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

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DanerTee
DanerTee Posts: 263 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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!
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Replies

  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
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    That's what I do. I find that having breakfast doesn't make me want lunch or dinner any less, so I just skip it.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    Do whatever works for you. If you don't feel like you need breakfast and you'd rather have those calories at dinner, go for it. There's no "starvation mode" if you don't eat breakfast, and eating it doesn't "start your metabolism" as someone will surely be along to claim at some point in this thread. It's all about sustainability.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    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.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you have a medical need for breakfast, then you should probably eat it. If you don't, then it's entirely personal preference based on what makes you feel best.
  • MiMi_5151
    MiMi_5151 Posts: 41 Member
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    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.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    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.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    I don't eat breakfast either.
  • DanerTee
    DanerTee Posts: 263 Member
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    thanks everyone, I figured it didn't really matter if I ate breakfast or not, but you know what "they" say and yeah, I don't want to hinder my progress. Also, even if skipping breakfast were "bad" I'd think it is safe to say that a 2000 calorie night binge is somewhat worse!
  • King_Spicy
    King_Spicy Posts: 821 Member
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    I usually just eat when I can and don't even follow a diet, but Harvard seems to hate breakfast skippers. They have half a dozen pages about it and this.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCMztsypJKY
  • airigami
    airigami Posts: 14 Member
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    @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.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I eat it b/c I'm used to it. Normally, I'll wake up and after about 10 minutes my stomach is being a grouch and telling me to eat and drink something. But I tend to push it off for an hour and a half or so until I get to work. I personally find that putting a little food and some water in my belly helps me pay attention better, but that's just me. Plus, I really love breakfast foods.
  • King_Spicy
    King_Spicy Posts: 821 Member
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    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
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    King_Spicy wrote: »
    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

    Could you post some?
  • King_Spicy
    King_Spicy Posts: 821 Member
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    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
  • bunnyluv19
    bunnyluv19 Posts: 103 Member
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    Coffee,only in the morning for me :smile: I prefer to use most of those calories for my bedtime snack.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    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
    King_Spicy Posts: 821 Member
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    I would take Harvard's opinion well above my own. lol

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