This whole concept that you can skip breakfast (and even luch) if you want to. Now I know that we have been manipulated on several fronts (high carb, low fat being one of them), but I really did think there was science behind why it is so important to eat a good breakfast. What about the whole metabolism thing....that if you don't eat breakfast your body goes into "starvation mode" and will save lots more fat and stuff when you do finally eat.

I'd be happy to be wrong because there are several times when I have no real desire to eat breakfast but I don't want to skip it to my detriment or health. Before I came here, I was doing the 3 Hour Diet by Jorge Cruise which places A LOT of emphasis on eating within the hour you get up to get your metabolism going and then continuing to eat something every 3 hours throughout the day to keep it going. I swear sometimes I just don't know who to believe anymore when it comes to diets or WOEs!! They all seem to make sense when you are reading about them

I feel your pain (LOL)!
The research on people who keep weight off for more than a year ( as based on data in the National Weight Loss Registry) shows that they have 2 things in common: eat breakfast and exercise.
I eat breakfast every morning- without fail. Others don't. This is a YMMV issue. Maybe this worked for Dr. Rachel, and maybe for others, but it would not work for me.
On the other hand, the eat every 3 hours thing does NOT work for me. That just makes me hungry. My goal is to reduce my insulin release.
HTH-
E

I used to be able to skip breakfast a LOT in my youth. I would have something tiny at lunch and then eat supper. I was the thinnest I have been been for years as I kept eating that way. I was working then and in my twenties.

Today I rarely skip breakfast and almost feel depressed when I eat nothing at breakfast time.

I try to only have 2 meals however, when I'm being diet conscious.

I only eat when I'm hungry. If I'm not hungry until 11:00 a.m., then that's breakfast for me. Many times I eat only 2 meals a day plus two snacks (lo carb, of course).

Why eat when you aren't hungry? We really don't know how to listen to our own God-given cues, but are more worried about what scientists say. Go figure!
-Jean

I definitely could not eat every 3 hrs. It would make my insulin go crazy. All I would be thinking about was food all day long and what I was going to eat next. I can't do that, it makes me feel like I am in bondage to food. I love the freedom from cravings that I have eating only 2-3 times a day. I don't care what "they" say I should do. I am a grown woman and I will do what I know works for me

Sorry about that little rant there. I guess I have some issues with so-called-know-it-alls who never had much weight to lose in the first place. I am just sharing my two cents.

In the end we all need to do what works for us. Maybe CAD/CALP isn't for you, that's fine, the journey is all about finding the plan you can live with

I am soooo thankful I have found mine

You are right, when I eat every three hours I am much hungrier... But, I've heard that the reason is that your metabolism is speeding up...thus the increased hunger... It is difficult though because I do feel like a slave to food...thinking about it all the time!

IMHO, the reason many of us became obese is precisely because we don't spend enough time thinking about food. Relegating food to an afterthought pretty much guarantees you'll go for the quick fix (think: fast food box dinners, take-out, pizza, etc.) which all tend to be high carb/calorie & low nutrition. It's important to plan what you are going to eat AHEAD of time. As someone who's been in maintenance for over 2 years, I can attest to the fact that my habit in this regard is now a background automatic kind of thing. But it's also true that I had to spend at least 6 months re-learning how to think about food and fueling my body. That meant I did (and still do) spend more time in the kitchen than I used to when I was at my most obese.

I got over it.

Studies actually show that

a) women have a slower metabolism than men
b) metabolism slows with age (boy, I HATE that one! )
c) eating smaller more frequent meals releases LESS insulin at one time than eating larger meals. The less insulin in your blood, the more fat you burn.
d) genetics DO matter
e) EXERCISE helps keep a metabolism burning hot. Failure to exercise is a critical factor in weight and a contributing factor to obesity.
f) Skipping meals is not a successful longterm weightloss strategy:
g) hydration MATTERS. Inadequate hydration leads to inefficient metabolism of nutriets, sluggish lymphatic system, cellulite, poor skin & dry hair.

Denial is a lousy weightloss strategy for success.

This is just a thought about breakfast. English and American people are one of the few cultures that eats a "full breakfast" and we are the fattest. I'm not saying that breakfast causes that, it's just that everyone says to eat the most in the morning, but the French and Italians hardly eat anything for breakfast (usually just coffee and milk, maybe a very small pastry) and they don't have the obesity problems we do here in the US.

