Jeremy C Kester

Breakfast… the most important meal of the day. Or at least that is what I have been told all of my life. I used to not eat breakfast. I used to skip it. Didn’t feel hungry, so why eat?

At least for the last 10 or so years I have made it a point to eat breakfast.

The problem is, should I have been?

For nearly 2 years now I have been going to the gym in the morning. I would wake up, eat breakfast, and then head out to lift weights. In most cases I was never entirely comfortable. My stomach would churn, despite having 45 or more minutes between eating and lifting. Lately as I have been doing more difficult, heavier, more complex lifts, my stomach has been reeling.

So should I eat breakfast?

Of course I should. It’s the most important meal of the day right?

Researching general fitness tips I found a few things that started making me question my belief. For one, there is the concept of deficit cardio, where prior to eating anything for the day, one would get up and take a moderate-to-brisk walk. More and more I found an answer I use on just about anything health related: depends on the person.

Do I wake up hungry? Nope.

Does my stomach feel satisfied after eating first thing in the morning? Nope. And I am unsure if it ever has.

Based on these and a few more questions, I began to wonder if I am just one of those “don’t need (or shouldn’t) eat breakfast in the morning. In turn then, I am going to experiment with that for a few weeks. In that time I will skip breakfast and instead have something a little lighter after my workout. On the days I am not working out I might wait an hour before getting anything. We’ll see how it helps or hurts. At least then I will know what to really do.