Lawrence Toppman:
I'm sure dietitians are rushing to their keyboards to call me a dunderhead, but I have never willingly eaten breakfast.
When I was a kid, I had to choke something down to satisfy my mother before catching the school bus. In college, I usually scheduled a course or two before my first meal break. (In fact, I mainly scheduled classes around "Jeopardy!," but that's another story.) Now that I set my own hours, I find it impossible to eat in the morning.
In the first place, doing so would deprive me of 15 minutes of sleep. In the second, I have a routine that works for me: I get up, feed the cats, exercise immediately -- because I won't do it at all, if I don't do it then -- shower and get in the car. I take some fruit, pick up a sandwich and coffee along the way and eat them about 1 p.m., three to four hours after getting up.
I don't know if this helps or hurts weight loss. (I'm stuck at 183 just now, going neither up nor down at the moment.) But I know I feel my day is following the proper pattern if I do it.
Now, I can accept the idea that it's better to eat multiple small meals than one or two huge ones, spacing calories out through the day. That's why I'm trying to eat more lightly at any given time and have my last little something about 10:30. (I go to bed between 2 and 3 a.m., so it gets digested.) I just have to be careful that my last small "meal" isn't two eclairs.
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Breakfast is pretty important chief. Your body needs nutrients/fuel to start your day. Your routine may work but how well? Try mixing oats/oatmeal, soy milk, raisins, dried cranberries, maple syrup (all organic if possible and found at Harris Teeter) in a bowl and throw it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. It'll change your routine and much healthier than processed junk, donuts, biscuits, bacon, sausage...
I hear ya. I can't eat breakfast, either. If I eat breakfast, I am actually likely to eat MORE throughout the day rather than less as it seems like my system expects me to eat and is primed to do so - I actually get hungrier. There are at least a few studies that support this. For some people, breakfast just counts as extra calories they would not consume otherwise. That seems to be the case for me - I generally eat only one or two meals per day anyway and their content and quantity is generally consistent (see note below, however) whether I eat breakfast or not. So again, for me, breakfast is just extra calories; I don't eat any differently the rest of the day. For the record I have lost 18 pounds since April (171 --> 153) mainly by trying to mix up the ingredients in the foods I do eat (using low fat cheese, trying to eat fewer carbs [spaghetti is a killer for me - trying to cut that WAY down, using low calorie bread or low fat wraps instead of bread], adding even more vegetables, using condiments like salsa vs. ranch dressing or sour cream, using mustard vs. mayonnaise, getting extra vinegar but NOT oil on subs, etc.), cutting out fast food almost entirely and exercising a bit more. At least in my experience the changes I have had to make have not been dramatic. There was more “room” in my old eating pattern than I realized – those few “bad” habits (see above) really added up. I was clearly eating too many carbs, using too many fatty condiments, eating too much fast food, heck, too much eating out in general (which is easy for me to do, I travel more than 70% of the time for work). Now instead of eating out, I go to Publix (my travel this year has been to Florida, mainly) and pick up low fat wraps, two kinds of salsa (black bean and regular), pre-cooked Southwest chicken, pre-cut onions, pre-cut tomatoes, and some low-fat cheese and I have the ingredients for good, healthy, tasty meals (granted, I always go for the hotel rooms that have refrigerators for a reason) I can eat all week.
If I could up the exercise a bit more and cut down on beer (another killer), I think I could probably lose another 15 or so by the end of the year and that is as low as I have any desire to go, I was never built to weigh 110 pounds.
Great tortilla wraps:
• 1 “Flat-Out” brand low-calorie wrap (Sun Dried tomato variety is awesome)
• Small portion of Purdue pre-cooked chicken breast (Southwest style) arranged down the wrap (I personally apportion the amount for 4 days, so that is the amount I am referring to)
• 2 TBSP Newman’s Own Black Bean Salsa arranged as above, Pace also makes a very good Black Bean salsa
• 1 TBSP Pace Original Salsa arranged as above, or you can add on top, either works.
• 2 TBSP Pre-cut onions arranged as above (red onions are best)
• 2 TBSP Pre-cut tomatoes arranged as above.
• 1 or 2 TBSP Low-fat cheddar or low-fat Mexican style cheese depending on your taste.
Optional: Shredded lettuce for bulk – I never use that since shredded lettuce doesn’t keep well in those tiny hotel refrigerators, but it is an idea.
If you aren’t too worried about calories, 1 TBSP of Hidden Valley Ranch Spicy Ranch adds a nice touch.
Wrap and eat, no need to heat. Awesome. Lots of flavor, very low carb. Probably a little high on sodium, but something has to give.
I've never routinely eaten breakfast and generally avoid it at work if provided or if it's available (muffins, donuts, bagels..etc.). I've functioned just fine and eat a normal lunch and dinner without breakfast. I personally think it's over-rated and to claim your body needs it is hogwash. I've been fine without a routine breakfast for 40yrs and my weight has generally stayed the same the last 10yrs. If I worked out in the morning or regularly exercised then I firmly buy the fact your body needs the fuel and I would eat breakfast. I don't workout and never have on a routine basis so breakfast isn't in the plan. I will say this, when I go outside the box and eat a breakfast early, I feel like I'm starved before my normal lunch at noon and I want to eat more at lunch in those cases.
OK, you people are a joke. I used to be 400 lbs and now weigh 155. I learned the food scale, I learned that eating SOMETHING at breakfast starts the metabolism for the day. You need the food groups (in moderation) from fats, carbs, dairy and protein. Get real folks. Only thing that works is eating from all the food groups and getting that metabolism working. Yes! Not a shock you might be more hungry during the day when you eat breakfast, your body is craving it to keep active. Sorry, I have lived and learned, I'm not some dietian saying this. I did this through experience.
Breakfast is way overrated. Always has been.
It's important to make a distinction between what works for you and what works for people in general. The most important thing about any diet (after is it healthy) is can you stick to it.
In general research shows that eating breakfast tends to help maintain a healthy weight. The research was recently reviewed but I forgot where. Here's a link to one of the seminal studies.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2375468/detail.html
Lots of good info here in the comments.
Breakfast is your most important meal. Try and get at least 30 grams of protein to keep you full. Find a good, healthy breakfast and eat it every day. I love a sliced tomato with 2% (or fat-free) cottage cheese, along with a 3 oz chicken breast and 1/2 cup of black beans and one cup of skim milk.
Lately I've been drinking a smoothie: 8 oz of skim milk, 1.5 scoops of vanilla protein mix, 1 banana, 1 TB peanut butter, 3/4 cup ice. Blend. Love it.
I offer no first-hand wisdom, but have heard (somewhere) that the best sequence is to eat a very hearty breakfast, followed by a lighter lunch and very light supper. WHEN you eat each of those depends on your daily schedule. Break-fast is literally breaking the fast imposed upon you by sleeping and for some is at 6pm because they sleep during the day. There is nothing, however, that I've ever read, that says you must eat your breakfast IMMEDIATELY after arising ... nor do the other meals have to come at certain times of the day.
I've heard it said that the American Indians thought the white people were crazy. They ate because the clock said to ... the indians ate when they were hungry. I've not seen many pictures of overweight indians, so maybe there is something to that?!
Brendan: "I love a sliced tomato with 2% (or fat-free) cottage cheese, along with a 3 oz chicken breast and 1/2 cup of black beans and one cup of skim milk."
Tomato chicken and beans for BREAKFAST?! Yikes! The smoothie sounds good tho!
I second the notion that the earlier I eat, the sooner I feel hungry. However, when I was blending protein powder with a cup of milk and choking that down after my eyes were barely open, I was losing more weight
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