How Skipping Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight
The majority of Americans identify breakfast as the most important meal of the day. Eating a hearty breakfast is considered key to a healthy diet. We’re told that skipping breakfast can cause us to feel ravenously hungry and overeat for the rest of the day. Although we think eating breakfast is a universal custom, it’s really only practiced in North America. Many people in Frace ( a famously “skinny” nation) drink coffee in the AM and skip breakfast.
It’s not necessary to eat the minute we wake up. We imagine the need to fuel up for the day ahead. However, our body has already done that automatically. Every morning, just before we wake up, a natural circadian rhythm jolts our bodies with a mix of growth hormone, cortisol, epinephrine, and adrenaline. This cocktail stimulates the liver to make new glucose, giving us a shot of the “good stuff” to wake up. This effect is called the dawn phenomenon.
Many people aren’t hungry in the AM. The natural cortisol and adrenalin released stimulate a mild flight or fight response, which activates the sympathetic nervous system. Our bodies are gearing up for action in the AM, not for eating. All of these hormones release glucose into the blood for quick energy. We’re gassed up and ready to go!
Studies show that lunch and dinner portions tend to stay constant regardless of the number of calories eaten at breakfast. This indicates the more we eat at breakfast, the higher the total caloric intake over the entire day. We’re told that skipping breakfast slows our metabolism down, but studies show total energy expenditure to be the same whether or now we eat breakfast.
These are some common sense questions to ask about breakfast:
Are you hungry for breakfast, or is your body just accustomed to eating it?
Does breakfast seem to increase your hunger throughout the day?
If you decide you’re truly hungry for breakfast, avoid refined sugar and refined carbohydrates. If you decide to skip breakfast remember to make conscious choices throughout the remainder of the day.
I hope this information was helpful. If you’d like more help with weight loss, sign up for a complimentary strategy session via my website. We’ll talk about your particular situation and get you freedom and empowerment around the issue!