How Important IS breakfast??

2

Replies

  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
    You really don't need to eat breakfast it not a big deal I start eating at about 11 too, and your schedule about the same has mine, I eat my dinner at around 5 and then light snacks up until around 8 nothing heavy after 6 Its like IF
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member

    Eating breakfast within 90 min of waking has worked for YOU

    yeah, thats what i said.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Personally, I couldn't handle a day without breakfast, because if I don't eat something in the morning, I'm fussy and thinking constantly about food until lunch. It's probably a blood sugar thing.

    I'm a light breakfast eater, but I aim for protein and a serving of fruit or veggies. I alternate between a scrambled egg with a cup of veggies mixed in (spinach, eggplant, artichokes, mushrooms) or oatmeal/flax meal with a cup of blueberries or blackberries. Both very filling for ~ 160- 180 calories
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    i don't understand how ppl can say the meal time is irrelevant. while no, you don't have to eat every 4 hours, or on a set schedule, you should have some kind of regularity to your meal intake. no one is saying "breakfast must be eaten by 8am," however, i feel that within 90 minutes of waking up, ingesting something has really helped me out. i used to skip breakfast all the time, or not eat until after i got to work, which was at least 2 1/2 hours after i woke up.

    Glad it has worked for you :]
    I just think that people should do what works for there lifestyle.
    I have skipped breakfast for so long and it hasn't hindered me :D
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member

    Eating breakfast within 90 min of waking has worked for YOU

    yeah, thats what i said.

    and not eating breakfast has worked for others. So meal timing is indeed irrelevant.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    i don't understand how ppl can say the meal time is irrelevant. while no, you don't have to eat every 4 hours, or on a set schedule, you should have some kind of regularity to your meal intake. no one is saying "breakfast must be eaten by 8am," however, i feel that within 90 minutes of waking up, ingesting something has really helped me out. i used to skip breakfast all the time, or not eat until after i got to work, which was at least 2 1/2 hours after i woke up.

    Sometimes people shorten it to "meal timing is irrelevant" which isn't a true statement. Meal timing is irrelevant in providing a metabolic boost. Meal timing is VERY relevant (to the individual) in that it may make you feel better or function better to follow a certain schedule. In that regard it is a personal choice, but not one that arbitrarily provides universal advantages.

    The problem comes in when people make claiims about it "kickstarting your metabolism" or "you've not had food all night, you must eat to get out of your catabolic state immediately". These are broscience claims and they cause people to do unneccessary (sp) things.

    Lastly, it's great that you've found what works for you, and you should keep doing it.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    i don't understand how ppl can say the meal time is irrelevant. while no, you don't have to eat every 4 hours, or on a set schedule, you should have some kind of regularity to your meal intake. no one is saying "breakfast must be eaten by 8am," however, i feel that within 90 minutes of waking up, ingesting something has really helped me out. i used to skip breakfast all the time, or not eat until after i got to work, which was at least 2 1/2 hours after i woke up.

    Sometimes people shorten it to "meal timing is irrelevant" which isn't a true statement. Meal timing is irrelevant in providing a metabolic boost. Meal timing is VERY relevant in that it may make you feel better or function better to follow a certain schedule.

    The problem comes in when people make claiims about it "kickstarting your metabolism" or "you've not had food all night, you must eat to get out of your catabolic state immediately". These are broscience claims and they cause people to do unneccessary (sp) things.

    Lastly, it's great that you've found what works for you, and you should keep doing it.

    thanks. i love #5 in your signature. i don't know about "jump starting my metabolism," but i have noticed that i have better work outs and experience a weight loss on days that i have breakfast. its always something healthy, and i try and mix it with carbs and protein, and a fruit or a veggie.

    oh, and "broscience." lol.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    So I am not a good breakfast eater. I don't feel well in the morning generally and by the time I feel hungry it is about 11...which of course throws me off the schedule of the rest of my family and I am left eating at 11, 3, and 8 while everyone else eats at like 8, 12, and 6...it is annoying to say the least.

    So in terms of health etc how important IS it to have breakfast in the morning? Would I benefit from forcing myself to eat earlier in the morning or am I better off just leaving it alone?

    So.. if you're eating at 11, 3, and 8 wouldn't that count as breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Yea except for the part where I like to eat with my family....
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member

    I'd be questioning why you're not feeling well in the morning.

    That's easy, IBS. :)
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Yea except for the part where I like to eat with my family....

    I do believe I have the giggles now.

    I should add this to my soapbox speech: "Meal timing is irrelevant unless you like to eat with your family".

    LOL
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    Eat breakfast if your body is telling you to eat breakfast. It's part of intuitive eating.

    When I wake up in the morning, I am hungry. I also get cranky if I don't eat within an hour. I also eat more later if I don't sate my hunger early.

    But those statements may not apply to you.
  • liftingbro
    liftingbro Posts: 2,029 Member
    I don't normally eat breakfast until about 1-2 hours after I wake up. For me, I'm rarely hungry when I wake up. It takes my brain a while to wake up and the only things that come to mind is pee and shower, not at the same time.
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Yea except for the part where I like to eat with my family....

    I do believe I have the giggles now.

    I should add this to my soapbox speech: "Meal timing is irrelevant unless you like to eat with your family".

    LOL

    Haha feel free to steal it. Soapboxes must be used for something if not soap!
  • darlandbaird
    darlandbaird Posts: 103 Member
    I always eat a very light supper around 5-6 pm and then after I am off work my breakfast is around 12 am-1am and then I eat a snack like fruit around 9 am.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Ok, let me try to summarise this...

