A DISCUSSION ON BREAKFAST VS FASTING
With all the diet advice flying around the internet (which I'm now adding to as we speak), it can get so confusing which method to take, especially when people are so incredibly committed to one belief or another, and criticising any different diets if they contradict their dogma.
So lets just talk about breakfast. Many say it's the most important meal of the day, some say to skip it altogether. If you do skip it, you're basically intermittent fasting (extending your fasting the window, to allow the digestive system more time to relax and repair, and cutting down your eating window). If you eat it, you're fuelling from the off, which is going to help you get stronger and perform better in the gym and in most things.
A personal favourite: Wholemeal Flatbread with Smoked Salmon, Avocado and Cream Cheese.
However both can work well, if you're looking to drop fat, then restricting your eating window is a great way to reevaluate whether you're getting hungry or just habitual eating, and you often eat less calories. I often feel like I have a clearer mind and more energy by starting eating later, though I can also then make poorer choices if suddenly becoming very hungry, so I'd say food preparation is even more important with fasting, otherwise the chocolate starts talking whilst queueing!
I wouldn't recommend skipping breakfast if you're competing, or have a session in the mid morning or lunchtime, and would suggest loading up on some complex and simple carbs plus protein. Porridge with protein powder, honey and banana for example.
Then again, if training first thing, I'd recommend having no food before (or perhaps some nuts and berries), then follow it up with a protein shake and breakfast.
These are all things to experiment with, we're not looking for the holy grail, just something that makes you feel good, and that you can reduce calories slightly when needed and stick to. You might find missing breakfast allows you to drop the required calories for fat loss, so you can then be a bit more flexible with your choices later in the day. Or you might respond better to being fuelled and training hard, and just being careful not to overeat.
Food for thought anyway!