We've all heard it: Breakfast is "the most important meal of the day". Especially if you want to lose weight, you should make sure you eat breakfast. This is a belief that is supported by about zero hard science, and it makes just about no sense at all. Why would anyone lose weight by making sure they eat more?
A new high-quality (RCT) study tested the concept. Forty-nine women who did not usually eat breakfast were randomized to one of two groups: keep skipping breakfast, or start eating it. They were then followed for four weeks to see what happened.
According to conventional wisdom the people who started to eat breakfast would miraculously start losing weight and feeling great. But that's not what the study found.
The women who started to eat breakfast...
- Ate more food in total over the day
- Ate more carbs in total
- Finally, not surprisingly, they gained weight
Nobody should be surprised. Feel free to eat breakfast if you're hungry and it makes you feel good. But there's no need to eat breakfast, and it's certainly not going to help you lose weight.
It's perfectly OK to break your fast ("break fast") by eating lunch instead...