Breakfast v fasting

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lenny1976
lenny1976 Posts: 74 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have seen so many conflicting posts on here re eating breakfast and it sets you up for the day and gets your metabolism started etc. I must admit that I don't eat breakfast. I just cant eat on a morning like lots of people I have met on here.

Now I also see lots of people on the forums who have regular fasting days.

So what is the correct thing to do? I really think it is up to the individual as to what works for them. But there are so many opinions out there. I would just like to know your take on it.

Replies

  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I honestly believe it a personal choice and your schedule.

    I do not eat breakfast. Im up at 5-7am and do not eat until 2. I eat all my calories from 2-9 or 10. Post being after 6 and post workout.

    Works amazing for me because I can eat a big big meal at night and feel full and still lose
  • me1howard
    me1howard Posts: 45 Member
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    Many conflicing theories. I personally can not eat when I first get up. Have to have that coffee!
  • sister_bear
    sister_bear Posts: 529 Member
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    You've got to do what works for you and this is why you see so my variation.

    If I skip breakfast I usually hog out at lunch because I'm too hungry. Not everyone is like this though. For some folks skipping breakfast lets them eat a bigger lunch. Do what works for you.
  • Rikki444
    Rikki444 Posts: 326 Member
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    It depends on you, I guess.

    When I 'fast', for example, I will start around 2 or 3 pm and 'skip' dinner until breakfast at least 16 hours later. I fast when I feel 'full', in other words, bloated. It is my way to detox and not necessarily a weight loss method. I believe that it is not the fast that provokes weight loss but that I am delayed because my body is trying to resolve and digest and remove....well, you get it. A clean system will respond better to my diet & excercise.

    I am one of those people who cannot skip breakfast (which, actually, your first meal is breaking a fast and is breakfast, but I do know what you mean)! I have to eat first thing in the morning because I do feel hungry. Sometimes, very rarely, I wake up and I am not hungry.... so I don't eat until I am.

    The data is conflicting... one research shows one thing and another study another. I think it is always best to be aware of Self and know what is best for you and chose that.
  • cdstadt
    cdstadt Posts: 311 Member
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    Eat when you can and don't eat when you're bored. Drink water when you're bored.


    A lot of people can't eat in the morning, and forcing yourself to eat something might make you feel really ill. Skipping breakfeast when you're hungry is crap too.


    Just make sure you have some snacks to eat on hand when you DO get hungry so that you don't eat too much during your other meals like a lot of breakfast skippers end up doing.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    There have been numerous clinical studies that show the advantages of eating a healthy breakfast. But, on work days when I have to get up earlier than I would like, I'm just not hungry and I'm short on time. So, I comprimise and have a glass of chocolate soy milk. It is has some calories and nutrition and I am always thirsty in the morning. Sometimes I eat a snack before lunch, sometimes the soy milk keeps me full until lunch. This works for me.

    On the weekends I eat breakfast because I sleep later and I workout in the mornings (I workout after work during the week).
  • strmridr1959
    strmridr1959 Posts: 9
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    Everything I have ever read tells me that your body is in a huge "fuel deficit" when you first wake up in the morning, provided you haven't been snacking at night and you got enough sleep (6 to 8 hours). What I've been reading is that it's important to eat because if you don't, your body ramps down your metabolism to "keep you alive" because your body thinks that you're starving. THEN when you eat a lot at lunch because you're hungry, your body starts storing that additional fuel as fat because you've lead it to believe that you're starving from missing breakfast. The "kinda scary" part is that your body will actually start "burning" muscle fiber instead of fat, because fat stores keep you alive in the long run when your body is starving. The less muscle you have, the lower your metabolism drops - it's a vicious circle. That's the explanation from my doctor, and from a lot of nutrition books I've read.

    Personally, I have a protein drink as soon as I can when I wake up in the morning. What I drink has 24g of protein and only 120 calories and tastes great (like chocolate or strawberry, depending on which one I choose), and that "breaks my fast" so my body doesn't think I'm starving. That also fills me up enough and leaves me satisfied enough so that I don't snack before lunch, and at lunch I can eat in moderation.

    Would that work for you? I don't know. The protein drink is easy to make (only takes a minute) and can get had on the go, if you're in a hurry. I think breakfast is important, but not everyone will agree on that. :smile:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    What I've been reading is that it's important to eat because if you don't, your body ramps down your metabolism to "keep you alive" because your body thinks that you're starving. THEN when you eat a lot at lunch because you're hungry, your body starts storing that additional fuel as fat because you've lead it to believe that you're starving from missing breakfast.

    studies have shown that ramping down of your metabolism occurs around the 48-72 hr mark of fasting, not a few hrs.

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