Can we have a civilized debate on breakfast? To eat or not to eat!

There is a lot of emerging science that shows many benefits to not having breakfast. Around 6:10 in this podcast you can hear two top health and fitness professionals discussing the benefits of it: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2016/08/the-ryan-munsey-podcast/

I've been struggling to stay on my nutrition plan due to outside circumstances....but when I'm on it I can easily go from 7pm to 12:30pm with just a bit of green or oolong tea when I wake up and an optional snack of 1/4c cashews at 10ish if needed. I too have always struggled with binge eating (tied to my emotions)....I do best when I stay BUSY during the evenings. If I'm just at home sitting around the food in the cupboards start talking to me.

That all being said - every body is different and will respond to different nutrition habits differently. I can go days without carbs....some people can't. So give it a try and see if it works better for you! Just make sure overall you are covering your nutritional needs.

I stopped eating breakfast a couple weeks ago to follow a 14/10 IF. It's been great. I love being able to have a decent lunch and then have plenty of calories remaining to use for a great dinner, including a beer or glass of wine . I had stalled in my weight loss and this help get me back losing again. As others have said, when/how often you eat isn't as important as maintaining your deficit. For me, I can accomplish this by skipping breakfast. Your mileage may vary.

There's really no need to debate this... it's really different for all of us. If you're fine without eating it, don't.

@King_Spicy They probably think like that since if you eat breakfast, you can focus more and not be so sleepy. But from my experience, eating breakfast just made my stomach upset and it was hard to eat with the family who wanted breakfast. Not to mention most breakfasts have sugar on it. Unless you're eating mostly fruit and good eggs; Bacon, Pancakes with Syrup, Coffee, Cereals (if not the good kinds), etc. are usually full of sugar and are not the healthy kind anyways. That's why it's always best to let people choose if they want breakfast.

airigami wrote: »

@King_Spicy They probably think like that since if you eat breakfast, you can focus more and not be so sleepy. But from my experience, eating breakfast just made my stomach upset and it was hard to eat with the family who wanted breakfast. Not to mention most breakfasts have sugar on it. Unless you're eating mostly fruit and good eggs; Bacon, Pancakes with Syrup, Coffee, Cereals (if not the good kinds), etc. are usually full of sugar and are not the healthy kind anyways. That's why it's always best to let people choose if they want breakfast.

@airigami , no, they were all articles related to weight loss and diseases

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/breaking-the-fast

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/01/14/healthy-breakfast-can-help-you-lose-weight/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/why-should-i-eat-breakfast/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/a-healthy-breakfast-may-protect-against-heart-disease

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/skipping-breakfast-may-increase-coronary-heart-disease-risk/


These were the top results from "harvard health breakfast." I'm sure there are others out there, but this was just a quick dig

King_Spicy wrote: »

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/breaking-the-fast

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/01/14/healthy-breakfast-can-help-you-lose-weight/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/multimedia-article/why-should-i-eat-breakfast/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/a-healthy-breakfast-may-protect-against-heart-disease

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/skipping-breakfast-may-increase-coronary-heart-disease-risk/


These were the top results from "harvard health breakfast." I'm sure there are others out there, but this was just a quick dig

Okay. Those are just articles with opinions. No biggie. Was hoping for something real is all.

King_Spicy wrote: »

I would take Harvard's opinion well above my own. lol

Those aren't Harvard's opinions. They are just the publisher.

DanerTee wrote: »

So, I dunno what to think about the whole, breakfast is the most important meal of the day vs CICO, doesn't matter what or when, but matters how many calories you consume.

Reason I ask is, I have a fairly low target of 1330 cals per day, and I find that if I skip breakfast I have more calories for lunch and dinner. My trigger craving time is the evening, so if I am forced into a light dinner because of breakfast and lunch, I am much more prone to binge eating. If I skip breakfast, which is a time of day I'm legit not hungry, so I don't miss it, I can eat more in the evening and avoid having a craving AND hunger to contend with.

Am I screwing myself in some way? Is this an OK thing to do? Has anyone out there skipped breakfast and continued to lose weight just as fast as with breakfast?

Thanks!

To each his own. Some people like to eat breakfast as it keeps them full until lunch, other people I know skip it all together because their stomach's don't tolerate food that early in the morning. As long as you are hitting your calorie and nutritional needs you should be golden OP. It sounds like you've identified something that works for you to keep you from binging at night and that's awesome.

You can eat it if you want to , but you don't have to eat it.

For me, personally, I'd have to have around half my daily intake of fiber and about 1/3 of my fats and protein to make a breakfast last.

PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »

King_Spicy wrote: »

I would take Harvard's opinion well above my own. lol

"Harvard's" opinion (actually it was one of their bloggers) is that calorie counting apps like MFP aren't helpful. That pretty much did it for me. Just because a blog carries the name of a prestigious institution, that doesn't make it more valid than the opinion of any other schmo.

This. SO much this. "Calorie counting doesn't help"--- errr, no thanks.

PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »

King_Spicy wrote: »

I would take Harvard's opinion well above my own. lol

"Harvard's" opinion (actually it was one of their bloggers) is that calorie counting apps like MFP aren't helpful. That pretty much did it for me. Just because a blog carries the name of a prestigious institution, that doesn't make it more valid than the opinion of any other schmo.

Which article was this? Link?

Only thing I could find for calorie counting was them recommending it: http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/calorie-counting-made-easy

and this NYtimes article referencing a harvard study using it, stating that macros and nutrients need to be included into the calorie counting: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?_r=0

I do understand you questioning because it's been pounded in our brains that breakfast is the most important meal because it gets your metabolism going... yada yada yada.

Without knowing anything about IF, I have found that I do prefer skipping breakfast most days and those end up being the days that I'm successful and see progress. I thought maybe it was just a fluke, but then heard about IF.