11 ms·

For decades of my adult life I skipped breakfast, going against all conventional dietary wisdom. Having 3 meals a day just felt like turning my body into a conv

For decades of my adult life I skipped breakfast, going against all conventional dietary wisdom. Having 3 meals a day just felt like turning my body into a conveyor belt that produces faeces. Now I feel kinda vindicated. A few times I traveled with a friends who did the breakfast - lunch - dinner thing and after two or three days I had to opt out of either breakfast or dinner. I remember asking "how do you even manage to process that much?" and I just got blank stares. For what it's worth, I'm 51 now and my body weight is the same as when I was 20. It just doesn't LOOK quite the same anymore ;)

soco 5y ago
I like my breakfast late which makes me more often than not skipping lunch (weekends or vacations for sure) but never thought more about it. It definitely helps keeping the figure but I think I should gather more infos - like, meal records etc - before I turn it into a regular and conscious practice...
nicolas_t 5y ago
Ha! Same here, I stopped eating breakfast as soon as I became a student and kept hearing people telling me it's unhealthy... I just don't feel good when I have breakfast, I'm never hungry in the morning and forcing myself to eat breakfast is nauseating.
- cyberpunk 5y ago
  This is the way. ;) I only eat a breakfast if it's like 3 hours after I've woken up, and consists mostly of coffee and maybe some eggs Benedict and if it's sitting in the sun in a little square on the Mediterranean somewhere.
wink 5y ago
I'd say yours is as much anecdata as mine. I've skipped breakfast for years at times and the only thing with calories between 10pm and lunch was the milk in my coffee (mentioning it because it might invalidate the whole thing, but not talking about daily morning coffee) and I didn't lose any weight, despite not being overly hungry at lunchtime and eating massive portions...
czernobog 5y ago
I hate having breakfast, especially on work days for some reason. I feel ya
seer 5y ago
The work from Dr. Sinclair, and various other scientist seems to agree that its not just weight and body shape, you actually live longer and have less illnesses throughout your life. Really fascinating stuff - the Lifespan podcast really changed how I think about all of this. I'm like you and haven't had breakfast in quite a while, but recently started skipping launch as well. A lot harder, but supposedly will feel about the same when my body adjusts.
- arboghast 5y ago
  Except that in his podcast he spreads a lot of bad science. I'd even call it misinformation. The work on Sirtuins role in health span and life span is, at most, inconclusive. Multiple studies on trans-resveratrol failed to show any improvement whatsoever (and yes, even when mixed with a fat to increase bioavailability). Maybe NMN does something, maybe not. It's not yet clear. He states everything as facts while most of his own studies have never been successfully replicated, even disproven in some cases. I'd take everything he says with a grain of salt. He's been called out multiple times by his peers, including his own friends like Matt Kaeberlein.
  - puchatek 5y ago
    The most recent claim for bio availability of resveratrol seems to be that you need to pair it with piperine. Yep. Just like Curcumin. I'm sure there's some science to back it up but it still brings to mind that old Marc Maron sketch.
  - Alc0r 5y ago
    He’s done a lot for mainstream interest in gerontology and longevity research but it’s pretty clear at this point that he’s financially tied to his position, there are multiple companies worth millions that develop products based on his labs research. So he’d rather block everyone who tries to challenge him on Twitter and claim certainty on his podcast than be objective about the data.
  - seer 5y ago
    _Obviously_ until conclusive double blind controlled studies have been done, this is all hypothesis. The science behind the "longevity clock check" with by testing methaliations seems legit though doesn't it? I'm just a dude on the internet so would love some advice from somebody in the field. But if that test is real, then it's a mater of time now isn't it? We wouldn't need to wait decades for people to die off so we can prove anything, we can just test with this clock, and in a couple of years we'll have results. I for one am quite excited about the whole thing. While in his book he is less so, I think he seems pretty straight forward on his podcast by what has been tested with what, and how dubious the science of the various claims is. He admits a lot about some mechanism that they have no idea how it works, just that it does in various model organisms. Anyway fasting and exercise have been linked to longevity for literally millennia by various religions largely unconnected with each other. I gather that we're now just trying to understand the mechanisms how all of this actually works. I personally am trying the things on myself that have been proven to not cause harm, and seeing how it affects me. For now I've settled on reduced sugar in my diet, cut out gluten, stoped doing breakfast, started excising and do an occasional (2-3 times a year 4+ days water fasting). Seems to have kept the gray out of my hair for now - a lot of the friends in my age group already have it. Will see how that "no lunch" affects to me. All anecdotal of course.
300bps 5y ago
You and I are about the same age and I also have an almost identical body to when I was 20. But I’ve eaten three+ meals per day my entire life.
- circlefavshape 5y ago
  +1 50 years of age, 175cm tall, 63kg (or 5'9" and a little under 140 pounds)
fouc 5y ago
People that maintain a low weight throughout life and eat 3 meals a day probably eat smaller meals than your 2 meals.
mingabunga 5y ago
I'm exactly the same. Go away with friends and eat like they do and so I'm feeling full all the time, which feels oddly bad. Then I'm going to the toilet all the time. Have been IF for the past 12 years, aged 49 and still same weight as when I was 20.
analogdreams 5y ago
similar, but i got so good at it i got used to regularly going 3-4 days without eating at all and not really noticing/caring. as a result, my metabolism is shot and losing weight has been a real challenge. everything that went in stayed in for years.
JKCalhoun 5y ago
My sense is that conventional dietary wisdom comes from an agricultural heritage — where we spent all damn day working the fields. Without that intensive labor, three meals seems to make less sense.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  Indeed. I often skip breakfast without issues, but I once attempted to do this on a cycling holiday where my morning consisted of cycling at a moderate pace for several hours and I ended up collapsing asleep at the side of the road for about half an hour, then continued very slowly until I could find some food. What you're doing can have a big impact on how much food you need.
  - cyberpunk 5y ago
    Ah yes, a bonk. Horrible experience. Happened to me once or twice, I never actually slept, but I had to essentially walk the rest of the way back. Always carry some gels, and fuel up properly at the start!
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      > Always carry some gels, and fuel up properly at the start! Yes, lesson learnt! A friend I was with actually realised they had glucose tablets with them for exactly this purpose, but unfortunately they didn't remember until past the time where they were needed.
    - idontknowifican 5y ago
      bonking for the first time is bizzare. i’ve been doing fat training because of sugar processing issues with the gels, and with focused effort and pacing i can bike through a bonk, but it is a delicate procedure
  - sasawpg 5y ago
    It is a lesson to be learned for sure! As my cycling ramps up so does my eating. I couldn't imagine surviving on anything less than 3 meals a day and copious snacking. Then again, I burn 6000-7000+kCal in a standard week of training which can be hard (for me) to replace. Your body will like you much more if you keep feeding it while riding!
garyfirestorm 5y ago
Same I have never had breakfast and all this time I thought I’m doing it wrong. My problems have been that I’m more on the skinny side and can never put on weight.
jrs235 5y ago
I'm very similar to you and your history. I'm 41 now and my body weight is still like when I was 20.
phlalexsh 5y ago
Same, when I was a teenager breakfast actually gave me the runs if I ate too early. Yet my mom never let me skip even though I constantly tried too. Breakfast food is hands down my favorite food, I just eat it for lunch or dinner now ;)
stevekemp 5y ago
Same for me, my breakfast is coffee. I "treat myself" and eat breakfast when I go on holiday, as I tend to be more active during those few weeks, but otherwise I have two meals a day.
- jrs235 5y ago
  I do the same! And then since I broke my breakfast fast, I wake up hungry every day on holiday. I have to push through morning hunger pangs for a day or two to get rid of them (when I'm back to not-holiday).

