Breakfast—The Key to Healthy Weight Loss

By Laurette Willis –

Are you a breakfast eater? It’s important to eat a nutritious breakfast every morning if you want to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight, and maintain a good energy level throughout the day.A study was conducted by Vanderbilt University in 1992 with overweight people who routinely skipped breakfast. When they began eating breakfast, they became big losers—losing an average of 17 pounds in 12 weeks. They were less hungry at other meals, and eating breakfast fired up their metabolism to burn more fat the rest of the day.

Break fast = breakfast. That’s actually what “breakfast” means. We’re to break (or end) the fast (abstinence from food) we’ve been on since our last meal the night before. I like to see it as a command. Break your fast!

Nutritionists and dieticians recommend eating your first meal of the day no later than one hour after awakening. If you’re not hungry in the morning, the reason may be due to eating late the night before and going to bed with undigested food on the stomach.  I often woke up groggy and “hung-over” after a late night binge. The last thing I wanted to look at was food. Only around 10:00 a.m. would something like a donut or sugary muffin sound appealing.

That type of eating starts a vicious cycle. If you hate eating breakfast like I did, realize that your blood chemistry may be out of balance first thing in the morning. Breakfast is just what your body needs to stabilize your blood sugar and queasy stomach.

One thing most overweight people have in common is that they seldom eat breakfast. They start the day at a loss by not eating breakfast—a loss of energy, brain power, and memory as well as a 5 percent drop in metabolism. Not eating breakfast also provides a built-in trigger designed to cause overeating later in the day.

Busy Woman’s Quick Tip: Easy, Quick Energy Breakfasts

How can we put together something delicious and nutritious for the whole family on a tight schedule, tight budget – or both? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 for quick energy!

1. 1. Simple carbohydrate (juice, fresh or dried fruit) = Fast start energy
2. 2. Complex carbohydrate (cereal, bread, or whole grains) = Sustained energy
3. 3. Protein (eggs, meat, dairy, nuts, seeds, or soy) = Muscle-building energy

Examples:

(1) ½ banana + (2) ⅔ cup whole grain cereal + (3) ½ cup skim milk

(1) Orange juice + (2) slice whole grain toast + (3) 2 scrambled eggs

(1) All-fruit jam + (2) wheat muffin + (3) 1 T almond or peanut butter

If your meal doesn’t have fat, you may add a small pat of butter, a few almonds, or consider your Essential Fatty Acid supplement (such as Omega 3) as fat for the meal. Get the idea? Now you try it. Think of what you have available in the kitchen right now. Write down two easy combinations you could have for breakfast tomorrow morning that both you and the rest of the family would enjoy.

Remember, “It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 for quick energy!” Try it and see how you feel!

(1) ________________ + (2) ________________ + (3) _______________

(1) ________________ + (2) ________________ + (3) _______________

Adapted from The Busy Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness by Laurette Willis (Harvest House Publishers)

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry (http://praisemoves.com). See “PraiseMoves Kids” TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN’s Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org. © 2010