Will Skipping Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?

Studies often show that people who regularly skip breakfast are more likely to be obese. This doesn't necessarily mean that skipping breakfast is going to make you fat, but there has to be a reason why those who always eat breakfast are able to control their weight more effectively than those who choose to miss it. Yet, despite the link between skipping breakfast and obesity, many people continue to skip the most important meal of the day in the belief that it will help speed up their weight loss. If you are someone who skips breakfast to try to lose weight, you might want to think again.

After all, you may need to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight, but do you really reduce your calorie intake by skipping breakfast? You may not eat anything when you get up, but there is a good chance that you will be extremely hungry by mid-morning or by the afternoon. You will probably be irritable and lethargic and not in the right frame of mind to make good dietary choices. When you're hungry and miserable, it is tempting to reach for foods that give you a boost, which usually means junk food. If you have a sweet tooth, it may be chocolate you gorge on, whilst if you prefer savoury treats you may eat lots of crisps or pies.

When you feel extremely hungry, you generally eat very quickly to fill the hole in your stomach, without being able to appreciate that you're full. Consequently, you could quite easily eat more than you need and consume more calories than you actually use. Skipping breakfast will not save you calories in the long run if you make poor dietary choices later in the day. The trouble is that you tell yourself you can have an extra chocolate bar or packet of crisps, because you didn't eat any breakfast, which means you soon make up for any calories that you would have saved.

Besides, breakfast gives you an opportunity to eat something healthy, from wholemeal toast to porridge and fruit. You will probably get more nutrients from sitting down to eat a proper breakfast than by grabbing a couple of snacks when you're on the go. After sleeping for eight hours or so, your body needs some fuel to kick it into gear. Eating breakfast provides you with the energy you need to get ready for work; to take the kids to school; and to be able to concentrate at work. It is therefore important not to underestimate the importance of breakfast.

Losing weight obviously requires you to reduce your calorie intake, and so it might seem like a good idea to skip breakfast to help you do this. However, depriving yourself of breakfast is unlikely to help in the long run, because you won't have any energy to concentrate and you will most probably feel down and depressed during the morning, so that it becomes more of a struggle to stick to a calorie-controlled diet. Ultimately, skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight and could even make it harder, which is just what you don't need.