Should I eat breakfast? Do you? - PaleoHacks.com

Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T16:41:53Z

I find it so easy to skip breakfast (as part of an IF protocol) - and choosing this over dr. Kruse's protein loaded breakfast recommendation (for a leptin reset) seems so much easier (the thought of 50g of protein for breakfast makes me want to gag)- however i can see the benefits to both - but am at a loss for what is best for me (it's hard for me to wake up in the morning and I have about 10 lbs to lose to get to an ideal weight)? What should I be doing? What are you doing? and what success have you had?

EDIT: corrected spelling of Dr. Kruse's last name.

Answer by Jules K for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T16:47:45Z

Hopefully Quilt will weigh in, but my understanding is the leptin reset is meant for folks that have significant weight to lose?

What foods and how much are you eating currently? Do you feel like your nutrition is pretty squared away? You may be able to lose the ten lbs by tinkering a bit with calories or carb grams first; may be easier than implementing one of these protocols.

Answer by panteleimon for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T16:54:02Z

I have never liked breakfast, but I used to eat it anyway because it was good for me. I ate a protein breakfast (e.g. 2 rashers of bacon and a fried egg) every morning while I was putting on weight. I've lost 40lb since then. I cut out breakfast (except for a small coffee with cream) to give myself a decent fast between evening meal and lunch, and it seems to be working for me. The fact that I really don't like breakfast makes me think that this is probably right for me.

Answer by Nance for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T16:54:23Z

Quilt is on a trip I understand but I have never been a breakfast eater. I was the despair of my mom, who believed it an important meal.

The only time I wake up hungry is if I under-ate yesterday. Since my body is so clear about not wanting food, I don't push it. "Breakfast" for me is usually a couple hours after waking and even then I normally don't eat until afternoon.

All that said, Quilt has very convincing data and opinions on the subject.

Answer by Aaron for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:00:57Z

I eat breakfast when I'm hungry in the morning. I don't eat breakfast when I'm not hungry in the morning. I prefer not to make things any more complicated than that. Low-stress mornings are ideal.

Answer by thhq for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:06:41Z

It's your choice but I do. I'm ravenous at 4:30 AM and breakfast supports a lot of AM exercise. Mostly carbs (yogurt and fruit), with some protein such as cheese, typically 200-300 calories.

Answer by Heidi for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:10:33Z

I'm not sure which protocol is best, but one thing I would consider before skipping breakfast is where you will be the rest of the morning and if you have time for and access to a good lunch or mid-morning snack. If you'll be crazy busy at work or play and won't be able to stop and eat something nutritious when your body tells you it's hungry, then you might want to fuel up with at least a little breakfast before leaving home. If you know you can eat a hard-boiled egg or some other snack at your desk as soon as you feel the need to eat and you know you can take the time for and have access to a healthy lunch, then breakfast might not be as important.

Answer by akman for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:13:26Z

I have skipped breakfast since April or May when I learned about IF'ing, however, after reading The Quilt's latest masterpiece, I will start in again, skip lunch and see if there's any difference. This makes perfect sense to me: http://jackkruse.com/so-you-completed-the-leptin-rx-what-is-next/

Never miss breakfast because eating it stimulates the circadian rhythm for gastric acid secretion in adults. This will become critical later in the day for body composition optimization.

Answer by A at Grain Free Diet for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:24:37Z

Generally my "breakfast" (if you can call it that) consists of two cups of coffee with cinnamon. Occasionally I'll throw in a little coconut oil because I like the taste. It's pretty rare for me to ever want real food during breakfast hours, and on the few occasions I do, I can usually scrounge a small piece of something leftover. And I do emphasize small. If I want to eat something, it will be about the size of one slice of deli ham, and I'm done.

I agree with Aaron - low stress is best. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. Then, whenever I do get hungry (usually hours later), I eat.

Answer by PrairieProf for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T17:39:00Z

If I didn't have breakfast to look forward to I'd hate to get out of bed. Not that I'm so hungry, but I enjoy eating (and sitting at the table with my breakfast and a cup of coffee reading the paper)! The mornings of the non-eaters would be miserable for me. :)

Answer by sarah-ann for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T18:04:50Z

I am one of those 'not hungry when waking' people but I've taken to making myself eat breakfast and have noticed the following improvements:

Far more likely to make a better choice foodwise the rest of the day Wake up more refreshed (I guess body is trained to expect food and wakes up accordingly - I think Seth Roberts reported this too - except he was waking too early so cut out brekkie) Overall better digestion

I was a militant non-breakfast eater before that so I reckon try it and see what happens.

Answer by Travis Culp for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T19:07:41Z

I usually walk the dog 2 miles upon waking and find that I am hungry by the end of it, so I eat. I always let my hunger signals guide me, but I could see that a derangement of this system could result in skewed signaling. I don't consider it to be a real fast if you never receive any hunger signals. I don't agree with the practice of not eating for long periods when hungry or with attempting to use appetite suppressants like coffee etc.

Answer by Ali for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T19:34:38Z

I agree with most here and eat when I'm hungry, or don't eat if I'm not.

However, I'm intrigued by the responses mentioning The Quilt's blog and plan on reading it. Who knows, I might become a more consistent breakfast eater after seeing what it says.

Answer by Kewpie for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T21:39:03Z

How do you feel when you don't eat breakfast? What is your appetite like at later meals? How is your energy? Do you feel better or worse if you do eat it? Listen to your body.

My n=1: I used to skip breakfast years ago and that always led to low energy and overeating later in the day because I was starving. Now I eat breakfast every day--even if I don't really feel terribly hungry--because I know I will feel crappy later if I don't.

Answer by Kelly for Should I eat breakfast? Do you?

2011-11-17T22:19:04Z

I was one of those "can't eat anything until I've been awake at least 2 hours" people. But even if I ate "breakfast" at 10 or so, I'd still be starving by early afternoon. After starting LRP, I hardly ever eat lunch and just have a good dinner when I get home from work. Also, it seems the earlier I eat, the longer I can go before I get hungry.

It was downright miserable at first, but now I'm used to it. And as someone who was/is a die-hard night person, I do tend to wake up easier and my digestion has improved. My biggest problem now, is the extra time it takes me to cook and eat that large breakfast keeps making me late for work.