Weight loss easier after breakfast

Some people can’t stomach the idea of eating breakfast in the morning. I have never had this problem. Shoot, eating at any time of day has always been a cinch for me! However, not everyone is so lucky, if you want to call it luck. Studies show eating breakfast can aid your weight loss attempts and also improve brain function. So, what’s holding you back?

Breakfast is named such because your morning meal breaks the fast that you have imposed overnight. When we fast, our bodies slow down. Our metabolism slows just in case we are entering a period where food may not come for sometime. This slowed metabolism needs to be sparked back to life each morning, like stoking a fire that has lain dormant for some hours. When you fail to spark that fire in the morning, you can actually be encouraging fat storage rather than loss.

This short piece from the Mayo Clinic gives a few good reasons for eating your Cheerios, so to speak. One interesting point here is that skipping the morning meal can actually promote obesity. Many people think that skipping meals is akin to diet success. If you can restrict yourself that much then your body will certainly reward you, right? Wrong. Your body needs fuel and when it senses starvation it will hold onto that energy giving fat for dear life.

Harvard Publications goes so far as to say that skipping breakfast can increase your chances of obesity up to four times. That is huge. If you have any sort of fitness goals or weight loss to attain and you are forgoing the meal, you really need to rethink your resistance to it.

As if the weight maintenance benefits aren’t enough, breakfast increases brain power. We have heard this in reference to school children for years and the same line of thinking applies to adults. Food fuels the body and the brain. Coffee may keep you quick on your toes, but it doesn’t give your brain the same benefits as some real calories, dense in nutritional value.

So, how can breakfast resistance be overcome? Well, if you don’t eat breakfast because your stomach isn’t up to the challenge in the morning, consider something small. Two morning snacks can substitute for a breakfast just fine; getting some good food on your stomach is the key. Start with some toast or a small piece of fruit and go from there. A fruit smoothie can sometimes do the trick when the thought of chewing isn’t appetizing at all.

If you aren’t eating because you simply don’t have time, take your breakfast to go! There are several healthy choices out now for breakfast bars. Be sure you look at the nutritional label and choose something with whole grains, lower sugar, and a relatively low number of calories and you should be good. Again, a quick fruit smoothie can easily be put in your cup and taken on the commute.

A good breakfast doesn’t have to be a feast. Simply giving your body something to break the fast is what’s needed. Your brain and your body will truly be thankful.

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