Intermittent Fasting: Skipping Breakfast or Dinner?
A recent question I was asked on my Instagram was: which is better, skipping breakfast or dinner while doing Intermittent Fasting?
Now ultimately, building a great physique comes down to hitting your calories and macros and finding the most enjoyable way to do so…
So on one level, my answer would be – follow the protocol that is most enjoyable to hit your calories. If you find it’s more enjoyable to eat a big breakfast and lunch and skip dinner, do that!
Contrarily, if you find it’s much more enjoyable to be skipping breakfast, then go ahead and keep SKIPPING BREAKFAST…
Skipping breakfast and weight loss
Will skipping breakfast help lose weight?
I largely feel that the majority of people will experience the greatest results by skipping breakfast to lose weight… This is why in all of my courses, I teach people to do intermittent fasting by pushing their first meal 4-6+ hours after rising.
You see, first thing in the morning, your body is primed to burn fat for fuel. Insulin levels are low, growth hormone is starting to climb, and cortisol is elevated.
Cortisol combined with low insulin is actually a good thing since it helps mobilize body fat. Cortisol is only problematic when it’s chronically high.
Moreover, cortisol and elevated insulin don’t go well together… Which is why it makes the most sense to eat more food later in the day, when cortisol naturally falls.
Skipping Breakfast Effects
While skipping breakfast for weight loss, you can use caffeine strategically to blunt appetite, making intermittent fasting effortless.
What’s more, skipping breakfast makes you highly productive. You simply can start conquering your day, without having to be slowed down by preparing and eating food.
Finally, my personal favorite, skipping breakfast allows you the freedom, to eat like a king at night and sleep like a baby…
Final Points
I definitely feel most people will get the best results skipping breakfast. That said, if you happen to prefer eating a big breakfast, and skipping dinner, go for it. That can work too, if you hit your calories and macros!
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[…] Some suggest breakfast. Some suggest dinner. […]
Hi Greg. I’ve been watching your videos and following your intermittent fasting. I was wondering have you ever come up with something for people that have a la k of mobility who still want to get fit. I’ve had a knee injury for 7 years. I’m waiting on my third operation in February and just can’t loose
The pounds ? any tips
Kind regards Nicola
Hey whats up Greg,
First of all, I want to thank you for creating something that is be so valuable! I’ve been on your aggressive fat loss program and went from 15% to about 8-9%. I went from 178 lbs and now I’m 156. All of my friends seem to be amazed with my results, esp my girlfriend lol. I never would’ve thought losing bf% would be so easy and enjoyable. Like you, I have been trying to solve the fat loss equation for some time now. I was always striving for that six pack, but unfortunately i was not able to until i found you and your workout philosophy. I was one of the those guy pounding down 2g/lbs of protein everyday and I literally HATED eating. It made me despise food. Have you ever tried blended chicken breast? Yeah, if you’re imagining how that tastes, you’re probably on the right track. It tastes exactly like how you’re imagining lol. IF has been a game changer, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Being able to eat flexibly is such a rewarding feeling especially when i am hungry. I am starting my own fitness gig myself, and definitely a proponent of IF. I will make sure I give out my thanks once I make it buddy. But now I am running into another dilemma. Ultimately speaking, I need my body to grow and will have to hit around 175-180 lbs (i am 6ft). That will be my maximum potential that i can achieve naturally (i want that sleek muscular hollywood physique). And now I am on your greek god program. But heres the deal. Like your advise, I am currently on a surplus with my calories. about 400-600+ but I still weigh the same. And I’ve been at 155-158 range since September and I am having trouble breaking that 160 lbs. What do you think about this? Do you think I should put myself on a larger surplus? I want to stay lean while I grow, but in reality, I have noticed it is a lot harder than it sounds. Let me know what you think
if you skip breakfast greg what time of the day do you usually do your workout ?
afternoon. right before I break my fast
I agree skipping breakfast is much easier rather than skipping dinner and as your body is already in an anabolic state after sleeping for 8 hours, the results are even better if you stay in fasted state for few more hours. I recently came across this article stating few weight loss myths, I wonder if we can lose weight even after consuming fats: http://www.theworkoutmagazine.com/weight-loss/6-weight-loss-myths-of-2015-uncovered/
What’s up Greg. I’ve been doing IF for about 3 months now. I started at 200lbs and got down to 193ish eating at 2500ish calories a day and then am down to 190 after getting AFL and eating at 2300ish cal a day. Every now and then I will eat at maintenance when needed and on my new plan on AFL for 12 weeks I was going to take 2 maintenance weeks every 5 weeks as I aimed for 180 lbs.
For some reason this week I have had unusual cravings and urges to eat more than maintenance. IF to this point has been fantastic and not really challenging.
So I am now confused at what’s going on. Any speculation as to why I am having cravings to eat well over maintenance?
Quick question. If doing the AFL 2.0 with the Cardio, Abs & Mobility protocol, should I skip the abs work on Wednesday? Thanks!
yes
Great post. What a lot of people gloss over is that by skipping breakfast, you’re essentially extending an 8+ hour long fast that you were participating in while sleeping. By continuing the fast and throwing some coffee into your empty stomach, you’ll have a powerful energy boost. For a while, my breakfast was 2-4 cups of coffee with some Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba; felt fantastic all day. Most people look for the perfect diet plan without ever realizing there is no such thing. Every person is different and we respond to different foods and eating regimens differently. I can get by without eating all day if needed. For someone else, they might crash by noon. Treat dieting as an experiment and see what works best for you.