Why Can't I Skip Breakfast?

Thanks sseqwnp, SugaryLynx, and bcattoes for your insight and info!

And thanks to kpost323 for your comments.

Hrm. I always start to feel sluggish. I can feel myself slowing down, like a wind-up toy or something. I eat something and almost immediately my energy level goes back up.

If it's almost immediately, that's all the proof I need to say it's psychological and not physiological.

I think bcattoes' explanation of low blood glucose is a more likely answer.

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

What bcattoes said, "You eat and some of the carbs are quickly digested which raises your blood glucose."

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

What bcattoes said, "You eat and some of the carbs are quickly digested which raises your blood glucose."

So you define "almost immediately" as "about 15 minutes"

Silly me for thinking words had meanings for reasons.

Then sure.

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

What bcattoes said, "You eat and some of the carbs are quickly digested which raises your blood glucose."

So you define "almost immediately" as "about 15 minutes"

Silly me for thinking words had meanings for reasons.

Then sure.

Geez, didn't know my word choice would be such a big deal.

1im·me·di·ate·ly
adverb \i-ˈmē-dē-ət-lē also -ˈmē-dit-, British often -ˈmē-jit-\

: with no person or thing in between
: without any delay

1al·most
adverb \ˈȯl-ˌmōst, ȯl-ˈ\

: only a little less than


So, yeah, only a little less than without delay. How long exactly would vary from person to person and meal to meal.

ETA: If you feel energized sooner, then it's likely just your brain heaving a sigh of relief because it knows what is coming.

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

What bcattoes said, "You eat and some of the carbs are quickly digested which raises your blood glucose."

So you define "almost immediately" as "about 15 minutes"

Silly me for thinking words had meanings for reasons.

Then sure.

Geez, didn't know my word choice would be such a big deal.

1im·me·di·ate·ly
adverb \i-ˈmē-dē-ət-lē also -ˈmē-dit-, British often -ˈmē-jit-\

: with no person or thing in between
: without any delay

1al·most
adverb \ˈȯl-ˌmōst, ȯl-ˈ\

: only a little less than


So, yeah, only a little less than without delay. How long exactly would vary from person to person and meal to meal.

Um .. I don't know how to tell you this, but "Almost Immediately" weren't your choice of words. They were Novus' choice of words.

I disagree with you about the blood sugar, and stand by what I said, but when you start getting butthurt and defending things you didn't even say, It might be time to take a little break.

Or did we just out one of your sockpuppets?

How does the sugar get into your blood "almost immediately?"

(it doesn't)

What bcattoes said, "You eat and some of the carbs are quickly digested which raises your blood glucose."

So you define "almost immediately" as "about 15 minutes"

Silly me for thinking words had meanings for reasons.

Then sure.

Geez, didn't know my word choice would be such a big deal.

1im·me·di·ate·ly
adverb \i-ˈmē-dē-ət-lē also -ˈmē-dit-, British often -ˈmē-jit-\

: with no person or thing in between
: without any delay

1al·most
adverb \ˈȯl-ˌmōst, ȯl-ˈ\

: only a little less than


So, yeah, only a little less than without delay. How long exactly would vary from person to person and meal to meal.

Um .. I don't know how to tell you this, but "Almost Immediately" weren't your choice of words. They were Novus' choice of words.

I disagree with you about the blood sugar, and stand by what I said, but when you start getting butthurt and defending things you didn't even say, It might be time to take a little break.

Or did we just out one of your sockpuppets?

Sorry about the butthurt, I did a lot of one-legged squats earlier. I don't know what the sockpuppet comment means.

But, some sugars can be absorbed into the blood in less than 15 min. It all depends on the gut and the delivery system. Anyone who has ever eaten a piece of candy on an empty stomach knows it doesn't take long to feel that sugar rush.

Inb4 Jassibear if she hasn't posted already

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.

No, it doesn't. Starvation mode, as it is advocated on here, does not exist. Adaptive thermogenesis take place after a long period of very low intake (three or four days, at a minimum) not after one night. Your body is smarter than thinking it is starving if you sleep late. Feel free to skip breakfast (there's a large community of people who use intermittent fasting to great effect).

