Breakfast - a waste of calories?

For the longest time I struggled with finding something that didn't make me feel awful after eating it, but the experts say you need breakfast. So I would eat something... eggs, oatmeal, cereal, toast, yogurt, but always felt sickly after. For the last week I have actually been either skipping breakfast or having a cup of watermelon. I feel sooo much better and go into my workout with more energy. Then I have a spinach/carrot/almond milk/protein shake after my workout.

Getting sick after you eat is an indication that your blood sugar levels are low and your metabolism is slowing down while your body starts shifting gears to use muscle for energy.

A good way to avoid feeling sick when you first get up and eat is to avoid making your body go into a low blood sugar droop. You can do this by eating a little protein before bed, and then eating a small bit of protein immediately when you step out of bed. The sick feeling you get from breakfast is not an indication that breakfast is a bad thing, its your body trying to tell you it is all messed up and needs balance again. Fasting through breakfast probably makes that worse.

Then its a preference for you and a necessity for me . I just wouldn't consider it a complete waste or myth on all individuals since some like me need it.

Lol, agreed! And no one is saying you shouldn't, just that you don't have to, meaning it's not necessarily 'better' for you.

I hate this effing website. 17 pages debating breakfast?! Yup, breakfast is the reason why there are fat people.

I eat 6-8 times a day, I should probably weigh 400 pounds.

What am I even doing here on a Friday night...

Again, no one said you shouldn't eat breakfast, or even eat 6-8 times a day lol. Some people believe there are benifits to not eating 6-8 times a day...but it's certainly not something I'm telling you to do. The only reason there's a debate is because of all the people saying it's BS that you don't have to.

And as for Friday night.../sigh, no kidding right?

Debate is good for a healthy mind, provided that it doesn't resort to petty name calling.

I'm actually pretty impressed with this thread lol. Other than that one point where religion was randomly brought into it...I don't think anyone's really been 'offended'.

Maybe we're doing something wrong?

There was this study, and they found out that there are more car crashes in Islamic countries during the month of Ramadan (they don't eat breakfast, and then fast all day until sunset)

So when I don't want to eat breakfast, I force myself to eat ~100 cal, because i'm sure as heck not getting in a car crash TODAY.

Oh relax guys I'm just amusing myself and a few of my friends on here. Take it easyyyyy.

If you wanna skip breakfast than so be it. I used to train fasted myself, and started eating a light breakfast before the gym and a post workout meal or shake immediately after. I suppose you could say that's 2 breakfasts since I leave for the gym at 5:00am. Performance wise, I definitely felt a difference having extra energy in me and my progress pictures from the beginning of April show that something is clearly working. As another poster said, a small serving of protein before bed and another serving upon waking is a great way to prevent catabolism - but some of you might say that is "bro-science".

Also, I work a desk job that is incredibly mentally taxing, and I found that eating smaller meals throughout the day keeps my blood sugar more stable and prevents me from crashing and/or flipping out on my coworkers haha.

Also, I'm not anorexic, so I love to eat. Having a small serving of cottage cheese while responding to emails is better than thinking OMG WHEN IS LUNCH.

If what you are doing is working for you then continue doing it. However, if you're not getting the results you want, and your energy levels throughout the day are not where you want them to be, then perhaps you should think about switching up your routine.

Just my two cents. I prefer to operate off anecdotal evidence and personal experience.

But for real, this thread is bananas (which are a great way to get some quick energy in the morning).

Lol, definitely agree with this...and the cool thing is, the same goes in reverse. If your current deal isn't working, you can try IF, or any other HEALTHY method of getting all your calories in.

By the way...I love to eat too. And it's super cool to be able to eat good food, with some crap if I like...of an evening when I have real time to enjoy it =D.

Breakfast definitely not a waste of calories. If the average person has slept 8 hours the body adjusts during that time by slowing the heart rate and other organs functions go down since they are not needed in the same way when the person is awake and receiving food. Breakfast allows you to begin fueling your body for the day and allows for optimum work in the morning.

I was a person who skipped it all the time I was sleepy or I wasn't hungry but when I was educated on food and its functions breakfast became the most important meal of the day.

Skipping meals period upsets your metabolic rate. Yes the body can take nutrients from fat in the body but it will also slow down the metabolic rate in order to do so. Doesn't take very much to put our bodies in starvation mode and a slow metabolism leads to weight gain.

Lol, definitely agree with this...and the cool thing is, the same goes in reverse. If your current deal isn't working, you can try IF, or any other HEALTHY method of getting all your calories in.

By the way...I love to eat too. And it's super cool to be able to eat good food, with some crap if I like...of an evening when I have real time to enjoy it =D.

Hehe, I tried IF and didn't last 2 days. Takes a lot of discipline. I'm also convinced Martin from leangains.com is a space alien or a mutant and could eat Double Quarter Pounders all day and still look like that haha.

Thanks for the support bro - good chatting with you.

Breakfast definitely not a waste of calories. If the average person has slept 8 hours the body adjusts during that time by slowing the heart rate and other organs functions go down since they are not needed in the same way when the person is awake and receiving food. Breakfast allows you to begin fueling your body for the day and allows for optimum work in the morning.

