To eat breakfast or not eat breakfast? That is the question.

[chinup123]

I'm trying to reduce calories to under 1500 a day.

I've always been brought up with the mantra that you NEED to eat breakfast to set yourself up for the day, which makes sense. And then since then you hear a lot about kick starting your metabolism. But now there's a lot about intermittent fasting which would cut out breakfast.

I quite often feel like I force breakfast in me before work (about 7am) because I shouldn't go off for the day on an empty stomach. I try to make that protein based e.g. yoghurt or eggs. I also do absolutely want a coffee in the morning and I have also always been lead to believe caffeine on an empty stomach is a bad idea.

But if I cut out breakfast, surely I will just be starving, and then that isn't great for my metabolism, which I think is very slow anyway. I have a sedentary office job so it's not like I need the energy to burn but I do need to be able to concentrate well.

I've been calorie counting for a couple of weeks, and I'm coming to the conclusion that the quickest way would be to cut out a meal and breakfast seems the one to go for but I'm worried I will just be slowing my metabolism and/or making myself more likely to over eat at lunchtime.

Any fasters with any advice?

I don't eat breakfast and it works well for me.
I understand the idea of kick starting the metabolism, but for me, breakfast just kick starts my appetite. Yes, I'm hungry by lunchtime but no more so than if I eat breakfast.
I have early lunch (12ish) and early dinner (6.30ish) and this works very well for me.
Hope you find a way that suits you.

DH lost nearly 15kg but cutting breakfast. He didn't eat from 8pm to 12noon. He did also try to cut snacks and go low carb at lunch (eggs, mushrooms and salad) but I think the intermittent fasting was key to weight loss. I say try it.

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast. You adjust very quickly to it, I find I'm usually so busy in the mornings at work that it's 11 before I notice I've not eaten, then I have lunch at 12. If I'm particularly hungry I'll have some nuts and fruit as a snack. I don't do 'clean' fasting because I still drink tea with milk, but it works very well for me anyway.

Every body is different and what works for one won’t work for another.

I’d rather cut dinner than breakfast. I know eating late messes with my body. I am so out of step with the rest of the family unfortunately

if there is any way you can grab a 10 minute walk before starting work that could be really good for you

you could perhaps make a small sandwich to take with you to have when you arrive at work. Nothing wrong with some carbs in the morning especially

yiu are right you need to avoid being starving at lunchtime as then it’s so easy to overeat

Ive always found that when I do eat breakfast I just end up eating more throughout the day...it's like it kick starts my appetite and I end up more hungry...I have tried switching to protein based breakfasts but it's still the same.

When I was a child/teen/early 20s I hated breakfast and was constantly nagged by my Mum to eat it as it's 'the most important meal of the day'. I'd skip it all the time and was a healthy weight and otherwise had a healthy diet.

Started eating breakfast consistently in my late 20s as I told myself I should grow up and get proper grown up eating habits. Not a healthy weight now alas so I'm also going to experiment with going back to how I ate naturally when I was young. All anecdotal, obviously!

I agree with this. If i don't eat breakfast I often get to lunchtime or even mid afternoon without feeling hungry - even if i was hungry when I woke up, this passes. If I have breakfast, I'll be ready for more food by lunchtime. I don't actually fast, as I tend to have a milky coffee mid morning, but definitely find that getting out of the habit of eating because it's a meal time and i "should" had been helpful for me.

Scientifically, the body is better at metabolising fat and carbs earlier in the morning. It's not as good at metabolising fat and carbs in the evening. I heard that on the Zoe Nutrition podcast.

Everyone is different though. I tend to not snack at all in the evenings, so I don't eat after 7.30/8pm, so have basically fasted and then have breakfast at 8am.

In terms of breakfast, it doesn't kick start appetite for me, as I always make sure it's balanced e.g. healthy fat, protein and carb, so there is no sugar crash.

I'm more likely to eat crap and go astray if I don't have breakfast and get too hungry. I also just have shit focus at work between 11am - 12pm if I don't have breakfast, my brain just doesn't want to start anything new until after lunch, so I will do small inconsequential tasks which is counterproductive.

