What constitutes a "breakfast"?

I eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It takes 2 1/2 minutes to eat it. No need to get up early for that!

You can make up some whole grain bfast burritos and have them in your freezer or fridge, then all you do is throw it in the microwave in the morning while your getting ready, grab it and head out the door, eat it on the way or as soon as you get to work

I would suggest get up about 15 minutes earlier and make a protein shake. I use EAS vanilla with a tablespoon of peanut butter and half a banana. Sometimes I will have a boiled egg and a string cheese.

What I mean is how soon after I wake up do I have to eat to get the "benefits" of eating "breakfast"?

Is it nutritionally ok to eat "breakfast" at 9am or have I wasted the "eat as soon as you get up in order to jump start your metabolism" thing.

Thanks

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

You are "supposed" to eat breakfast within an hour of getting up in the morning. I am like you and wait until about 9 am. I used to skip breakfast altogether. However, I was told by a nutritionist to at least put milk in my coffee in the morning. Sometimes I eat a stick of lite string cheese on my morning commute. Anything. Eating helps wake up your metabolism. I was also told to eat every two to three hours to keep my metabolism going all day. If you exercise on top of that, you REALLY need to eat earlier in the day. Absolutely don't wait until lunch to eat your first meal. I started losing faster after I started eating breakfast.

You should eat within 30 minutes of getting up. Even if it's something small - it should have protein though.... Cereal has never been very good for me - but oatmeal, egg whites, greek yogurt - all great - quick easy options. (egg whites you can buy in a carton, and cook in the microwave - so no excuse - doesn't take any time!)

What if you are just plan not hungry though? I've tried getting up earlier to cook. I have started doing this, but I have 'zero' appetite. I take two bites and I feel like crap...

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

^ I'd type my opinion but it would pretty much be this quote. Great answer.

My take on all this "you must eat within a certain timeframe after waking up": nonsense.

I'm up every morning between 5.30 and 6am to go to work. I usually don't eat breakfast until around 11am. Has it done me any harm?

⇓ Look at my ticker. I don't think so. But that's just my opinion.

The breakfast carousel just keeps on spinning around and around..


and around.....






































and around....SMH

I get up at 5:45 am to get ready for work, out the door with family at 6:30 am, drop kids off at 7 am, work by 7:45 am and I eat when I get to my desk. I make a crustless quiche on the weekend and bring a piece of that or have a bowls of cereal. But it's cuz I'm hungry and know my day is going to get crazy. Then I have my 1st lunch (I split my lunch into 2 smaller meals) around 11:45 am and then eat the main part of it around 1 pm. Snack around 3-3:30 pm (usually a fiber bar) and then dinner around 6-630 pm with a snack (sometimes depending on calories left) around 9 pm.

This works for me but I'm hungry by 7:45 am and know I may not eat again til 11!!! You do what works for you, your body and your schedule. I think the main reason to eat breakfast is so you are not so hungry at lunch that you gorge/overeat because you are so hungry. I don't know about the biology but I also believe in eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full. Since most people can't do that then the experts recommend the eating schedule.

I also tend to plan my meals for the day and sometimes will log them in the morning so that I know how many calories I have, if it's an exercise day I know about how many calories I will burn and can eat them back during the day instead of having a deficit at night of 300+ calories. It also eliminates my having to think about what to eat and possibly making the wrong choices.

Good luck finding the balance for you.

There are no biological "benefits" to having breakfast as far as weight loss goes. It does NOT jump start your metabolism. It may help you control your cravings and urges later in the day, and allow you to make better choices, but if you don't have/can control you cravings, it's just an early calorie amount that if you don't really want you might as well save till you actually do want it

Exactly this. Your metabolism is running constantly 24/7, it does not magically shut off when you don't eat breakfast, or between meals. It doesn't need to be "woken up." it takes several days of constant fasting to have any sort of detrimental effect on your metabolism.

As for eating breakfast "boosting" your metabolism, well, if you consider burning 15-20 extra calories a "boost," then I guess it does. Then again, you would get that same boost whenever you first eat, whether your first meal is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Its not a constant boost, it's a few extra calories.

All eating constantly does is prevent your digestive system from shutting down, and all that does is force your body to take energy from other parts of your body to keep the digestive system running, sapping energy from everything else you could be doing.