Eat a Bigger Breakfast to Lose Weight

Many dieters try to lose weight by eating a small breakfast or skipping it altogether. A study by scientists in Virginia and Venezuela suggests that eating a larger breakfast may be a better weight loss approach. They found that dieters who ate a 610-calorie breakfast each day initially lost less weight than dieters who ate a 290-calorie breakfast, but were more successful at keeping the weight off. Dieters who ate the small breakfasts regained much of the weight they had initially lost. By the end of the eight-month study, dieters who ate the larger breakfasts had lost nearly four times as much weight as the dieters who ate the small breakfasts. They also reported less hunger and fewer cravings throughout the day.

You can read more about big breakfast weight loss on The Endocrine Society’s web site.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: Eat a hearty breakfast, and then make up for those extra calories by making supper smaller. A little extra food in your stomach will help you avoid cravings. You need that extra help during the daytime, not at night when you are sleeping.

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Easy Millet Recipe for a Gluten-free Whole Grain Hot Breakfast Cereal

Image by Elke Wetzig

People who start eating more whole grains tend to lose weight, according to a recent Harvard study. A good place to start adding whole grains to your diet is with breakfast. Old-fashioned oatmeal is a good choice. Cracked wheat is another good whole grain hot breakfast cereal. If you have a wheat allergy or intolerance, or if you want a little variety, try millet. Millet is a small grain that has been a food staple for centuries in much of Africa and Asia. It is gaining popularity in other regions as an alternative whole grain. If you can’t find millet in your local grocery store, try a health-food store. Here’s an easy recipe.

Millet Hot Breakfast Cereal

Place 2 cups hulled millet, 3½ cups water, 1 tablespoon oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a pan. Let it sit 1 hour. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the water is gone, then remove from heat and let it sit 15 minutes.

Eat as a substitute for rice, or as a hot cereal with milk and topped with fruit or nuts. You can also add a little honey to make it more satisfying.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: For a healthy breakfast, think outside the box. Instead of processed, packaged breakfast foods, eat a hot cereal made of cracked wheat, old-fashioned rolled oats, millet, or other whole grain.

Find more simple weight loss tips and recipes in this top-rated ebook at Amazon.

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Protein for Breakfast to Lose Weight Naturally

Researchers at the University of Missouri used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of overweight adolescent girls who habitually skipped breakfast. Each girl underwent a brain scan after skipping breakfast for several days, after eating a “normal” breakfast for several days, and again after eating a “high protein” breakfast for several days. The brain scans were conducted three hours after breakfast time in each case. The normal breakfast consisted of cereal and milk. The high protein breakfast consisted of Belgium waffles, syrup, and yogurt. Neural activity in parts of the brain associated with appetite was lower following the normal breakfast, and lower still following the high-protein breakfast.

To learn more about the study, read the article on breakfast, protein, and cravings at the University of Missouri’s news site.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: Add eggs, yogurt, meat, beans, or other protein source to your breakfast so that it will keep you satisfied longer. If you don’t have time for breakfast in the morning, try preparing it the night before. It doesn’t have to be complicated: a boiled egg or yogurt with fruit might be a substantial improvement over what you are currently doing.

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Breakfast Skippers Crave High-Calorie Foods

Researchers at Imperial College London used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the brains of 20 subjects while they looked at pictures of high-calorie (cake, chocolate, and pizza) and low-calorie (salad, vegetables, and fish) foods. The brain scans were done twice: 90 minutes after the subjects had eaten breakfast, and again at the same time on a day that the subjects had skipped breakfast.

Brain scans conducted on subjects who had skipped breakfast showed significantly greater activation of the brain’s “reward” centers while the subjects viewed the high-calorie foods. Brain scans conducted after subjects had eaten breakfast showed no significant difference in reward center activation between high-calorie and low-calorie foods.

To learn more about the study, read the Endocrine Society‘s article on fasting and cravings.

Relevance to Natural Weight Loss:

Weight Loss Tip: To reduce your food temptations, take time in the morning to eat a good breakfast, then plan a healthy lunch and dinner while you are still feeling satisfied.