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Breakfast...most important meal of the day, or not so much?

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  • JPotamus
    JPotamus Posts: 33 Member
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    I find eating when I'm hungry works well for me.
  • mechell007
    mechell007 Posts: 97 Member
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    I haven't eaten breakfast in a year, unless you count the daily ensure. For me, it upsets my stomach. Plus I can only take my pre food pills twice a day, so I'm limited. Honestly, I couldn't make it till lunch if it weren't for the ensure though.
  • Breeticus87
    Breeticus87 Posts: 114 Member
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    I think it has more to do with energy than anything else. If you think about it we eat about every 4 hours when we are awake, and then sleep for 8 without food, though its also true that our metabolism slows while we sleep, but im not pro, so who knows?
  • craigo3154
    craigo3154 Posts: 2,572 Member
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    fubsyfern wrote: »
    I've been told your metabolism slows down if you don't eat breakfast (scare tactic?), but for me, it just feels like a waste of calories since I'm not actually hungry in the morning, and I'd rather save my precious calories for more worthwhile foods...like cookies (ok, like 1 cookie). :smiley: So what's the verdict? Are there any actual benefits to eating breakfast in the morning other than alleviating hunger?

    Depends on what you have for breakfast, your current health and your morning energy requirements.

    If you do not feel hungry for breakfast, probably best to save calories for later in the day.

    From what I have read:
    1) Your metabolism slows down a little overnight, but not significantly.
    2) Breakfast as we know it is a pretty modern invention (with the introduction of cities and the industrial revolution).
    3) With the prevalence of food in modern society, we can eat when hungry rather than eating on a regimented timeframe.
    4) As we tend to eat dinner later (thanks to artificial light), there are actually benefits to having later (or even no) breakfast. The fasting period actually helps us (lowers insulin production, raises glucagon production (tells liver to use it's glycogen stores), start the generation of ketone bodies once the glycogen stores are low (keytone bodies break down stored fat to be consumed as energy inside the body) ).
    5) It takes more than a day of reduced caloric input to slow down your average daily metabolism (BMR).

    My wife has been advised by her liver specialist to eat a later breakfast (post 10am) to help reduce liver scarring (and also drink more coffee).

    What is important is to keep the calorie intake per day high enough to keep the metabolism going. Too low a DAILY calorie intake for too long, the body slows the metabolism to compensate (preserve the fat reserves).

    There seems to be gathering scientific evidence to support that to increase insulin sensitivity (reduce insulin resistance), limiting eating to a tighter timeframe is beneficial. Tighter timeframe being 8:00am to 6:00pm.

    If you do not have diabetes (or pre-diabetes), have high physical demands for the morning, or have low body fat, then eating breakfast is usually good (or even essential). In most of these cases you would normally be hungry at breakfast unless there is something else wrong.
  • ItsBetterThisWay
    ItsBetterThisWay Posts: 42 Member
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    Notice Breakfast as in Break-Fast. (In essence you fast from dinner till you wake up the following morning, hence *fast)

    It's simply the first meal you eat upon rising. It does not need to be as soon as you rise or even an hour later, for me I'll eat my breakfast when I'm hungry for it. That could be 11 pm or 3 pm it doesn't necessarily matter. Everyone has their preferred time they like to eat. Thinking back to the hunter gatherer days, they certainly wasn't saying "Well look at that, 8 am. Time for breakfast". Rather they'll hunt and forage for their meal or meals that day, during the day. They certainly wasn't eating 2 meals by 12 pm on queue everyday.



  • Aarjono
    Aarjono Posts: 228 Member
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    Personally, I do better with weight loss and staying within my calorie range if I eat breakfast in the mornings. Mine is usually just a yogurt or an overnight oatmeal during the week, but I like eggs on the weekend.
  • KassLea22
    KassLea22 Posts: 112 Member
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    I think it really just depends on your lifestyle and goals as far as if you need to eat breakfast is concerned. I can't skip breakfast. I am trying to gain weight. So, in order to reach my calorie goals every day, if I don't start eating early in the day I won't meet it. I also have to eat breakfast, or I'll get way too tired later in the day. I think it's a good way to start your day that you have a lot of energy and are really focused. Breakfast is my largest meal of the day, and then I snack/eat every two hours on something smaller in portion normally.
  • tklivory
    tklivory Posts: 46 Member
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    While scrolling through the topics, I swear I thought I read 'Breastfeeding', blinked, and re-read the thread title. Ohhhh, breakfast! That makes a lot more sense.

    I went from never needing breakfast to needing it daily, but I think that's more due to the fact that I don't snack after dinner anymore. For me, I need to eat food in a 12-13 hour window each day for satiation. If I start early, I don't need to eat after dinner. If I skip breakfast, I need to eat well into the evening, and that seems to make me eat too much. Based on my work schedule, eating a good breakfast (around 400 calories, high protein) sets me up for a good day satiation-wise, and makes it easier to stick to my calories for the day.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    personal choice. If I don't eat as soon as I wake up and I a horrible monster, but that's just me. I agree 100% with what tomteboda above said re children tho coz I see it happen with mine. When she doens't eat breakfast she goes psycho faster than when she does LOL.

    otherwise, personal preference.

    snacking I don't think has anything to do with breakfast.
  • TPetey55
    TPetey55 Posts: 14 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    For me, it's vital because I am really hungry in the mornings and if I don't eat I feel terrible.

    I know other people who have no problem waiting until lunch to eat or even feel better when they wait until lunch. I don't think they should force themselves to eat when they don't want to just because some people feel better eating earlier.

    This is, I think, the cardinal rule of weight loss, and it's very simple: Don't eat if you're not hungry!
  • JohnnyPenso
    JohnnyPenso Posts: 412 Member
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    I've tried skipping breakfast to do an intermittent fast a few times and I was fine but I'm not in weight loss mode so I never miss breakfast. I feel better eating 400-600 calories in the morning. Work can sometimes be physically and mentally exhausting and having that fuel in the tank gets me through to early afternoon at a minimum, when I'm super busy and don't have time to stop for a leisurely lunch break. Ultimately you have to do what works for you and helps you achieve your goals.
  • Stockholm_Andy
    Stockholm_Andy Posts: 803 Member
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    Aside from Children, as the poster above pointed out, you know how many calories you have to play with over the day/week. How you split them into meals is entirely up to you and personal preference.

    I prefer larger meals so split mine into a very light lunch, a big dinner and whisky.
  • Vanguard1
    Vanguard1 Posts: 372 Member
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    I eat 1 meal a day, usually around 5:00 with no problems, I also lift 3 times a week and try to get 2 cardio sessions in. I can't tell a difference in my metabolism, and I continue to keep losing.
  • agidiusj
    agidiusj Posts: 2 Member
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    Here is my theory. Food should be used to fuel your activities for the day. If you have a low impact morning than have a light or no breakfast. If your morning is high impact... lots of walking running or other physical activities that require burning calories... than have a calorie filled breakfast. You are going to be the best one to balance calories in and calories burned ;)

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