Is breakfast REALLY necessary?

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2

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  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
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    No. It isn't.

    Meal size, frequency and timing don't matter.

    I used to be a big "you must eat a healthy breakfast daily" person, but now I agree with the above. As a matter of fact, I am going to start eating smaller to no breakfasts because I seem to want more food at the end of the day and into the evening.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    Eating breakfast works better for me b/c if I skip it, I am STARVING by lunchtime and highly likely to over-eat. (like MORE than compensating for the skipped breakfast) Might not be the same for everybody. You can always try skipping breakfast and seeing if it works for you, if it does, great, if not, it's not that hard to change it up. You could also try something like a smoothie or protein shake if you don't want to 'eat' breakfast but still want a little morening nutrition.
  • clean115
    clean115 Posts: 59
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    I don't think it's necessary. I'm going to think about skipping breakfast tomorrow.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    See if having a higher protein lower carb breakfast, with some fat, helps curb the hunger.

    This!!!

    The reason you are so hungry after breakfast is not because you ate breakfast. It's because you spiked your blood sugar and when it crashes, you get hungry!!

    Eat a low-carb breakfast. In fact, I recommend low-carb all the time if you have hunger issues.

    Steve
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I would say discuss whether or not breakfast is important for you, with your doctor.

    My uncle eats one large meal per day and then a snack around 5pm.... and he is fit as a horse.

    My mother never eats breakfast, but eats lunch and dinner, and keeps gaining weight.

    My sister is a staunch vegetarian/vegan and has more health problems going on digestively/dermatologically speaking... and doesnt always eat breakfast.


    For many years, I didnt eat breakfast or lunch and it caused havoc for my metabolism. Add Metabolic X Syndrome and PCOS to that, and its a recipe for disaster that actually put me in the hospital nearly quarantined because of a rare liver enzyme overload - and later we found out hyperinsulinemia caused the liver overload. And then another hospitalization for insulin shock - my system couldnt get rid of the overload of insulin!

    I had to force myself to eat breakfast and lunch for serious health concerns, but yet, in my family, everyone is different and reacts differently.

    As you can see from my post, and other posts, everyone is going to be different.
    My suggestion is to speak with your Primary Care Physician. Learn from him/her whether or not its ok for you and your situation.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry or to stave off hunger when food will be unavailable; it's been keeping the human race alive since the dawn of time.
  • ppiinnkkmmoonn
    ppiinnkkmmoonn Posts: 418
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    i dont. i just listen to my body now. i have a protein shake at about ll:00ish just about everyday.
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    I feel nauseous and have no appetite when I force myself to eat breakfast. I do eat it though (at 6 am), because as a nurse I don't usually take my lunch break until 3pm. I found that drinking 4c (1L) of water with a bowl of cereal and milk will keep me going until then. I don't have the privilege of snacking, otherwise I would just snack later on in the morning when I am actually hungry and more awake.

    I have awful memories of my childhood where I was forced to stomach a bowl of cereal and piece of fresh fruit with a cup of juice or milk in the morning. I would linger and watch the news and do ANYTHING to avoid eating, but my dear mother felt it was essential to learning at school. She eventually began feeding me carnation instant breakfast in the blender with a cup of milk, spoonful of ice cream and an oreo instead of a traditional breakfast. God I miss those amazing breakfast shakes!

    I think that having some form of "energy" in the morning is important for learning/working/driving/exercising etc. So I do believe if you have something reasonably important to do you should eat something first. Overall this seems to be a controversial issue and in general it seems like people are saying to listen to your body and respond appropriately!

    Good luck :)
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    Forcing yourself to eat when you don't truly need to is unnecessary.

    Wake up, do your thing and when you feel hungry, eat. Timing doesn't matter.
  • kandrews24
    kandrews24 Posts: 610 Member
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    Breakfast is not necessary. Lots of interesting facts though: such as most obese folks skip breakfast. Eating a little something as soon as possible definately helps to maximize weight loss. But it is not necessary.
  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    i'd say it's good to get energy in the morning....i can't go without eating even a small something in the morning. but like folks have said, do what's best for your body. just don't deny it anything.
  • michellezigs
    michellezigs Posts: 15
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    I am the same way. If I eat, I'm starving by 10:30 am. If I don't I can go until 1 or 2. Here's what I started doing. I have 2 cups of coffee with one cup of soy milk and some sweet & low. Its a 75 cal breakfast without eating and the protein in the soy milk keeps me full (probably along with the cafeine!)
  • grimmer51
    grimmer51 Posts: 8
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    you wouldnt be able to start a car without food but you expect your body to work without fuel ?
    If you skip breakfast your more likely to eat more next time you eat.
    If your hungry after 2 hours after having breakfast have a snack or some water.
    Good luck with weight loss :-)
  • Greenwellj
    Greenwellj Posts: 45
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    You need breakfast to get your metabolism going. I never ate breakfast either, but now I just do a quick protein shake. I get all the nutrients I need and I feel amazing!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Breakfast is not necessary. Lots of interesting facts though: such as most obese folks skip breakfast. Eating a little something as soon as possible definately helps to maximize weight loss. But it is not necessary.

