Should you skip breakfast to lose weight?
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? So far, science backs the old adage up, and we’ve slowly got the message that a measly cereal bar, or lone piece of fruit isn’t going to help our energy levels or metabolism.
But after new trials in the US, Columbia University scientists have found that ‘in overweight individuals, skipping breakfast daily for four weeks leads to a reduction in body weight.’ Hmm.
So if you’re on a pound-shedding mission, is it right to reconsider your relationship with the most important meal of the day?
Read more: Real-life weight loss inspirationWe say not yet. There’s a strong body of work to back up breakfast’s role in promoting weight loss – including a study in journal Diabetologia that found you can lose weight by eating your biggest meal first thing rather than in the evening.
With studies like these it’s good to take it back to calories in vs calories out. As with intermittent fasting diets like the 5:2, if you’re over-eating, and then reducing your calorie intake, it follows that you will lose weight.
Also, these people were operating under careful supervision in a calorie-controlled environment. A far larger body of anecdotal evidence suggests that skipping brekkie = 500 per cent increase in the gravitational pull of something sweet and sticky come mid-morning.
Read more: Are you snacking on too much fat or sugar?Ultimately, it’s probably not the timing of the meal that’s getting in the way of your weight loss, but what’s in it.
Trade up to these real, unprocessed and satisfying options:
The healthiest banana bread recipe you’ll ever make
For more delicious morning meal inspiration from The Detox Kitchen’s Lily Simpson pick up the New September issue of Healthy, on sale now!
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