I was a person who skipped it all the time I was sleepy or I wasn't hungry but when I was educated on food and its functions breakfast became the most important meal of the day.

Skipping meals period upsets your metabolic rate. Yes the body can take nutrients from fat in the body but it will also slow down the metabolic rate in order to do so. Doesn't take very much to put our bodies in starvation mode and a slow metabolism leads to weight gain.

Breakfast is probably the MOST important meal you will eat during the day..so may be a good thing to try at least a small something..Breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear plus it gives you the mental and physical energy to get your day going.

Did you even read ANY of the posts before yours? There's a crapload of real, scientific evidence provided to the contrary...PARTICULARLY about that starvation mode overnight garbage.

Hehe, I tried IF and didn't last 2 days. Takes a lot of discipline. I'm also convinced Martin from leangains.com is a space alien or a mutant and could eat Double Quarter Pounders all day and still look like that haha.

Thanks for the support bro - good chatting with you.

You too lol...and I kinda wonder about Martin too. I mean, seriously. The guys insane sometimes.

oh, I LOVE to eat...big meals

We seriously need to be friends lol.

oh, I LOVE to eat...big meals

We seriously need to be friends lol.

done and done :bigsmile:

It sure seems that most of the people here saying breakfast is so important, have quite a bit more body fat than those who disagree.

Why Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day

Kids Need Their Morning Meal
While adults need to eat breakfast each day to perform their best, kids need it even more. Their growing bodies and developing brains rely heavily on the regular intake of food. When kids skip breakfast, they can end up going for as long as eighteen hours without food, and this period of semistarvation can create a lot of physical, intellectual, and behavioral problems for them.

A Good Investment
If you and your kids regularly skip breakfast in the interest of saving time or getting a few more minutes of sleep, remember that eating a wholesome, nutritious morning meal will probably save you time in the long run. By recharging your brain and your body, you'll be more efficient in just about everything you do. Interestingly, studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis. Preparing a good breakfast can be as quick and easy as splashing some milk over cereal. Time invested in breakfast is much more valuable than the few extra minutes of sleep you might get by bypassing the morning meal. If you and your kids seem unable to make time for breakfast, consider enrolling your children in a school breakfast program, if possible, or pack a breakfast brown-bag the night before so that you and your kids can eat on the way to school and work.

Break the Fast to Shed the Pounds
Some people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight, but the practice is more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss. Skipping breakfast is strongly linked to the development of obesity. Studies show that overweight and obese children, adolescents, and adults are less likely to break the fast each morning than their thinner counterparts.

According to research, skipping meals, especially breakfast, can actually make weight control more difficult. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more food than usual at the next meal or nibble on high-calorie snacks to stave off hunger. Several studies suggest that people tend to accumulate more body fat when they eat fewer, larger meals than when they eat the same number of calories in smaller, more frequent meals. To teens, especially teenage girls, skipping breakfast may seem like a perfectly logical way to cut down on calories and lose weight. It's important for moms to educate their kids about the importance of the morning meal and the role it plays in maintaining good health and preventing obesity.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/most-important-meal

Several studies suggest that people tend to accumulate more body fat when they eat fewer, larger meals than when they eat the same number of calories in smaller, more frequent meals.

actually, the only study I've seen that measures this says the opposite: meal frequency does not influence fat loss. I'd be happy to read these 'several studies' if someone cites them.

Breakfast isn't a necessity. Health 'experts' say that it's the most important meal, and there's the whole myth about breakfast skippers being fatter, but that's simply because most people that don't eat breakfast tend to pig out and eat more throughout the rest of the day.

http://www.leangains.com/p/my-transformation.html
^ This bloke here does intermittent fasting, eating only for 8 hours a day from around 1pm-9pm. He looks pretty damn good to me. A lot of people I know doing IF are succeeding in their goals of muscle gain or fat loss.

This. If you do real research (not relying on random Google results) regarding intermittent fasting, you'll learn that skipping meals has no effect on metabolism. IF is wonderful.

If you can skip breakfast without having hunger pangs that affect your concentration and if it will not lead to over-eating later in the day, then by all means, skip breakfast and enjoy a little extra with lunch and dinner.

Usually I don't eat breakfast but if by mid morning I'm hungry I'll start the day off with a snack or I'll just wait for lunch. I can't survive the morning without my coffee though! They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I don't fully agree with that. Why eat when you're not hungry? and like you said, save your calories for a good hearty lunch or dinner. That is my hungriest time - in the evenings, not morning, and I want a decent dinner so I don't end up bingeing and also helps me to sleep well at night. When I used to fad diet I couldn't sleep well at night, hate going to bed hungry! Makes me grumpy

It sure seems that most of the people here saying breakfast is so important, have quite a bit more body fat than those who disagree.

Random and totally unsubstantiated response.

Kind of like the "breakfast kickstarts your metabolism" posts? Look at the pics.

I am not disagreeing with where you are coming from at all (I also agree that 'breakfast kickstarts your metabolism' is totally incorrect) - but where people are in their weigh loss journey differs, the fact a lot do not have pics, and it is really hard to determine body fat from a pic makes the assertion irrelevent.

I do agree though that it must be working for the ones who do it based on their pics and their success so far.