Is Breakfast Really Necessary?

Reader Comments

Back to blog

Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. The body has been fasting all night long and if you don't get something to eat upon waking up (within 2 hrs), you'll be running on protein energy from your muscles. FACT: In order to burn fat as a fuel you need both carbs and oxygen present (aerobic exercise). After you have been fasting for 12-14 hours your glycogen stores (stored carbs) are depleted; thus no carbs available for energy, thus can't burn fat for energy because you have no carbs present. Only thing left for energy is protein from your muscle. Lose muscle mass over time, lowers metabolism, leading to a shift in body composition (we get fatter).

Aily of RI 9:56AM April 10, 2008

No matter how I hear that breakfeast is so important in the morning I just can't handle it and I feel really fine and I can work and I have the energy now to have something in my stomach I drink a small glass of tomato juice. I am in good health and as before I am truly energize. Now I am trying to keep my weight down I am 69 5'9" 160 to 162 lbs been this way for the last 30 years.

Howard P Mallard Jr of PA 9:55AM April 10, 2008

I'm NEVER hungry in the morning, but I force a bowl of cereal down first thing every morning. I think it's more important to be active than to worry about a couple hundred calories in the morning.

Ian of FL 3:03PM April 09, 2008

For the safety of myself and others around me, I eat breakfast in the morning. While if I wake up too early, I'm not in the mood to eat a lot, I know if I don't eat, I turn into the Incredible Hulk, and nobody likes that. I'm also moody, and whiny if I don't eat breakfast.

Veronica of NY 8:58AM April 09, 2008

ummmm i think that this is not true because the women are supposed to eat breakfast to keep them going through the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

mistie lyons of OH 6:38AM April 09, 2008

It's good to see somebody challenging the strangely sacred place breakfast occupies in the official nutrition universe. I'm almost never hungry in the morning, and during intervals that I've tried to force myself to eat something because of all the sages saying it's necessary, it's caused me to gain weight, which I lost after dropping the unwanted meal. There are plenty of "just coffee" in the morning types, and we should follow the patterns that seem comfortable to us.

justannesopinion of FL 1:36PM April 08, 2008

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to blog

On Fitness

Get fitness and diet advice from AskFitnessCoach.com, a blog that promotes fitness for "real" people. The Ask Fitness Coach team helps readers solve the exercise-and-nutrition puzzle with answers to the most pressing fitness question: what's the best way to shed fat and gain muscle?

advertisement

advertisement