To lose weight, eat fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. The best things to eat for breakfast include oatmeal, eggs, lean bacon or turkey, whole-grain toast, peanut butter, smoothies, and yogurt with muesli.
There’s simple science behind weight loss—eat fewer calories than you burn throughout the day. Thus, to lose weight, what you eat throughout your day, and not just breakfast, matters. Eating breakfast with more protein may help you move toward your weight loss goals. Studies have reported that consuming 30 grams of protein at breakfast will keep you satisfied and less hungry throughout the day. The reason this has a positive effect on your weight loss goals is that foods high in protein take longer to digest, unlike traditional breakfast foods that are heavily stuffed with carbohydrates. High-protein breakfasts have several possible benefits for dieters such as they
- Control appetite
- Increase satiety throughout the day
- Help stabilize blood glucose
The trick is choosing foods that add up to a high-protein breakfast. Typical high-protein breakfast foods are eggs, yogurt, milk, cheese and breakfast meats including bacon, ham and smoked salmon. Getting all your protein from just one food is not a great idea and probably not appetizing. Eating four eggs every day isn't advisable either. Eating nothing but high-sodium ham or bacon isn't advisable. Studies have reported that eating breakfasts that include lean meat may be a more efficient way to boost protein. Common healthy breakfast ideas for weight loss may include
- Oatmeal made with fat-free milk and topped with bananas or other fruits
- High fiber (about three to four grams per serving) cereal that’s low in fat and sugar with fat-free natural yogurt, fat-free milk and a piece of fruit
- A healthy breakfast sandwich made with two slices of whole-grain bread, two slices of lean bacon or turkey bacon, tomato, lettuce and low-fat mayo
- Am omelet made with two eggs with mushrooms, peppers and herbs served with a slice of whole-grain toast
- Whole-grain toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
- Low-fat smoothie with fat-free milk, fresh or frozen fruit and nonfat yogurt; add a tablespoon of muesli for added fiber
- Poached eggs with spinach and whole-grain toast
- Low- or nonfat yogurt topped with fresh fruit salad and a sprinkle of natural muesli
If you decide to try high protein breakfasts, play around with food combinations on your calorie tracker. You may decide to stick to one easy breakfast or mix it up with three to four options. Keep in mind that it's not just about protein. Barring very low-carb diets, the best breakfast will have some nutritional balance from high-fiber foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole-grain toast or whole-grain cereal.
Should you eat breakfast while on a birth control pill?
Yes, but you need to remember that despite what the evidence suggests, everyone's body is different and may react to the hormones in the birth control pill differently. Many studies have found that some participants lost weight, whereas others gained a few pounds, showing that women may react differently to each type of birth control pill. If you have tried different pills, you may have noticed this yourself. Therefore, side effects cannot be generalized to everyone, including weight gain. However, it is better to be on a good diet and workout regimen while on a birth control pill. To lose weight safely, you cannot ignore these principles.
References
Can Breakfast Help You Lose Weight? https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/breakfast-lose-weight#1
Healthy breakfasts (for people who hate breakfast): https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/healthy-breakfasts-recipes/
