Calorie In Calorie Out

Options
I believe in the title. When I track my food I loose the weight. From time to time I watch the videos on Nutrionfacts.org and this one peaked my interest.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-skipping-breakfast-better-for-weight-loss/?utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=0604a66fc7-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-0604a66fc7-23948021&mc_cid=0604a66fc7&mc_eid=8ee4073d1b

New research is saying calories eaten in the morning cause less weight gain then later in the day. They are not equal. If you look at comments under the video there are more videos to come.

I just thought it was interesting and thought I would put it out here. Not endorsing it. yet????
«13

Replies

  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Options
    I'm so much more peppy and bouncy in the morning before I eat...and rather a slug after eating lunch and/or dinner...so that doesn't seem to fit with how I actually feel.

    However, I know there have been some studies with diabetics that find a lower A1C with a breakfast/lunch IF protocol compared to a lunch/dinner IF protocol, so maybe it's blood sugar related.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,154 Member
    Options
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    So, if I force myself to eat breakfast, but I still crave that big evening meal with my family, and am not very good at watching other people eat yummy things while I have a tiny portion, what will happen? I think the odds are decent that I'll have compliance problems, and pretty easily slip often enough and far enough to eat back that 250-calorie benefit.

    This is actually consistent with the videos (this was part 2).

    (snip good recap)

    So the conclusion, IMO, is that it's best to go with one's natural tendency to be a breakfast eater or not.

    You uncovered my guilty secret: I did the lazy thing, and didn't watch the video, just commented on the OP. ;)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Options
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    So, if I force myself to eat breakfast, but I still crave that big evening meal with my family, and am not very good at watching other people eat yummy things while I have a tiny portion, what will happen? I think the odds are decent that I'll have compliance problems, and pretty easily slip often enough and far enough to eat back that 250-calorie benefit.

    This is actually consistent with the videos (this was part 2).

    (snip good recap)

    So the conclusion, IMO, is that it's best to go with one's natural tendency to be a breakfast eater or not.

    You uncovered my guilty secret: I did the lazy thing, and didn't watch the video, just commented on the OP. ;)

    SHAME!

    I may watch the video tomorrow. This kind of stuff only catches my attention because I am interested in body rhythms if they offer an explanation for why my reactive hypoglycemia is more of an issue in the morning. That has never made a lot of sense to me.

    It has also perplexed me that if I eat breakfast and even if I eat a macro profile that is safe for me I am much hungrier the rest of the day. That is an annoying "feature" to have on vacation.
  • FoodBodyChanges
    FoodBodyChanges Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    CI/CO is true in a lab, lol! But not in a living human. Too many variables in play. Dr Greger lists factors other than straight CI/CO influencing weight loss (or gain) known to research in "How Not to Diet." He truly separates the hype from the facts ad only using peer reviewed double blind studies.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    Options
    One person I know doesn't eat after 6 p.m. Another starts her day off with a big meal, medium lunch and very light dinner. Both swear that's how they keep their weight down. Neither counts calories and both exercise and keep busy.
    If I didn't eat after dinner, I'd probably save myself 3-400 calories a day so it only stands to reason that eventually I'd lose weight due to less calories. I'm not sure I agree with either way of thinking truthfully. I think it's more the way people are made up, chemically, metabolically; physically....if they hold themselves 100% accountable to all numbers involved. I just don't see how a study can be completely accurate that is based on so many individual factors.
    So, all in all, if something works for you then do it. :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
    edited January 2020
    Options
    As Ann mentions, I've seen a couple of studies that have breakfast eaters with a small advantage, probably due to having higher NEAT after fueling early on.

    The effect is small.

    Way smaller than the +1 breakfast Calories the breakfast would cost me since I would still eat most of my calories in the evening.

    Whatever it takes to hit your caloric goals. First and foremost.

    Then you can optimize till the cows come home.

    So is it worth trying having breakfast if you normally don't?

    Absolutely. You won't know if it suits you till you try!

    And it is also worth having a smaller one and trying to not have any if an early breakfast isn't helping you hit your goals!!!
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    edited January 2020
    Options
    Here is the study in question: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5969247/

    It states hypotheses, objectives, and plan. I could not find any mention of actual results. Unless I'm missing something, the video is jumping to conclusions that weren't there yet. If anyone knows if they published the results yet let me know.

