Ask anyone what the most important meal of the day is and they will likely say breakfast. So why do people tend to skip breakfast when trying to lose weight?
If you are skipping breakfast to restrict calories, you are actually depriving your body of energy it needs. While it’s important to stay within your recommended number of calories each day, it is equally important to distribute these calories throughout the day.
Overcompensation
People who skip breakfast on a regular basis tend to overeat throughout the rest of the day through grazing and eating large portions. Skipping breakfast will increase your hunger and may cause you to choose foods like fats and carbohydrates that appear to be more filling.
Blood Sugar Inconsistency
Skipping breakfast also has a direct impact on your blood-sugar levels. When you do not eat, your blood sugar levels fall. Inconsistencies in your blood sugar may make it difficult for your body to metabolize foods and could contribute to obesity.
What the Research Says
Many studies show the benefits of having breakfast on a daily basis. One study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests eating breakfast helped reduce dietary fat and minimize impulsive snacking and could be an important part of a weight reduction program.
The National Weight Control Registry, which is the largest prospective investigation of long-term successful weight-loss maintenance, shows that 78 percent of people who have maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for one year or longer eat breakfast every day.
Achieving a healthy weight is not dependent on one thing; it is a much layered process. Skipping breakfast, or any other meal, should be avoided when you are trying to lose weight. If you find it difficult to incorporate breakfast into your daily schedule, or just don’t know what types of food you should be eating, meet with a registered dietitian who can help you achieve your weight-loss goals.
By Michael Slomba, RD, LDN
