Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually taken in the morning. In English, breakfast literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. When people talk of breakfast, they usually refer to the meal taken before undertaking the day’s work. In this article, we are talking about how breakfast can lead to weight loss.

Guess you have been told or heard that having a satisfying breakfast can help you with weight loss. It stops you from unnecessary snacking and provides your body with enough energy to function. But missing breakfast will slow down your metabolism and of course, you will be too weak to do an effective morning workout if you are hungry. This makes breakfast a meal you shouldn’t miss in your weight loss plan.

Does breakfast help you lose weight?

In the chase of weight loss goals, breakfast is a very crucial meal you shouldn’t miss during the day. Many people argue if skipping breakfast will help them in weight loss or it will just boost weight gain instead. Taking the right amount and foods will help you lose weight in the following ways.

• Keeps your appetite in check. When you take a satisfying and healthy breakfast, you will feel satisfied at the moment of your next meal. This will suppress your appetite making you consume less food during lunchtime compared to when you started the day with an empty stomach. During this time also, you will be less tempted to grab a snack which might have been of a negative effect on losing weight.
• Increased energy. Eating breakfast is linked to an increased energy level during the day throughout. Breakfast will supply your muscles with energy, high energy levels mean an increased physical activity. This means the body gets the right nutrients to function normally and burn calories in the process.
• Health choices. Eating breakfast will get you on track of making wise decisions like rejecting unhealthy junk foods that may ruin your weight. Hunger can make you do crazy things like ordering fast foods with plenty of calories when you can’t take it anymore. More so, during lunch or other meals, you will be selective of your diet and most times you will not overeat.

What time should I eat breakfast to lose weight?

It is known breakfast is vital for weight loss and should not be skipped. A question comes up, what’s the best time to eat breakfast? The right time to eat breakfast is between 6 am to 10 am. This time is known to reduce the risk of body fat gain and is linked to less hunger throughout the day.

What is the best breakfast to lose weight?

The best breakfast to lose weight should be healthy yet weight loss friendly. By healthy, I mean it should have the required nutrients for the body to function properly. Healthy breakfast should be well balanced with the right nutrients needed for the body.

A nutrient deficiency breakfast will cause harm to your body and it’s no wise to skip vital nutrients like vitamins, carbs, healthy fats and proteins in your breakfast. But still, you should also take caution on the number of calories in the food you consume. Too many calories and boom you will just gain weight instead. Fewer calories and your body will not get the energy required to function well. Below are some of the foods you can eat for a weight loss friendly breakfast yet with nutrients.

Eggs

On almost every weight loss diet plan you will find eggs. This is so because eggs are rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. The high protein content present in eggs is capable of reducing your appetite, make you feel full longer and give you a cravings free period till lunch. It makes eggs a powerhouse to boost your health with nutrients and aid weight loss. An advantage with eggs is that they can be prepared in various ways like boiled, fried or put on a toast.

Whole grains

These are healthy carb sources that will help you meet your nutrition goals, satisfy and they are low in calories. Whole grains have fiber which is very essential in nutrition. The fiber present in whole grains adds bulk to your breakfast and give you a satisfactory feeling. This will help get rid of unnecessary cravings. Whole grains are healthier than refined carbs and when they are included in your breakfast,they will give you the necessary nutrients yet they are low in calories.

Examples of whole grains 

• Whole wheat
• Millet
• Corn
• Whole oats
• Sorghum
• Brown rice
• Whole rye
• Whole grain
• Barley
• Corn
• Buckwheat

Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to meet your nutrient goals faster yet they make an awesome breakfast. Adding veggies and low-calorie fruits will boost your fiber intake which is known for making you feel satisfied longer. Making smoothies is a great way of adding nutrients that your body requires in that same meal.

It’s possible to add in protein and vitamin sources in that single meal for more benefits. But careful with smoothies if you add in foods high in calories, you might make a calorie bomb.

A cup of coffee.

Coffee is known to boost metabolism and aid weight loss by burning fat. A morning cup of coffee is guaranteed to make your body active by kickstarting metabolism to burn calories as the day goes on. Be careful not to add in too much sugar or sweeteners as they will increase the number of calories.

Coffee doesn’t have all the required nutrients and this makes it not a balanced breakfast drink. Therefore, add on other healthy foods like eggs to supplement and make a great healthy breakfast

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a delicious breakfast, low in calories and high in fiber and protein. These two nutrients impact how long hunger strikes, appetite and weight control. This makes oatmeal a weight friendly breakfast since it can make you feel satisfied longer and suppress your appetite during day to avoid cravings

Yogurt

Greek yogurt serves healthy proteins in each serving yet it’s creamy and delicious. This makes it a great breakfast for a person longing for something sweet. Yogurt being high in protein, it has been associated with reduced hunger and food intake making it weight loss friendly.

Fruits

Low-calorie fruits will serve you well if you are in need of natural sugars in the morning. Not all fruits will make a great breakfast because some are high in calories making them calorie bombs. Fruits high in fiber, rich in calories and nutritious will make a great weight loss breakfast. The fiber in the fruits will suppress appetite and make you feel satisfied all this leading to weight loss.