soco 5y ago

I like my breakfast late which makes me more often than not skipping lunch (weekends or vacations for sure) but never thought more about it. It definitely helps keeping the figure but I think I should gather more infos - like, meal records etc - before I turn it into a regular and conscious practice...

nicolas_t 5y ago

Ha! Same here, I stopped eating breakfast as soon as I became a student and kept hearing people telling me it's unhealthy... I just don't feel good when I have breakfast, I'm never hungry in the morning and forcing myself to eat breakfast is nauseating.

cyberpunk 5y ago
This is the way. ;) I only eat a breakfast if it's like 3 hours after I've woken up, and consists mostly of coffee and maybe some eggs Benedict and if it's sitting in the sun in a little square on the Mediterranean somewhere.

wink 5y ago

I'd say yours is as much anecdata as mine. I've skipped breakfast for years at times and the only thing with calories between 10pm and lunch was the milk in my coffee (mentioning it because it might invalidate the whole thing, but not talking about daily morning coffee) and I didn't lose any weight, despite not being overly hungry at lunchtime and eating massive portions...

czernobog 5y ago

I hate having breakfast, especially on work days for some reason. I feel ya

seer 5y ago

The work from Dr. Sinclair, and various other scientist seems to agree that its not just weight and body shape, you actually live longer and have less illnesses throughout your life. Really fascinating stuff - the Lifespan podcast really changed how I think about all of this. I'm like you and haven't had breakfast in quite a while, but recently started skipping launch as well. A lot harder, but supposedly will feel about the same when my body adjusts.

