Breakfast - to eat or not to eat?

jlgrebe
jlgrebe Posts: 30 Member
edited November 30 in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys,

I get up at 4 a.m. every morning and I'm at work by 6 a.m. I try to eat breakfast as soon as I get to work (usually overnight oats), but I find that I can't stay full until my 11:40 lunch time, and it seems like I tend to overeat the rest of the day.

I know you always hear that you should never skip breakfast and always eat within an hour of waking, but my wake-up time is so early that it feels like I can bend this rule, and maybe not eat my breakfast until my 8:30 morning break (I'm usually not hungry until then anyhow).

Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    For weight loss, meal timing is irrelevant. I get up at 6:30 and never used to eat breakfast before 10:30 and lost 80lbs. The only reason I eat breakfast now is that I have other reasons to have something in my stomach at that hour.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    Personal choice. It's entirely up to you. What matters is your overall calorie deficit. How you achieve that is up to you. Meal timings or how you space out your food across the day matters not one bit.

    All that stuff of "breakfast like a kind" yada yada is largely a myth.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Meal timing doesn't matter. I'd just eat at 8.30am if that's when you're hungry. If I eat too early in the morning, my day is typically shot, lol (like those days when I'm up starving at 5am).
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I don't eat until lunch. If I eat breakfast I'm starving all morning. I am less hungry when I don't eat early in the day
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I too tend to eat more throughout the day if I eat breakfast, so I rarely eat it. I wait until I'm really hungry before I eat. That is rarely before noon and often not until around 2:00 p.m.

    But you might find that you aren't as hungry if you add some protein to your breakfast.

    Just eat at whatever times work for you.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    The only way meal timing is important in weight loss is in terms of compliance to your calorie goal. If eating so early means you eat more later, try a different eating pattern. You also might want to consider the composition of your meal, personally I don't find oats keep me full. I need a meal with protein and fats to stay full. Also, when you feel hungry, drink a glass or two of water and wait for 30 minutes to see if you are still hungry.
  • tkphotogirl
    tkphotogirl Posts: 245 Member
    If I ate within an hour of waking I'd be chewing my arm off by 11am! I'm usually up at 6.30, out of the house by 7.30, and at work @8.30, which is the earliest I eat. My workplace is pretty flexible so if I want to start work early and take a short break later in the morning for food, I can.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    jyankie wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    I get up at 4 a.m. every morning and I'm at work by 6 a.m. I try to eat breakfast as soon as I get to work (usually overnight oats), but I find that I can't stay full until my 11:40 lunch time, and it seems like I tend to overeat the rest of the day.

    I know you always hear that you should never skip breakfast and always eat within an hour of waking, but my wake-up time is so early that it feels like I can bend this rule, and maybe not eat my breakfast until my 8:30 morning break (I'm usually not hungry until then anyhow).

    Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

    I also have this issue; as soon as I start eating, I get hungry every two hours. I'm up at 4:30 on mornings I go to the gym and 5:30 on days I "sleep in". I usually have a protein shake around 9-10am, and then a spoonful of peanut butter an hour later (I log those as "breakfast", but I space them out to try and prevent hunger). Works great for me.
  • jlgrebe
    jlgrebe Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks guys for all the information. I think I'll wait to start eating. And for those of you commenting/wondering, my overnight oats consist of protein powder and greek yogurt, almond milk, berries, etc. I try to make sure I get enough protein in the morning or, like some of you said, I am absolutely DYING by lunch time. lol

    thanks again! =)
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    jyankie wrote: »
    Thanks guys for all the information. I think I'll wait to start eating. And for those of you commenting/wondering, my overnight oats consist of protein powder and greek yogurt, almond milk, berries, etc. I try to make sure I get enough protein in the morning or, like some of you said, I am absolutely DYING by lunch time. lol

    thanks again! =)

    You might want to figure out a way to add some fat to that as it might help you stay fuller longer.
  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
    jyankie wrote: »
    always hear that you should never skip breakfast and always eat within an hour of waking, but my wake-up time is so early that it feels like I can bend this rule,

    it's not a rule. it doesn't really make a difference what time of day you eat or don't eat, as long as your total calorie intake is where you need it to be. to that end, you should eat at a time that works best for you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    jyankie wrote: »
    Thanks guys for all the information. I think I'll wait to start eating. And for those of you commenting/wondering, my overnight oats consist of protein powder and greek yogurt, almond milk, berries, etc. I try to make sure I get enough protein in the morning or, like some of you said, I am absolutely DYING by lunch time. lol

    thanks again! =)

    I don't know what's up with overnight oats but they don't fill me up at all! I could use the same ingredients than my cooked oats (almond milk, steel cut oats, almonds, protein powder) and even add Greek yogurt and I'd be hungry one hour earlier. It's a total mystery to me.

    But yeah... add some fat.
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