Why Breakfast is Key to Weight Management

So you’ve started eating better foods and exercising more but you’re stuck at a weight plateau? Here’s an important question then – are you eating breakfast? Yes, you’ve heard it time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but is it true?

Consider this – studies have shown that eating a real breakfast (as opposed to meal replacement shakes or processed “diet” foods) can decrease hunger and cravings reducing your risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome. Why? Because breakfast isn’t just breaking your nightly “fast”. What you eat for breakfast sets the tone for food choices throughout the rest of the day. Breakfast is seeming more important now, right?

Let’s say you eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast. How will you feel after? Full? Satisfied? Energetic? Now what happens when you skip breakfast? We all know the answer to that – afternoon rolls around and we’re starving – resulting in overeating, poor food choices (are you really going to choose broccoli over chocolate when you haven’t eaten in 12+ hours? I’m not.) and all of that leads to weight gain. Weight gain that you’re specifically trying to avoid (not to mention the inevitable guilt you feel over having eaten too much, when all’s said and done).

A recent study found that almost 80% of 3,000 people who lost an average of 70 pounds and kept it off for six years ate breakfast regularly. On the other hand, only 4% of those who never ate breakfast kept the weight off. The only difference between the two groups? The group who lost weight ate breakfast and the other group did not. They both consumed the same number of calories and types of food. Pretty compelling evidence.

Also important to remember is that breakfast shouldn’t be dessert. You might not realize it but many cereals, toaster concoctions, muffins, and the such — even the “healthy” versions — contain as much, if not more, sugar as ice cream. And you wouldn’t eat ice cream for breakfast, right? (Well…maybe once in a blue moon…) What is good to eat are protein-rich foods (eggs, nut butters, protein shakes, or whole grains with nuts) as they’ll steady your blood sugar. Protein-rich breakfasts have been found to make one more full and less inclined towards snacking throughout the day, as it can increase the chemical found in our brain that tells us when to stop eating.

So how important does breakfast sound now? Try it out and see for yourself! If you’re stuck and need some help, contact us: contact us today!