breakfast or not to breakfast

dmoses · January 2012

IMHO, eating breakfast is a good practice. Just read this article the other day...

http://www.womenfitness.net/top10_no_skip_breakfast.htm

msarro · January 2012

I know breakfast is the most important meal... But I'm bot a huge breakfast fan... I'm also seeing that as I get my hunger under control... I don't wake up starving. Or hungry at all for that matter. So the question is... Does anyone else have this problem? Should I be forcing breakfast anyway? Just don't want to be hurting my weight loss efforts by not eating a meal.

If you're not hungry, don't eat breakfast. There is no metabolic advantage to increased meal frequency, so it will not hurt your weight loss efforts by skipping breakfast.

I personally haven't eaten within hrs of waking in months

The evidence does not support your claim. Breakfast intake has been shown to improve not only overall nutrition intake, but lower overall caloric intake through the day, decrease blood sugar spiking, and improve cognitive function.

A) Breakfast has shown to lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding sugar spikes/insulin releases http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016882279290017L

Breakfast has shown fairly consistently to correlate with healthy body types, as well as increased mental function (meta study)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822305001513
C) Children who eat breakfast at home have shown to eat less througout the day - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000282239391527W
D) Another study showing that obese children tend to have bad/no breakfasts - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9565828/reload=0;jsessionid=VT5NxCT991u1JUbnCRqZ.94
E) Not consuming breakfast leads to significant deficiencies in assential nutrients - http://www.jacn.org/content/5/6/551.short
F) Another study suggesting a link between school/cognitive performance and eating breakfast
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/10/1234

There's just too much evidence out there to not eat it. Anecdotal experience aside. Many more studies are available, just check google scholar (scholar.google.com).

lunarescape · January 2012

If you don't have an appetite, then have a small bowl of Cheerios. I used to never have an appetite when I woke up but I forced down the Cheerios and it wasn't too bad because they don't have a lot of taste. You can also grab a banana or a granola bar for a couple hours after you wake up.

NakedLunchTime · January 2012

Good golly miss Molly!!! This WILL turn into a ****show! I have seen it happen all too often on this subject! lol. If you feel hungary eat, if you don't, then don't. If your decently (probably not a word) healthy your body should be pretty good at letting you know when to fuel it!

jadedone · January 2012

I wonder if a cup of coffee with milk or tea with honey is enough for breakfast. I am not often hungy in the am.

Eat more. Add a piece of fruit and a yogurt -- that's really light, has protein and one serving of produce out of the wat. I saw a tip somewhere (I'll dig it up later) that says if you aren't hungry when you wake up, drink a glass of water to cure the dehydration and it should also wake up your appetite.

You can also split up your breakfast. Maybe have half within an hour of waking up, and the rest as a mid-morning snack.

I have always eaten breakfast. I am very cranky without it, but these days I am on medication that I need to take first thing in the AM where I need to wait 30-60 minutes before eating. Some days it is very hard, my stomach is growling incessantly.

cherigurl · January 2012

I am so not a breakfast person either. My mornings are crazy to begin with i have no time, i wake up about 5-5:30 work out for 30 min then it is getting my 3 girls ready for school, I don't feel hungry until 11- 11:30. I usually eat some thing small, yogurt, or toast, then it helps with not over eating at lunch which is usually like 1, so I am curious as well does it really affect your weight loss?

Sidesteal · January 2012

Just don't want to be hurting my weight loss efforts by not eating a meal.

The only way that the above would be true is if the skipping of a meal causes you to overeat for the day.

Meal frequency will not have any physiological impact on weight loss and you can skip breakfast at your leisure provided that it doesn't cause behavioral issues. This is one area where personal preference should make this decision for you.

I tend to not eat until anywhere between noon and 6pm and I will eat most of my calories right before bed. I certainly am not suggesting you need to do the same, but dieting is difficult enough as it is, it's best to focus on the things that matter and disregard the stuff that doesn't.

What matters is that your end of day totals are reasonable (moderate calorie deficit, adequate micro/macronutrient intake).

Acg67 · January 2012

I know breakfast is the most important meal... But I'm bot a huge breakfast fan... I'm also seeing that as I get my hunger under control... I don't wake up starving. Or hungry at all for that matter. So the question is... Does anyone else have this problem? Should I be forcing breakfast anyway? Just don't want to be hurting my weight loss efforts by not eating a meal.

If you're not hungry, don't eat breakfast. There is no metabolic advantage to increased meal frequency, so it will not hurt your weight loss efforts by skipping breakfast.