I think eating when you are not hungry is a problem. If you aren't hunhry in the morning, don't eat! There are a lot of people who are slim that eat every three hours and a lot of slim people only eat once a day. There are also heavy people that do the same. Find out what works for you. Ignore the averages.

That's my two cents.

In my opinion, what makes the most sense is to eat everything in moderation.
You can splurge from time to time, but just don't go overboard.

A well-balanced diet is the solution.

That's funny- I just commented on this subject on a different thread before reading this one-
My thoughts: Everyone is different. No two bodies the same. Some people eat every 3 hours, some have 1 large meal. Some are carbohydrate addicted, some not. Finding your plan should fit everything in your life- your schedule, your needs (emotional and mental) and your body. I have a great friend who eats granola and fruit for breakfast, protein shake and flavored water for lunch, and moderate things for dinner. She works out 2-3 times a week and feels FABULOUS. I don't eat breakfast, have lots of meat, cheese, and fat for lunches, and eat large, balanced portions for dinner. I don't work out and feel FABULOUS.
Don't let anyone tell you how to manage your body. They just don't know. Only you do (or will).

I usually drink breakfast, maybe just a latte with a spoonful of coconut oil because my stomach won't take solids early in the day. On the other hand, I have to do at least that much so my body will recognize that I'm not starving and my liver can quit pumping out so much sugar (thank you very much). My blood sugar is high when I wake up and drinking just a little milk will bring it down. After that I eat when I get hungry. I keep a little container of coconut oil at work to keep my fat intake up during the day. Love that coconut fat

It all comes down to what "skipping meals" means. I eat two large meals a day as a rule, and only when I'm hungry. Is it "skipping a meal" if I don't eat when I'm not hungry? Why? Who decides if I'm skipping a meal or not? Should I ignore the pattern of eating my body seems to want to follow, and force myself to eat three times a day? Again, why?

I think when people talk about "skipping meals," what they really mean is going hungry. If you're following a standard diet and don't have strong insulin issues, eating three times a day is probably a normal response to hunger, and not eating three meals under those circumstances would be "skipping." But if your body only wants to eat twice a day, then I fail to see any benefit in forcing food down.

There is, incidentally, science showing that the one big meal approach actually leads to better health markers than the traditional, or even several small meals, approach.

I haven't read all the replies yet but I just have to tell you something.

The thinnest I've ever been in my life (and for the longest stretch of time) was when I skipped breakfast, and went a decent amount of time between lunch and dinner.

Yes, I have read all the "evidence" of "metabolism boosting" by eating frequently. I have tried ALL the frequent-eating diets. For 20 years. Yup, 20 years. That's about how long ago I stopped my "unhealthy" no-breakfast lifestyle. And gained. And gained. And gained and gained and gained and gained and gained.

20 years ago I weighed 105 (appropriate for my height).

Today I weigh between 160 and 175 (when not pregnant).

You do the math...

I know what the studies say. And they seem to make sense. I know what the low-fat, frequent-eating, etc. gurus say. And they're thin. Really thin.

That's great. But *all the evidence in the world is not going to magically change the way a carb addict's body works.* It just won't.

What's more important? What a lot of books say, or how your body actually reacts?

I have felt like A FAILURE on ALL of the diet and exercise programs I've tried since the 1980s. I have felt it was MY fault b/c "all of the evidence" said I "should" be losing. But not only didn't I lose...I gained. And was starving, STARVING every minute of every day. As I look back on the past two decades, the majority of that time has been spent hungry, really hungry, sometimes sobbing from hunger, *even if I'd just eaten* my "very healthy" two slices of toast without butter.

Except on CAD.

And that's my story.

I read a study that said in effect: It makes no difference when you consume your daily calories-- its just the total that matters.

Be that as it may, invarably if I skip breakfast ill end up eating much more at night and possibly gaining weight. I tried the 3-hour diet, it made me hungry every 3 hours!

On Atkins OWL, if I don't cheat I can go 6 hours between meals. I might skip a meal, but I don't because I don't want to get low on protein and lose muscle. Body fat provides energy, but that's all it does and I lift weights and workout everyday.
I read people have enough bodyfat on average to run 100 marathons.

I think the "starvation mode" idea is overrated, if you don't eat anything for long enough your body just burns more fat and protein. I would like to see a study that proves fasting subjects slow their BMR by 30% as some people claim. Lets see the data.

An addendum to this:

At least in an animal model meal skipping has benefits on health even if the same ammount of calories are consumed.


http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030607/food.asp