Breakfast impacts weight loss. Your choice of breakfast has everything to do with your ability to lose or gain weight. BREAKFAST MATTERS. BIG TIME.
There is research to support everything I’m going to tell you here. It is really important you listen. Breakfast is your gateway to making or breaking your nutrition goals for the day – EVERYDAY.
How Breakfast Impacts Weight Loss:
1. Breakfast sets the “tone” of your diet for the day.
If you allow yourself to indulge first thing in the morning, your will throw off your will power for the day. Every morning is a clean slate and it is imperative you start strong. You will see why in the next few points.
2. Breakfast stabilizes or de-stabilizes your blood sugar and insulin response for the day.
If you start your day with a big dose of carbs (aka sugar!) you will crave sugar all day. You will engage in a battle of will power that will be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. I promise you it will suck. And the sugar will win.
3. Breakfast dictates your food choices for the rest of the day.
Because of the impact of sugar and protein on your blood sugar insulin, what you eat first thing in the morning will hugely impact what you eat all day. If you eat a balanced breakfast with a good dose of protein, you will be balanced throughout the day and have the physical and mental ability/desire to make balanced food choices all day. This will be huge in helping you meet your long term weight loss goals.
4. Breakfast impacts your food cravings (especially SUGAR cravings) for the rest of the day.
If you struggle with sugar cravings, the worst thing you can do is start the day with carbs/sugar. This will immediately send you into a sugar rush/crash/crave cycle that will haunt you all day. Be sure not to start your day off with any of these sugar foods/drinks.
Given all this, you can see how breakfast will effect your weight loss or weight maintenance. This is why there are so many studies supporting the significance of eating breakfast if you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight over time. This is a huge lesson learned for all my moms who complete my 6 Week Pregnancy Weight Loss Program. These moms find breakfast to be key to losing baby weight.
A few rules for eating breakfast for weight loss:
1. Always have a decent source of protein with breakfast. This can be in the form of eggs, protein shake, meat, nuts, nut butters.
2. Minimize sugar at breakfast. No high sugar yogurt (only plain greek yogurt). No juice (it has as much sugar as soda!) Fruit can be a “side” at breakfast, but should not be the bulk of your meal.
3. Breakfast should be 300-500 calories. If you have a mid morning snack, you can keep breakfast closer to 300 cals.
4. No need to stick to traditional breakfast foods, as many have little to no nutritional value (pastries, cereal, etc). Feel free to break out the meat and veggies to kick off your day.
Breakfast Sugar Shocker: a Starbucks scone has almost 500 calories, making it the highest calorie pastry in the Starbucks Bakery. STAY AWAY FROM COFFEE SHOP BREAKFASTS.
Here are a ton of breakfast ideas (kid friendly ones too!) The same rules that apply for your breakfast apply for your kid’s breakfast. Be sure you are aware of how you are fueling their bodies and brains for the day!
I hope this has impressed upon you how much breakfast can impact weight loss. It can literally set you up for success of failure in your weight loss goals. It is that significant. So, as you kick off each day, know that the first thing you put in your mouth is the MOST important thing you’ll put in your mouth all day. Choose wisely! Help out fellow readers by sharing your favorite breakfast below. I just put mine there!
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