Skipping breakfast is part of many morning routines - often with the thought of cutting calories. The all too common impression is mistaken - there's actually plenty of evidence that eating a healthy breakfast, every day, is the fastest way to lose weight and keep it off. Those who skip that oh-so-essential morning meal end up being starved by mid morning and more vulnerable to snacking that ends up having them take in more calories for the day.
Eating breakfast daily is a healthy habit for "successful losers" who are listed with the National Weight Control Registry. These people have kept 30 pounds (or more) off for at least a year, some for as long as six years.
Most of these people (78%) reported making the time for breakfast every morning, and almost 90% said they ate breakfast at least five days of the week. This suggests that starting the day with a meal is an important strategy for losing weight, and keeping it off.
Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. What's more, it also jump starts your metabolism. When you skip breakfast, you're really undertaking a 15 to 20 hour fast, which causes the body not to produce the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. Among those she works with professionally, breakfast eaters are usually people who have lost a lot of weight.
What's more, a pair of studies appearing in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association support this idea. Although the work was funded by cereal companies, dietitians say studies like this drive home the message that breakfast is important to weight loss.
Breakfast is where fruits, veggies and whole grains can be a part of the meal. High fiber foods fill you up, and they bring less fat into the body.
Foods like oatmeal, strawberries, walnuts and low fat yogurt are high fiber, low energy density choices that let you eat more and take in fewer calories.
Here are a few more good-for-you breakfast ideas...
- 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup low-fat milk, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon walnuts fills you up and brings only 307 calories.
- Two multi-grain waffles, with 1 cup blueberries, 3 tablespoons light syrup, 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt has about 450 calories in all. That's almost equal to the standard bagel-and-cream-cheese breakfast - except that it's much more food in terms of volume and is much lower in fat.
- Peanut butter and banana, eggs, low fat yogurt/milk, frozen blueberries or peaches and canned (in their own juices) are other good-for-you choices. If you have time, make a small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries that you can roll and serve or take along.
- Breakfast smoothies, berries, ice and milk/yogurt are a tasty, healthy option. They go anywhere, fill you up with good stuff and get your day off to a nutritious start. Use granola (read labels carefully) in the low fat version as a condiment, not the main dish.
- Smaller bagels (hockey puck size) with almond or cashew butter, or if you must, low fat cream cheese. Jam or sliced strawberries are delicious toppings.
Even if you can't choose healthy breakfast options, getting something to eat at the start of the day is better than eating nothing at all when looking for the fastest way to lose weight. If you find yourself tempted by the fast food breakfast sandwiches, choose whole grain English muffins, a cooked egg, low fat cheese on top, with the ham or Canadian bacon optional.
Eating breakfast daily is a healthy habit for "successful losers" who are listed with the National Weight Control Registry. These people have kept 30 pounds (or more) off for at least a year, some for as long as six years.
Most of these people (78%) reported making the time for breakfast every morning, and almost 90% said they ate breakfast at least five days of the week. This suggests that starting the day with a meal is an important strategy for losing weight, and keeping it off.
Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. What's more, it also jump starts your metabolism. When you skip breakfast, you're really undertaking a 15 to 20 hour fast, which causes the body not to produce the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight. Among those she works with professionally, breakfast eaters are usually people who have lost a lot of weight.
What's more, a pair of studies appearing in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association support this idea. Although the work was funded by cereal companies, dietitians say studies like this drive home the message that breakfast is important to weight loss.
Breakfast is where fruits, veggies and whole grains can be a part of the meal. High fiber foods fill you up, and they bring less fat into the body.
Foods like oatmeal, strawberries, walnuts and low fat yogurt are high fiber, low energy density choices that let you eat more and take in fewer calories.
Here are a few more good-for-you breakfast ideas...
- 1 cup of oatmeal, ½ cup low-fat milk, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon walnuts fills you up and brings only 307 calories.
- Two multi-grain waffles, with 1 cup blueberries, 3 tablespoons light syrup, 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt has about 450 calories in all. That's almost equal to the standard bagel-and-cream-cheese breakfast - except that it's much more food in terms of volume and is much lower in fat.
- Peanut butter and banana, eggs, low fat yogurt/milk, frozen blueberries or peaches and canned (in their own juices) are other good-for-you choices. If you have time, make a small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries that you can roll and serve or take along.
- Breakfast smoothies, berries, ice and milk/yogurt are a tasty, healthy option. They go anywhere, fill you up with good stuff and get your day off to a nutritious start. Use granola (read labels carefully) in the low fat version as a condiment, not the main dish.
- Smaller bagels (hockey puck size) with almond or cashew butter, or if you must, low fat cream cheese. Jam or sliced strawberries are delicious toppings.
Even if you can't choose healthy breakfast options, getting something to eat at the start of the day is better than eating nothing at all when looking for the fastest way to lose weight. If you find yourself tempted by the fast food breakfast sandwiches, choose whole grain English muffins, a cooked egg, low fat cheese on top, with the ham or Canadian bacon optional.
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