Breakfast: Is it really that important?

I've heard that eating breakfast everyday can help you lose weight. However, most thin people I know skip breakfast. I always eat breakfast and I'm still fat! So, how true is this? Could it be possible that this may be some marketing ploy that the cereal companies are coming up with?

I don't think its that big of a deal either way. If your hungry, eat something small so that you won't overeat later, but don't worry about forcing yourself either way.

from my experience. having breakfast helps losing weight,,

you can try it by weighing yourself before lunch time , you'll notice that the days with breakfast you lose more weight than the no breakfast days..

Breakfast is often mis-characterized as a metabolism booster. It is true that eating (anytime/everytime) boost metabolism, but this metabolic boost does not lead to weight loss.

Breakfast is a characteristic of people who lost weight and kept weight off.  So it can be concluded that breakfast helps control hunger throughout the day.   But eating breakfast is also a common characteristic amongst overweight people, so it can also be concluded that breakfast does not promote weight loss.

 

Eat breakfast...surusly...

 i have lost 2lbs in two weeks eating breakfast maybe you should eat the right sort of breakfast

I always try to eat breakfast.  Either a tablespoon of Peanut Butter on a 100 calorie English Muffin or Cream of Wheat.  I feel that if I eat breakfast, I am not as hungry so early for lunch.

When I lost 20 pounds I was eating breakfast everyday. I hated it because I hate eating so early in the morning but the important thing for me was to not eat the same thing. I mean I could of but I would listen to my stomach and if I wasn't that hungry I have a small bowl of grapes and if I'm starving, I eat oatmeal, fruit, and green tea. Also green tea used to fill me up. I lose weight not eating breakfast but some days I get home and I act like the cookie monster. Then I gain more. so its about listening to your body.

Breakfast is definitly very important because after the body has gone so long through the night without food it will start to go into starvation mode if you don't eat in the morning.

When your body is in starvation mode it breaks down muscle to use for energy and stores fat. Breaking down muscle is very undesirable when you are trying to lose weight because it will slow your metabolism down.

 

I was always told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.. second important meal being the one after you work out.  Breakfast starts up your metabolism.  I just wouldn't eat a very high calorie breakfast to start your day.  The meal after your workout is important because your body needs to replenish what it lost, nutrient wise.

Original Post by jemima9:

Breakfast is definitly very important because after the body has gone so long through the night without food it will start to go into starvation mode if you don't eat in the morning.

When your body is in starvation mode it breaks down muscle to use for energy and stores fat. Breaking down muscle is very undesirable when you are trying to lose weight because it will slow your metabolism down.

 

 Starvation mode is more myth than fact.  It only occurs if you lack adequate fat stores.  In over weight people, fat burning is highest in the morning because insulin is lowest.  Once you eat, and insulin is released, fat burning slows.   Simply -> All weight loss is a catabolic.   You burn more fat when you are in a catabolic state.

Eating breakfast does not cause weight loss, it just helps with calorie/appetite control.

Original Post by strikez:

Original Post by jemima9:

Breakfast is definitly very important because after the body has gone so long through the night without food it will start to go into starvation mode if you don't eat in the morning.

When your body is in starvation mode it breaks down muscle to use for energy and stores fat. Breaking down muscle is very undesirable when you are trying to lose weight because it will slow your metabolism down.

 

 Starvation mode is more myth than fact.  It only occurs if you lack adequate fat stores.  In over weight people, fat burning is highest in the morning because insulin is lowest.  Once you eat, and insulin is released, fat burning slows.   Simply -> All weight loss is a catabolic.   You burn more fat when you are in a catabolic state.

Eating breakfast does not cause weight loss, it just helps with calorie/appetite control.

 I find this "starvation mode" the most difficult weight issue to get straight!  I read some, including the Ask Mary nutritionist, who absolutely claim it is a fact, then there will be posts from someone who sounds pretty savy and claims it is a myth.  If there are  definitive articles on the net about this I would love to know where they are.  There is something about it that doesn't ring true with me.  I keep hearing "eat more and lose more"..................it has never worked for me, but when I reduce calories, eat healthy and exercise I almost without fail lose weight.  When I gain I can usually connect it to an eating pattern that was either excessive in calories, salt, or poor chocies in general.  I would love to have an answer to this.  If anyone has a reference, not to the article on this site, I would like to have it!

Thanks, Barbara

My mom says you should always eat breakfast..and she is 54 and looks damn good! so I do..one of my grandmas cancer doctors once had a case that a lady got stomach cancer because all of her life  she never ate breakfast...so I believe its very important...maybe a light breakfast with everything..include friuts and even veggies..like eat an omelet with veggies and egg..its easy to make...but its your choice..good luck!

All I know is that b4 i even tried to lose weight i hated eating breakfast, it seemed like a huge hassle! Then i found out that it helps to boost energy for your body and keeps your metabolism up. Now i eat breakfast as much as i can. B4 joining this program i ate a huge breakfast that probably averaged 1000 calories, now i jes eat a breakfast bar at work and try to keep breakfast at 300 or less calories. I'm 265 lbs. and 5'9 so i'm trying really hard to stay at 2500 calories or less a day. Thanks to calorie count i can finally figure out if im eating too much or not. Don't know if i answered your question but as far as i can tell breakfast really helps to keep my snacking at work to a minimum and i don't try to over compensate at lunch!

I actually do not eat breakfast because the first thing I do every morning right after I wake up is put my work out clothes on and head over the the gym... I drink a sugar/calorie/carb free energy drink (1/2 a can) before I go to give me a bit of a boost but other than that I just work off the dinner I ate the night before (I eat enough at dinner to hold me over until lunch the next day & to power up my work outs)... For some breakfast works well and for others not so much, it really depends on one's body & mind! 

Hello lilborykuamami,

Numerous studies support my claim. What actually happens when you skip breakfast is that you set yourself up to eat high-fat foods as snack before the lunch period. This way you are putting yourself in a very strong position as far as gaining weight is concerned. And, eating breakfast also saves you from overeating at lunchtime. By not providing your body with anything for the last 12 hours or so, you are simply not producing the enzymes necessary for metabolizing fat to lose weight. By distributing the calorie intake throughout the day, you are constantly answering the body’s needs for proper functioning. This is only going to help you loose your excess weight. To know more, you can visit http://www.dietspace.com/. It has helped me a lot with my needs related to finding the right diet.

Thanks.

What if you can't eat Breakfast? I have to be up a couple hours before I eat, if I eat when I first get up I get physically sick

I'm thin and eat breakfast. Always. I've never skipped a breakfast in my entire life, because I really need it like other people need their coffee. If I don't get my breakfast (and it has to be something sweet, not hearty), I feel weak and get cranky. Just like with coffee - only that I don't drink coffee.

Usually I have cereal or muesli with whole milk (or whole yogurt), or rice pudding, or pancakes, or some other cake. :)

I can't stand eating first thing in the morning.

It just makes me feel really bloated and uncomfortable, if I just go and eat before I've been up 2 or 3 hours and am fully awake.

I don't think eating breakfast can be good for you when you just feel much better without it, and waiting til midday to eat.