For years I’ve been a die hard breakfast advocate but new science on intermittent fasting has me asking, ‘Is Breakfast Making You Fat?”
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t eat breakfast. Mom always made sure my siblings and I ate a healthy breakfast before school, complete with fresh squeezed orange juice and a steaming cup of hot cocoa. That first meal of the day was like a gentle hug that set me up for a successful day.
Once I left home I naturally made sure I started every day with a good meal.
I did not give breakfast much thought other than planning a feast every Sunday for brunch. It was just a habit I carried into adulthood.
“Eat Breakfast to Stay Healthy!”
When I became pregnant with my first daughter I was borderline diabetic. I met with a nutritionist to learn how to manage my diabetes through my food choices. I did not want to get insulin injections or put my baby at risk in any way.
The first thing she told me was “Make sure you eat breakfast every morning, preferably within an hour from waking up.” She insisted I eat every two hours or so, rather than my usual three meals a day. “Five to six small meals a day to keep your blood sugar levels constant.”
Having researched the subject at length I understood the importance of keeping my blood sugar levels steady so I happily obliged. 🙂
Does Eating Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?
When I started training with a personal trainer I was reminded, once again, to make sure I ate breakfast and continued eating small meals every couple of hours. “It’s the best way to keep your metabolism high and lose weight.” I was told over, and over, and over again!
When I became certified as a personal trainer the mantra was once again “Five to six small meals a day.”
And so I passed on this “wisdom” to clients, friends and family… (PLEASE forgive me if I have misled you! I was sharing what was taught to all fitness professionals)
“Don’t skip breakfast and eat five or six small meals a day.”
God knows my Instagram and Facebook accounts have been flooded with breakfast photos!
Funny enough you’ll still see plenty of breakfast photos on both my Instagram and Facebook feeds, just much later in the day 😉
What does the Science Say?
So here’s the crazy thing, this eating doctrine is actually NOT supported by science.
What science does show, is that Intermittent Fasting offers the real benefits we seek, both in terms of fat loss and overall health gains.
This is why I no longer eat a big meal first thing in the morning but rather Break my Fast closer to noon each day.
I share why in more detail in this recent Facebook live video.
How is Breakfast Making You Fat?
If you are trying to lose body fat to look and feel your best Intermittent Fasting will serve you far better than a giant Breakfast followed by small meals every few hours. Here’s why:
Constant eating slows down your metabolism
I know you’ve been told that eating five to six small meals a day will keep your metabolism high, but that is simply not true. When you eat your body produces insulin. High insulin levels make burning fat a challenge. If you are eating every couple of hours your body is constantly producing insulin. So contrary to what we’ve been told for years, small meals all day long is actually NOT increasing your metabolism, it’s slowing it down!
In order to start using fat for fuel you need to be in a true FASTED state, which means you need to abstain from food for 8 to 12 hours. Then your body can start using fat for fuel.
In my FASTer Way to Fat Loss bootcamps we implement Intermittent Fasting to reach that true fasted state and turn our bodies into fat burning machines.
There are many approaches to intermittent fasting. Some people fast for 24 hours every other day. Others fast 2 days every five days.
In the FASTer Way we use a 16/8 protocol — we fast for 16 hours and eat all of our calories in an 8 hour window. This approach is the easiest for all of our clients to follow.
If you truly want to see results this summer, join the FASTer Way to Fat Loss! This is a proven program that has gotten thousands and thousands of women (and men) real results that last. I am only accepting 20 people into my June 11th round of the FASTer Way, and I only have a handful of spots left.
You have a choice to make. You can do what you have always done and get the results you’ve always gotten – or, you could join the thousands of women who have found a lifestyle that works, and that they love. The choice is yours – but I would sign up if I were you!
Wow- I always thought that fueling up for breakfast was a good thing. I will have to look into this more- thank you for your insights.
You are most welcome Jen! I stopped eating breakfast first thing last June when I began implementing Intermittent fasting and I haven;t gone back! I fell better now at 51 than I ever have in my life!
Great tips!! So important to make your first meal a healthy one!
Absolutely Jamie! In fact I would suggest that it is important to make EVERY meal a healthy one!
Honestly, breakfast is extremely important for me because it gives me energy for the day. I don’t put on weight so I will continue eating breakfast. Mind you being a health freak I eat a healthy breakfast. People with a weight problem though might benefit from listening to the latest research.
The important thing Catarina is to do what serves you best. I ate a big, healthy breakfast for years and taught my clients that they needed to do the same. I even wrote about in my book “The Freshman 15 Survival Guide”. One of the reasons I insisted on breakfast for my kids and for college students was exactly what you suggest, to make sure you had energy to make it through the morning and be alert in class. Here is the crazy thing though, I have even more energy, clarity and focus now that I practice intermittent fasting! Crazy but at least for me, this has been a wonderful discovery. 🙂
Eating a big breakfast full of fat and carbs has never seemed like a good idea to me, but I had no idea what an important role fasting played in weight loss and healthy eating. Thanks for the tips.
You are most welcome Debra. From my personal perspective, I always advised my clients to eat a healthy breakfast, lean protein, complex carbs, veggies and fruits.. that kind of stuff. I still suggest the same but I simply have them eat that meal a few hours later than I would have before I learned that eating first thing in the morning could actually have the reverse effect than what we were looking for. The research is pretty impressive. Well worth looking into.
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Interesting article. I have never been overkeen on breakfast. As a teenager I rarely ate it and years later I would eat breakfast at almost noon! I now do not eat breakfast and fast until lunchtime- say 1/1.30pm. It does my body good to abstain from food for 12/13 hours a day. I drink fluids during this period but feel better for it.
I believe people have weight issues when they go without food for a long period of time then binge on junk because they are so hungry. Each of meals are planned and I am generally healthy. I rarely overeat.
Sounds like you have some great eating habits Phoenicia! You are absolutely right, not planning often leads to bad habits like binging or overeating of all the wrong foods. I’m a firm believer in a well stocked kitchen full of healthy, tasty options and meal prep!
I like your recommendation! I generally eat dinner at about 6 pm and breakfast at about 9 am, so that is 15 hours. I will eat three meals within that 9-hour timeframe, and my body seems to be happy with that.
I love that Doreen! It truly is best when you find your own natural rhythm. It sounds like you are well in tune with your body and have some healthy eating habits:-)