    This is interesting to me. I do wholeheartedly believe in calories in and calories out, but I'm not against the idea that certain mechanisms can affect either side of the equation outside of behavioral influences. I will not change the way I consume food because sustainability is the most important part of weight management regardless of any other details, but it would be interesting to see if in addition to behavioral factors (higher activity level in breakfast eaters, for example) there are biological factors as well. It won't mean much in terms of weight management for those who count calories, and I suspect the effect (if any) won't be drastic enough to be used for weight management in general, but it's interesting to know nonetheless.

    it looks like they tried to do a metaanalysis rather than a research study - This report briefly discusses the current research linking meal timing, circadian rhythms and metabolism; highlights the research gaps; and provides an overview of the studies being undertaken as part of the Medical Research Council-funded Big Breakfast Study.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,959 Member
    Options
    Well...I eat a good sized (500 calorie) breakfast. And a big dinner. I have a small snack midday. Sometimes I eat after dinner. Sometimes I don't. Since we're adding our N=1 results, and since that appears to be all we've got (thx @amusedmonkey ) then I'll just keep adding up the numbers in my little handy dandy food diary and not worry too much whether I'm getting the zoomies by eating a big breakfast.

    Hey, maybe that's why I eat 500 calories more per day than all the calculators say I should. So I guess I've validated his theory? Hm. I didn't see that coming. Breakfast for the win.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    NovusDies wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    So, if I force myself to eat breakfast, but I still crave that big evening meal with my family, and am not very good at watching other people eat yummy things while I have a tiny portion, what will happen? I think the odds are decent that I'll have compliance problems, and pretty easily slip often enough and far enough to eat back that 250-calorie benefit.

    This is actually consistent with the videos (this was part 2).

    (snip good recap)

    So the conclusion, IMO, is that it's best to go with one's natural tendency to be a breakfast eater or not.

    You uncovered my guilty secret: I did the lazy thing, and didn't watch the video, just commented on the OP. ;)

    SHAME!

    I may watch the video tomorrow. This kind of stuff only catches my attention because I am interested in body rhythms if they offer an explanation for why my reactive hypoglycemia is more of an issue in the morning. That has never made a lot of sense to me.

    It has also perplexed me that if I eat breakfast and even if I eat a macro profile that is safe for me I am much hungrier the rest of the day. That is an annoying "feature" to have on vacation.

    If so, you should watch the one right before, which is part one.

    I think circadian rhythms are interesting, although I find it hard to believe it matters that much just because I don't see the mechanism and because for me it was so easy to lose (at a faster rate than predicted) eating dinner at 9 most nights. Plus my work schedule is such that eating dinner late is hard to avoid. But although I think it's important to realize that personal schedule and ease matters most for sustainability (and that when one eats can't prevent a loss), I am open to the possibility that there is some circadian effect.

    I find the differences between people with respect to breakfast interesting, and I think it's why any one size fits all advice about breakfast (or eating patterns generally) is going to be wrong. I'm actually doing a personal experiment this week of not eating breakfast (since I'm not doing pre-work workouts this week), and I do find that I naturally eat a bit less, and I'm not that hungry (I didn't eat breakfast for years when I was in my 20s and early 30s), but I think I'm going to start eating breakfast again anyway. For me (not for anyone else), it is just enjoyable to eat breakfast, fits my morning routine, and makes it easier to get in more veg/fruit and protein (this is partly because I hate snacking and three meals tend to give me about the cals I like at each most days). I don't find I am more or less hungry leading up to lunch when I eat breakfast or don't, absent a workout, but I do tend to be really hungry by mid-morning if I workout and then don't eat breakfast afterwards.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Options
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    So, if I force myself to eat breakfast, but I still crave that big evening meal with my family, and am not very good at watching other people eat yummy things while I have a tiny portion, what will happen? I think the odds are decent that I'll have compliance problems, and pretty easily slip often enough and far enough to eat back that 250-calorie benefit.

    This is actually consistent with the videos (this was part 2).

    (snip good recap)

    So the conclusion, IMO, is that it's best to go with one's natural tendency to be a breakfast eater or not.

    You uncovered my guilty secret: I did the lazy thing, and didn't watch the video, just commented on the OP. ;)

    SHAME!

    I may watch the video tomorrow. This kind of stuff only catches my attention because I am interested in body rhythms if they offer an explanation for why my reactive hypoglycemia is more of an issue in the morning. That has never made a lot of sense to me.

    It has also perplexed me that if I eat breakfast and even if I eat a macro profile that is safe for me I am much hungrier the rest of the day. That is an annoying "feature" to have on vacation.

    If so, you should watch the one right before, which is part one.

    I think circadian rhythms are interesting, although I find it hard to believe it matters that much just because I don't see the mechanism and because for me it was so easy to lose (at a faster rate than predicted) eating dinner at 9 most nights. Plus my work schedule is such that eating dinner late is hard to avoid. But although I think it's important to realize that personal schedule and ease matters most for sustainability (and that when one eats can't prevent a loss), I am open to the possibility that there is some circadian effect.

