Breaking the Fast
A common meal pattern seen with new patients is skipping breakfast. The most common reasons include lack of time and not being hungry. Once a patient starts eating breakfast, the lament is “I’m so hungry about an hour after breakfast!”
You are likely experiencing physiological hunger. If you go too long without eating, your body will start breaking down your muscle to convert to blood sugars. When you lose muscle mass, you burn fewer calories. Your muscle mass is like the idle on a car. When the idle is set high, the engine burns more energy. When the idle is set low, the engine needs less energy to run. Good muscle health is like having a higher idle set point for your body.
Skipping breakfast to lose weight backfires for two reasons. The first problem is that you lose muscle mass, which decreases your ability to burn calories. The second problem is that you will get too hungry by the next meal which leads to overeating. Eating too many calories at one time leads to storing fat. Research shows that starting your day with a high protein meal leads to eating fewer calories throughout the day. A high protein breakfast can be eggs, light Greek style yogurt, low fat or fat free cottage cheese, string cheese or other low fat cheese, a high protein shake or high protein cereal like Special K Protein or Kashi Go Lean with skim or low fat milk. Start eating a high protein breakfast within an hour after waking to get your metabolism started.
Rene Norman, RD/LD
René Norman, RD/LD is a registered and licensed dietitian. René has provided medical nutrition therapy for cardiovascular, diabetes, obesity, celiac disease, wellness and disease prevention in a variety of settings. While working in a private practice, René enjoyed counseling individuals and families and delivering presentations to schools, community groups and corporations. Guided by evidence based practices, emerging research, non-diet approaches to weight management and nearly a decade of experience with bariatric patients, René works with bariatric patients to educate them about nutrition before and after surgery.
Rene’ graduated from the University of Tulsa and completed her dietitian internship through Oklahoma State University. Rene’ is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has served in leadership positions in local and state dietetics associations.
I always eat breakfast even if it's just a Protein drink. For me part of my issue was not overeating. My issue was disordered eating. I'd skip breakfast and then not bother to slow down and eat until 8 or 9pm, sometimes even later. My body held onto every calorie because it never knew when another one was coming, or whether I was in a healthy eating mood or a pizza mood. Eating breakfast jumpstarts my metabolism and yes I am hungry during the day, but at long as I provide meals at regular intervals, I don't overeat. Breakfast is rarely a big heavy meal, I make it a point to never skip it.
I always eat breakfast even if it's just a Protein drink. For me part of my issue was not overeating. My issue was disordered eating. I'd skip breakfast and then not bother to slow down and eat until 8 or 9pm, sometimes even later. My body held onto every calorie because it never knew when another one was coming, or whether I was in a healthy eating mood or a pizza mood. Eating breakfast jumpstarts my metabolism and yes I am hungry during the day, but at long as I provide meals at regular intervals, I don't overeat. Breakfast is rarely a big heavy meal, I make it a point to never skip it.
i agree with this completely. My weight gain has never been because I've over ate food or ate junk food. I just never ate. You would think you would be skinny, no. I gained and gained. I work as a school nurse so am off in summers, in hot weather, I don't eat. Thus, I would eat one meal a day, at supper. That's it. I can't do that. I have a hard boiled egg, an Atkins Protein Bar or a Protein shake every morning. And sometimes it's a struggle to get them down, cause I have no appetite or hunger, but i know the importance of getting that in.
Yes eating breakfast makes you hungrier. If you think of your tummy as a fuel burning furnace, you are turning the furnace on by eating breakfast. The key is to plan meals that keep that fat burning furnace going at an even level. For some that means a mid morning snack, for others that meals a sensible lunch. For me personally, lunch tend to be my biggest meal. It helps with recovery from any morning workouts I may have done and holds me until dinner. As long as I plan my daily menu, eating breakfast works best for me.
Rene,
Thanks for this article! You make a lot of good points.
Breakfast is such an interesting topic. There is some research supporting your points, and breakfast is commonly believed to be crucial. But, there is research questioning a few things. For example, does breakfast eating cause those benefits, or does something else that influences people to eat breakfast also lead to the benefits you cite? And, is it better to eat breakfast and have lower hunger (but possibly higher caloric intake in the day) or be hungry but keep calories lower? And does And even, what is breakfast? Does the definition depend on when and how much you ate for dinner?
So, it seems to me that it comes back to the same thing it often does…eat right in the best way possible for you. If that means eating breakfast to keep you on track, reduce cravings, and hit your nutrient goals, go for it! Either way, keep calories in check and get enough Protein. Thanks for the food suggestions for healthy breakfasts – quick and easy!
Bandista 7,466
Posted
I'm sorry but there is a lot of new data coming out on the subject of whether breakfast is necessary. We are not all the same. I never eat breakfast anymore because I'm not hungry until a little later in the day. For many people, breakfast triggers more eating and thus a higher calorie count for the day.
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