How long after you wake up should you eat breakfast?

snowangel2012
snowangel2012 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I get up at 4:30am and sometimes don't eat till 8:00. I was wondering if I should eat sooner to help my metabolism get started. What do you think?

Replies

  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    Eat it whenever you feel hungry/ready for it. There are no rules - try and listen to your body.

    x
  • FerryfieldLad
    FerryfieldLad Posts: 185 Member
    I don't know what the 'science' says - I always eat straight away. But I try to leave 12 hours between my last piece of food at night and my breakfast the next morning.
  • sumeetn
    sumeetn Posts: 56
    I have read many places that you should eat something within an hour of waking up, do not know how true that is :-)
  • NelehY
    NelehY Posts: 52 Member
    I'm usually up at 5am and eat straight away unless I'm going to the Gym.

    In which case I have a drink and then eat properly straight after Gym - otherwise it doesn't...stay.

    I tend to eat oatmeal though - which fuels me up nicely until lunchtime.
    If I eat cereal I'm starving again by 10am.
  • farehah
    farehah Posts: 3
    JUST EAT IF FEEL HUNGRY
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    It has been proven in studies time and again that it's ok to skip breakfast. There are a lot of people here doing intermittent fasting where they don't eat until they've fasted for 16 hours....every day. Their muscles aren't catabolizing and their metabolism doesn't need a jumpstart in the morning. Needing breakfast is a myth propogated by the cereal and orange juice industries.
  • keepersmom8
    keepersmom8 Posts: 42
    I'm up at 5:00 and eat my breakfast (Greek yogurt, sliced almonds and berries) at work sometime between 7:00 and 7:30. I found that when I ate earlier, I was starving halfway through the morning. Now, with a snack of a piece of fruit around 10:00, I can easily make it until lunch.
  • NanoBear
    NanoBear Posts: 67
    I have breakfast within about 10min of getting up. It works for me.
    Try a few options and see what works for you. I don't think there's any real rules on this one.
  • vade43113
    vade43113 Posts: 836 Member
    I get up at 4:30am and sometimes don't eat till 8:00. I was wondering if I should eat sooner to help my metabolism get started. What do you think?

    I love that statement.

    Metabolism, is your cells ability to turn nutrients into ATP(cellular energy), it can slow down when you sleep, and, as you wake it automatically go back to awake state. It doesn't stop, If it did you would be dead, or parts of you would die.(source: My A&P book)

    Your body knows what it is doing, the 'experts' in the world, that say "eat breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day" are just trying to confuse you more and more. Eat how ever you want; most religions have it where you fast, and guess what... they still live.
  • littleblonde200
    littleblonde200 Posts: 95
    since using this app and healthy eating i am hungry when i wake in the morning so i always eat more or less as soon as i get out of bed. I normally lie in a bed for 30 minutes before i get up and enjoy the peace 1st (i have 2 young children)
  • juls404
    juls404 Posts: 2
    I have been told that you do not skip breakfast but delay it for a few hours. Best thing to do is get up and exercise to deplete the body's "storage" from the previous day. Then eat. It's as simple as going for a 30 min brisk walk. Then your metabolism and your body will be ready for food:)
  • juls404
    juls404 Posts: 2
    Also if your Hungry in the morning have a glass of water or black coffee. The caffeine in black coffee releases the fat cells into the blood stream. Helpful for your morning workout :)
  • maylene1853
    maylene1853 Posts: 58
    i wake up at 6am. i make myself a bottle water with crystal light energy. walk my kids to the bus, walk my dogs around the block, pop in my insanity dvd and guzzle 2 bottles of water (4 cups), shower then eat!! this ends up being around 9:00. it works for me. and since i eat 6 meals a day i will then eat again around 11am.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I get up at 4:30am and sometimes don't eat till 8:00. I was wondering if I should eat sooner to help my metabolism get started. What do you think?

    I love that statement.

    Metabolism, is your cells ability to turn nutrients into ATP(cellular energy), it can slow down when you sleep, and, as you wake it automatically go back to awake state. It doesn't stop, If it did you would be dead, or parts of you would die.(source: My A&P book)

    Your body knows what it is doing, the 'experts' in the world, that say "eat breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day" are just trying to confuse you more and more. Eat how ever you want; most religions have it where you fast, and guess what... they still live.

    ^This. People need to stop thinking that their bodies "shut down" and stop processing food at 7pm, or if they don't eat within 30 minutes of waking up. That would be like saying you can't drive your car unless you give it 12 hours to rest, or that you can't drive in the dark. The human body is a machine and our organs are working all the time to process food, move blood, etc. The body doesn't shut down. If you feel hungry, that's the body telling you to eat. If you don't feel hungry, then you don't need to eat yet.
  • erik1111
    erik1111 Posts: 1 Member
    You should ultimately listen to your body, but there are reasons why people say to eat something healthy in the morning. No, your body probably won't completely shut down, but you may be sluggish or tend to snack more later in the day. A body's matabolism slows dows at night, and if you are trying to lose a little weight, you want your matabolism to speed up a little. Your body does this when you eat or when you exercise.