arboghast 5y ago
Except that in his podcast he spreads a lot of bad science. I'd even call it misinformation. The work on Sirtuins role in health span and life span is, at most, inconclusive. Multiple studies on trans-resveratrol failed to show any improvement whatsoever (and yes, even when mixed with a fat to increase bioavailability). Maybe NMN does something, maybe not. It's not yet clear. He states everything as facts while most of his own studies have never been successfully replicated, even disproven in some cases. I'd take everything he says with a grain of salt. He's been called out multiple times by his peers, including his own friends like Matt Kaeberlein.
- puchatek 5y ago
  The most recent claim for bio availability of resveratrol seems to be that you need to pair it with piperine. Yep. Just like Curcumin. I'm sure there's some science to back it up but it still brings to mind that old Marc Maron sketch.
- Alc0r 5y ago
  He’s done a lot for mainstream interest in gerontology and longevity research but it’s pretty clear at this point that he’s financially tied to his position, there are multiple companies worth millions that develop products based on his labs research. So he’d rather block everyone who tries to challenge him on Twitter and claim certainty on his podcast than be objective about the data.
- seer 5y ago
  _Obviously_ until conclusive double blind controlled studies have been done, this is all hypothesis. The science behind the "longevity clock check" with by testing methaliations seems legit though doesn't it? I'm just a dude on the internet so would love some advice from somebody in the field. But if that test is real, then it's a mater of time now isn't it? We wouldn't need to wait decades for people to die off so we can prove anything, we can just test with this clock, and in a couple of years we'll have results. I for one am quite excited about the whole thing. While in his book he is less so, I think he seems pretty straight forward on his podcast by what has been tested with what, and how dubious the science of the various claims is. He admits a lot about some mechanism that they have no idea how it works, just that it does in various model organisms. Anyway fasting and exercise have been linked to longevity for literally millennia by various religions largely unconnected with each other. I gather that we're now just trying to understand the mechanisms how all of this actually works. I personally am trying the things on myself that have been proven to not cause harm, and seeing how it affects me. For now I've settled on reduced sugar in my diet, cut out gluten, stoped doing breakfast, started excising and do an occasional (2-3 times a year 4+ days water fasting). Seems to have kept the gray out of my hair for now - a lot of the friends in my age group already have it. Will see how that "no lunch" affects to me. All anecdotal of course.

300bps 5y ago

You and I are about the same age and I also have an almost identical body to when I was 20. But I’ve eaten three+ meals per day my entire life.

circlefavshape 5y ago
+1 50 years of age, 175cm tall, 63kg (or 5'9" and a little under 140 pounds)

fouc 5y ago

People that maintain a low weight throughout life and eat 3 meals a day probably eat smaller meals than your 2 meals.

mingabunga 5y ago

I'm exactly the same. Go away with friends and eat like they do and so I'm feeling full all the time, which feels oddly bad. Then I'm going to the toilet all the time. Have been IF for the past 12 years, aged 49 and still same weight as when I was 20.

analogdreams 5y ago

similar, but i got so good at it i got used to regularly going 3-4 days without eating at all and not really noticing/caring. as a result, my metabolism is shot and losing weight has been a real challenge. everything that went in stayed in for years.

JKCalhoun 5y ago

My sense is that conventional dietary wisdom comes from an agricultural heritage — where we spent all damn day working the fields. Without that intensive labor, three meals seems to make less sense.

nicoburns 5y ago
Indeed. I often skip breakfast without issues, but I once attempted to do this on a cycling holiday where my morning consisted of cycling at a moderate pace for several hours and I ended up collapsing asleep at the side of the road for about half an hour, then continued very slowly until I could find some food. What you're doing can have a big impact on how much food you need.
- cyberpunk 5y ago
  Ah yes, a bonk. Horrible experience. Happened to me once or twice, I never actually slept, but I had to essentially walk the rest of the way back. Always carry some gels, and fuel up properly at the start!
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    > Always carry some gels, and fuel up properly at the start! Yes, lesson learnt! A friend I was with actually realised they had glucose tablets with them for exactly this purpose, but unfortunately they didn't remember until past the time where they were needed.
  - idontknowifican 5y ago
    bonking for the first time is bizzare. i’ve been doing fat training because of sugar processing issues with the gels, and with focused effort and pacing i can bike through a bonk, but it is a delicate procedure
- sasawpg 5y ago
  It is a lesson to be learned for sure! As my cycling ramps up so does my eating. I couldn't imagine surviving on anything less than 3 meals a day and copious snacking. Then again, I burn 6000-7000+kCal in a standard week of training which can be hard (for me) to replace. Your body will like you much more if you keep feeding it while riding!

garyfirestorm 5y ago

Same I have never had breakfast and all this time I thought I’m doing it wrong. My problems have been that I’m more on the skinny side and can never put on weight.

jrs235 5y ago

I'm very similar to you and your history. I'm 41 now and my body weight is still like when I was 20.

phlalexsh 5y ago

Same, when I was a teenager breakfast actually gave me the runs if I ate too early. Yet my mom never let me skip even though I constantly tried too. Breakfast food is hands down my favorite food, I just eat it for lunch or dinner now ;)

stevekemp 5y ago

Same for me, my breakfast is coffee. I "treat myself" and eat breakfast when I go on holiday, as I tend to be more active during those few weeks, but otherwise I have two meals a day.

jrs235 5y ago
I do the same! And then since I broke my breakfast fast, I wake up hungry every day on holiday. I have to push through morning hunger pangs for a day or two to get rid of them (when I'm back to not-holiday).