A breakfast myth that’s keeping you FAT?

Breakfast… it’s THE most important meal of the day…

Right?

Sure, eating a high-quality, nutrient-dense meal right out of the gate is a good way to start your day…

But I’ve also heard some mainstream nutrition “gurus” boast that eating a BIG breakfast is a good “trick” to losing weight.

As if dieting and eating planning wasn’t complicated enough, right?!

Well, today I’m here to set the record straight on breakfast and your waistline…

Because it turns out that loading up your plate first thing in the morning could be working AGAINST you.

For YEARS, I’ve heard some folks in the mainstream say that eating a LARGER meal for breakfast – followed by smaller lunches and dinners – is the solution to losing weight.

But research out of Johns Hopkins University say that whole “big breakfast” diet simply doesn’t help people lose weight!

Because according to the Hopkins study, packing in the bulk of your day’s calories in the morning has ZERO impact on weight loss.

The research team found that folks who consumed most of their calories before 1 p.m. did NOT lose weight more frequently – or in greater quantity – than those who ate half of their daily calories after 5 p.m.

Please, don’t read into this as needing to DITCH breakfast foods… but simply to understand that putting all your eggs in the breakfast basket (no pun intended) isn’t going to melt pounds away.

But when it comes to when you should eat AND dropping those unwanted pounds… there is a solution.

If you’re still struggling with stubborn body fat and are looking for a fool-proof eating plan… consider intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting is where you eat all your meals within a 6-to-8-hour window each day. For example, you could eat your first meal of the day at 11 a.m. and your ‘final’ meal (aka dinner) at 6 p.m.

Both meals could easy have a quality source of protein (like salmon), a nutrient-rich vegetable (like spinach or kale), and a satisfying starch (like brown rice or a sweet potato).

This will ensure you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals WITHOUT sacrificing taste… or overdoing it on your portion size.

And if you’re keen on breakfast foods like eggs or bacon… they can also be eaten anytime during your “eating window.”

In addition to weight loss, intermittent fasting can improve insulin sensitivity and make your body use stored calories and sugar for energy. It can also help ward off certain associated complications (including prediabetes) in some cases.

To the timing of eating,

Sarah Reagan

Sources:

Study Finds. “No benefit to a big breakfast: Consuming most calories in the morning won’t help you lose weight.” https://studyfinds.org/no-benefit-big-breakfast-morning-calories-weight-loss/