I skip breakfast everyday. I do have a cup of coffee though!!!! I'm not tired. I work all day and hit the gym at like 4 pm. Whatever works for you.

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.

Taking a long road trip starting with half a tank of gas doesn't stop the trip...doesn't make your car slower or make it stall out. You put gas in the vehicle when it needs it...maybe the car you are driving needs filled up...others have great gas mileage and can go 250-300 km on half a tank...but it's the drivers choice on when to put gas in that vehicle...and if they choose to do it right before they park who cares it's their gas and their vehicle.

The point is this...if you like eating within a couple hours of waking up...eat. If you don't...don't.

It doesn't matter it's a personal choice.

But there is no science to prove eating within xx# of minutes after getting up kick starts anything...it doesn't make you healthier and it doesn't impede weight loss if you choose to wait 6-8 hours after getting up...

I just went on a 600 mile road trip we didn't fill the tank until we went halfway (we started with 3/4th of a tank) and we were just fine.

In my opinion, not eating breakfast is like attempting a long roadtrip without stopping at the gas station to fill up the tank.

I just went on a 600 mile road trip we didn't fill the tank until we went halfway (we started with 3/4th of a tank) and we were just fine.

My assumption with the analogy was that the gas tank was empty at the start of the trip - ie that in the morning your "gas tank" is empty and you have no fuel. I have been corrected to understand that some people do not have an empty "gas tank" in the morning and therefore have no problems with not eating until later in the day. I, however, need fuel first thing in the morning; my "low fuel" light is always on when I wake up.

Studies show that more often than not, people are who overweight or obese are more apt to skip breakfast. I don't know if that is reason enough to HAVE it, but OTHER studies show that people who eat larger less frequent meals tend to add MORE body fat on them than those who don't: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal

Then to muddy the waters there is this: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130304-skip-breakfast-pile-on-weight

I say do what works for you. Throwing a log on the fire of your metabolism within about an hour of waking up may rev it up a little bit for a slightly higher net burn through the day, but is there concrete evidence of this association? Elisabetta Politi, RD, MPH, nutrition manager for the Duke Diet & Fitness Center at Duke University Medical School says YES.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

All in all, the WORST thing you can do is save all your calories for dinner. You go to bed and your bod has no reason to use that energy you just ate...and will simply store it as fat.

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Yes, even in a calorie deficit. Your body doesn't operate on a "24-hour diet clock" that magically resets at midnight. Enzymes and hormones are produced throughout the day in response to what you are eating or not eating, it doesn't just total everything up at midnight and reset for the next day. If you put your body in a constant "famine-then-feast" situation, it will adapt and begin to simply store the calories you ate for dinner as fat if you don't need them right away. Your body doesn't just let all those absorbed calories float around in your blood all night, insulin is produced and what you don't utilize is converted to fat and stored. She asked if it mattered, and research says it does.

But if you don't agree with me that is fine too. I look at research, I have a degree in Human Nutrition and am obtaining my Masters in Obesity Prevention and Management, but what the heck do I know? Quoting Fargo "I'm not gonna debate you Jerry...."

Yes, even in a calorie deficit. Your body doesn't operate on a "24-hour diet clock" that magically resets at midnight. Enzymes and hormones are produced throughout the day in response to what you are eating or not eating, it doesn't just total everything up at midnight and reset for the next day. If you put your body in a constant "famine-then-feast" situation, it will adapt and begin to simply store the calories you ate for dinner as fat if you don't need them right away. Your body doesn't just let all those absorbed calories float around in your blood all night, insulin is produced and what you don't utilize is converted to fat and stored. She asked if it mattered, and research says it does.

But if you don't agree with me that is fine too. I look at research, I have a degree in Human Nutrition and am obtaining my Masters in Obesity Prevention and Management, but what the heck do I know? Quoting Fargo "I'm not gonna debate you Jerry...."

I have done my own research, have read multiple current articles, and have come to the educated conclusion that meal timing and frequency have no impact on weight loss or metabolic weight. People have already posted a few links of this or you can use the search feature to find more.

If you are running a calorie deficit then weight loss will happen. Period. Unless you don't obey the laws of physics.

Also, I am not some dang car. Lord, I hate that analogy.