommended that breakfast be your largest meal, followed by lunch and then dinner. Our culture is accustomed to eating larger dinners simply because that is the meal we usually have the most time to actually prepare our food. We are always so rushed for breakfast and lunch (if we didn't prepare ahead of time) that we prefer to grab something quick like oatmeal, cereal, smoothie, granola bar, sandwiches, fast food, etc. But why have your largest meal at night (or even halfway through the day) when all that energy is just going to be used while you're sleeping? That's another reason why having a large breakfast is recommended...to fuel you throughout your day and to keep your dinner light because minimal energy is needed while sleeping. You may be fine until lunch even when you skip breakfast because you are mentally trained to tell yourself you're satisfied when in reality, your body wants breakfast to jumpstart the day.
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    I've only started eating breakfast since starting my relatively new healthy living journey. Breakfast kickstarts your metabolism. It is recommended you drink a glass of water shortly after waking up followed by a meal within 2 hours of waking up. I agree that on weekends sometimes my breakfast doesn't occur until 3 pm. It is also recommended that breakfast be your largest meal, followed by lunch and then dinner. Our culture is accustomed to eating larger dinners simply because that is the meal we usually have the most time to actually prepare our food. We are always so rushed for breakfast and lunch (if we didn't prepare ahead of time) that we prefer to grab something quick like oatmeal, cereal, smoothie, granola bar, sandwiches, fast food, etc. But why have your largest meal at night (or even halfway through the day) when all that energy is just going to be used while you're sleeping? That's another reason why having a large breakfast is recommended...to fuel you throughout your day and to keep your dinner light because minimal energy is needed while sleeping. You may be fine until lunch even when you skip breakfast because you are mentally trained to tell yourself you're satisfied when in reality, your body wants breakfast to jumpstart the day.

    For a third time NO. Breakfast doesn't jumpstart, or kick start anything, it is not necessary, there is absolutely nothing wrong with skipping breakfast.

    Rigger
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    More "food for thought":

    "Your body’s ability to process carbohydrates (which scientists call insulin sensitivity) decreases as the day goes on. That means you’ll more efficiently metabolize carbohydrates in the morning compared to later at night. And the more efficiently your body can use the food you give it, the easier it is to lose weight."

    http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/ask-diet-doctor-best-time-eat-weight-loss
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I've only started eating breakfast since starting my relatively new healthy living journey. Breakfast kickstarts your metabolism. It is recommended you drink a glass of water shortly after waking up followed by a meal within 2 hours of waking up. I agree that on weekends sometimes my breakfast doesn't occur until 3 pm. It is also recommended that breakfast be your largest meal, followed by lunch and then dinner. Our culture is accustomed to eating larger dinners simply because that is the meal we usually have the most time to actually prepare our food. We are always so rushed for breakfast and lunch (if we didn't prepare ahead of time) that we prefer to grab something quick like oatmeal, cereal, smoothie, granola bar, sandwiches, fast food, etc. But why have your largest meal at night (or even halfway through the day) when all that energy is just going to be used while you're sleeping? That's another reason why having a large breakfast is recommended...to fuel you throughout your day and to keep your dinner light because minimal energy is needed while sleeping. You may be fine until lunch even when you skip breakfast because you are mentally trained to tell yourself you're satisfied when in reality, your body wants breakfast to jumpstart the day.

    wow just wow...

    what about shift workers...my husband will be doing two night shifts this week...and eats his biggest meal anywhere between midnight and 3am...is that his breakfast? or his dinner since he wont be awake until 5pm....hmmmm

    guess I best be telling my quite lean husband he is doing it wrong.
  • YoshiZelda
    YoshiZelda Posts: 340 Member
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    Eat whenever you want. I do like to keep a meal schedule sometimes, sometimes I don't, really depends on my mood. I do however try not to eat after 11pm just to make it a little easier on my stomach. Though my eating times have sometimes been all over the place and it never really affected my progress.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I'm guessing she was trying to help. No need to get butthurt and rude about it.

    Who are you quoting? Where is the butt hurt?

    Everyone quoting this: "Skipping breakfast makes you more tired throughout the day and slows down your metabolism. Your body goes into starvation mode because it has no idea when it's getting food next and then when you do eat it stores as much fat and sugar as possible because it's (again) not sure when it's going to get food next. If you want extra calories for dinner, try a simple workout. I walk each day for 45 minutes with my dog. That gives me 241 extra calories to use :) Cleaning your house, gardening, ect all add up."

    If butt hurt is not letting people steamroll bad info all over this thread then, sure. ...

    Do presidents use the term "butt hurt" in usual convos? Srs question.

    There's a way to correct misinformation without belittling the person and being an *kitten* about it. And if our president uses "*kitten*", I'm sure he uses "butthurt" too.

    anticipating another "mean people" thread...
  • ashgirl95
    ashgirl95 Posts: 48
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    I would like to say that I never knew you didn't have to eat breakfast. I always thought, like a lot of people still do, that you needed it to "kickstart" the day. Thank you, MFP, for educating me.

    However, I personally need breakfast or I'm cranky lol.
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
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    But why have your largest meal at night (or even halfway through the day) when all that energy is just going to be used while you're sleeping?

    This is like saying don't fill up your gas tank on the way home, the gas will just disappear over night. Personally I don't care when my body uses my energy (consumed or fat) as long as it burns it.

    I may be wrong, but I also think in many cultures the midday meal is the largest and people who eat an early dinner (before 6) should qualify for that. I would have to research but not sure I have ever heard of a culture eating breakfast as the biggest meal unless the McDonalds breakfast crowd is a culture now.

    My husband is very slim, I do not think I have ever seen him eat breakfast.....but he eats 3800 calories from about 10 am/noon till midnight and is awake at 6:30am.

    If it makes someone feel better thinking their way is the only way so be it, but trying to convince others may not work. The only time I have heard it is medically beneficial to eat breakfast early is if someone has insulin issues other than that eat when you want.
  • Novus175
    Novus175 Posts: 80
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    What I said the last time this topic came up:

    If I skip breakfast, it's a disaster. I'm chasing the hungries all day long, I make poor food choices, and I just in general feel crappy. So, for me, breakfast is absolutely essential. By morning I have been fasting for 12+ hours so I need fuel to function and get through my day.

    In my opinion, not eating breakfast is like attempting a long roadtrip without stopping at the gas station to fill up the tank. And eating a huge dinner is like filling up the gas tank and then parking the car in the garage. Why put gas in the car if you're not going anywhere?

    I have no science or spiffy research articles to share. (Nor do I have any snarky gifs to post.) This is just what I've found to be true for me.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    But why have your largest meal at night (or even halfway through the day) when all that energy is just going to be used while you're sleeping? That's another reason why having a large breakfast is recommended...to fuel you throughout your day and to keep your dinner light because minimal energy is needed while sleeping. You may be fine until lunch even when you skip breakfast because you are mentally trained to tell yourself you're satisfied when in reality, your body wants breakfast to jumpstart the day.

    I sit at a desk all day, so I don't need a whole lot more energy during the day than I do at night. And if I do need energy, I have my fat stores, which I don't mind burning. My body doesn't want to jumpstart my day. It doesn't even want to get out of bed in the morning!

    I really don't care why I eat at night. Habit, cultural influence, what difference does it make. I LIKE living this way. If I eat earlier I want to eat all friggin' day long. I do NOT like that. Eating all day makes me fat and unhappy.

    It doesn't matter why, and it doesn't matter who thinks it's right or wrong. I eat the way I like because I like.

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