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Last Updated: Jul 2nd, 2008 - 21:15:22 |
(NAPSI)-Do you ever skip breakfast in an attempt to cut calories and shed pounds? You may be surprised to learn that cutting those breakfast calories may actually hinder your attempts to manage your weight. When it comes to the battle of the bulge, breakfast can help tip the scales in your favor.
When eating habits of people who maintained weight loss of at least 30 pounds for one year were analyzed, most reported that they eat breakfast almost every day. It seems that breakfast eaters are better able to maintain their weight loss. In fact, one large national study found that people who regularly skipped breakfast had the highest body mass index (BMI), even though they ate fewer calories than the regular breakfast eaters. So how does eating breakfast help people maintain a healthier weight? One explanation lies in our history. When humans were hunter-gatherers and food was not always available, our bodies adapted to be able to slow down calorie burning and store calories instead of burning them for fuel.
C. Wayne Callaway, M.D., an endocrinologist in Washington, D.C. explains that without food, especially first thing in the morning, the body releases various hormones and chemical messengers that prepare for possible starvation. "Then when you eat a lunch or dinner, your body's chemical messengers make you overeat so that your body stores extra fat for the next period of starvation," Callaway says. The mini fast that occurs when you don't eat overnight causes the body to store instead of utilize energy. Only by eating something in the morning to break that fast does the body get kick-started into burning fuel again for your daily activities. Eating breakfast also helps make it easier to make better decisions at lunch and dinner.
No time to sit down for breakfast? Create your own breakfast mix with Whole Grain Total cereal, dried fruit and chopped nuts. Stir into yogurt or pack in a sealable plastic bag to go.
Ask Mindy:
Q: Is it okay to have cereal for dinner or snack once in awhile?
A: Cereal plus milk and fruit is a great meal any time of day. It provides important vitamins, minerals and fiber and is quick and easy to make.
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