Is Eating Breakfast Necessary to Lose Weight?

There is evidence to show that breakfast skippers tend to weigh more than breakfast eaters. However, this is probably because people who eat breakfast are, on average, more likely to have other healthy lifestyle habits.  

From a nutritional medicine perspective, if the thought of breakfast is met with dread because you just can't stomach food that early, or are totally not hungry, we look to your digestive health and your elimination times.  Sluggish digestion, low levels of enzymes and gastric juices and poor microbiome (good gut bacteria) all lead to poor feelings of appetite and should be considered if you are not really feeling like eating.

This can all be turned around with lots of love for your gut health (think fibre, water, plants, even fermented foods like Kimchi, Yoghurt, SauerKraut) 

So what is the takeaway here?

Work out what your body wants - I would suggest a rounded breakfast to make sure you are not crashing in the mid-morning and reaching for the snack machine at work. 

Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full. Eat a protein-rich breakfast for the benefit of regulating your energy levels, cognition motivation, and mood - but don't expect it to have a major effect on your weight loss.  

Jacqui Lewis

BHSc Nutritional and Dietetic Medicine