Weight Loss & Breakfast

Eating breakfast has long been a recommended practice for successful weight loss and maintenance. Provided good choices are made, breakfast will help maintain energy, curb hunger and prevent overeating later in the day. In fact, skipping breakfast actually elevates your risk of obesity. Extended fasting will encourage your body to increase insulin production and fat storage, leading to weight gain. Start your day right by making healthy choices.

Breakfast = Better Choices

Make better choices to help with your weight loss regimen. Eat a healthy breakfast and you will find it easier to make healthy choices throughout the day. Eating breakfast encourages nutritious food choices, including fruits, vegetables and lower-fat options. A higher consumption of fruits and veggies also increases your fiber intake while decreasing your daily caloric intake.

Eat For Energy

"The brain relies on glucose for fuel, so choose carbohydrate-rich breakfast foods such as cereals or wholegrain bread," according to the Better Health Channel. Your energy is low in the mornings because of depleted glycogen storage and your lack of food intake for seven to 10 hours. A "healthy breakfast refuels your body and increases your physical activity during the day, while skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity," according to the Mayo Clinic. Weight loss occurs when more energy is burned than consumed.

High-Fiber Foods

Choose high-fiber foods in the morning. Since they take longer to digest, you'll feel full longer. High-fiber foods can satisfy your hunger without adding excess calories. Excellent choices include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eat foods with soluble fiber, such as oatmeal. This type of fiber may help lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease.

Volume Foods

Select breakfast foods that include fruits high in water and low in calories if your trying to lose weight. Volume foods, such as fruit and vegetables, let you eat more while consuming fewer calories. Fruits also are loaded with natural sugars, which provide energy.

Breakfast Recipes

Your healthy routine can become boring, which can increase your desire to eat unhealthy foods. It's not uncommon to slip back into old habits, which can result in weight gain. Provide variety to keep your breakfast meals interesting. Use a new grain for your breakfast. Add an exotic fruit or spice to your meal for new and interesting flavors. Try new recipes that are healthy and satisfying to break-up the monotony.
Apple-Cranberry Bulgur Breakfast
Combine a 1/4 cup water with a 1/4 cup pure apple juice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add a 1/4 cup uncooked bulgur. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir 2 tbsp. dried cranberries and half a chopped apple into the bulgar. This recipe serves one person and contains 304 calories.
Honey, Pear and Almond Muesli
Mix a 1/2 cup rolled oats with a 1/2 cup skim or soy milk. Stir in half of a small chopped pear, 1 tbsp. sliced almonds and 1 tsp. honey. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes--or even overnight--in the fridge. This recipe serves one person and contains 299 calories.