By Rachel Nuwer |
YouBeauty.com | Yahoo Lifestyle Entertainment
Eat more in the a.m., eat less later
on.
Trying to shed a few extra pounds?
Rather than obsessively tallying calories, you can achieve significant results
simply by switching to a large breakfast rather than a big dinner, according to
a March 2013 study published in the journal Obesity. Turns out, this eating
plan takes advantage of natural fluctuations in the body's metabolic cycle and
reduces diet-sabotaging carb cravings later in the day.
"The time of day that we eat can
have a big impact on how our body processes food," says Daniela
Jakubowicz, a professor at Tel Aviv University and co-author of the study.
"For effective weight loss, appropriate meal timing is more important than
counting calories."
Jakubowicz and her colleagues
recruited 74 overweight or obese women and divided them into two groups. One
group favored a protein- and carbohydrate-heavy breakfast, consuming around 700
calories at the beginning of the day, 500 calories at lunch and 200 calories at
dinner. The other group reversed that eating regimen, sticking with a larger
dinner and a smaller breakfast.
After following their respective diets
for three months, differences had clearly emerged between the two groups: Women
who ate the calorie-heavy breakfasts dropped, on average, about 19 pounds-11
pounds more than their big dinner counterparts. "The same caloric intake
spread differently throughout the day leads to a different body weight,"
notes Oren Froy, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and
co-author of the paper. "There is a beneficial effect for a large
breakfast over a large dinner."
What's more, the waists of the big
breakfast-eaters were nearly two inches trimmer than the evening eaters, and
their glucose and insulin levels dropped significantly more. Additionally, the
big breakfast group reported feeling less hungry and more satisfied throughout
the day.
"Not eating breakfast is like
building a house without laying the foundation," says Keri Glassman, a
dietician and nutrition counselor who was not involved in the study. "You
have to have breakfast to get your metabolism going, otherwise you will end up
over-consuming later in the day."
Do
Try This At Home
Froy thinks the study's findings would
also hold true for non-obese or overweight women looking to lose weight. And he
encourages giving the big breakfast meal plan a try.
In case you're curious about what
exactly the 700-calorie breakfast eaters consumed, here's a taste: 2 slices of
whole wheat bread with 4 ounces of light tuna in water; 16 ounces of skim milk;
½ cup of tomato, basil and mozzarella salad; 1 cup of coffee-all polished off
with a small dessert, such as a milk chocolate bar. "The dessert usually
decreases the carb craving later in the day," notes Jakubowicz.
If that sounds like a lot of food in
one sitting, it is. So rather than chowing down on it all at once, Jakubowicz
recommends eating the big breakfast in two parts: when you first wake up and
then no later than 9 a.m. "If you are hungry at noon, it means that your
protein intake at breakfast was not enough so you have to increase the protein
in the morning," she points out.
For lunch-served no later than 3
p.m.-the big breakfast group dined on 5 ounces of grilled chicken (or fish or
another lean meat) with 1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise, 1 can of beef broth
soup, and 1 cup of green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, along 1 cup of fruit,
such as melons. By the time dinner rolls around, your appetite should be
sufficiently quelled to require nothing more than a light, carbohydrate-free
meal, such as 2 scrambled eggs, 5 slices of turkey breast, and a cup of coffee.
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