I personally haven't eaten within hrs of waking in months

The evidence does not support your claim. Breakfast intake has been shown to improve not only overall nutrition intake, but lower overall caloric intake through the day, decrease blood sugar spiking, and improve cognitive function.

A) Breakfast has shown to lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding sugar spikes/insulin releases http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016882279290017L
Breakfast has shown fairly consistently to correlate with healthy body types, as well as increased mental function (meta study)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822305001513
C) Children who eat breakfast at home have shown to eat less througout the day - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000282239391527W
D) Another study showing that obese children tend to have bad/no breakfasts - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9565828/reload=0;jsessionid=VT5NxCT991u1JUbnCRqZ.94
E) Not consuming breakfast leads to significant deficiencies in assential nutrients - http://www.jacn.org/content/5/6/551.short
F) Another study suggesting a link between school/cognitive performance and eating breakfast
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/10/1234

There's just too much evidence out there to not eat it. Anecdotal experience aside. Many more studies are available, just check google scholar (scholar.google.com).

A) Breakfast has shown to lower blood sugar levels throughout the day, avoiding sugar spikes/insulin releases http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016882279290017L

In diabetes patients

Breakfast has shown fairly consistently to correlate with healthy body types, as well as increased mental function (meta study)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822305001513

Meta review of epidemiological studies, correlation =/= causation

C) Children who eat breakfast at home have shown to eat less througout the day - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000282239391527W

Epidemiological study, correlation =/= causation

D) Another study showing that obese children tend to have bad/no breakfasts - http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/9565828/reload=0;jsessionid=VT5NxCT991u1JUbnCRqZ.94

Correlation =/= causation, also relies on self reported data

See a pattern here?

Provide studies that actually show eating breakfast has a metabolic advantage over not eating it

NegativeX · January 2012

Everyone is different... some, like my GF, need to eat in the morning.

Me on the other had, I practice intermittent fasting everyday and don't eat my first meal until 1pm and I feel great from doing so.

Eating in the morning makes me feel sluggish and slow.

Everybody is different... meal timing and frequency is a tired old myth.

Experiment and see what works for YOU.

LenL · January 2012

I found this article I thought might help. As for me, I sometime have a protein drink to at least put in my system the nutrients it needs. Just saying!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119

kkddhh · January 2012

If you're not hungry in the morning, it could be because you ate too soon before you went to sleep the night before. Honestly, I hate a lot of breakfast foods, but there are sooooooo many out there. Research new foods to have for breakfast and you should be good! And unfortunately, skipping meals will slow down your metabolism. So eat yo wheaties! (;

martinbeks · January 2012

I started drinking green smoothies for breakfast and it's usually just enough to get me through the day. I find I'm not as cranky if I eat breakfast, and I'm also more focused.

Green smoothies for me include a really ripe banana for texture, spinach or kale, and berries. Add water to make blending easier, and call it good. It's light and is just enough.

NegativeX · January 2012

Anyone interested in actual science and not perpetuated myths passed from person to person, on meal timing, frequency and it's effects on your metabolism, please see this site...

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

BanjoKd · January 2012

Coffee is my breakfast. Are you a coffee drinker?

RacerX_14 · January 2012

Gotta eat breakfast!!!

It kicks the metabolism into gear!

MB_Positif · January 2012

I have two pieces of advice.

1. Eat when you are hungry, it does not have to be as soon as you wake up, but about an hour after is pretty good. If you eat breakfast it will help keep you from going crazy overeating on snacks and meals later in the day.
2. In the event that you are not a fan of breakfast foods, then eat whatever you feel like. I am constantly eating leftovers from dinner for breakfast or a half breakfast half lunch meal of a bagel thin with fat free cream cheese, sliced turkey and spinach with raspberries.

kenkai27 · January 2012

I know eating breakfast starts your metabolism for the day. I tend to eat a bag of cereal or a hard boiled egg. The egg keeps you feeling full longer... sometimes, I do not even eat it till 9:00 or so. My coffee fills me up in the morning, but I do know it is great to get your metabolism going as soon as possible!!!!!!!:drinker:

yoshi91610 · January 2012

I'm no health expert but I don't force food down my throat when I am not hungry. Just doesn't make sense to me. I can't differentiate when I do that in the morning to "boredom snacking." What I mean is: If I make myself eat when I am not hungry in the morning just so I can say "I ate Breakfast during normal breakfast hours" then when I am bored sitting in front of the t.v I think, well I see food so I am going to eat. just doesn't make sense to me to eat when I am not hungry.