I also don't always have control of when my lunchtimes are.

Having breakfast also has the benefit of meaning that by after lunch I have generally eaten my RDA for protein. The body will keep you snacking until you have had enough protein. So I'm generally okay after lunch to go through to dinner.

Lots of people just don't like breakfast though and prefer coffee.

This may also be age impacted. I'm 45 and haven't noticed much change yet in my metabolism since my 30s.

^ I should add, quality of sleep maybe plays a part - my sleep is terrible. Maybe skipping breakfast is easier with good sleep!

I find if I have a protein heavy breakfast like an omlette and a sliced tomato, rather than a carb based breakfast like cereal or toast, I don't need lunch.

I'll take a banana or some nuts of something as a snack mid afternoon in stead.

I have a yogurt and a drink of milk with collagen in it.

lots of protein and low calories

agree with every body is different.

in the past i’ve found eating breakfast makes me hungrier in the day but actually if i control myself i think im better off having something - it can be small but stops me over eating later/ fuels the morning.

They say the evening meal is the best one to skip as you want to fuel your body in the day/ not digest at night but actually whichever you’re more likely to stick with/ works for you is actually best (think that was in a zoe podcast)

The new(ish) craze is all about women doing IF at different points in their cycle. You can fast more/ longer in follicular than other times IIRC.

I don't always eat breakfast and it works well for me, just be careful you don't make yourself "over hungry" then eat whatever you can lay your hands on at lunch time! I find a high protein early lunch is very good.

I don’t eat breakfast snd only an apple for lunch as until I eat I’m not hungry- I then have a big dinner and eat chocolate in front of the tv. I track with the free my fitness pal to ensure I keep myself honest

I never eat breakfast, sometimes OMAD. I only eat when I'm really hungry and I prioritise protein - I aim for 10% protein vs calories. e.g. if a meal contains 400 calories I'll try make sure it contains at least 40g protein. I've lost nearly 100lbs post menopause doing zero exercise with a sedentary lifestyle. Currently 9st7 5'6" size 8.

Are you able to eat mid morning?

If so, you could have something at around 10-11, then lunch at 1-2 and a normal dinner. If you have it fairly early, eg by 7 pm, that's a 16:8 fasting pattern.

Just try and adjust the calorie split so it works for you. Many would eat most at dinner but a lot of people are more suited to front loading the calories and only having a smaller dinner.

I’m a great believer in intermittent fasting, but this doesn’t work for everyone. It’s more important to focus on healthy eating - lots of vegetables, a fair bit of lean protein, plus small amounts of complex carbs and dairy.

in a typical day I…
have a cup of tea after I wake up around 7-7.30
do my workout at around 8.30-ish
followed by a cup of coffee and a boiled egg or half an avocado
brunch at 11-12 or so - a salad with protein or feta cheese, or leftovers from last night, or soup and flatbread with cream cheese or smoked salmon
an apple, a piece of melon, some berries or a handful of nuts or some Greek yoghurt early to mid-afternoon
dinner around 6-6.30: typically lean chicken or salmon or meatballs with lots of roasted or stir fried vegetables

As a pp said it’s about what works for you.

I fast from 20:00 to 12:00 and it works for me. This was recommended to me by an NHS lifestyle coach and is one of the options recommended for type 2 diabetics again by NHS.

I have had to unlearn some “rules” and my weight loss journey is slow but I am not “on a diet” I just have a diet that works for me.

Thanks everyone, there is some good advice there.

I might try ditching breakfast and see how I fair. It’s more that it’s been drilled in to me eat breakfast, I find it a chore and I don’t have an appetite for it. I just fear being in a meeting at 10am and a chronically rumbly tummy kicking in or feeling a bit light headed as I don’t always have the option to grab something mid morning.

I’ll be secretly pleased to not force down egg or yoghurt at 7am, I have to run them in cycles because they both end up giving me the ick at some point!