How bad is not eating breakfast?
 

OK - I just can't do it. I'm not a breakfast person. I even tried non-breakfast foods. I just don't like to eat before noon(ish). I know every single weight loss program known to man stresses how important breakfast is.

Is this why it's taken me almost 3 months to lose a mere 21 lbs?

Speaking of eating, it's 1:30 and I haven't eaten yet. I'll check back later for responses.

Thanks!
Robin

What time do you eat your last meal/snack at night? That may have an effect on how hungry you are in the AM. If you're eating late, maybe it is kind of like eating breakfast several hours early, and the time your body is fasting is just shifted from being evening and night to night and morning. Also, what time do you get up in the morning?

I also don't like to eat right away in the morning, I have to be up for a few hours first. I just don't feel hungry, so I eat when I am hungry. I started my weight loss the beginning of June and I've lost about 16-17lbs lbs.

We usually eat dinner around 6:30pm. I don't eat anything after dinner. We go to bed between 10-11pm.

I get up between 6:30 and 7:30 on average - depends on when my toddler wakes up.

Your weight loss of 21 pounds in 3 months (12 weeks) equates to 1.75 pounds per week which is a very healthy weight loss--one that should help you keep the weight off in the long run.

I have heard that it is best to eat small meals all day long rather than the traditional 3 big meals. This helps keep your metabolism steady and lessens the possiblity of extreme hunger that makes some people binge. Perhaps if you don't want to eat you could try a protein drink instead.

I hear that that you eat for breakfast helps to set your metabolism for the rest of the day. I'm not sure this is true but I try to take it to heart.

I eat breakfast only because I wake up STARVING and it's hard to go to school when all you can think about is how loud your stomach is grumbling. All I have is a bowl of cerial. Or a fast 4 fruit smoothe. Something with just enough carbs to feed me through out the day, because I won't really eat again till about noon.

A million years ago when I was in nurses training, I learned that (I'm not sure if this is fashionable medicine any more) the gall bladder secretes digestive juices on demand. If you don't eat, it just retains the fluids you make. If I remember correctly this can lead to gall bladder disease and gall stones.

However the best thing I've heard is that eating actually gets your metabolism moving ... ie burning calories.

HI, I have always hated eatting breakfast since I was eal little, not that I don't like breakfast foods but, like you I wanted to be up for a few hours. But, when I was in he hospital they made eat breakfast even if it was a little something, they said it was to break the fast and and to boost your metabolism. That was my biggest problem, I could go all day without eatting but, by the time I got out of the hosptal I learned to love eatting breakfast! I found out that if you eat 3-5 times a day it keeps your hunger at bay, and your body runs better.

I always wake up hungry and want breakfast withing an hour of getting up. I used to wait sometimes til 2:00PM or later to eat but not anymore. I am also less likely to over-eat throughout the day if I have a good breakfast.

I know we've all read that it's important to eat breakfast, but for the first several months after I started trying to lose weight, I had to force myself to eat breakfast. It had been over 25 years since I had eaten breakfast regularly, so not eating was a definite habit. However, now I realize how much more energy it gives me, and how it helps keep me more satisfied all day long. Now I enjoy my breakfast and I feel starved if I haven't eaten by 9:00. In the last year, there have been a few Saturdays when I get busy and before I realize it, it has been lunch time and I hadn't eaten yet. When I look in Fitday at those days, they are always at least 200+ higher in calories than those days when I do eat breakfast.

I understand it's hard for you, but I think it is very important to do it anyway.

By the way, congrats on your weight loss. I think you're doing wonderfully.

As a side note, I LOVE seeing that there are other women who have a goal weight similar to mine. I always feel kinda bad when I see goals of 120-130 range. Like people will still think I'm fat at 170. But I've weighed in that range before and looked good. Last time I weighed in the 170 range I wore normal 'large' size - no Xs - and an occasional medium size even.

ok -back on topic -

so, if I FORCE myself to eat something, is there a 'magic' quantity that gets the metabolism going?

When I eat breakfast it triggers me to want to eat more and more all day long, no matter what it is that I eat.

I feel physically better if I don't eat breakfast or if I eat it late in the morning. I am up at 4:30 AM during the week and the earliest I want food is 10 AM. I lose weight easier if I don't eat 1st thing in the AM.

I don't fight it anymore, I eat when I'm hungry and not before.

I didn't used to eat breakfast. A diet soda filled me up. Now I switched to water in the morning (I still drink diet soda later) and something very small. I have it around 9ish or so. Now I seem to feel like I'm STARVING if I don't have breakfast. I really never thought that would be the day. I like those breakfast cookies, smoothie, a peice of fruit, toast (my favorite was CHERRY butter..really a jam for a while), oatmeal (rarely), never cereal, and so forth. Small, small, small portions. Just enough to wake up my body. Funny thing is contrast to what a previous poster said, I find small mini meals (5) keeps me from eating too much on the traditional meals.

Leenie - what did you try eating for breakfast? What is very important. Protein is what keeps you feeling full. If I eat carbs like cereal, toast or fruit in the morning, it makes me want to eat more. Add an egg or some cottage cheese and I'm good to go.

Try the protein shakes. I've been drinking them because I've not been hungry either. And then eat a "snack" later if you're hungry. But at least get something in your stomach (besides water). I believe the Atkins book doesn't recommend going more than 6 hours w/out eating something. So maybe smaller meals would be better? Good luck!