The Beauty of Breakfast in Weight Loss

So you’ve got a super fancy idea.  You just started your new diet and your brother-in-law is throwing a super swanky shindig tonight.  The whole thing is catered with an (excited squeal) open bar and everything!  You know you will indulge later, so how do you prepare?  You skip breakfast to save calories.  That way you can get lost in the fondue and cocktail franks without repercussion.

Pretty crafty thinking, ay?  Not so fast

Let me ask you a question.  What kinds of activities burn calories?  Walking you say.  Jogging, cleaning the house, sex.  Well, that is a start.  But do you know what else burns calories? There is a significant amount of energy expended to digest and metabolize the foods you eat.  Pretty awesome right?  You burn calories just by eating!  This is every dieter’s fantasy.

So now onto why eating all your calories at night won’t work.   First of all, if you don’t eat in the morning, your body has no need to digest until midday.  This means that your metabolism is completely inactive until your first meal.  Thought you need 1600 calories a day?  Not anymore because you wasted your calorie burning potential in the morning.

Next, studies have shown the people who skip breakfast have higher levels of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.  This is also a hormone that is responsible for turning energy into fat.  So when you finally have lunch, your meal is more likely to turn into your double chin.  You will also have more of the hormone called ghrelin that tells your brain that you are hungry.  No wonder your stomach is ferociously growling!  By the time you start eating, your body is so desperate for calories that it will push you to binge.  You will likely take in many more calories than if you had actually eaten breakfast.  This isn’t lack of willpower.  This is a biological response to excess ghrelin. 

Want one more reason why you want to limit your trips to the make your own sundae bar at the soiree?  Eating before bed is one of the worst things you can do for weight loss.  This is because your metabolism shuts down while you sleep for other important functions like detoxification and repair.  Without much energy to burn, where do you think that ice cream sundae goes?

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big meal.  It can be something as simple as a protein smoothie.  Eat breakfast and you will be able to taste, savor and enjoy the food at the party.  You can still eat.  You are just much less likely to binge.  I promise you won’t miss the binge because you barely taste what you are eating when you are inhaling calories.  Yay breakfast!