If I eat Breakfast Early...

I know you're supposed to eat to turn your metabolism on, but the earlier I eat, the more I eat.  I consume considerably less calories if I don't eat until 1 or 2 pm.  If I start out eating a little something, it kicks my hunger on....and it always has been that way for me. Even a freakin half a grapefruit or a bowl of oatmeal can sabotage my whole day!

Doesn't my morning cup of coffee and my 5 or so giant glasses of water in the morning turn my metabolism on for the day or am I really sabotaging myself by not eating early? 

ednasilem11--I don't know about "supposed tos" but I find that what you are saying is true for me, too.  On my plan, I have 300 calories to eat before 11:00, but I rarely eat that much, because I don't eat until 10:30 or so. 

Even when I get up early.  If I eat at 6 am, I am hungry again by 9.  If I don't eat at all, I am not hungry til 10:30 or 11:00....weird, huh.

ednasilem11--i find that if i don't have breakfast in the morning that i eat a lot more during the day and night. When i do have breakfast though i tend to be able to eat smaller portions throughout the day and my metabolism is usually in pretty good shape by the time i hit up the gym. (don't skip the most important meal of the day if you can help it :D imo)

Hi Ednasilem, 

I so understand what you are experiencing! I used to try to go as long as I could without food on weekends - until early afternoon sometimes - to stop me from snacking my way through the day. But it didn't really make me lose weight! On the contrary... I only lose weight when I eat 'right'.

I am not sure how many calories you have per day but you might want to have more than grapefruit or oatmeal in the morning. For me personally it helps when I have eggs in the morning with a slice of bread plus a bunch of fruits. I try to balance my breakfast with protein, carbs, fibre and so on and try to eat as much as I can for my 500 calories. After filling up on breakfast I am not hungry until lunch!

During the week though I don't have time for cooking eggs. So I eat two little breakfasts. i.e. after getting ready for the day at 6.45 am I have 2 Activia low fat yoghurts (80 cal each) and a pack of raspberries (88 cal) or a sliced and peeled apple for a start. So I come out at 240 cal. Then I go to the gym and workout for 45 min and am really hungry afterwards. That's when I have my second breakfast at around 9 am: 1 cup Kashi Go lean crunchy cereal w 1 cup nonfat milk which is about 300 cal.

Between 10 and 12 am I usually have a peeled and sliced apple next to me sitting on my desk so when I get hungry I can snack on that. 

Sometimes I go to the gym over lunch too. That's when I have a pack of Kellogg's all bran bites before the workout (100 cal) as I feel that I need something before working out. After 30 min on the elipitical or threadmill I shower and back in the office I have my lunch (around 1.15 pm). 

In the afternoon I can usually go with an apple or another snack pack of Kellogg's all bran bites. And around 6.30 pm or 7 pm I have dinner... 

You see: I am not constantly eating but I have many snacks in between and with 1700 - 1900 calories a day I feel never hungry and I have a good loss. 

I hope this helps you!!

All the best

Brigit

  

I try to eat a good breakfast within 1-2 hours of waking up. Usually around 400 calories. I DO find it hard not to snack all morning, but overall, I will feel better all day if I had breakfast. Try something with a lot of protein (like 2 eggs and half a bagel) and then in the morning, if you feel hungry, drink tea or something with no calories, or snack on fruit or veggies.

One has to eat a real breakfast in the morning to jump start your body never mind metabolism. I have egg whites, whole grain toast with sugar free Raspberry jam and a banana by 5am.  Also tea. Then water throughout the day with a mid morning snack of an apple or banana or peanuts. If you skip breakfast you're screwing up your body and health. Check the guides and advice here or WebMD or American Heart Association....all make it clear you need a real breakfast.

I'm still new, but here is what has worked for me.  I never did eat breakfast but was advised that I'm letting my metabolism go into starvation mode, so since June I've started eating a modified breakfast (I've lost 10 pounds so far - yay me!).  I am at the office by 7:00 am so I was eating VERY early.  Here's what I do now.  I eat my breakfast throughout the morning - I graze.  I start with a small slice of toast with 1 tsp of light peanut butter and green tea on the way to work.  I have my coffee and light cream at work and then by about 8:30 or 9:00 I have a second cup with either a banana and Activia, or 10 almonds and Activia.  By 11:00 I need something else and it's either the banana or almonds I didn't eat earlier.  For lunch I follow the same approach - I graze - a salad and then a protein a little later.  I have prunes by about 3:00 in the afternoon, or some other fruit.  And of course water throughout the day....this seems to work for me! It leaves me almost 500 calories for dinner (I follow a 1500 calorie diet), but am finding I do not use all the calories on some days.

It is a dilemma.  Now that I'm retired, I have so much more flexibility.  I have a half a glass of milk with my morning meds (for the sake of my stomach) and then I might have a half a banana.  I don't actually eat breakfast until about 9 or 10. I don't like to eat the same thing every day, so I alternate among hot cereal, cold cereal, eggs, smoothies, flaxseed waffles.  I always have a piece of fruit with breakfast - I seem to do well on the high carb start to the day.  On days when I have eggs, I can go longer before getting hungry.

Right now I'm on maintenance, so my top calorie amount is 1600. 

The pattern is

Early AM Snack around 6 am
Breakfast 8 to 10 am
Lunch 1 to 2 pm
Afternoon Small Snack 4 pm
Dinner 6 or 7 pm
optional evening snack (if I have calories left to spend) no later than 9 pm because of digestion problems.

allo! Eating almost as soon as you get up certainly kick-starts your metabolism rate. Thus, you will get hungrier because your body starts early too.

Jaylong has the right idea. Personally, I start with boiled buckwheat mixed with a honey bran cereal for taste and almond milk (I'm lactose). Then when i arrive, 8:30 am, at work I eat two egg whites and mixed fruit and a cup of steamed soy milk. Then around 1:00 pm, rye toast and veggies, and then after work a large salad with mixed nuts for dinner.

Usually there is an apple or some orange somewhere in between. I too find it hard sometimes to reach my calorie goals as well.

Its all about control and portions. Best wishes! :)

 

I'm the exact same way. For all my previous diets I didn't eat breakfast...for some reason I can go until lunch without ever really being hungry...then it's on, lol.

But if I DO eat breakfast, I am hungry again in an hour. and again and again. It sucks.

Anyway, I'm following the rules this time and eating breakfast everyday...and counting everything, of course. We'll see how it works out! :)