One of the most common questions people have when they want to lose weight and are looking at their diet, is whether breakfast is important for losing weight.
Should you have breakfast to lose weight? Or does having breakfast make it harder to lose weight? Let’s clear this up for you…
Breakfast helps you consume fewer calories through the day
Often, people believe that missing breakfast will help them lose weight. They may try hard by restricting their eating and think they are saving calories early in the day, and think this helps with their weight loss. Unfortunately this is a MYTH!
Studies have shown that people who miss breakfast are more likely to be overweight and struggle with their weight than people who have breakfast. Why?
It’s because people who miss breakfast have been shown to consume more calories over the whole day. Yes, they save some calories early in the day, but they are then much hungrier as the day goes on.
Therefore, because a person is so hungry they eat more foods and less healthier foods. For example, if someone misses breakfast and thinks they have saved 400 calories, but then eats an extra 600 calories through the rest of the day, then obviously this is making it harder to lose weight rather than easier.
To help you keep in control of the calories that you consume each day it’s important to have breakfast. You can then find it easier to lose weight.
Breakfast helps you burn more calories after your sleep
The longer that your body goes without food, the more your body slows down. This is because your body lacks energy the longer it goes without food, and so it naturally tries to conserve energy which means you burn fewer calories.
Also, remember that every time your body has food, this kickstarts your metabolism, gets your body going, and you burn more calories.
For example, if someone went to bed at 10pm and then decided to miss breakfast and have their next meal at 1pm the next day, they have gone a total of 15 hours without food. Towards the end of this time their body will be struggling with energy and slowing down which means burning fewer calories and making it harder to lose weight.
On the other hand, if someone went to bed at 10pm and then had breakfast at 7am, then they have only gone 9 hours without food. Their body will then get a kickstart for the day which makes it easier to lose weight.
Breakfast helps you burn more calories through the day
When someone misses breakfast, they have much less energy than what they could have in the first half of the day. This results in them being less active and moving about slower, and so they burn fewer calories and find it harder to lose weight.
When you have breakfast though, it’s a different story. You are giving your body very important energy when it needs it the most, which is after you’ve not eaten for many hours overnight.
By refuelling your body, rather than leaving it feeling tired and low on energy, you feel much better in the first half of the day. You have more energy and are more active, and because of this you burn more calories which helps with your weight.
Don’t leave your body feeling tired and struggling after sleep. Have breakfast to help get your body and energy back to normal and help you lose weight.
Breakfast helps you feel better physically and mentally
As well as breakfast giving you the physical energy that your body needs at the start of the day, it also gives you more mental energy.
Did you know that your brain uses around 20% of your total daily calories? This is a massive amount.
By missing breakfast, you are leaving your brain short on calories which means you won’t function as well. Instead, by having breakfast, your brain will be properly fuelled just like your body and so it functions much better.
If you missed breakfast and were feeling physically and mentally tired through the first half of the day, then it will negatively affect you during that time. It’s also likely to have a knock on effect for the rest of your day due to eating more unhealthy foods and feeling below your best mentally.
If you have breakfast and feel really good physically and mentally, then you will feel better ALL through the day. So you are much more likely to eat healthier, do more daily activities, and feel like exercising. All this helps you to lose weight.
Have breakfast every day
Having breakfast is proven to increase your chances of being successful with losing weight and being able to keep it off.
In fact, breakfast helps with both your weight and your health, which is why it’s really important to have breakfast every day.
Have breakfast to lose weight AND have breakfast to feel at your best physically and mentally through the day.
To learn more about healthy eating and how to lose weight properly, take a look at the BoostMyLife Online Program. This helps you make a real, positive difference to your weight and your life!
James Porter
BoostMyLife Founder
