Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal of the Day?

[GradyCat 3,697]

Especially if you grew up in the 70's you were always told, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and "Don't skip breakfast" and I think even Schoolhouse Rock had one about "Breakfast: Break the Fast."

But is that really true? Do we really need 3 meals a day? What if we only ate when we were actually hungry? Maybe 1 or 2 meals a day? Dr. Robert Cewes says that we don't need Breakfast because our livers release stuff in the morning (Dawn Effect) - the stored sugar while we were inactive - your liver releases it all in the morning to get you up and moving and energized. He says if you're not hungry in the morning, don't just eat just because you think you're supposed to.

There's a lot of theory that the food manufacturers back in the day paid heavily for advertising to convince us of certain "health facts" that really weren't health facts but opportunities to sell their sugary breakfast cereals, processed foods, etc.

So I think we sometimes need to reexamine the science and medicine against what we have always heard or think we know from 40 years ago.

https://youtu.be/Qleee_1yYHQ

[Guest]

Definitely my least important meal. People overcoming eating disorders get told to eat on a structured schedule, 6 times a day. At the end of the group therapy period, most people then choose a schedule that fits them. And, well, breakfast usually isn't in my schedule. Been completely symptom free the past ... 23 months.

[ms.sss 15,814]

I’m not a breakfast eater. Never was, even pre-op.

I wake up around 6-7 am every day and my first solid food intake is not until after noon (I do drink a thermos of black coffee in the AM though, about 500ml over a couple hours)

I also do not eat 3 meals a day. I basically graze from noon to about 7-8 pm usually. I normally end up consuming 1800-2000 cals during this period. While I realize there will be many arguments against this, I’ve maintained my current weight +/- 5lbs for over 2.5 years this way.

we will all have different ways of operating in varying degrees of success. I say do whatever works that doesn’t give you angst. ❤️

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, ms.sss said:

I do drink a thermos of black coffee in the AM though, about 500ml over a couple hours

Preeeach.

[LaoDaBeirut 158]

I'm not much of a breakfast eater and never have been. My sleeve also feels more restrictive in the morning so if I do try and eat something it's very small. I usually do a mid-morning snack instead of breakfast.

[Tomo 1,196]

Not a breakfast eater as well. I get coffee in the morning with almond milk, sometimes I put a Protein supplement (if I am low on protein the days prior) in it along with collagen supplement. When I do eat breakfast, I'm far more hungrier during the day so I usually don't eat will 1 pm or later. The forcing myself to eat breakfast went out the door when intermittent fasting became a thing.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

Idk about this. I have always been told the same as you not to skip it especially on a diet but I swear if I eat breakfast I eat more throughout the day.

[Elidh 241]

After I get up, I drink a few cups of black coffee and some Water. I call my first meal of the day “breakfast”, and that occurs about 11 am. So, some might call it “brunch” or “lunch”.

[catwoman7 11,278]

I've heard conflicting opinions, so who knows. My dietitian urges us to eat within an hour after getting up - but I know some of her patients just have a Protein Shake since they can't stomach solid food that early (although she's OK with that - it's SOMETHING). I do eat breakfast, but I'm rarely hungry - so it's usually just a thing of Greek yogurt (well, and coffee beforehand). I could never stomach one of those huge breakfasts some people eat - like bacon & eggs or stack of pancakes. Ugh. Not that it tastes bad, I just don't want that much food in the morning.

[lizonaplane 1,613]

16 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

Idk about this. I have always been told the same as you not to skip it especially on a diet but I swear if I eat Breakfast I eat more throughout the day.

There was a study a few years ago, I only read the summary, but basically what they said is that people who aren't normally breakfast eaters will still eat the same amount as they would normally later in the day, but it addition, they'll be eating the breakfast too, so it will be more calories total. However, those who normally eat breakfast will eat MORE during the rest of the day if they skip breakfast. In other words, you need to do what comes naturally to you if you want to reduce calories.

This study did not look at people who have had bariatric surgery, and I know my surgery center says to eat breakfast, but I tend to drink a Protein Shake around 9 and then sometimes I have a "snack" around 10:30 if I drink the Protein shake too early. Of course, I also tend to eat lunch around 11:30 (later recently, as I've gotten through the worst of the post-surgery hunger I had).

[Spinoza 1,518]

Interesting! This is the only thing on which I have defied my nutritionist. She is adamant that breakfast is a big part of the eating plan, I am adamant that I have never eaten it and never will. The fight continues...

[GreenTealael 25,581]

I prefer to drink on the mornings rather than eat. I like this structure more because I know I’ll be well hydrated.

[MistySkye 181]

Breakfast is a must for me. …more so after surgery, because I need to eat when I take my Vitamins. (Only time I have had nausea - is when I took my vitamins and didn’t eat)

pre-surgery - if I skipped breakfast, I ate more throughout the rest of the day.

[pintsizedmallrat 475]

I have to eat breakfast or my Vitamins and meds will make me sick to my stomach. I don't eat a whole lot though; I pretty much always have 1/2 a serving of cottage cheese and 1/2 a serving of some kind of fruit mixed together (usually mango, papaya, or pineapple), which is about 100 calories and probably is more of a snack than a meal.

[SleeverSk 635]

I am not a breakfast person never was sometimes i could go til 2pm without eating. Now i feel like crap if i do that then i start stressing like today 😢so sometimes its just better to eat something even if i dont feel like it but thats hard too