Good news for those who like a hearty breakfast. Scientists say you can lose weight by eating more calories in the morning.
In a new peer-reviewed study, British and Dutch researchers found that eating a ‘morning-loaded’ meal (meaning peak caloric intake earlier in the day) was associated with I’ve found that it helps control my appetite better than the “night-loading” diet offered. It got bigger as the days went by.
The study monitored 30 otherwise healthy individuals classified as overweight or obese, all of whom participated in a calorie-restricted diet lasting 4 weeks.
Some participants were placed on a morning heavy meal, consuming 45% of their daily caloric allowance at breakfast, 35% at lunch, and 20% at dinner. A second group adhered to an evening-loaded diet that reversed the caloric intake pattern of the morning-loaded diet.
The foods eaten at both meals were the same, but portion sizes were adjusted to provide the correct calorie serving sizes for the meals.
All meals consisted of 35% fat, 30% protein and 35% carbohydrates. Morning and evening breakfast included toast with sausage and bacon and a fruit smoothie, omelette and toast and a glass of milk.
Outside of prescribed foods, participants were allowed to consume non-caffeinated, calorie-free beverages such as unsweetened tea, coffee, and diet soda.
Both diets resulted in similar levels of weight loss, but the research team noted that participants on the high-load morning meal reported significantly lower levels of hunger.
“Smaller breakfasts empty the stomach faster, making consumers hungry again sooner,” they said in their paper. It can help increase your food intake and give you more emptying time, thus reducing your chances of overeating later in the day.
“A large morning meal (heavy breakfast) may help adherence to a weight loss regime by significantly suppressing appetite,” they added.
The researchers also referred to previous studies that found that the rate of weight loss in slow eaters slowed about five weeks after starting the diet.
“Therefore, we may have seen a more pronounced effect in terms of long-term weight loss,” they said. lengthening) diet is likely to result in sustained weight loss.
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