Some people skip breakfast when they’re on a diet, or exercise in a fasted state. However, knowing what to eat for breakfast for weight loss is actually the key to a healthy, effective diet. You have more energy for your workouts, and reduce hunger pangs and cravings.
The best breakfast for weight loss is high in protein. It makes you feel full longer, so it’s easier to control your portions during the rest of the day. High protein diets also improve your muscle metabolism, so your body uses food more efficiently instead of storing it as fat.
What NOT to eat for breakfast for weight loss
Many of the classic breakfast food we grew up with—pancakes with maple syrup, bread, fried rice or congee, sugary cereals—are very high in carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates can give you energy, because it raises your blood sugar levels and fuels your brain and body for action. But when you eat too much carbohydrates, you actually get the opposite effect. A sugar crash follows the sugar spike, and within a few hours you’re sluggish and unable to concentrate.
Over time, a high-carbohydrate diet can also increase your risk for weight gain and diabetes, because of the insulin spike.
Your body produces insulin so the glucose can enter your muscle, fat and liver cells. If you eat too many carbs, the body converts extra glucose into fat. That’s why several studies, including this one published in the journal of Clinical Chemistry, have linked a high-carbohydrate diet with high body mass and risk for obesity.
What to eat for breakfast for weight loss: protein
The best kind of breakfast for losing weight is high in protein, not carbohydrates. According to Dr. Donald K. Layman, a recognized international expert on metabolic regulation for obesity, high protein meals have three benefits: increase satiety, trigger muscle metabolism, and TEF.
Protein promotes satiety
Let’s say your compare two breakfasts that are both 120 calories: 2 pieces of pancake with maple syrup, and a chicken and egg omelette. Since your body will take longer to digest the omelette, you feel full longer, and will not crave a snack in the middle of the day. You may even be satisfied with a light lunch.
Protein triggers muscle metabolism
Protein contains leucine, which is important for metabolism, insulin regulation, and your body’s effective use of insulin. It also signals your muscle cells to burn fatty acids, which are the building blocks of fat, in order to produce ATP needed for muscle synthesis. (Read more about muscle metabolism here.)
Thus, a high-protein diet can help accelerate fat loss, while making sure that your organs and muscles stay healthy. This is much safer than drastically cutting your calorie count, and depriving your body of essential nutrients.
Protein burns more calories (TEF)
Your body also needs to burn calories to digest and process protein. This is called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). Protein’s TEF ranges from 15% to 20%. So, when you eat that 120-calorie chicken omelette, your body uses 24 calories to digest it – so your net calorie intake was only 96. In contrast, carbohydrates only have a TEF of 5%.
Thus, just by replacing a high-carbohydrate breakfast with a high protein diet, you’re already increasing your calorie expenditure for that day.
Easy ways to get protein for breakfast
Even though you know what to eat for breakfast for weight loss, the challenge is being able to prepare it everyday—even when you’re sleepy, in a rush to get to school or work, or have limited cooking skills.
Some of the best sources of protein are actually quite simple to prepare. Some examples are scrambled eggs, a can of tuna, shredded chicken salad, egg salad, oatmeal.
The problem, however, is that many breakfast food we think is healthy can actually have a lot of hidden carbs.
For example:
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Peanut butter has 14 grams of carbs per serving
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Milk has 11 grams of carbs per glass, and milk alternatives like almond milk has 22 grams of carbs per glass
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Tortilla wraps have 30 grams of carbs per serving (not including the carbs in the sauces)
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Protein bars contain as much as 20 to 50 grams of carbs per serving
People also often make a mistake about portion size, or forget to count the calories in other ingredients. While an egg is high protein, your egg salad recipe may also call for mayonnaise and cheese, and you will be likely be serving it on toast.
If you’re not paying close attention, your “healthy” breakfast could actually be derailing your diet.
The easy, fast AND foolproof breakfast for weight loss
Fortunately, there is an even easier and more fool-proof way of getting the right amount of protein while avoiding excess carbohydrates and fat. This is the Metabolic Shake which was specially designed by Dr. Donald Layman.
Unlike other typical protein shakes or DIY protein smoothies, this shake is precision-engineered to provide the right balance of protein, fats, and carbs to activate muscle metabolism. Benefits include:
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Promotes long-term weight loss. The Lift Metabolic shake it doesn’t just give the short-term benefit of making you feel full or giving you energy. It enhances your body’s ability to build muscle, and burn fat and carbohydrates.
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Complete macronutrients and micronutrients. Other meal replacements will focus on the macros, but your body also needs micronutrients for health and metabolism. The Lift Metabolic Shake is precision-engineered to give you everything you need for better performance. It even has 5 grams of fiber, which improves digestion and gut function.
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Curbs cravings. One glass is only 200 calories, and it will make you feel full for several hours.
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Cost-effective. Based on the number of servings in each pack, the cost comes out as only $3.27 per meal. That is much cheaper than making those fancy supplements and powders from gourmet health stores.
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“Clean” meal. This is made of high-quality ingredients, and is gluten-free, lactose-free, and made from plant-based proteins.
Most of all, the Metabolic shake is based on the extensive research that Dr. Donald K. Layman has done. Other shakes don’t meet the right protein requirements to activate muscle metabolism, and won’t have a long-term effect on your body’s ability to burn carbohydrates and fat.
Your Metabolism-Boosting Meal Plan
The Lift Metabolic shake is part of Dr. Layman’s Metabolism Transformation program. Stage 1 focuses on improving fat loss and increasing lean muscle. You can the shake on its own, or get the Stage 1 Metabolic Pack, which includes a 30-day supply of the shake and the pills. Getting the pack actually brings down the price per meal to just $2.89!
During the program, you will take 2 pills 30 minutes before you eat breakfast and lunch, and then use the Metabolic Shake as a meal replacement. You can repeat Stage 1 until you meet your weight loss goals.Once you’ve reached your desired weight, you then go to Stage 2 or Metabolic Vitality Maintenance.
Fuel for the day, fit for life
Eating a high-protein breakfast can give you the energy you need throughout the day, and help you stick to your diet by curbing cravings. Since it improves satiety, you can have smaller portions and still feel full.
Some high-protein meals can also help boost your metabolism, and your body’s ability to burn fat and carbohydrates. The Lift Metabolic shake has the right mix of nutrients and level of protein to trigger this response. You no longer have to worry about what to eat for breakfast for weight loss—its science-based formula is guaranteed to give results.
Of course, meals are just one component of improving metabolism and losing weight. You also need proper exercise, and control lifestyle factors that are known to affect your body’s response to carbohydrates and fat: stress, lack of sleep, consumption of alcohol, etc.
But by getting your high-protein breakfast, you know you’re starting the day (and your diet) right, and that can inspire you to make healthier choices across all areas of your life.