Just an observation....

Through playgroups and the fact that its the only covered playstructure in a rainy Oregon winter I have been at McD's more often recently than I care to admit. (hmmmm does the physical activity make up for the deep fried crap?) Usually there around lunch time. The people there look basically like the general population in my area (that is to say most on the overweight to moderately obese, a few morbidly obese, a few normal weight and a bunch of hyperskinny teen girls)

Yesterday a bathroom and snack emergency and Costco not open yet, ds and I stopped at McD's at 9:30 am when most patrons were having breakfast. (Not bad decaf shockingly) As ds ate his yogurt parfait and garnered lots of attention for being the cutest thing on the planet, I became aware that of the 20 or so patrons...fully 15 were morbidly obese..I really only saw 1 person there that was near a healthy weight.

Coincidence? or does starting the day off like that really reflect on a killer lifestyle. I dont really mean that the breakfast there is so much worse than other meals, but if fast food is how the day is started....is the rest of the day likely to be worse?

I know even when I struggle, breakfast is the one meal that is pretty easy to keep healthy.

If I blow breakfast, the rest of the day is awful. 250-350 calories is a good way to start the day. 850 calories...not so much. And then the cravings! And the bloating! And who wants to exercise after that?

Nope. No coincidence, methinks.

True. Same for not having anything, though. In business meetings where breakfast is provided, I've observed...the people who grab something healthy are smallish. The people who grab something unhealthy and the people who grab just coffee both tend to be larger.

I agree. I think how you start the day (well, most days anyway) is a big indication on how you view food and how it fits into our lifestyle.

I had a bowl of oatmeal and 3 pieces of turkey bacon for breakfast ~ I had a turkey sandwich and some of my very own homemade chicken and bean soup for lunch ~ Rachael Ray Christmas Pasta sauce and whole wheat spaghetti for dinner with a salad....why am I typing this with a bag of Wavy Lays on my lap?

OK....now half a bag?

Join my 3FC Angie leaves EZMONEY 5K...won't you?

Personally with me, I haven't noticed any difference. I do try to eat breakfast everyday b/c of the talk about how important it is, but I don't find myself eating any more later in the day when I skip it.

Really good observations, ennay and mandalinn82!

I find that if I eat a breakfast that is largely carbs, like granola and 1% milk and fruit, I am more hungry in the morning than if I eat largely protein, like a couple of scrambled eggs and a piece of toast. And if I only eat something like oatmeal, I'm ravenous by 10 a.m.

I think people who base their eating around fast food can't help but gain. That's just my opinion--I know that some folks here try to work it into their plan. Whether they can do it successfully in the long term remains to be seen.

Jay

maybe im just weird, but if i eat breakfast im hungry ALL day long.. no matter what i eat.. protien, carbs, fats, etc... but if i skip breakfast.. and not eat till like 11am or so.. i eat a sandwich or something and im good till dinner.. plus the fact i am soooo not hungry in the am's

This isn't all that uncommon.

I eat my breakfast at 7:30-ish each day. I'm hungry every 2 to 3 hours after each meal & snack then, so I just schedule in snacks & meals every 2 to 3 hours until about 7 or 8 o'clock at night. I'm eating all day long! But, it's what I'm eating and how much that matters, so while I might look like I'm pigging out, I'm really being quite healthy!

You might also find that when you cut out that coke you drink, you'll be hungrier. Your body is gonna want to make up for those calories you won't be getting from the soda.

Faerie,
I can just attach my sig to what you have said! We must have the same metabolism (hey, were are both 5'9", maybe it's height-related {just kidding!}. I am exactly the same. I bring to work a huge bad full of tupperware container with various stuff. I cannot have a brekkie at 7:30, then wait till 12 for lunch and then till 6 pm for dinner. I would be hitting the vending machine all the time. I bring fruit or veggies and salad to get me through the day and only a very light lunch. I find that I tend to be hugriest between 11 am - 4 pm, then it goes down somehow.

I get up quite early and drink water and coffee for the first 2-3 hours. I *try* to eat breakfast before heading to work, but there are some mornings that I'm just not hungry so I end up bringing something to work with me to act as a late breakfast. I also have my morning snack at the office. There are days when both of them get overlooked and there are days when I eat them both and am looking for additional food. Yet at lunch I'm no more hungry without the food as I am on days when I've eaten. I can't quite understand it. I do believe that a good breakfast is vital and about 90% of my breakfasts are quite healthy.

My only bad time of the day is from about 4-6 PM. Regardless of whether I have a snack or not, I crave more and more. Sometimes it's best if I just leave the house (or don't go home at all) so that I'm not tempted (and BTW, anything goes during this time--I can make a snack out of anything). What's worse, if I do have a snack (regardless of whether it is a good snack or a bad one) it takes away my hunger for dinner, but when cooking for the family, I end up eating dinner whether I'm hungry or not. If I don't eat dinner, I end up getting hungry just before bed and I don't like to eat just before I turn in as it disrupts my sleep.

I have been really making time for breakfast and I notice when I do not I eat why to much at lunch and for some reason I can justify it because I think it is ok because I did not eat breakfast.

I usually only eat a yogurt, low calorie toast and a piece of fruit but it is enough to keep the hungry monsters at bay and to get my system going in the morning.

If I find myself unexpectedly at McDonald's for breakfast I order a plain english muffin and then put a little jelly on it. Just a thought.