Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I think the idea is that breakfast gets your metabolism going in the morning so it's the most important from a health standpoint. And you tend to be more lethargic without breakfast.

But I'm not a doctor or anything, so maybe I'm way off.

As a sad aside, I can't eat ANYTHING for at least an hour and a half after waking up. I dunno why...my body doesn't seem to work early in the morning.

By the time breakfast comes around, you haven't eaten for 12 hours. That is a long time. To maintain a healthy metabolism and avoid drastic changes in blood sugar, one should eat something every 3 - 4 hours. So, it is particularly important to break your 12 hour fast. Every cell in your body needs energy. Your cells make energy (in the form of a molecule called ATP) from glucose (found in all food). ATP is important for your brain to function properly as well. You'll be more alert and think better. Additionally, if you are starving by lunch because you skipped breakfast, you'll tend to overeat or make poor food choices. Sort of like when you've been drinking. You're just so hungry you don't care what you put in your mouth or how much.

As far as what to eat. High sugar should never be an option under any circumstances. It is bad in more ways that I am willing to type here. You should have a balance between carbs, fat, and protein. Perhaps an egg sandwich with tomato, oatmeal with walnuts, yogurt with fruit and granola, multigrain waffles with fruit and milk. Even cereal will do or a smoothie if you have to run out the door.

I am not a doctor, but I am a biologist. We tend to know more than doctors because they don't necessarily know the biology behind bodily functions. Don't believe me? Ask your doctor about how your cells make ATP. Note: Your endocrenologist may know this.

Breakfast is definitely very important. It gives your body its first fuel of the day. It doesn't have to be a big breakfast or even breakfast food but you should put SOMETHING in your stomach before embarking on your day.

Are you familiar with "famine mode"? It's the defense mechanism utilized by the body when there is a calorie deficit. It means that people who try to accomplish weight loss by skipping meals and going hungry force their bodies to slow down and utilize less calories (and thereby fat). The body says, "Oooooh there's no food around so I'd better conserve what energy I have." Breakfast not only prevents famine mode and the eventual hunger you will feel by 10:30 but also the subsequent danger of gorging at lunch.

A ham sandwich with cheese on whole wheat bread would be a great breakfast! Protein, fat, and carbs. I'd add a tomato and have a fruit with that, however.

If I eat breakfast though I eat all day.

Everyone is different but from my own personal experience running a breakfast blog for the past 2 months the mornings when I go for oatmeal, smoothies or have a yogurt parfait with berries & granola I feel the best.

I still love donuts, bagels and egg sandwiches which I find in moderation with exercise works fine for me.

http://eagle-eye-breakfast.blogspot.com

Sorry, it may be wrong but I just am not hungry in the morning. If i'm not hungry, i'm not going to eat. It's that simple. I'm not overweight and do not gorge myself from hunger when I do get hungry around 12:30, 1pm. Also, every so often when I do want something early, I eat. So far I'm fine! (Knock on wood).

@chardonnay - are you eating carbs for breakfast? This is a common problem when carbs are the first food eaten. Try protein in the way of an egg dish, or yogurt - or try a "smoothie" that has yogurt, ice, and fruit. I sometimes put bran in my smoothies but you'll be looking to scrape it off your teeth with your tongue. I have to sneak bran in any way I can (sigh). I generally eat oatmeal but if I find it sets me on an endless hunger throughout the day, I'll switch off to protein for breakfast for a while.

For at least 40 years, even the idea of breakfast before being up at least two hours made me sick; eating it made me sicker - my digestion just plain didn't work. Now things have changed a little, and if I'm hungry after I've been up a while (minimum of an hour), I eat - usually leftovers from yesterday's dinner. If I'm not hungry, I save them for lunch. Coffee, however, is necessary upon awakening, and I have always thought of that as my breakfast. Other people, other practices - it all depends on what works for you. It's silly to follow a rule just because it works for someone else.

Ooh, I NEED to eat breakfast! I can sleep in with the best of them but if I start to get hungry my body won't leave me alone until I put something in it. Usually some variation of hot or cold cereal (lately oatmeal or Cheerios) with fruit and soy milk, along with my giant cup of gunpowder tea. It definitely helps my metabolism throughout the day. My breakfasts are never high in protein but I'm a vegetarian who loathes eggs and no longer buys fake meat so there you go.

If I eat a healthy breakfast, I eat healthy all day. If I eat a pastry, the next thing you know I'm devouring Snickers and fries. For me, that's why it's the most important meal.

I usually wake up starving and head to the gym that way. When I get back, I'm really super starving, so breakfast is never optional. Usually it's steel cut oats with a fried egg and sriracha, mini babybel cheese on the side. On weekends, breakfast burritos.

And 2 cups of coffee with milk. Also non-optional!

Protein is important at breakfast. Your brain need protein to function properly. School children need a healthy breakfast to help them through the day, brain food is protein. So foods rich in eggs are always a good choice for breakfast, cheese, milk, lean meats, whole grain breads and cereals and a little fat won't hurt to stick to your ribs.
The reason you are hungry all day after a carbo laden starter meal is that your body processes them quicker and leave you hungry again. Not so with protein. Same at night with a snack before bed - eat cheese and crackers or some protein like yogurt or egg and you won't wake up famished either.

I eat whole grain oatmeal every weekday before heading to the gym. Without it I find my exercise more difficult. When I leave the gym my stomach always wants food again - I usually eat one or two hard boiled eggs and a piece of fruit (usually a banana), which fills me up good. If I don't eat anything I don't wake up and I can't concentrate until after lunch.

I do have sausage, egg and cheese on a toasted bagel every once in a while after the gym. Tasty! And eggs sunny-side up with toast on the weekends is a must.