Do you have to have breakfast?

Options
13

Replies

  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    Options
    I used to skip breakfast all the time when I was heavier. Thinking I didn't need it, sometimes I did not feel hungry. However by lunch I was starving and I would end up eating a lot and also 'grazing'.

    Now since losing a lot of weight and getting healthier I couldn't imagine skipping breakfast, mainly because I am actually hungry in the morning and I listen to my body, if I go too long without eating breakfast I actually start to feel nauseated. Also I think for me and my body breakfast absolutely gives me a boost to my day.

    I also eat smaller meals through out the day, never just one big breakfast, one big lunch and one big dinner. Between meals and snacks I probably eat 5-6 times a day, but it's smaller meals and portions and I pick foods that I know fill me up pretty well. For example I wouldn't eat 3 baby carrots and call that a snack, I'd be hungry again real soon!
  • GRAMFLYER
    GRAMFLYER Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    I always find it funny that we are all here because we have food consumption issues and people don't like breakfast.:laugh: OMG, food is what gets my lazy butt out of bed!! And coffee. LOL. I was just listening to the Jillian Michael's podcast and she talked about how breakfast before a workout is very important. You can actually start burning muscle if you don't have any blood sugars/food for the body to work off of. Plus you don't have the energy to give a super HARD workout. I love food...I love breakfast. MIne is around 400 calories every day and it keeps me full for hours!
  • GRAMFLYER
    GRAMFLYER Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    i love that !!! and look how many #s you've lost ! good for you !! :drinker:
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    I dont eat breakfast. Every morning I have coffee and a glass a milk.
    Fills me up. But I also stick to eating several small "meals" each day, example apple with peanut butter around 10 am. My friends call this my Breakfast since it is still AM!
  • junyr
    junyr Posts: 416 Member
    Options
    Eat breakfast or not, it's your preference. Do what works for you, eat, log, have as close to a zero balance of calories by bedtime as you can.

    But that's just me.
  • Mamawood74
    Options
    Breakfast gets you going for the day. Make sure you eat something with protein for breakfast. It really helps you not feel so tired and not so hungry so fast. I used to not eat breakfast but since I have started and made sure I had protein with my breakfast it has made a real difference. Remember Breakfast is "breaking the fast". You haven't eaten since supper the night before and your body needs it. Need to eat within an hour of rising. Also drink plenty of water.
  • GRAMFLYER
    GRAMFLYER Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    :noway: mmmm I didn't see an M.D. after your name ....

    And none behind yours. Please send me some peer-reviewed literature that backs up your "fasting for 8 hours will create fat outta nowhere in a caloric deficit" theory.

    I don't need an MD after my name to be educated in the BASICS of human nutrition, physiology and science.

    check out the post by Mamawood74 - same answer
  • kittenmitton
    kittenmitton Posts: 231 Member
    Options
    Technically you don't really need to eat breakfast, but if you don't, you could possibly be hungrier later and then be more likely to eat more for snacks and other meals. There are some quick and healthy breakfast options out there like oatmeal, yogurt, a banana, a bowl of cereal with skim milk, etc.

    I always say just eat when you're hungry though, and I guess if you're not hungry at breakfast, don't feel like you have to eat it (I always eat it because I looooove oatmeal, but that's just me)
  • sasab904
    sasab904 Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    My trainer says the same thing! Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Options
    :noway: mmmm I didn't see an M.D. after your name ....

    And none behind yours. Please send me some peer-reviewed literature that backs up your "fasting for 8 hours will create fat outta nowhere in a caloric deficit" theory.

    I don't need an MD after my name to be educated in the BASICS of human nutrition, physiology and science.

    check out the post by Mamawood74 - same answer


    So you quote some random poster (no offense Mamawood74) to back up your claims?

