Is there any reason I shouldn't skip breakfast?

[BelfastBloke]

I have followed the No-S diet for over a year, and basically stayed within a few pounds of my target weight for all that time.

I find it really easy to skip breakfast, and just have coffee, and then 2 meals a day (lunch and dinner). Is there any reason I shouldn't do this?

Surely my approach is reducing the day's calorie intake? Why is breakfast called the most important meal of the day?

[Katie]

Last year I had quite a bit of success and thought I would cut back to 2 meals plus coffee since I didn't feel as hungry. It worked for maybe 2 months at most, but then wild binges came on S-days. If you have a history of binging, I would be careful with this mod. If not, I hope it works out well for you. Keep us posted!

[wosnes]

The rationale behind breakfast being the most important meal of the day is that it gives you energy and nutrients to start the day and people who don't eat breakfast tend to eat more later in the day -- and consume more calories than if they had eaten breakfast.

That being said, there are a lot of cultures who don't routinely eat a "good breakfast" and there are a few of us here who don't eat breakfast. If it works for you and you're not overeating later, I wouldn't worry about it.

I'm generally not a breakfast eater, though I do eat it occasionally.

[marygrace]

If it works for you, do it! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I tend to feel shakey within a few hours of waking if I don't eat something, but my husband can't stomach any food until lunchtime. We're both at a healthy, normal weight.

[~reneew]

I don't eat breakfast. I actually feel yucky when I do. God made our bodies to register hunger when we need food and I try to wait until I feel hungry. I usually eat a brunch. An earlier lunch around 11:00 does the trick for me. When I start to eat early in the day I end up eating way way more all day long. It's like I opened the gate. "They" say that breakfast is important, but "they" also say to eat 6 meals a day for goodness sake. Experiment and do what works for you.

[Swarah]

If I eat breakfast I feel hungry again before lunch. If I don't eat breakfast my natural hunger usually lets me know I'm hungry around lunchtime. On the times I do eat breakfast I usually have to force it down so I just don't bother with it the vast majority of time.

[DaveMc]

All those articles with titles like "Eating a Big Breakfast Will Help You Lose Weight" tend to leave out the second part of that statement, which is: "... but only if allows you to eat less, later in the day". That's why it's considered important: some studies have found a correlation between skipping breakfast and overcompensating by eating too many snacks (or other food) later in the day. But if skipping breakfast doesn't cause you to do that, and it sounds like it doesn't, then no worries.

[harpista]

That being said, there are a lot of cultures who don't routinely eat a "good breakfast" and there are a few of us here who don't eat breakfast.

Hi wosnes!

I'm interested in this statement, can you tell me which cultures don't eat any/much breakfast?

I know that stereotypically the French don't eat much, other than toast or something like that. I'm just curious!

[sophiasapientia]

I just checked an interesting new release coffee table-style book out of the library called "What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets." It looks at 80 individuals, from around the world, in varying economic positions and looks at what they ate on a given day, including any snacks, and giving a calorie total.

The vast majority of people in the vast majority of countries ate something for breakfast, even if it was a bowl of cereal or porridge or a piece of bread.

Individuals from Kenya, India, China, USA, Canada, Japan, Nambia and Russia were among those who didn't eat any breakfast/just had 2 meals a day or just had coffee, tea or water for one meal. In some cases, the individuals were impoverished. In other cases, the non breakfast eaters were in fine economic condition and even obese (the person from Japan who didn't eat breakfast was a Sumo wrestler and a couple folks from the USA who skipped breakfast ate a lot of fast food.) Of course, in most cases, for every non-breakfast eater representing a given country there was another person from the same country who ate breakfast.


Anyway, I think if not eating breakfast works for you -- if you aren't overly hungry or feeling "off" -- there's no reason to eat it. (Personally, I need a little something in the morning but not much. A 1/2 bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee, my default on N Days, is enough for me.)

[wosnes]

That being said, there are a lot of cultures who don't routinely eat a "good breakfast" and there are a few of us here who don't eat breakfast.

Hi wosnes!

I'm interested in this statement, can you tell me which cultures don't eat any/much breakfast?

I know that stereotypically the French don't eat much, other than toast or something like that. I'm just curious!

Breakfast isn't extremely important in many areas around the Mediterranean. In Italy it's the least important meal of the day. I think there are areas in Central and South America where it's not very important. In most cases people eat something, but it's very light -- just something to "break the fast."

[Strawberry Roan]

I don't eat breakfast, don't eat anything until the middle of the day, other than cofee/tea or hot water with lemon.

I tried eating breakfast last year when I first did NO S but have found that I do better without it.

I work for a lawfirm and seem to have the energy to manage my duties
sorta

Just kiddin', never been a breakfast eater unless we are meeting someone for brunch or something.

I do love breakfast food, however, and often make it for dinner.

[Ms]

No reason that I can think of. My newest motto is: "Do what makes you feel good." If your body doesn't feel bad after skipping breakfast, then why not? Moreover, you wouldn't be breaking the No-S rules as Reinhard doesn't tell us how many meals to eat, and even if he did, it's YOUR body. You must live with it and cannot live without it. If you feel good after skipping breakfast, go ahead.

[oolala53]

When I was hiking in Nepal 30 years ago, I saw that the Nepalese didn't eat anything before about 10 a.m, despite that their day started early and involved pretty heavy labor. They did have hot tea or even just hot water right when they got up, though. However, they weren't especially lithe people, either. They were stocky and you often saw them, men and women, on the trail carrying 2-3 times as much weight as we back packers were, all suspended on a strap balanced on their heads with the load resting on their backs. And typically passing us up.

I go by my hunger for breakfast, although I think there may be a correlation for me with coffee breakfasts (half milk) and later wild bingeing, but not on the same day. I may start keeping track just to see if there is a relationship.

For your purposes, I'd say if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[reinhard]

I'd be careful. There are few things that are more strongly associated with being overweight than skipping breakfast.


If you want to tweak something to get better results, I wouldn't start here. Adding an "intelligent dietary default" or two might be all you need. Maybe you want to make it a breakfast default, that by default, you'll just have fresh fruit and coffee for breakfast or something. Personally, I like my breakfasts on the hearty side, but there's a wide range between a farmers omelette with sausages and hash browns and nothing.

Reinhard

[Over43]

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, milk, toast, juice and Trix, for a healhty diet.

[oolala53]

Is "breakfats" a typo?

[~reneew]

Is "breakfats" a typo?

Ha! Good one!

[Over43]

It was a typo, thank you for pointing that out. Kids remember, taking an Ambien, and getting on a forum is never a good idea. Don't try this at home.

[oolala53]

Ambien + cyber forum = the new drunk dialing...