Breakfast is probably the most overlooked meal of the day. Most people don’t have time, other strongly believe that skipping breakfast will actually help with weight loss and others just don’t like it. If you fall into one of these categories and want to lose weight you may want to reconsider for all the following reasons.

Breakfast Jump Starts Metabolism
Skipping breakfast has a similar effect to starving yourself. It slows down your metabolism because your body conserves energy and burns only what is absolutely necessary until fuel becomes available. Obviously if you’re trying to lose weight this is the last thing you want. Breakfast is your first opportunity of the day to fuel your body, rev up your metabolism and start burning the most calories possible. Your choices are not limited to cereal, eggs, or muffins. You can have anything for breakfast, whether it’s leftovers from the night before, a slice of lean ham and low-fat cheese on whole grain bread, baked potato with veggies and low-fat cheese, fruit with peanut butter, or a protein shake and fruit. Your choices are only limited to your imagination.

Breakfast Prevents Binges
Skipping breakfast increases your chances of bingeing on whatever is available when those hunger pangs finally hit and this is usually not healthy fare. Office platters full of gigantic muffins, donuts, or cookies, vending machine snacks or fast food are not the best choices but usually the only ones when you’re starved and lunch is hours away. Eating a filling healthy breakfast ensures you will not resort to unhealthy choices. If you know you don’t have the time to eat at home or just can’t eat when you get up then pack something healthy and eat it mid-morning at work. Planning ahead can save you from filling up on empty calories that your body will end up storing as fat.

Breakfast Eliminates Overeating
Skipping breakfast in order to save calories is something that a lot of people do but the unfortunate result is typically overeating at lunch and dinner. This may not seem like a problem if you’re eating a reasonable number of total calories but the truth is that weight loss is not just a matter of calorie control. Other factors including when and how often you eat also affect whether you lose weight or not. Eating a large late night meal especially one high in carbs stimulates insulin and turns on fat storage which makes it extremely difficult to drop those pounds. Distributing calories more evenly throughout the day by eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, or 5-6 mini meals a day, is much more conducive to weight loss.

Quick and easy breakfast ideas:

Breakfast Banana Split
Peel and slice a banana in half lengthwise, place it in a small Tupperware and top with a 6 oz low-fat yogurt (your favorite flavor), handful of high fiber cereal, sprinkle with blueberries, and walnuts or almonds. Take it with you and eat it on your commute, at work, or put it in the office fridge and eat it when you start getting hungry.

Deli Breakfast
Top ½ bagel with 1 slice lowfat ham or turkey and 1 slice reduced fat cheese. Toast in a toaster over until melted. Put it in a Tupperware, add an apple and your ready to go. You can also do this with peanut butter.

Liquid Breakfast
8 oz lowfat milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, two tablespoons of raw oatmeal (just try it), a handful of strawberries or blueberries, and flaxseed oil of you have it. If you like add some crushed ice.