    Breakfast will not "boost your metabolism". Eating breakfast will biologically make no difference at all in terms of weight loss/speed of weight loss. This has been proven many times. The old "breakfast is the most important meal of day" is an oft-touted myth.

    Same with meal timing. Biologically you could eat 6 small meals a day, or all your daily allowance right before bed. It makes no difference. Again, there have been many studies into this.

    Many people however find that eating breakfast/6 small meals helps THEM control their urges, make healthier choices, and generally makes weight loss feel easier to manage. If this is you, then great! Go for it! You've found a way to help!

    But please, try to say that like engineman did. That's an opinion we respect, as he differentiated between what HELPS him, and what is medically actually happening.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Glad to see some folks here took what I said completely out of context and tried to twist it around to make a point.

    Internet.
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
    Breakfast in the morning is incredibly important. It gets your metabolism up earlier so it works harder throughout the day and increases your mood and attention early in the morning.

    False. I ate 2 eggs this morning and I'm still sleepy and cranky. Next myth.....
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Yea except for the part where I like to eat with my family....

    Don't be a dumb *kitten*. You weren't asking about whether or not it's relevant when you want to "eat with family" you were asking if it was important in terms of weight loss. Read your original post before being a smart *kitten*. Also, don't ask questions if you don't want the answer, stupid! :flowerforyou:
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Check my diary today. It's public.
  • BodyRockerVT
    BodyRockerVT Posts: 323 Member
    Check my diary today. It's public.

    Will do, thanks!
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Timing of meals means nothing. So do people who work nights just get screwed since they don't have a breakfast? Time of the food means nothing. Your body can do three things.. consume, store, and burn. Timing of food does nothing but fight cravings, if you aren't craving and want to wait awhile there is no reason to force yourself to eat.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Timing of food does nothing but fight cravings, if you aren't craving and want to wait awhile there is no reason to force yourself to eat.

    Perfectly put. :D
  • sarahi2009
    sarahi2009 Posts: 285 Member
    The only reason I eat breakfast and most of the time is just a shake a oatmeal, is because if I don't I am ravenous by lunch and I want to eat all in sight. I have also noticed that I am more alert and less sluggish. Ultimately you will do what is right for you and that is fine, it sounds like if you want to eat with your family (which to me is very important) you are going to have to make a modification to your eating habits.
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
    This is an interesting topic, and I was surprised to see the tide completely shift from the beginning of the thread (breakfast is extremely important) to the end (breakfast doesn't matter in the slightest). Where did all the people saying breakfast is SO important get off to?

    I rarely eat breakfast and here's why:

    1. I'm usually not hungry until much later in the day.
    2. When I eat breakfast, it makes me hungry again sooner than if I just skipped it
    3. I have less calories for later in the day, and I like going into the evening with the bulk of my calories left

    It hasn't made any difference whatsoever to my progress.

    Just my two cents.
  • celiamj
    celiamj Posts: 38
    Maybe you feel sick in the mornings and are not hungry because you're not used to having breakfast that early! I'd give it a try and start to "force"(as you say) myself to eat something light in the mornings until it'd be a routine, it wouldnt hurt!

    Breakfast is important, even if not for weight loss it's important for productivity! Even though I know people who don't have breakfast and are skinny too, but it doesn't mean it's not important...
    I also know people that don't eat fruit and others that don't eat veggies, and they're skinny! But can you say that fruit and veggies are not important for a healthy lifestyle?!!

    I believe that meal timing is relevant to control "hunger triggers", you should research about an hormone called ghrelin!

    http://exploringthemind.com/the-mind/cravings-the-hunger-hormone-and-breakfast

    Also, ghrelin seems to play an important role in regulating gastrointestinal motility...
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
    While there is some basis in science that skipping breakfast makes your body crave high-calorie foods over lighter and thus perceived healthier options, as with all studies, it's a generalisation.

    I know that when I used to skip breakfast... I'd pig out on sugary foods at lunchtime. Similarly, if I skipped lunch... I'd want to eat till I burst in the evening. That's the only reason I try now to eat regularly.

    But the OP sounds like they have issues with eating early (as do I) and although I tend now to have breakfast between 8.30 and 9.30... I would be hard put to eat any earlier and I usually rise about 5.30.

    I wouldn't force myself to eat anything I didn't want to nor would I recommend it to anyone, especially if they suffer from IBS.

    However, if you want to try and coordinate your meals better with your family, why not have some fruit at 11, a light lunch (smaller portion) with your family at 12, dinner with them at 6 and then perhaps a light snack later in the evening.
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Meal timing is irrelevant.

    Yea except for the part where I like to eat with my family....

    Don't be a dumb *kitten*. You weren't asking about whether or not it's relevant when you want to "eat with family" you were asking if it was important in terms of weight loss. Read your original post before being a smart *kitten*. Also, don't ask questions if you don't want the answer, stupid! :flowerforyou:

    i think we should all have to eat something before posting on the boards to avoid any hostility.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I'm amazed this thread is still going.

    Breakfast has no noticeable effect on metabolism or pure fat burning.

    If you find it helps you out in terms of cravings, making better choices, etc, then go ahead and eat.

    If you have self-control and don't get/don't give into cravings, and don't want breakfast, then don't eat it.


    What's the problem?
  • chicklet846
    chicklet846 Posts: 13
    I eat when I'm hungry. If I'm not hungry until noon, then I don't eat until noon. I don't buy into the meal timing stuff - like not eating after 8pm, etc. I just try to be intuitive with my eating!
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