Examples of weight loss friendly fruits include

• Bananas are high in fibers and low in calories making them a great alternative to sugary cereals with refined carbs. They can be eaten alone or as a topping for yogurt, oatmeal or mixed in a smoothie. This gives you various ways you can enjoy this healthy fruit.
• Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are nutrient-dense meaning they have a lot of required nutrients and are low in calories. Berries provide many important vitamins and minerals. Most importantly, berries have fiber in them making them fruits that will satisfy and help you avoid unnecessary eating during the day.
• Apples are fruits you will find in most weight loss diet plans. This is so as they are the best fruit source of fiber yet they are low in calories. An apple a day keeps the doctor away translates that apples have got a lot of important nutrients to the body that will keep you healthy.
• Avocados are highly nutrient-dense fruits making them a perfect breakfast alternative. With plenty of health benefits to the skin and body generally makes avocados a great breakfast fruit.
• Grapefruits have high water and fiber content yet they are low in calories. Both of these are important for weight loss thus making grapefruits a great option to start the day with.
• Other healthy fruits to start the day with are kiwis, drupes, melons and passion fruits.

What are the worst breakfast foods?

If you are on a weight loss diet, some foods should be removed from your diet if you want to see good results. These are the foods that are oily and full of fats, high in calories or foods that might cause complications to you.

Flavored yogurt.

Plain yogurt is good for breakfast as it contains proteins calcium and other important nutrients. But in most cases, flavored yogurt has a lot of added content by the manufactures. Added flavors and coloring which include sugars and syrups to make the yogurt taste and look better. These often add a lot of calories into the yogurt making it weight loss unfriendly.

Processed juice.

Juice can make breakfast amazing but it can be a calorie bomb if the juice is processed. While processing juice, it’s heated at extreme temperatures making the juice lose most of the nutrient content. Added flavours and sugars tend to increase the number of calories in juice making a single serving with lots of calories but with low nutrition value.

The absence of fiber in juice makes it easily absorbed by the body so it’s better to take freshly made juice other than processed juice.

Refined carbs.

The refined or processed flour has been stripped off of the fibers, bran and nutrients. These include white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, sweet desserts, and many breakfast kinds of cereal. These should be avoided at a breakfast for weight loss as the refined carb sources are low of fibers and nutrients. They are quickly absorbed by the body due to the absence of fiber making you feel hungry much quicker.

Pastries.

Cakes, cookies and other pastries are always made from refined flour which is low in nutrient and fiber content. You will feel hungry a lot quicker after taking pastries as the low fiber content makes them absorbed much quicker. The sugars in pastries make them full of calories and unhealthy sugars which aren’t weight loss friendly.

Candy bars

Added sugars, oils and refined flour all packed in one small package make candy bars extremely unhealthy. They are high in calories yet low in nutrients with a single bar covered in chocolate containing around 200-300 calories. This makes them one of those foods you should skip for a healthy weight loss of breakfast.

How many calories should I eat for breakfast to lose weight?

Breakfast is the most important meal, it shouldn’t be missed if you aim for a long-term weight loss. Dieticians say people who eat breakfast every day are seen to progress in losing weight faster than those that don’t. Although breakfast being the most important meal of the day, eating too much of it will not help with weight loss but rather weight gain. This brings up a question of how much exactly should you eat in terms of calories at breakfast?

First of all, you should know the number of calories you need in a day. Most people after knowing this number, then divide it into the three major meals of the day. The meals are breakfast, lunch and supper. Knowing the number of calories your body needs helps you with planning.

On average, women who are trying to lose weight consume around 1200-1400 calories and men consume around 1600-1800 calories per day. With this number in mind, it’s easier to plan after calories have been broken down into the three major meals. This means that a woman can eat around 300-400 calories at breakfast and a man might consume around 400-500 calories.

Beyond 500 calories of breakfast in women may be more energy than your body needs and the excess calories will be stored in the body as fat. Yet eating less than 300 calories will not provide your body with enough energy to boost your metabolism till the next meal.

Why is breakfast important in weight loss?

After more than 8 hours of no food or calorie intake, while you sleep, the body’s metabolism will need to be kick-started with a healthy breakfast. Although literally you may say it’s wise to skip breakfast as this might make you reduce on the calorie intake, its unhealthy and will just cause weight gain. Think about it, there are times when we wake up very hungry. Skipping breakfast will make you lazy throughout the day, too lazy to take the stairs which might have helped you burn some calories.

Having breakfast in the morning will make you resist the temptation of unnecessary snacking since you will feel satisfied. Hunger during morning hours may lead you to grab junk foods rich in calories or overeating during lunch.

Should you eat breakfast if not hungry?

It’s important to eat breakfast even when you don’t feel hungry. It will help you curb future hunger that would have made you grab an unhealthy snack. Eating breakfast will provide your body with the necessary nutrients to function properly during the day. Apart from helping you lose weight; breakfast will also lead to a healthy lifestyle.