Well-intentioned or not, skipping breakfast actually packs on the pounds. Maybe you are just too busy to eat in the morning or think that you will lose weight if you don’t eat breakfast. It doesn’t matter. Statistics show that if you do not eat breakfast, you are highly likely to get fat (or fatter). If you think you are cutting calories, or dieting by not eating breakfast, think again.
The better news, is that if you eat anything for breakfast, your body will automatically favor fat burn – all day long.
Here are some facts about this:
1. Upon Awakening – when you wake up, you will have already gone without eating for 6 to 8 hours. If you do not eat for another 6 to 8 hours, you will have gone without food for 12 to 16 hours. Your metabolism will have slowed considerably. Slower metabolism, slows your fat burn rate. Therefore, you are not burning the fat reserves in your body. Most likely, you are not only NOT losing fat, but gaining belly fat, love handles and chin meat (you know…..the jowls), because of the eating your are doing during the pig-out sessions throughout the uncontrolled eating portion of your day.
2. Statistics Show – research done by the National Weight Control Registry has shown that members that have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off (although the average weight lost per member is 66 pounds), 78% of them eat breakfast everyday. WebMD states that eating early in the day jumps starts the metabolism and keeps you from going into “starvation eating,” which is very uncontrollable.
Here’s What To Do:
Just eat something for breakfast. Something healthy, is preferable but start by just eating anything – breakfast bar, half of a bagel or tortilla smeared with peanut butter. What you want from a good breakfast is carbohydrates, fiber and protein.
You might be surprised to hear that carbohydrates are important. Carbohydrates are sort of the kick-start of the metabolic system in the morning. Carbohydrates gets the fat burning machinery running hot. But you want to eat the carbohydrates that include fiber. Why? Because: 1) fiber fills you up and makes you satisfied and 2) excellent for the exhaust system. Protein is necessary because it essentially, “sticks to your ribs,” and acts like “time release” calories in your system. These calories do not get burned as fast a carbohydrate calories.
Here is the breakfast I eat on most weekdays.
- 1-1/2 Cups Bran Flakes
- 1 Cup 2% Milk
- 2 Tablespoon Flax seed
- 2 Tablespoon Wheat Germ
Why do I eat the flax seed and wheat germ? I have experienced higher cholosterol levels and flax seed has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). Wheat germ is the reproductive part (oooh, sexy) of the wheat plant. When you get refined wheat products (bread, cereal, etc), these naughty bits are taken out (who knows why?). Wheat germ has a lot of vitamin E, zinc, and loaded with fiber. Oh, and I drink 2 – 12 ounce glasses of water before I eat anything.
Here are a few simple breakfast meal ideas that you can eat quickly.
Other Good Breakfast Choices:
Oatmeal – skip the sugar and put fruit on it instead
Hard boiled egg
Yogurt
Stay away from fruit juices and stick to whole fruit because fruit juice sometimes does not contain the fiber you need.
So, Here’s a crazy thought…..eat and lose weight.
