Skipping breakfast... and lunch
ftsolk
Posts: 202 Member
My eating habits/schedule are sporadic at best. Due to my work schedule, I don't always get lunch breaks- and if I do, they are 15 minute breaks near the end of my shift. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a rough day. I arrived at work an hour early at 9am. I spent the day rushing around shopping for customers, and I finally took a break at 7pm. I managed a swig of orange juice and a bite of a whole grain raspberry "fig newton", but that was about it. My day is so hectic that, in the past, after 2 hours I've barely managed to eat half a Larabar while rushing around.
For once, I ate breakfast that morning, but I've learned that if I eat first thing in the morning, I'm often hungry 2 hours into my shift. I am actually less hungry on days when I don't eat until after 3pm. I'm not too concerned about this- as I've heard a lot about intermittent fasting. However, I'm not always able to eat on a schedule. Some days, I do eat 3 meals. Other days, I eat 1 or 2. Some days I have a little snack during the day. Other days, there are none. There is no possible way for me to even switch my eating to a specific schedule.
I've been trying to get back on track with Weight Watchers, but I've had limited success. Simply Filling does not work very well for me because it centers around a very low fat, higher carb diet, and I definitely prefer some higher fat foods. However, counting points (or calories) presents a challenge when I can go from dividing up my 1,500 calorie/30 point allowance among 3 meals and a snack one day to eating it all in 1 meal the next. It's hard enough for me to budget my calories when I can schedule meals better.
I'm just struggling with this. I know I probably should work out more, but with work-related physical issues (my foot from standing all day), and a relatively physical/active job, I don't have much motivation to hit the gym. I've tried diet pills (20 and 30 Day Diet) and while I lost weight initially, the pills don't seem to do much for me anymore.
For once, I ate breakfast that morning, but I've learned that if I eat first thing in the morning, I'm often hungry 2 hours into my shift. I am actually less hungry on days when I don't eat until after 3pm. I'm not too concerned about this- as I've heard a lot about intermittent fasting. However, I'm not always able to eat on a schedule. Some days, I do eat 3 meals. Other days, I eat 1 or 2. Some days I have a little snack during the day. Other days, there are none. There is no possible way for me to even switch my eating to a specific schedule.
I've been trying to get back on track with Weight Watchers, but I've had limited success. Simply Filling does not work very well for me because it centers around a very low fat, higher carb diet, and I definitely prefer some higher fat foods. However, counting points (or calories) presents a challenge when I can go from dividing up my 1,500 calorie/30 point allowance among 3 meals and a snack one day to eating it all in 1 meal the next. It's hard enough for me to budget my calories when I can schedule meals better.
I'm just struggling with this. I know I probably should work out more, but with work-related physical issues (my foot from standing all day), and a relatively physical/active job, I don't have much motivation to hit the gym. I've tried diet pills (20 and 30 Day Diet) and while I lost weight initially, the pills don't seem to do much for me anymore.
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You've got to give your body the nutrition it needs, or you will cause yourself both long and short term health problems. The hectic schedule excuse really is just an excuse. 15 minutes is enough time for a nutritious meal. Intentionally plan out your meals and have them at the ready.
Many of us have jobs, sometimes more than one, and other obligations that keep our lives moving constantly at a fast pace. If you don't make the choice to take care of yourself, no one else is going to make it for you. You can be the solution to your own problem.
Good luck--please take better care of yourself!0 -
I actually gained a lot of weight when I stopped eating breakfast. I used to use my crazy work schedule as an excuse to skip meals, and it ended up having many terrible effects on my health.
Can you snack at work? I used to get hungry a couple of hours after breakfast, too, so I started keeping dried nuts nearby that I could eat in between meals. Also, if you're eating a good amount of protein and other sustainable things for breakfast, you'll probably have less mid-morning hunger.0 -
one of your main problems is your calorie goal! You have to be realistic about it. Then stick to it no matter what. I have lost 30 pounds since May and my daily calorie goal is 2,300. If you just take a realistic point of view and stick to it the weight will come off. However i do work out for at least an hour 5 days a week.0
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It's okay to skip a meal.. or two. Some people do it on purpose for weight loss. As long as you are able to get all the nutrition you need during and after dinner you will be fine.0
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agree.It's okay to skip a meal.. or two. Some people do it on purpose for weight loss. As long as you are able to get all the nutrition you need during and after dinner you will be fine.
have done this for 10 weeks now.works for some people.0 -
I think the important thing to note here is that everyone is different. While skipping meals may work for some, it does not work for all. If you are hungry, you should eat. Get some to-go snacks like nuts, seeds, fruit, some sort of protein. I know it's hard when you're working but they can't expect you to not eat! Find a way to get some nutrients in and see how your body reacts in a week or so.0
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there is nothing wrong with skipping lunch and breakfast, many people do this when cutting, it's called intermittent fasting and makes it easier sticking to a deficit because you get to have larger more satiating meals, I personally do it myself and only eat 2 meals a day between 4 and 10 pm, as long as you get your daily calories/macros in that's all that matters0
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Protein bars are king for bolting down a quick meal. And no there is nothing wrong with skipping meals, never been a morning eater myself I'd rather just have something caffeine laden on my way to class then eat after class is over around 1ish. This also means that if I want steak and eggs for dinner then I don't have to rearrange my day.0
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Meal timing is irrelevant, and exercise is awesome, but your diet will determine your weight. It's calories in vs. out for weight loss.
