Do You Eat Breakfast? Survey Reveals 4 Out of 6 Overweight

[Moonbear]

BTW, the naysayers (goaskalice.com, etc.) who claim your brain and central nervous system are deprived of glucose when you don't eat breakfast are, well, stupid. Your liver always stores 2000 kcal or so worth of glucose as glycogen, and releases it as necessary to keep your blood glucose relatively constant. You're not "deprived" of glucose by any means.

The reason people feel more awake and more alert after breakfast is probably caused more by the simple fact that eating breakfast wakes you up. The smells, tastes, and textures are stimuli that activate large parts of the brain. Listening to a high-energy favorite song, taking a shower, or doing some light exercise all have the same effect of waking you up.

- Warren

I think just the fact that some of us need to wake up BEFORE we can stomach breakfast indicates that we don't need breakfast to wake up and become alert. It also doesn't take into account the post-prandial (after a meal) sleepiness that decreases alertness. My least productive time of day is the hour after each meal.

Sure, if your stomach is growling, you're going to pay more attention to that than other mental tasks at hand, but I don't know many people who would skip breakfast if their stomach was growling when they woke up.

I can somewhat appreciate your dilemma of the difficulty in balancing when to eat relative to exercise in the morning (my preferred solution is to wait until later in the day before engaging in strenuous activity, but that's aside from the point). When I was in high school, I had a year of first period gym class. Ugh! If I ate breakfast, I'd get nauseous from the exercise so soon after. If I skipped breakfast, the morning exertion and calories burned left me feeling VERY hungry for the next few classes until lunch time. Of course, being high school, packing a snack to eat in my second period class was out of the question, although it would have greatly resolved the problem. Already being a bit of a gym-class-hating dork in high school, that just gave me even more reason to hate it. I was so happy for the one quarter where we had health class instead of gym!

When I don't have the option to avoid strenuous activity in the morning (like when I'm out working at the farm first thing in the morning), I've had good luck with nibbling. For example, if someone brings in bagels or doughnuts, or I have a couple cereal bars with me, I'll take a bite, work for a bit, grab another bite when I have a moment, back to work, etc. Mostly, that started simply because I never had enough time to just stop and eat anything in its entirety when I was hungry, but I've found that even when I do have time to stop, it still solves the problem of getting sick to the stomach from eating a whole meal then exerting oneself for an hour or more.

So, in your case, it might work while biking too. Just keep your cereal bars with you, or whatever you want to eat, take a bite, bike a while, take another bite, bike a while. That way, you get the benefit of the energy as your body needs it, but without making your stomach tumble from eating the entire thing at once. One thing that happens with exercise is that your digestion slows a bit as energy is diverted to your muscles, so smaller bites at a time gives your stomach a chance to keep up better.

 

[JasonRox]

Normally, it's just an Ensure drink (250 kcal and tons of vitamins and minerals) or a fruit-and-nut granola bar and an orange (total of about 250 kcal, also with a good balance of nutrients).

- Warren

Like I mentionned earlier, I work in a grocery store. Therefore, the fact that you drink Ensure tells me something about you.

Can you guess?

Hint: Nothing I didn't know before though. But then again, you never really knew what I knew.

 

[franznietzsche]

Does coffee count? Some days I eat a cereal bar if I know I won't have time to get lunch, or if I get to sleep in on the weekend, I'll make something for breakfast when I get up, but usually, I'm just not awake enough in the morning to stomach breakfast. I need the coffee to start kicking in before I can handle meals, so usually I just wait until lunch time. Then again, I don't eat dinner very early either, so I probably don't go much longer between dinner and lunch than most people go between dinner and breakfast.

And, for the record, I'm not overweight. I think it would be worse to force myself to eat a meal I'm not really hungry for just because someone else says I should eat at that time.

I strongly agree with that last bit.

I haven't eaten breakfast regularly since I was sixteen, and I usually only eat one meal a day. Usually its not even large meal, two sandwhiches or something. On the other hand, I usually have a pretty minimal level of activity as well.

 

[chroot]

Like I mentionned earlier, I work in a grocery store. Therefore, the fact that you drink Ensure tells me something about you.