    Please come back with peer-reviewed research

    http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=879792
    Several epidemiological studies have observed an inverse relationship between people's habitual frequency of eating and body weight, leading to the suggestion that a ‘nibbling’ meal pattern may help in the avoidance of obesity. A review of all pertinent studies shows that, although many fail to find any significant relationship, the relationship is consistently inverse in those that do observe a relationship. However, this finding is highly vulnerable to the probable confounding effects of post hoc changes in dietary patterns as a consequence of weight gain and to dietary under-reporting which undoubtedly invalidates some of the studies. We conclude that the epidemiological evidence is at best very weak, and almost certainly represents an artefact. A detailed review of the possible mechanistic explanations for a metabolic advantage of nibbling meal patterns failed to reveal significant benefits in respect of energy expenditure. Although some short-term studies suggest that the thermic effect of feeding is higher when an isoenergetic test load is divided into multiple small meals, other studies refute this, and most are neutral. More importantly, studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging. Finally, with the exception of a single study, there is no evidence that weight loss on hypoenergetic regimens is altered by meal frequency. We conclude that any effects of meal pattern on the regulation of body weight are likely to be mediated through effects on the food intake side of the energy balance equation.

    http://www.ajcn.org/content/24/4/465.short
    Effects of two differing meal patterns (six versus three per day) on weight loss, nitrogen retention, and serum lipids were studied in two groups (four each) of overweight young women for 60 days. Diets contained 1,700 kcal, (115 g protein and 50 g fat) during the first 30 days and 1,400 kcal (106 g protein and 40 g fat) during the remaining time. Weight losses ranged from 0 to 9 lb during the first 30 days, from 4 to 10 lb during the second 30 days. Nitrogen retention was considered satisfactory in both periods, for all subjects. Total serum lipids and serum cholesterol values varied considerably among subjects but were within normal limits. Meal frequency did not significantly affect weight loss, nitrogen balance, total serum lipids, or serum cholesterol.
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
    Options
    My prefrence is to "starve" during the day, which isnt really starving so i can eat like a man at night instead of eating like a bird all day. No wonder people think eating 5-6 meals a day stokes the metabolic fire, how is one actually satisfied eating a 300 calorie meal? Being full 1 time a day beats being teased by snacks.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Options
    I don't understand how people can argue over this. Many people skip breakfast and still lose weight. How much more proof do you need than seeing it actually happen? If breakfast fits your preferences then by all means, you should eat it. If not, don't.
  • Soon2BeMrsThomson
    Options
    Really good answers, glad I posted now. Although HotTottie and Mayak seem to be the ones I would go with on a purely scientific level (it was the metabolism issue I most wanted clearing up!!)

    At the end of the day, some people love breakfast and others (like me) find it hard to eat and would rather save my carlories for later on in the day. I'm so busy at work I don't usually even think about food until after 12pm!!

    Thanks to you all again for letting me have your views, scientific or otherwise :-)
  • PepeGreggerton
    PepeGreggerton Posts: 986 Member
    Options
    I don't eat breakfast and have managed to lose 68lbs....

    check out #7

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Options
    I don't care what science says. If I don't eat breakfast, I am one mean and grouchy son of a gun. :laugh:

    This is me! No way I can skip breakfast.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
    Options
    On metabolism...it has no affect.

    It is helps you control your eating habits...that's great! But over caloric deficit is what matters.

    You hear over and over...thinner people eat breakfast. However, correlation isn't causation.

    I eat breakfast every morning, but that's because I'm hungry and I have low blood sugar. But it does not have an affect on my metabolism or weight loss.
  • monharri
    Options
    I've read that eating breakfast is an excellent idea, but how people need to change their thinking on the typical American breakfast food which mainly consists of fried food, heavy bread, and sweetners like jam. In the PH Miracle book, the writer champions eating lots of vegetables for breakfast to rev up your metabolism so you will not put anything too heavy in your stomach first thing in the morning. He says its best to "ease" into your day with light food or a green drink.

    I've been enjoying reading everyone's threads.
  • DieVixen
    DieVixen Posts: 790 Member
    Options
    eating breakfast is only important as a matter of personal preferance,your metabolism will be fine if you dont eat breakfrast
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Options
    This is personal preference, and some people should have breakfast, for others it is not necessary. If you are not hungry, and you do not lose control later in the day, and you feel good, there is no reason for you to have to have breakfast. You can eat one meal a day and if you are within calories and macros and it works for you, you will be fine. Experiment and see what works best for your lifestyle and your needs and go with it.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Options
    absolutely! If you have no other meal during the day, you must have breakfast
    That's true, because if you only eat one meal a day, it's technically breakfast.