Against all perceived wisdom I have been losing weight by skipping breakfast

[PacificDogwod]

I had a week of immense stress and no routine earlier during the summer due to a significant upset and lost my appetite for a few days. All is better and there is certainly nothing wrong with my appetite, but I have found I can very easily not have breakfast (which used to be quite a carb-heavy cereal affair), not feel hungry until lunch time and I have lost 2 stone in the last 2 months or so. And 2 dress sizes, more importantly

I am eating well and healthily and am as active as I've always been. Maybe slightly more so as we now have a dog who needs walking whether I want to or not…

So, is there anything wrong with this?
In my eyes all I am losing out on is starchy carbs and sugar

You know the saying eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and supper like a pauper . It's not ever a good idea to miss out breakfast as your body needs fuel to get up and go. Dieting never works either. My advice is educated choices with food. Have a sensible breakfast, then nothing in between until lunch ( again, sensible ) and nothing until supper which is also sensible. If you want a piece of cake on rare occasions, do so, just in moderation as with all bad foods. Eat healthily 75% of the time and for the 25% you can be a bit more naughty. Follow all of the above and you will never be overweight

tsm106 but what if your body feels perfectly fine without 'fuel'? I don't eat breakfast either, the thought of it makes me feel a bit queasy. I can happily work all morning and wait till lunch. I don't feel tired or sluggish.

We're not one homogenous human mass, each person has a different metabolism and calorific needs. I think it's more dangerous to eat because that's what we're told we should do. Really, we should just listen to our bodies a bit more. It's been drummed into us that Breakfast is The Most Important etc but I imagine Kelloggs or someone was probably behind that!

I'm not a breakfast eater either (and normal weight), but I usually keep really quiet about it because of all the "you must eat breakfast" hooha around :)

I always skip breakfast when I'm dieting. I hurt can't justify the extra calories and like pp's have said, it makes me more hungry.

I've lost 6lb in the last 2 weeks by having no breakfast, a really small lunch, like 200-300 calories, and then a normalish dinner. I use mfp and a bit obsessive about keeping my calories as low as possible during the week. I loosen up massively at the weekends, but still don't bother with breakfast.

Just, not hurt

Dieting never works.
I've lost 5st since 2011. Kept 4 of it off. Imo that has worked.

The idea is based around the fact that purposely skipping a meal will make you overindulge later on in the day. However, that's assuming you're actually hungry when skipping said meal. If you aren't hungry at breakfast, and don't get hungry till lunch, then your body isn't going to feel like it's missing anything. You should never force yourself to eat when you aren't hungry.

As long as you feel good and aren't consuming massive portions later you're fine.

Sorry tsm it's bollocks for a great many people. It's a known phenomenon that breakfast awakens appetite in many.

I very rarely eat breakfast. I too am doing 5:2 and even usually manage to hold out after a fast day. I've never really enjoyed it and feel so much better now I don't eat it - not to mention losing nearly 2st since April.

Humans did not evolve to eat 3 square meals a day. Way back when we would feast or famine, depending on what the menfolk could catch. It seems entirely natural to me that we should eat more rarely than we've been conditioned to think.

Congrats on the weight loss OP

This thread is interesting. I'm a breakfast eater but I do find that I'm hungry all morning and then ravenous for lunch. At the weekend I'm usually running around doing housework/errands and I might not eat until gone 12, but I'm less hungry throughout the day.

Hmm.

Thefitfatty that makes perfect sense actually.

There's a big difference between skipping breakfast because you're not hungry, and skipping it because you're trying to get through to lunchtime and ignoring hunger.

Exactly. It's the same with the whole you should eat five small meals, not three big meals. Sure, if that satisfies your hunger more then 3 big meals, do it. Eat when hungry.

For me, I'm only ever hungry around meal times, so if I tried to do 5 small meals, or little snacks, I'd be forcing myself to eat when I'm not hungry. Which is pretty counterproductive.

Yeah same here.

In fact on the very rare occasions I've had breakfast (sometimes on holiday), I'm not hungry at all for lunch.

Same here, not hungry in the mornings at all.

I'm not losing weight though. Been dieting for 2 years and lost 15lbs in 6m then nothing for the last 18m

I would really like to understand a bit more about appetite regulation/over-eating/insulin-resistance etc - it's fascinating.

And thank you for the congratulations, I am quite chuffed with myself
although I could have done without the events that made me initially lose my appetite.

I agree, 'dieting' does not work, but surely different strategies to cope with the over-availability of cheap calories and not being as active as one should be will suit different people??
At the end of the day it's about balancing calorie intake and calorie use and how we achieve that will vary.

Never mind the genetics of it all - I have a very annoyingly skinny brother who seems to have more of a natural 'off' switch wrt eating that I utterly lack. Bastard!

Same here - I can drop breakfast and not overeat. Eat breakfast - protein and fat or carbs it diesn't matter and then think about food all day.
I think some people need breakfast or they'll overeat and it's the opposite for others. We now know from scientific research that giving your body a long break from eating is a very good thing.....so we can now happily ignore the dull "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" lectures.

And I forgot to say Well done Op! Sounds like you have found a good approach for your body.

Phew, I'm not the only one If I eat breakfast I am hungry by 10am and then continue to stuff my face all day, if I don't I'm not really hungry until lunchtime and I eat much less throughout the day.

I've been desperately trying to find a healthy breakfast that does not leave me ravenous by 10 as people keep on telling me I must eat breakfast. Now I can relax and go with my body. So far today I've had 2 very big cups of weak coffee and am just starting to feel a little hungry although not starving.

I lost 11lbs in 3.5 weeks before my summer holiday by skipping breakfast.

I think as long as you do have lunch it's a sensible way to watch your calorie intake.

I'm overweight and I attribute a lot of it to my total lack of appetite for breakfast. Problem is I tend to work through lunch too, get home at 7 without having eaten and then binge eat

Well, yeah.

Of course you'll lose weight, you're eating less over the course of the day.

And if you are not hungry don't force yourself to eat!

Back when I didn't eat breakfast I was slim. Now I do I'm overweight.

I am hungry in the evenings. I'm going to have my breakfast then, instead of biscuits / crisps / crap.

I have breakfast in the evening for supper, then nothing till lunch the next day.
Have done for years and never knew it was aa named diet. I can now tell everyone I do 16:8 diet.

It's only because I can't face food till at least midday.

I am always starving when I wake up so inevitably have to eat.

However a lot of time for dinner I could just eat something light like soup and cheese.

It's amazing how conditioned we are to eat three meals a day.

I say do whatever works for you OP, congrats on the weight loss!