Can you guess?

Hint: Nothing I didn't know before though. But then again, you never really knew what I knew.

I have no idea what you're getting at...

- Warren

 

[Astronuc]

Wow, that's a pretty elaborate process for making breakfast! I might go to all that trouble for lunch, but for breakfast, it's a good morning if I don't chop off my fingers while trying to slice cheese to put on toast. I should make life simpler and go to the deli and get pre-sliced cheese, but I just never think of stopping at the deli (I'm not really into processed meats for lunch food, so just pass right by, and forget that they also have cheese). Toast with a slice of cheese is one of the few things that my stomach will tolerate for breakfast...I don't think making it any more elaborate than that would be a good idea unless I've had the chance to sleep in until noon.

Actually, the process is rather simple - I just have lots of options.

Two slices of bread in toaster and get toppings while toasting.

Throw cheese (comes in slices) and tomato (whole tomato (preferably from our garden) which must be sliced) on toast, sprinkle with curry powder.

Eat.

I left out the part where I drink a pint of coffee before and a pint afterward.

Now coffee might get elaborate if there is vanilla ice cream in reach. Then its:

Spoon vanilla icecream in mug, cover with a tablespoon or two of honey, sprinkle with nutmeg, pour in coffee.

Or I pour coffee, add several spoonfuls of Swiss Miss cocoa powder, and add a heaping spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

Or I drink the coffee black, or with milk, honey optional.

Actually, all the above is if I make breakfast at home, and this is mostly warm weather. Cold weather, I'll do oatmeal and granola, with fruit.
==========================================

Breakfast at the office - walk to diner and get 'everything' bagle with cream cheese (chive or jalapeño) and bacon, egg and cheese on a roll.

Breakfast on the road - usually all you can eat buffet. Which means eggs, bacon & sausage, hash browns, grits, all covered with hot sauce. Toast. Fresh Fruit. Danish.

and several cups of coffee.

European breakfasts and coffee are often much better.

If I go to Scandanavian countries, then I can eat various fish for breakfast, and the same in Japan, or I can eat traditional western food with or without Japanese food.

 

[Astronuc]

You are making me hungry

You should read The Food Thread.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=124615

 

[JasonRox]

I have no idea what you're getting at...

- Warren

Um... they're normally older.

 

[chroot]

Um... they're normally older.

...I'm 27. Is that considered old in Canada?

- Warren

 

[franznietzsche]

...I'm 27. Is that considered old in Canada?

- Warren

Welcome to geezerhood.

 

[JasonRox]

...I'm 27. Is that considered old in Canada?

- Warren

I must have remembered the wrong name.

I'm 22, so that certainly isn't old or it isn't anymore. (It was old when I was in high school. )

Normally those who ask for Ensure are 40+.

 

[chroot]

I must have remembered the wrong name.

I'm 22, so that certainly isn't old or it isn't anymore. (It was old when I was in high school. )

Normally those who ask for Ensure are 40+.

Don't take any offense, but... you're stupid.

- Warren

 

[Astronuc]

Normally those who ask for Ensure are 40+.

My daughter was drinking Ensure when she was 17. She just wanted something quick and low volume. She didn't want to eat a lot.

Oh, I forgot - leftover pizza makes a good breakfast - 2 slices - microwave - splash on hot sauce - eat.

Leftover lasagna or spanakopita are also good for breakfast.

 

[JasonRox]

My daughter was drinking Ensure when she was 17.

I'm just going with the majority. Just like Prune juice.

I thought about it myself before because it's easy and simple.

 

[franznietzsche]

My daughter was drinking Ensure when she was 17. She just wanted something quick and low volume. She didn't want to eat a lot.

Oh, I forgot - leftover pizza makes a good breakfast - 2 slices - microwave - splash on hot sauce - eat.

Leftover lasagna or spanakopita are also good for breakfast.

Mmm, cold leftover pizza.

 

[Moonbear]

...I'm 27. Is that considered old in Canada?

- Warren

I guess you're just an old fart already. Hey, wait, I'm older than that!