never in the mood for breakfast

[monkeypuzzled]

Hi, first Whole 30 here--started 2 days ago and it's not going too badly (aside from a headache). My question: how important is it to eat breakfast--or to eat breakfast right away? I am not a morning person and can't face much but coffee for a few hours, much less think about cooking. Is it OK to fast until lunch--or to have a mid to late morning meal, a smaller mid-afternoon meal and then dinner? That's my natural inclination but maybe I'm not getting the same benefits as with the regularly spaced Meal 1, 2 and 3. 

 

I haven't felt like snacking (so far), not especially hungry, so I don't think I'm underfed.

 

Mary 

[annabel]

I was never much of a morning person, but I find that I'm a lot more alert in the mornings since my first Whole 30 in April. (And I'm getting up at 6am, rather than 9 or 10).  Give the breakfast thing a go for the 30 days, I think it is an important part of the plan.  And you'll hopefully find that you get used to it fairly quickly. (My husband complained about how big his breakfast was yesterday, so I gave him less this morning and afterwards said that he could have eaten more.)

 

If you don't feel up to cooking, you could have leftovers, or make some sort of breakfast loaf that you can eat cold or just heat up in the mornings. Or maybe some soup (http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/05/silky-gingered-zucchini-soup/) with protein added in/on the side.

[sailorlawrence]

I'm with ya there, breakfast is something I have to gag down before i need to run to work. I do my best, but usually all I can manage is a couple of hard boiled eggs and maybe half and avocado or bacon. It's tough! I feel like 0500 or 06 is just too early to eat, or maybe I'm just used to skipping food until lunch. Any how, I recommend doing your best, and listen to your hunger cues

[rgbarron01]

I had many a stare down with my 4:30 a.m. breakfast when I first started but I ate it anyway.  After awhile, my body/brain agreed that eating M1 promptly was a good thing.  I plan my meals the evening before, allowing for some flexibility.  I try to mix thing up to keep it interesting, especially when eggs (again) don't seem appealing.  I only have a few rhonda-rules for M1: include green vegetables (preferably leaves of some sort) as they seem to help keep hunger at bay (long wait until M2); eat around the plate (my natural preference is to eat one food item at a time...by eating around the plate, I maintain the template even if I get full). 

 

Keep working at it and you will figure out how to make this program work for you!

 

rhonda

[monkeypuzzled]

I was afraid you all would say that OK, I managed to choke down some chili from last night's dinner for breakfast, and made sure to have my Bulletproof-type coffee (blended w/ coconut oil and cinnamon) after so it would be easier to eat. Next time I'll make sure to have leftover veggies too; I couldn't face anything this am but a couple of baby carrots. I'll give it a whirl for the 30 days but as a long-term thing--isn't it good to listen to when your body *wants* to eat rather than eating at artificially set mealtimes whether you're hungry or not? Or maybe the Whole 30 will reset my body's hunger clock?

[monkeypuzzled]

Hmmm, I should think of it ike getting ready for a long day of skiing. I always make myself eat breakfast because I know I need it and I know I'll be ravenous after a couple of hours if I don't. 

[Robin Strathdee]

We think that eating first thing in the morning is pretty important to your hormonal rhythms - it cues your body that it's time to start the day in the same way that your bedtime routine cues your body in to the end of the day.  I know it's hard (I'm not a morning eater either), but find some things you can handle in the am (I tend to go for cold veggies like carrots and tomatoes, cold chicken, avocado) and do your best to be consistent for those 30 days. I think it's key to the energy level changes people see.

[Applegirl]

I'm not a morning eater either, but I do it during my W30 and it does make a difference in how the rest of the day goes.  I get used to it and after a while I enjoy it more.

 

Eating when you're in the mood can be a dangerous thing. I'm always in the mood to eat late in the evening, and usually in the mood to make really bad choices.  W30  helps us to reevaluate our relationships with food.

 

I like how you want to change your thinking on it to preparing yourself for the day ahead (like a long day of skiiing).  Great idea.

 

Best of luck to you!  You're doing good things for yourself.

[LaraP]

Maybe soup for breakfast veggies … I like your idea of breakfast chili, sounds good to me.  

[hmb13]

What I found during my first W30 is that after a couple weeks and making the transition to fat-burning, I started to wake up *starving*. Pretty much ever since I've become a *huge* breakfast person and make myself a hot breakfast every morning before work. At this point, I can't understand how anyone can get through until lunch with a bowl of cereal or just coffee. I find my almost daily eggs and bacon fuels my day, and also staves off late-night cravings. 

 

I'm with the others here -- do what you can to get your body into a routine, even forcing it if you have to for a little while. I think you'll find later you'll be glad you did.