The 5 best breakfasts for weight loss

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and they also say never skip a meal if you’re trying to lose weight.

So what better way to lose weight than through what you eat for breakfast? Here are some ideas, because let's be honest, no brain can come up with its own ideas before it's been fed.

Maths

According to two nutritionists, the best way to breakfast your way to weight loss is to make sure you eat between 300 and 400 calories. About half of these calories should come from carbs, around 15 per cent should be protein, a third should be healthy fats and the rest should be fibre and sugar.

If that sounds like a bit too much maths to handle first thing in the morning, here’s some of their suggestions for inspiration:

• 45g of porridge made from steel cut oats, made half with water, and half with unsweetened soya milk, with a handful of blueberries, one tablespoon of chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup
• Scrambled egg with two eggs, 65 grams of spinach, one tablespoon of chopped onion, half a tablespoon of olive oil, and one slice of wholegrain toast, served with 75 grams of blueberries or raspberries
• Two tablespoons of natural peanut butter on one slice of wholemeal toast, with one banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Bigger cereal

Sadly, this doesn’t mean more cereal, but bigger flakes. Start taking your tape measure with you to the supermarket, because researchers have found that people eat more cereal when the flake sizes are smaller. Apparently, this is because we’re not very good at judging portions.

Whey protein drinks

A recent study found that a breakfast high in protein can help with weight loss. Whey protein is particularly effective, which, aside from protein drinks, can be found in milk and yogurt.

Eat desert

That’s right - a study found that people who ate a small desert, such as chocolate, a cookie or cake, with breakfast, actually lost more weight than those who didn’t. Researchers said this is because it actually decreased people’s cravings for unhealthy foods. What a great excuse to keep having advent calenders once you're an adult.

Go big

Eating your biggest meal of the day at breakfast time is said to be the best way to lose weight. One study found that people eating 1,400 calories for breakfast lost more weight than those who ate half that much.

More; What Michael Phelps eats for breakfast