Leangains Article: "Why Does Breakfast Make Me Hungy?"

[Goldfish]

I thought it might be helpful to some of our members to link this. It seems like something that will be helpful for me (although only time will tell), since I have always found that I experience the post-breakfast hunger discussed in this article (with some foods for breakfast I can literally stuff myself to the point that I can't take another bite, and then 10-15min later I'll already be getting hungry, and I don't tend to be able to satisfy my hunger most days until lunch time).

The Cliff's notes are:

- Waking up dramatically spikes cortisol
- Cortisol elevation is related to insulin elevation
- Insulin elevation reduces blood sugar
- Low blood sugar leads to hunger, and then other less desirable experiences
- Eating when cortisol is already peaked will further peak cortisol levels, and thus insulin levels, creating (for those of us lucky enough to experience this unpleasant situation) more hunger within a couple hours after eating than would have been experiened without eating at all

This is all related to insulin sensitivity. If you're insulin resistant, then it's probably better to eat shortly after you wake up to get your hormones going. If you're insulin sensitive (which is usually increasingly so the lower your body fat % is) and trying to lose weight, then this is where the author recommends intermittent fasting -- simply postponing breakfast for about 4-6 hours. So, if you get up at around 6am, instead of having your first meal of the day between 6 and 7am, you'd have it some time around noon.

Of course, this isn't fitting for everyone, but it's something I'll be trialling to see what happens. I know the last time I went low cal, I was eating breakfast and feeling like crap all day, so it'll be interesting to see if this creates a more enjoyable process.

As always, if you're going to try something like this, it's a good idea to check that you're healthy first - as pointed out above, if you're insulin resistant (for example), this probably isn't for you. Also, make sure that what you do eat once you break your fast is still good, quality food. Plenty of protein, good fats and an endless supply of vegetables.

 

[PLB_old]

Hmmm... this is really interesting, thanks for posting!

I deal with this everyday! I can eat a really big breakfast, then be hungry within an hour. I feel like a hobbit sometimes when I say that I'm eating my "second breakfast!" Lol.

I find it really interesting to think of my clients/friends/family members who skip breakfast but are overweight compared to those I know who eat breakfast everyday, and don't have weight issues. Those who are overweight and skip breakfast would be the ones who are most likely to have insulin resistance issues and would probably benefit from eating breakfast.

 

[Jrahien]

Yeah, I generally eat breakfast at 7:00, and then I'm hungry by 8:30 when I get to class. (I've begun taking a bag of cereal to school with me, buying some milk, and eating it out of a coffee cup in my first class. Ah, the good life.) I definitely find that the effect is worse the earlier I have to get up or the more tired I am, since that leads to a more "dramatic" wakening.

I feel like waiting 4-6 hours is fairly excessive, though. (Hell, for some people, that would be lunchtime.) Two hours seems to work well for me. However, since that's the time when my day actually starts, maybe that has to do with the time that my mind and body finally settle into wakened mode, rather than being haphazardly dragged around in half-sleep.

 

[Sinus]

The validity of going long hours with out food has been studied and verified of its increased health markers but it is certainly not valid for someone who is not used to it. It would ruin their day for sure. I totally hear you on the steak and eggs. When I was a kid a bowl of cereal in the morning would leave me ravenously hungry. My son who is 15 now and eating once per day for well over a year has pulled straight A's only eating dinner. Of course he is a mini me in many ways and not the typical teen.

 

[Goldfish]

PLB, back when I was studying my Diploma of Fitness, I was often referred to as a hobbit for the number of times I ate every day. So it's funny you should mention feeling like a hobbit. I'd have breakfast, then eat again upon arriving at class 2 hours later, then morning tea, then another snack, then lunch, then afternoon tea, then another snack, then dinner, then another snack, then dessert, then another snack, then go to bed. At the time I'd feel satisfied after each feed, but would be desperate for food a couple hours later, every time I ate. Nowadays I can often eat one solid meal (at a size that would have overwhelmed me a couple years ago) and be satisfied for much longer, but smaller meals tend to leave me even more anxious for food than before I ate.

Jrahien, having breakfast at lunch is kind of the idea that's promoted on LeanGains. I typed up the original post during the morning of my first day of IF, and my stomach could handle the hunger, but my mind wasn't coping well. I was going a bit mental until I finally had break-lunch. Then I calmed down, and was physically and mentally fine for the rest of the day. After the first day, my sanity has more or less returned. I still feel the hunger, but I'm not bouncing off the walls in a straightjacket obsessing over food. The most surprising thing I've found is how easily I'm coping in the gym, with just a glass of milk to partially break the fast half an hour before training, and then having my first real meal afterwards.

Sinus, you bring up some interesting points. Like I said, in my first fast, I was going bat**** crazy, so you're not wrong about it ruining the day if you're not used to it. Congratulations to you son on his high achievements at school. :costumed: