The Connection Between Breakfast and Weight
Breakfast is the meal that breaks people’s fasting from the prior night, thus the name. It is often called by nutritional experts as the most important meal of the day. Skipping it is said to have a direct relation to certain acquired diseases and increased weight.
Skipping Meals
Proposition: The less people eat, the more they lose weight. So it follows that when people skip meals, the faster they lose weight. Right or wrong?
If we are to believe nutrition specialists, the answer is wrong. According to them, skipping meals, particularly breakfast, is the perfect prelude to starvation eating. Starvation eating is the act of mindless bingeing during the later part of the day to offset the feeling of extreme hunger for withholding consumption of food for an extended period of time. The human body is fasting during sleep and to continue it up to lunch time goes against the natural processes of the human body.
Once uncontrollable hunger sets in, it is almost impossible to make healthy choices since the automatic reaction is to get hold of the first available food that can act on the immediate need. Checking the quality and quantity of the food may be the least consideration at that given point in time. In effect, skipping breakfast usually results to increased weight because of the natural tendency of the body to recover what it feels it has been deprived of.
Breakfast and Health
There are at least three major health concerns that have been proven to be related to skipping breakfast. These include problems in concentration, metabolism, and increased weight. Regularly skipping breakfast is believed to result to various diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Skipping breakfast is considered an unhealthy lifestyle practice which sets up the body for unnecessary abuse. People tend to bring this practice from childhood to adulthood. Those who continually practice not eating breakfast face the risk of acquiring the above-mentioned diseases as early as in their late twenties.
Breakfast and Weight
Bodies that have been forced to go on fasting far longer than waking time are not able to provide the required enzymes needed to metabolize fat thus the unexpected increase in weight in spite of skipping meals. People who skip breakfast are the least likely to have regular exercise regimens but are more likely to munch on unhealthy food that contains much more calories than a complete breakfast. It has also been observed that these same people tend to have bigger waist circumference in addition to having higher levels of insulin and bad cholesterol. The increased insulin level typically results to weight gain.
Eating breakfast results to reduced hunger so that overeating is avoided during the day. A body that feels sufficiently provided for in nourishment from the beginning of the day allows for more stabilized eating patterns as opposed to highly erratic eating habits. Eating breakfast encourages people to adopt healthier over-all eating habits and a more active lifestyle. This is due to the increased energy made possible by the timely refueling of the body.
Healthy Breakfast
It is not enough for people to eat breakfast. If it is to be of real value to a person’s well-being, it has to be a healthy breakfast. Fruits, vegetable, and whole grains are the most important components of a healthy breakfast. Emphasis is placed on high-fiber food with less fat. Cereals are also considered healthy except for those that pack in salt, sugar, and fat.
Breakfasts are best served simple. Complicated preparations offer an excuse to skip breakfast. The more people make it easier for themselves to comply, the better chances there are for consistent compliance.
My Say
The connection between breakfast and weight cannot be ignored specifically in the goal of reducing or maintaining weight. When trying to lose weight, it is not sensible to just cut on food however and whenever we like for we might end up making it more difficult for our body to adopt accordingly. It is always best to get the advice of health professionals so we will not be depriving our bodies unnecessarily especially with the most important meal of the day.
Ness
Im really not a breakfast person. if I’m home, the earliest time i get up is at least 11am. So, I usually skips breakfast and have brunch instead. But if i’m out, i love having breakfast. Haha
Teresa Martinez
I do not know if technically you are not missing breaakfast because you’re still asleep and when you wake up it’s lunch time already.
MsAirra Pingol
I would have to agree with this. I always make sure I eat breakfast after a day of workout. I’d rather skip lunch or dinner, bur breakfast.. never! 🙂
Teresa Martinez
Good for you that you recognize the importance of breakfast but please be careful with skipping other meals as well.
jane
very informative post and good information and eye opener for those who skip their breakfast. xx
Teresa Martinez
I also didn’t know this before and actually thought it was a way to lose weight.
tatess
Healthy breakfast is indeed very important. One good thing here in the US, the school serves healthy breakfast in school so I don’t have to worry with my kids every morning.
Teresa Martinez
That is good. I believe that there also schools here in the Philippines that offer healthy breakfast to their students and employees.
Eunice
This is truly a helpful post. I’m guilty of skipping breakfasts on a daily basis. What I do is to compensate for the missed breakfast by having brunch. Still, it’s an unhealthy practice. 🙁
Teresa Martinez
Apparently, there is a reason why breakfast came to be.
itsberyllicious
i’ m starting to eat breakfast everyday despite busy schedules. Even if it’s just cereals and milk i guess its a great start 🙂
Teresa Martinez
Cereals and milk come highly recommended by nutritionist except for those that are heavy on sugar and salt.
Franc Ramon
Precisely why it’s called break fast because, it is the time where you break fasting after dinner and sleep. Proper and healthy eating is a key component of losing weight. Fruits would be an excellent food as it builds fiber that can help digest subsequent food intakes within the day.
Teresa Martinez
Depriving the body of food for an extended period of time is a form of abuse to it which should be avoided.
Pal Raine
Thanks so much for this very informative post. “Regularly skipping breakfast is believed to result to various diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity”, oh no I will always remember this.
Teresa Martinez
Sometimes, we are not aware of the effects of seemingly harmless things we do.
MsKathyKenny (@kenny1030)
Kaya siguro I’m fat … bihira ako magbreakfast e.
Teresa Martinez
Maybe you should try taking a proper breakfast as it is good for attaining over-all health.
jrplaza
Good advice ma’am, to be honest – ‘losing weight’ is one of my biggest problem and that is because I eat a lot. I couldn’t agree more, your post sum it up. Is it possible if I’ll try fruits only in the morning (apple and/or banana) and then heavy meal at lunch?
Teresa Martinez
Nutritionists recommend frequent servings in small amounts rather than one big meal to offset missed meals.
nuts
This is what I always remind my kids, breakfast as the most important meal of the day whenever they hurry themselves to school. I used to skip breakfast but it only leads me to starving and craving more food for the day.
Teresa Martinez
I used to do that myself and found myself feeling tired very early during the day.
sigrid @ poshpost
I don’t exactly skip breakfast but I eat very little because I wake up late and lunch is near. I have a heavier lunch. 😀
Teresa Martinez
A person’s lifestyle definitely affects eating habits.
Ane
So that’s why I’ve gained weight drastically! I started skipping breakfast since April, because of my busy schedule, and now I’m a bit bulgy on the front (muffin top), now I know why! 😛 I’m going to start eating breakfast again!
Teresa Martinez
Good for you, stay healthy!
Les
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we should not skip it. We might end up overeating if we keep on skipping breakfast.
Pinay Mama
Now I know why I am not losing any weight. I do not eat in the morning sometimes and it makes me wanna eat heavy meal before lunch.
Teresa Martinez
I myself had my own “aha” moment when I first learned about this.
Maria Teresa
In our home, we never skip breakfast. We need the energy from the food we eat during breakfast to function productively in school (for the little boy) and at work (for hubby and me).
Teresa Martinez
It’s a good thing you have started your family in the right way eating.
Mauie
Skipping breakfast also transforms our body into survival mode. The body thinks that there’s a food crisis so it stores fat to help itself survive.
Teresa Martinez
The effects of skipping breakfast demonstrates the fact that we cannot take our bodies for granted since it will backfire on us.