    I find the differences between people with respect to breakfast interesting, and I think it's why any one size fits all advice about breakfast (or eating patterns generally) is going to be wrong. I'm actually doing a personal experiment this week of not eating breakfast (since I'm not doing pre-work workouts this week), and I do find that I naturally eat a bit less, and I'm not that hungry (I didn't eat breakfast for years when I was in my 20s and early 30s), but I think I'm going to start eating breakfast again anyway. For me (not for anyone else), it is just enjoyable to eat breakfast, fits my morning routine, and makes it easier to get in more veg/fruit and protein (this is partly because I hate snacking and three meals tend to give me about the cals I like at each most days). I don't find I am more or less hungry leading up to lunch when I eat breakfast or don't, absent a workout, but I do tend to be really hungry by mid-morning if I workout and then don't eat breakfast afterwards.

    I am interested in what they do to insulin response which has nothing to do with weight loss.

    I watched the video. It was missing any meat to explain the claims that calories do not count as much in the morning.

    I do not think 6 weeks is long enough to allow for people to adapt to skipping breakfast. If you take a person very accustomed to eating breakfast and tell them to skip it, it should not really be a surprise their NEAT would drop. You look at that same person in a few months and I am willing to bet their NEAT would already be climbing back to near where it was.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Options
    NovusDies wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    So, if I force myself to eat breakfast, but I still crave that big evening meal with my family, and am not very good at watching other people eat yummy things while I have a tiny portion, what will happen? I think the odds are decent that I'll have compliance problems, and pretty easily slip often enough and far enough to eat back that 250-calorie benefit.

    This is actually consistent with the videos (this was part 2).

    (snip good recap)

    So the conclusion, IMO, is that it's best to go with one's natural tendency to be a breakfast eater or not.

    You uncovered my guilty secret: I did the lazy thing, and didn't watch the video, just commented on the OP. ;)

    SHAME!

    I may watch the video tomorrow. This kind of stuff only catches my attention because I am interested in body rhythms if they offer an explanation for why my reactive hypoglycemia is more of an issue in the morning. That has never made a lot of sense to me.

    It has also perplexed me that if I eat breakfast and even if I eat a macro profile that is safe for me I am much hungrier the rest of the day. That is an annoying "feature" to have on vacation.

    If so, you should watch the one right before, which is part one.

    I think circadian rhythms are interesting, although I find it hard to believe it matters that much just because I don't see the mechanism and because for me it was so easy to lose (at a faster rate than predicted) eating dinner at 9 most nights. Plus my work schedule is such that eating dinner late is hard to avoid. But although I think it's important to realize that personal schedule and ease matters most for sustainability (and that when one eats can't prevent a loss), I am open to the possibility that there is some circadian effect.

    I find the differences between people with respect to breakfast interesting, and I think it's why any one size fits all advice about breakfast (or eating patterns generally) is going to be wrong. I'm actually doing a personal experiment this week of not eating breakfast (since I'm not doing pre-work workouts this week), and I do find that I naturally eat a bit less, and I'm not that hungry (I didn't eat breakfast for years when I was in my 20s and early 30s), but I think I'm going to start eating breakfast again anyway. For me (not for anyone else), it is just enjoyable to eat breakfast, fits my morning routine, and makes it easier to get in more veg/fruit and protein (this is partly because I hate snacking and three meals tend to give me about the cals I like at each most days). I don't find I am more or less hungry leading up to lunch when I eat breakfast or don't, absent a workout, but I do tend to be really hungry by mid-morning if I workout and then don't eat breakfast afterwards.

    I am interested in what they do to insulin response which has nothing to do with weight loss.

    I watched the video. It was missing any meat to explain the claims that calories do not count as much in the morning.

    I do not think 6 weeks is long enough to allow for people to adapt to skipping breakfast. If you take a person very accustomed to eating breakfast and tell them to skip it, it should not really be a surprise their NEAT would drop. You look at that same person in a few months and I am willing to bet their NEAT would already be climbing back to near where it was.

    Maybe.

    One thing that struck me with both the videos is that there are likely differences between people, just based on what I see on MFP. I believe that there are people who are much more hungry if they skip breakfast, and so would do worse if they tried to force themselves to eat breakfast (whatever the results on average--and the results seemed to even out anyway). I also wouldn't be surprised if for those people activity didn't change breakfast or not. But if that's true (and I think we both think it is), I don't see why it isn't also possible that there are people who feel much more hungry if they don't have breakfast and react to missing breakfast by feeling less energetic and that that also isn't merely a result of habit.

    Obviously studies would need to be carried out, but I find the idea that anyone could adjust to not eating breakfast (in terms of unplanned activity in the morning eventually being the same) but some cannot adjust to eating it to not really make sense.