Youcan take a look at the group below see if intermittant fasting would work for your schedule. I do it becuase that's what fits my lifestyle the best.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting
Best of luck!0 -
I'm there as far as breakfast, I find when I eat it, I'm usually hungrier throughout the day. You should make time to grab something for lunch before 7 p.m. though. Grab a protein bar if you have to, or plan to bring something AND utilize that 15 minutes. As far as the intermittent fasting, it works for a lot of people.0
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I really cannot eat while working. If there is no time to take a break, then there isn't any time for me to stop to eat anything. I'm technically not supposed to eat while on the clock, so I have to try to sneak little bits of food from my pocket. This means that eating a Larabar can take over an hour. It's been extremely hectic lately.
I know that 15 minutes is enough time to eat- though it's still rushed. The problem is that I don't always get 15 minutes, and sometimes that 15 minutes is near the end of my shift. Why eat lunch at 5:30 when I know I'm having dinner at 7?
Skipping breakfast isn't the problem- and I know I do better if I wait to eat anyway. The problem is that there is no consistency. At my old job, lunch breaks were 12:30-1:30 or 1:30-2:30. Even if I didn't get a break, I was able to eat while the kids were napping, so I was prepared to eat lunch sometime between 12:30 and 2:30pm. Now, I don't have any kind of set schedule. If I know I get to eat lunch around 1-2pm and dinner around 7-8pm, then I can adjust, but that's not the case at all.0 -
Is that even legal? Cause at every other work place I've been in, they have to legally give you a break (of a certain amount of time) after a certain number of hours...and they couldn't say you have to work 8 hours w/o eating. That is seriously illegal.0
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It is legal. Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks, and neither does the state of New Jersey- at least not for those over 18. Now, company policy/union contract is a different matter.
I was told on Wednesday that I couldn't take a break until after the work was done. That was after 10 hours of work, and I only took a 15 minute break before clocking out. 15 minutes isn't very long, but the amount of work I can get done in 15 minutes makes a huge difference. My job has us on a time restraint. There are days when I need to shop 100 line orders (that's 100 DIFFERENT items- so, 5 cases of Poland Spring Water is one line) in under 2 hours which is a HUGE challenge- even for me (and I'm one of the fastest shoppers in the department). I can get half a 50 line order done in 15 minutes, so it's understandable that they don't want me to go on my break when it's super busy.0 -
Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?0
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I think the important thing to note here is that everyone is different. While skipping meals may work for some, it does not work for all. If you are hungry, you should eat. Get some to-go snacks like nuts, seeds, fruit, some sort of protein. I know it's hard when you're working but they can't expect you to not eat! Find a way to get some nutrients in and see how your body reacts in a week or so.
I agree with this. Calorie deficit=weight loss in most of the cases, but you have to keep in mind that you digestive system has to process this food. In my case I don't try to skip meals because my metabolism is kind of slow, you maybe different, in which case skipping meals shouldn't be an issue. Eating small snacks during the day is recommended though.0 -
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Oh, you can't eat while working, either. I didn't know all businesses weren't legally required to give you breaks. When I used to work at Wal-Mart back in the day, they MADE us take our breaks. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. If they caught you working on break, there were serious consquences.0
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Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?
Obviously not, she's using the same excuses as the last time.0 -
Figured as much. Guess we can watch it unfold like last time. I hope you brought popcorns.Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?
Obviously not, she's using the same excuses as the last time.0 -
Figured as much. Guess we can watch it unfold like last time. I hope you brought popcorns.Welcome back Honeylissabee. Anything new?
Obviously not, she's using the same excuses as the last time.
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One thing, your calorie goal could be too low. Calculate your TDEE (either with exercise if you are consistent with your routine, or without exercise so you can log and eat back most of the given calories) from some websites and subtract 10-20% from it to get an idea of how many calories you'd need to eat to potenetially lose weight (if the website already has percentage dropdowns then just choose one of those and it will give you your estimated deficit). If it's close to 1500 then that's awesome and keep up with the amount of food.
