Does skipping meals lead to weight gain or weight loss?

When you skip a meal, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, your body’s metabolism immediately takes notice. Our metabolism is designed for survival. Missing regular meals signals the body that food may be scarce, triggering a ‘conservation mode’. In this mode, the body slows down the rate at which it burns calories to preserve energy.

This means that while you might consume fewer calories in the short term, your body compensates by burning fewer of them. Over time, this adaptive response can hinder weight loss and make it harder to maintain a healthy weight.[1]

Skipping meals often leads to intense hunger later in the day. The result? You’re far more likely to overeat at your next meal or reach for quick, high-calorie snacks.

Research shows that people who skip breakfast, for example, often consume more calories overall by the end of the day than those who eat regularly. This rebound hunger is not just psychological; it's biological. When blood sugar levels drop, the body releases hunger hormones, like ghrelin, which stimulate appetite and craving for calorie-dense foods.

So, while you might skip lunch thinking you’re saving 500 calories, you could easily make up for it and more at dinner or during late-night snacking.[2]

Meal skipping doesn’t just affect appetite, it disrupts blood sugar balance. Consistent eating patterns help maintain stable blood glucose levels, which are vital for energy and brain function. Skipping meals can cause sharp drops and spikes in blood sugar, leaving you fatigued, irritable and craving sugar.

These fluctuations can also encourage fat storage. When you eat a large meal after fasting for too long, your insulin levels surge to manage the glucose load. Repeated insulin spikes encourage fat accumulation, particularly around the abdomen – the very area most people aim to slim down.[3]

Now, you might be wondering, "Isn’t skipping meals similar to intermittent fasting?" It’s a valid question.

While both involve periods without food, the difference lies in structure and intention. Intermittent fasting follows specific, time-controlled eating patterns (such as the 16:8 method, where you fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8-hour window). During fasting, hydration and nutrient timing are carefully managed. Skipping meals randomly, on the other hand, is often unplanned and unbalanced, lacking nutrient control or portion mindfulness.

While some research supports the benefits of structured intermittent fasting (such as improved insulin sensitivity and fat metabolism), these benefits vanish when fasting becomes erratic, prolonged or paired with poor food choices.[4]

Beyond biology, meal skipping has a powerful psychological side effect: it fuels an unhealthy relationship with food. When you view eating as a reward or punishment, you enter a guilt-driven cycle, skipping meals to ‘make up’ for overeating, followed by inevitable binges.

This restrictive mindset often leads to yo-yo dieting, a cycle of weight loss and regain that damages metabolism and self-esteem. In contrast, balanced eating promotes a sustainable lifestyle rather than a temporary fix.[5]

Skipping meals can also cause muscle loss, especially if done frequently. When the body doesn’t get enough calories, it may break down muscle tissue for energy. As muscle mass is metabolically active (it burns more calories even at rest), losing it means your resting metabolism slows down, making long-term weight maintenance harder.

You may also experience fatigue, dizziness and poor concentration, as your body struggles to fuel both brain and muscle activity. Over time, chronic undereating can suppress thyroid function and weaken immunity, counteracting the very goal of feeling fit and healthy.[5]

Instead of skipping meals, the goal should be strategic eating: knowing what, when and how much to eat. Here are some evidence-based approaches that promote healthy weight management:

1. Eat breakfast with purpose. Include protein (eggs, yoghurt, nuts) and complex carbohydrates (oats, wholegrains) to sustain energy and prevent mid-morning cravings.

2. Mind your portions. Reducing portion sizes mindfully is more effective than eliminating entire meals.

3. Balance macronutrients. Each meal should ideally contain a mix of protein, fibre and healthy fats to enhance satiety.

4. Stay hydrated. Dehydration often mimics hunger. Drinking water before meals helps control intake naturally.

5. Plan, don’t skip. If you’re short on time, carry healthy snacks like nuts, fruits or yoghurt instead of skipping meals altogether.[6]

It’s important to acknowledge that no single rule fits everyone. Age, gender, activity level, hormonal health and metabolic rate all influence how the body responds to meal timing. For instance, someone with diabetes, thyroid disorders or high physical activity levels may experience adverse effects from meal skipping, whereas others may tolerate structured fasting well.

The key lies in listening to your body’s signals rather than following diet trends blindly.

1. Liu D, Huang Y, Huang C, Yang S, Wei X, Zhang P, Zhang H. Calorie restriction with or without time-restricted eating in weight loss. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022. 386(16):1495-1504 DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2114833

2. Lee K, Hunger JM, Tomiyama A. Weight stigma and health behaviors: evidence from the Eating in America Study. International Journal of Obesity. 2021.45(7): 1499-1509 DOI:10.1038/s41366-021-00814-5

3. Papakonstantinou E, Oikonomou C, Nychas G, Dimitriadis G. Effects of diet, lifestyle, chrononutrition and alternative dietary interventions on postprandial glycemia and insulin resistance. Nutrients. 2022:14(4): 823 DOI:10.3390/nu14040823

4. Yamamoto R, Tomi R, Shinzawa M, Yoshimura R, Ozaki S, Nakanishi K, Moriyama T. Associations of skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner with weight gain and overweight/obesity in university students: a retrospective cohort study. Nutrients; 2021:13(1): 271 DOI:10.3390/nu13010271

5. Peters B, Vahlhaus J, Pivovarova-Ramich O. Meal timing and its role in obesity and associated diseases. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2024;15 DOI:10.3389/fendo.2024.1359772

6. VanderJagt H, Pylypciw M, Pacheco CR, Smith JE. Journal of Obesity and Fitness Management. 2025