    You should eat a little something sometime soon after you wake up, listen to your body and your energy level, but don't wait too long or until after your workout. You will need some of the calories/carbohydrates as energy for your workout or your walk/run. This will keep your matabolism faster, thus burning more calories. You can eat a larger meal after your workout to make up for the your additional hunger.

    Small meals throughout the day are best, i.e. an apple, handful of nuts, granola, etc. between your larger meals. This isn't just listening to your body. Your body needs certain nutrients to maintiain its energy level and matabolism. Its a balance of all of what I have said.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Meal timing and frequency have no impact on weight loss or metabolic rate. It is all personal preference. Anything saying otherwise is what we love to call "broscience".
  • VTSarah07
    VTSarah07 Posts: 35
    If you are getting up at 4:30a and doing cardio right away, you should do so on an empty stomach for the most fat burning impact. Otherwise, try to eat within an hour of waking up to start that metabolism.
    ** That advice came from a trainer at my gym**

    Also, you should be trying to eat something, even if it is just a small snack, every 3-4 hours to prevent your body from attacking the muscles. If you keep fueling it every 3-4 hours it will burn fat, not muscle.
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
    I get up at 4:30am and sometimes don't eat till 8:00. I was wondering if I should eat sooner to help my metabolism get started. What do you think?

    I love that statement.

    Metabolism, is your cells ability to turn nutrients into ATP(cellular energy), it can slow down when you sleep, and, as you wake it automatically go back to awake state. It doesn't stop, If it did you would be dead, or parts of you would die.(source: My A&P book)

    Your body knows what it is doing, the 'experts' in the world, that say "eat breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day" are just trying to confuse you more and more. Eat how ever you want; most religions have it where you fast, and guess what... they still live.

    ^This. People need to stop thinking that their bodies "shut down" and stop processing food at 7pm, or if they don't eat within 30 minutes of waking up. That would be like saying you can't drive your car unless you give it 12 hours to rest, or that you can't drive in the dark. The human body is a machine and our organs are working all the time to process food, move blood, etc. The body doesn't shut down. If you feel hungry, that's the body telling you to eat. If you don't feel hungry, then you don't need to eat yet.

    Agreed.
  • CallMeWifey
    CallMeWifey Posts: 21 Member
    I actually just read this in a fitness magazine yesterday. I'm going to have to work on that!
  • Skiing914
    Skiing914 Posts: 27
    I would suggest you eat at least an hour or two after you wake up. You should never let yourself get too hungry before you eat because you end up making poor choices when you/re hungry or have trouble with portion control. This is a good rule of thumb for all day.
  • purpleroxmysocks
    purpleroxmysocks Posts: 137 Member
    I just eat whenever I get hungry. Sometimes when I wake up I am hungry pretty much immediately after I wake up and sometimes it takes a few hours.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    "kick starting metabolism by eating breakfast" is bs. your metabolism never stops, eat when you're hungry or when you have time.
  • brucebalding
    brucebalding Posts: 7
    You should eat as soon as you get up and every 2 to 3 hours after that . The amount should be no bigger than your fist. Your Metabolism runs all the time but it really kicks in when you eat so eating small amounts all day will help you lose more weight than 3 squares a day.
  • VTSarah07
    VTSarah07 Posts: 35
    I'm up at 5:00 and eat my breakfast (Greek yogurt, sliced almonds and berries) at work sometime between 7:00 and 7:30. I found that when I ate earlier, I was starving halfway through the morning. Now, with a snack of a piece of fruit around 10:00, I can easily make it until lunch.

    When you eat earlier, your metabolism ramps up and is burning fat and those calories, that is why you get hungry earlier, so you should eat a small snack. By waiting and eating later, you body starts going after your muscles (that you have worked hard for) because they are packed with nutrients, instead of fat.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    "kick starting metabolism by eating breakfast" is bs. your metabolism never stops, eat when you're hungry or when you have time.

    QFT
  • MrsG31
    MrsG31 Posts: 364 Member
    The variations in advice in these responses are astounding! Are you confused? I am!

    If I were you, I would check with a nutrionist and fitness expert.

    I will say I tend to agree with people that waiting 4 hours to eat anything after waking is not a good idea. From all the informaiton I have ever read and heard from nutrionist and doctors, it is best to at least have a snack (say a granola bar, handful of almond in some yogurt, etc). Even you are not diabetic, not eating for that amount of time after you wake is wreaking havoc on your sugar levels which can cause you to overeat when you do finally get around to it.

    But like I said.....I am not an expert.

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