Otherwise, not sure it was mentioned, but QUALITY of the meal could be a factor. if you are really hungry in the few hours after breakfast, chances are it's either a) too small of a breakfast (e.g. are you just eating a bowl of cereal?) or b) too high in carbs (e.g. just a bowl of cereal). I find that I need to have a lot of protein, sometimes fat and fiber, to help counterbalance the carbs in my meal to keep me from being hungry. I eat the same amount for breakfast and lunch, and then on days I'm not working out or I'm on a normal schedule I will eat two other meals of equal caloric value. When I work out my back-half of calories are split up a bit more randomly since I might not get home until late or I might have a protein shake and snack around workout time.
You can take a look at my diary for breakfast, see what I mean about a good combo of protein/fat/carbs. Yesterday's breakfast left me hungrier earlier though, and there wasn't enough protein. I tend to do better with higher carb intake in the evening just because I'll be going to bed, so I won't notice any hunger.0 -
Hey I hear you about breakfast making you hungry two hours later. Total waste of food imo
If you don't have time to eat calories, have you tried drinking them? You could bring a protein shake or a smoothie and sip on it while you're working (don't tell me you can't drink anything for ten hours)
You could put it in one of those hydration backpacks hahaha0 -
You need to think, what are your goals? Do you want intermittent fasting to be the pathway to reach your goals? Or do you want to incorporate a more balanced, 3-6 meals/day routine?
Plan your journey. Be consistent. Do research, and let the magic happen!0 -
I really cannot eat while working. If there is no time to take a break, then there isn't any time for me to stop to eat anything. I'm technically not supposed to eat while on the clock, so I have to try to sneak little bits of food from my pocket. This means that eating a Larabar can take over an hour. It's been extremely hectic lately.
I know that 15 minutes is enough time to eat- though it's still rushed. The problem is that I don't always get 15 minutes, and sometimes that 15 minutes is near the end of my shift. Why eat lunch at 5:30 when I know I'm having dinner at 7?
Skipping breakfast isn't the problem- and I know I do better if I wait to eat anyway. The problem is that there is no consistency. At my old job, lunch breaks were 12:30-1:30 or 1:30-2:30. Even if I didn't get a break, I was able to eat while the kids were napping, so I was prepared to eat lunch sometime between 12:30 and 2:30pm. Now, I don't have any kind of set schedule. If I know I get to eat lunch around 1-2pm and dinner around 7-8pm, then I can adjust, but that's not the case at all.
You legally should be getting a break. Your employer is breaking the law if you are not even entitled to a 15 minute break during a full work day.0 -
I am NOT legally entitled to a break. There are no laws requiring it.
1,500 calories was just a sample number. It's not my calorie goal, and if it was, I'd certainly be able to eat a lot more based on my activity level. Honestly, I haven't been keeping track of my calories. I was trying WW Simply Filling, but that merged into eating more Paleo-friendly foods and then it all fell apart.
I've managed smoothies on occasion, but even they are a challenge to drink on especially busy days. Yesterday, I barely had a chance to drink water from my water bottle (I only did because I was literally dripping with sweat from running around/working).
Not being able to eat when working isn't really a huge deal, and I'm honestly not any hungrier after work on days I get to eat lunch than days I don't. My problem is that my eating schedule is so sporadic that I have a hard time planning my meals. I packed a lunch 2 Wednesdays ago that included a cup of 1% milk, a Panera flatbread, chocolate covered dried fruit, watermelon, a Chobani yogurt, pistachios, and grape tomatoes. It was roughly 1,000 calories and my only meal of the day.
I just don't know if I should plan on eating 3- 666 calorie meals or 2 1,000 calorie ones or 1 2,000 calorie meal from day to day. I have no problem eating 1-2 meals a day, and I prefer it, but not knowing when I'm eating or how many meals does get a bit stressful.0 -
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Try a high protein breakfast (Greek yogurt and fruit, eggs) and a snack midmorning (fruit is good). More protein in your lunch (wrap with turkey and lettuce maybe?) and another piece of fruit, etc. If you take the time to grab the food you need for the day at home and bring it with you, you can still eat on the go. BTW WHY are you not taking breaks at work? You need to take care of yourself. And oh please about the foot. Lift weights, swim, ride a recumbent bike. Invest time in taking care of yourself.0
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I've done it for years (intermittent fasting) and love it. Who ever made the rule that you have to eat 3 meals a day I would like to meet that person and ask why. I just listen to my body and if I'm hungry I eat. If it is when I wake up I eat. The one meal I do not eat is lunch. They don't serve food at the gym I go to for lunch. Oh by the way, I lost 80 pounds 7 years ago adopting this concept. And if you think this isn't healthy then I ask is being obese healthier ? Each year for my physical, my doctor says wow at my blood tests. I no longer take blood pressure pills nor statin drugs for cholesterol. She knows exactly what my eating patterns are and she gives her full approval. She even mentioned once to me why it has always been pushed for a human to eat 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and supper) and yet if you have a dog and want him to stay healthy you are only to feed him once a day. Kind of makes you think doesn't it. Do whatever works for you and enjoy yourself.0
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