    '" such as most obese folks skip breakfast"

    Correlation =/= causation

    " Eating a little something as soon as possible definately helps to maximize weight loss."

    why does it help to maximize weight loss? assuming 2 identical diets in terms of macros and calories, one skips breakfast, one does not, would the diet with breakfast lose more weight?
  • shellbell525
    shellbell525 Posts: 80
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    I believe every person is different. Personally I don't eat breakfast just black coffee. I feel weighed down when i have a big breakfast. Besides i find that if I'm trying to stick to my "ideal" calorie count of between 1300 and 1400 for the day, breaking it down into 5 meals is difficult. I like two larger meals and one snack much better than eating nonstop. I feel like a slave to when I'm eating and what I'm eating instead of truly enjoying my food. Just a personal preference, do what feels best to you.
  • Matttdvg
    Matttdvg Posts: 133 Member
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    Breakfasts are beneficial to a lot of people's weight loss because it fills you up and prevents snacking through the morning. Those snacks are likely to be more unhealthy than a nice healthy breakfast. If you find you have the urge to snack through the morning, a breakfast might be beneficial for you. But contrary to what some will tell you, eating a breakfast will not boost your metabolism.

    Personally I don't eat breakfast. I'm not normally hungry when I get up. I might start to get a bit peckish at about 11am and I might have a piece of fruit. Or some days I won't eat a thing until lunch. I find this approach gives me more wiggle room with my other meals, and I can eat something at lunch or dinner that isn't necessarily the healthiest thing in the world, and I'll still come in under my calorie target. It means I'm not depriving myself of foods I love, yet I'm still losing weight. It works for me, but it might not work for other people. Everyone is different. Do whatever works best for you. Ultimately, if you're losing weight, keep doing whatever you're doing. If it's working, there is no need to change what you're doing.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    The reason it helps me with weight loss is, like others have noted, I'm not starving later in the day. I used to skip breakfast thinking that would help with my calorie intake then I'd eat lunch and wonder why I was still so hungry and would graze on whatever was handy (mostly junk) the rest of the afternoon. So when I started with my weight loss, I also started eating breakfast. At first it was something very light like a cup of dry cheerios or a bowl of regular oatmeal but as my body, diet & fitness level changed, I found carbs weren't cutting it anymore. I either have protein powder, Kashi oatmeal or eggs now and they stick with me pretty well.

    The time I eat breakfast changes every day. Like today, I was a bit more hungry in the morning because I was under my calories yesterday so I ate right after I got out of the shower (around 7am) and also had a mid-morning snack. Some days I don't eat until 9 or 9:30. It's still breakfast because, as someone else pointed out, I'm breaking that overnight fast.

    Like any other part of this weight loss stuff - everyone is different so do what works for you and change it if it stops working.
  • vmusic
    vmusic Posts: 2
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    YES YES YES !!!
    I have been all over the board with this over the years but truly believe it is vital. This is the meal that fuels your body AND BRAIN for the beginning of your day. In the past 6 months that I have been incorporating the following advice into my diet [noun, not verb], I have lost 10 pounds without starving and have no longer fallen asleep at my desk in the afternoon!!! My bootcamp coach, a nurse practitioner friend [and others] say [1] every time you eat, eat, protein, fat and carbs. [2] Dr Oz says - reverse your meals: make breakfast your biggest meal of the day to fuel your body and brain. This is the time to eat the simpler carbs like toast, cereals and the higher sugar carbs like fruit. though I also will eat carrots, cukes, etc. [3] Eat every 3 hrs. [4] dinner is the smallest meal.

    The trick is finding the foods that the body metabolizes slowly and spreading your calories over the course of the day to minimize the blood sugar spikes. Wishing you the best! :happy:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,226 Member
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    you wouldnt be able to start a car without food but you expect your body to work without fuel ?
    If you skip breakfast your more likely to eat more next time you eat.
    If your hungry after 2 hours after having breakfast have a snack or some water.
    Good luck with weight loss :-)

    But we are fat and our bodies are covered with extra fuel.

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