Skipping meals may be a logical, albeit unhealthy, way to lose weight, but apparently, not when the meal being skipped is breakfast.
There are many methods for weight loss, both proven and unproven, that will help people shed extra pounds. Skipping breakfast is not one of them, and according to a study, it will actually make things worse for weight watchers.
Don't Skip Breakfast If You Want To Lose Weight
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that skipping breakfast does not help people lose weight. Instead, it is linked to future weight gain, and leads to a higher risk of obesity.
The study, which was presented at the Experimental Biology annual meeting held in San Diego, analyzed 347 healthy men and women over 12 years. The subjects, which had ages of 18 years old to 87 years old had normal body mass index scores at the start of the study, and followed constant eating habits over the course of the study.
According to the results of the study, 26.7 percent of the subjects who regularly skipped breakfast were obese, compared to 10.9 percent for the subjects who ate breakfast frequently. The study also found that the people skipping breakfast had an average waist of 97.5 centimeters, which is 9.8 centimeters larger than the average waist of people who regularly eat breakfast.
Eating breakfast in the morning triggers a person's metabolism, which helps in burning more calories over the course of the day. In addition, a well-balanced breakfast is capable of providing certain nutrients that may get neglected for the rest of the day, keeping the body healthy.
More Weight Loss Methods
The study coincides with the findings of a team of researchers from the University of Helsinki. They discovered that effective weight management is linked to regular eating habits, which includes eating meals with the proper regularity and frequency.
Recent research also revealed that pasta does not contribute to weight gains or increased body fat, and in fact helped people lose weight. This is a reversal of the previous mindset that all forms of carbohydrates are not good for weight loss goals.
Another study showed that the speed at which people eat their food affects weight gain. People who eat fast have a higher risk of getting fat, while those who eat slowly may lose weight. The relationship is said to be because of the satiety hormones, which make slow eaters feel fuller when eating the same amount of food compared to fast eaters.
