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Is it okay to skip breakfast&lunch and just have a big brunch?

I have been too busy lately to eat both breakfast and lunch, and i've just been eating a big brunch. I calculated the calories and it's the same, is this healthy?
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134578 tn?1693250592
Hi, as you'll see in various answers in this community, it's not the calories per se, it's what food the calories come from. If you were to eat a lot of carbs versus a balanced diet, you might have exactly the same calorie count but get fat on the carb diet and do fine on the balanced diet.
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If you are saying that your brunch is exactly the same foods as breakfast + lunch, there is no magic in eating it as two meals instead of one. Some people say waiting 14 hours between the last meal at night and the next meal in the morning is a good thing for weight loss (though I have to say that hasn't ever done much for me in terms of losing weight). On the other hand, you might inadvertently train your body to crave bigger meals if you do it like that. My guess, however, is that whether the calories are the same, the food isn't the same, and you would need to look at how much of your big brunch is healthy food. Changing out a breakfast of oatmeal and a lunch of salad and salmon with a brunch of eggs Benedict might be roughly the same calories but it's just not the same kind of food.
973741 tn?1342342773
A lot of people have different theories and what is really most important is to figure out what works for you and makes you feel your best.  I personally have found that I can skip breakfast with no issue and eat an early lunch.  But that I do have to eat or my blood sugar drops.  I also found that if I skip lunch, I eat like a maniac at dinner.  So, spacing it out might be best.  I have never gained weight by skipping breakfast.  I'm just not hungry in the morning so forcing myself to eat doesn't work.  Had that fight with my mom when growing up for years and it hasn't changed after all this time.  I have one son that needs breakfast to function and one that is like me and doesn't get hungry in the morning and doesn't eat a lot, just a couple of bites and he's good until lunch time.  We're all different.  :>)  

So, skipping breakfast and lunch and having a brunch works if it works for your lifestyle.  Yes, you can look at your calorie count as what you take in for the day verses at what time of day.  If you eat all your calories right before bed?  That's more problematic but eating a one bigger meal rather than two smaller meals is not a difference.  Make healthy choices though and watch your portion size.  And alter the plan if you find it isn't working.  I personally tend to not eat early in the morning and if I do, it's a few bites and then eat a very early lunch.  then I might have a light snack mid afternoon and then dinner.  that works best for me.  

Are you trying to lose weight or maintain weight, by the way?
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3 Comments
The problem with your question is, "is this healthy" won't be known possibly for years.  It can take a long time to find out that it was or wasn't healthy.  Young people can get away with a lot but it catches up to them as they age.  If you're eating a huge meal instead of two normal meals, it can make a difference that isn't healthy.  One aspect is evacuation -- when we go to the bathroom we lose some nutrients because they've been used as much as the body could use them.  Eating meals spaced out in time means you're putting nutrients back in regularly.  On the other hand, if you were eating two small meals and are now eating a regular sized meal that equals the other two, you're probably fine.  My Dad only ate two official meals most days, and I guess I inherited this from him.  But sometimes he ate 3 and sometimes he snacked.  As do I.  Most data suggests breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but people are different and they aren't data.  If you feel good and you're also eating a healthful dinner, you're probably fine, and if time shows you aren't, change back.
And the calorie focus you can lose.  More important are nutrients and what you're eating and how nutritious it is and how you metabolize it.  One of the most important categories of nutrients we often elide on these forums are antioxidants, which come from fruits and veggies.  It's hard to get enough of them if you don't eat enough food.  
I think the confusion comes down to this--  JUST counting calories isn't the only thing to consider and may not result in weight loss.  But counting calories along with the quality of calories can work for people.  :>)  When I'm limiting calories, I try to think about what I'm going to use my 'calorie spend' on.  I try to make it count toward feeling good and being healthy.  
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