To Breakfast or Not page

[shamanaflora]

Augh...I understand the theory of IF, and the benefits. I'm also a nutritionist trained in traditional diets, paleolithic nutrition and am completely against the grain (so to speak) when it comes to most nutritional reccomendations by Dieticians and the ADA. BUT one thing I did learn is that most people do MUCH MUCH MUCH better when they eat a protein rich significant breakfast, and make dinner the smaller meal of the day, especially when working with Insulin resistance and the associated blood sugar issues, cravings, energy crashes etc. I'm wondering what Mark and others think about Chronically skipping breakfast. I t sounds like a recipe for exhuastion to me ( well personally, if i skip breakfast, even if i eat primally well all the rest of the day, I NEVER make up the energy levels that a good protein dense breaky would have provided.) I skiip one now and then, but i REALLY feel it. I have clients who start eating eggs for breakfas and they suddenly feel 100 times better.


Whats your educated opinion? WWGD?

[marci]

Personally I cannot skip breakfast. My naturopath (a paleo diet promoter who urged me to adopt this way of eating) is dead set against IFing for folks like me (I'm estrogen dominant). But sometimes I skip lunch & am fine having a green/ whey protein smoothie for dinner...but I find when eat too lightly, especially at night, I am starving the next morning! So it seems to do more harm than good. To make things worse, I cannot seem to lose weight on the PB despite controlling my portions but that's another story (I only bring this up coz Mark suggests IF for breaking thru a weight loss plateau...guess not everything works for everyone!)

[jpippenger]

I'm not an expert, but I know that I would be useless without breakfast. Usually I wake up hungry, because I at a small dinner.


@Marci you may want to jump start things by cutting out carbs every other day. Go light on the days that you do eat carbs, until your body transitions to burning fat and then reintroduce carbs on the off days.

[deepthought]

Even our of a PB perspective, brekfast ougth to be important. To endure a "usual" paleolithic day, starting up with food seems seems logical. I agree with jpipegger, iīm wortless without breakfast.

[madMUHHH]

@deepthought: On the other hand I do not think food was that easily avaivable all the time. In most cases Grok probably would have to wander around to find something to eat before actually eating something. He may have stored or kept some food from the day before, but I do not think that was usual.


Could be wrong though, I'm also a big supporter of breakfast btw, even though I skip it on intermittent fast days and don't have any problems with that. I also think that I'm still eating a little too less for breakfast usually, because I get hungry very soon again.

[Diana Renata]

For me it depends on the day. During the week when I have to go to work, I always eat breakfast. Weekends I'm a bit more off-schedule, and sometimes don't eat for hours after waking. I just wait until my stomach says it's hungry.


I lost a lot of weight over the last couple of years, and eating breakfast every single day was a great tool to help me lose. Now that I've got my diet and exercise under control, and I've learned to really listen to my body, I'm ok not eating breakfast occasionally.

[JonesJitter]

For me it doesn't really matter. Some days I feel like eating breakfast, some days not. I don't understand how some of you don't "work" without breakfast though.... I can go for 2 days without eating and still have exactly the same energy.

[Tarlach]

JonesJitter has the right idea.


Breakfast is not necessary if you eat enough fat the day before. I usually eat about one meal a day, but I make it a big one.


Most people who 'have to' have breakfast are eating too many carbs.

[RogerDeRok]

I agree with the last 2 posts. I generally do not eat until the early evening, also having just one big meal a day and I do fine with it. I don't see skipping breakfast as hindering my weight loss either since I've lost 70 pounds in the last 6 months. I don't notice any lack of energy or feel overly hungry throughout the day.

[preston]

Breakfast is all in your head. It's just like coffee or any other drug. If your expecting to eat breakfast, then you'll be hungry. Personally, the first thing that pops into my head in the morning is not "Im Hungry".


I agree with one of the above posters that you'll need to try getting more fat into your diet, and less carbs. Carbs only make you hungrier. Especially in the morning, if you eat some carbs your only fueling your hunger by spiking your insulin.


Keep this in mind when your thinking about eating breakfast.

Your body doesn't burn what your eating right away. The body first has to store it. Then it can use it. You should have enough energy from the food you ate the day before to keep you going until your mid afternoon or evening meal.


Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have healthy insulin sensitivity, then just the process of digesting food should get you a bit tired from the insulin release, and from the blood diverting from your brain to your belly.


I beleive that if you skip breakfast, and eat more in your other meals. You will notice greater energy in you morning hours, because you won't be wasting energy on digestion first thing when you wake up.