Can Skipping Breakfast Harm Your Weight Loss Efforts?
For many individuals with busy schedules, eating breakfast may seem like a luxury that you simply don’t have time for. You may grab a quick snack and throw it in your bag before racing out of the house in the morning, but there are few who have the time and energy to prepare a complete breakfast on hectic mornings.
One of the highest debated topics in the nutrition and weight loss community is breakfast: will skipping this meal create a setback in your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts?
In the blog below, we discuss what researchers found in seeking to answer this question. If you need additional information about eating habits before or after your weight loss surgery, Dr. Lutfi and his team encourage you to call and speak to a member of our staff.
What Studies Show
One study sought to find a relationship between not eating breakfast and the increase in obesity rates among the population. The article states, “[S]kipping breakfast can cause not only a decrease in physical activities in the morning but also a decrease in total energy expenditure which can result in the development of obesity.” The article also goes on to state, “people who skip breakfast have a 3.4-fold greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome […]” (Watanabe, et al., 2014). Metabolic syndrome is characterized as a cluster of conditions—high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, high cholesterol—that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
It’s important to note that other studies find that the importance of breakfast may not be backed by scientific evidence.
Meal Timing and Food Quality
Often, one thinks that if they skip breakfast, they are reducing their overall calorie intake or that they can “save” those extra calories for later on in the day. However, this can prove to be detrimental to how your body metabolizes food long term. Essentially, eating breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism and increase your energy in what is typically the most sluggish part of your day. Watanabe, et al. state:
“[A] far-infrared radiation thermograph test that measures thermal release from the body showed that participants who skip breakfast have a low body temperature and decreased energy metabolism. [W]hile skipping meals reduces overall calorie consumption, it results in blood sugar level spikes […]”
However, breakfast may not be the only meal in question when it comes to timing your meals properly. In this same study, researchers found that eating dinner less than three hours before bedtime also contributed to increased waist circumference and the potential for weight issues.
The takeaway from these findings seems to be that there is certainly no one cause of weight gain, and making sure you do not skip breakfast is not the magic bullet to lose weight. What you eat for breakfast is just as important.
To give yourself a boost in the morning, make sure you eat breakfast and remember that what you eat for breakfast is equally as important. Choose a source of lean protein such as greek yogurt, a protein shake, eggs and egg whites, or lean meats in addition to a source of fiber from fruits, whole grains, or vegetables.
Learn More about Healthy Habits Pre and Post Weight Loss Surgery
If you struggle with weight, you are certainly not alone. There is a slew of health gurus online who seem to know everything about what to eat and when, but weight loss and the disease of obesity are much more complex than that. Even the scientific research is of two minds when it comes to the importance of meals like breakfast. If you’re confused about what you can do to lose weight and regain wellness, the team at Dr. Lutfi’s office is here to help. Call today to learn more about nutrition and effective, surgical weight loss treatment.
Journal Articles Cited
Watanabe, Y., Saito, I., Henmi, I., Yoshimura, K., Maruyama, K., Yamauchi, K., . . . Asada, Y. (2014). Skipping Breakfast is Correlated with Obesity. Journal of Rural Medicine, 9(2), 51-58. doi:10.2185/jrm.2887
Brown, A. W., Brown, M. M., & Allison, D. B. (2013). Belief beyond the evidence: Using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(5), 1298-1308. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.064410