Big Breakfast Diet

Have you ever heard the adage "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper"? It turns out that there is hidden wisdom within this saying which might just be a secret weapon in the fight against obesity.

New research suggests that a big breakfast diet rich in protein and carbohydrates may be the key to losing weight, and more importantly keeping it off.

In a study by a team led by Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz of the Hospital de Clinicas in Venezuela, women who followed this regime lost an astonishing 21 percent of their body-weight. Those following a traditional, low-carb diet lost a mere 4.5 percent.

Jakubowiczs' study compared 94 obese, inactive women. All the women were put on low-fat, low-calorie diets, but there were differences in in how carbs were distributed.

Around half of the women were put on a big breakfast diet. This group was allowed to eat a big breakfast of around 610 calories. They were allowed to eat this breakfast in stages, as long as they had finished by 9am. During the rest of the day this group would eat a further 630 calories, meaning their daily total was around 1,240.

In comparison the other group of women followed a low-carb diet, but only ate 290 calories for breakfast. This group would east around 795 more calories during the day. This meant they ate a total of 1,085 calories, less than the big breakfast diet group. Importantly, breakfast was their smallest meal of the day.

Over the course of four months, researchers carefully measured weight loss. The low-carb diet caused an average weight loss of 28 pounds whilst the big breakfast diet group lost an average of 23 pounds.

It was after eight months, however, that the true benefits of a big breakfast diet became apparent. After eight months the low-carb dieters had regained 18 pounds. The big breakfast diet group continued to lose weight, losing another 16.5 pounds on average.

In practice this means that the big breakfast diet group lost an astonishing 21 percent of their body weight. The low-carb group lost 4.5 percent.

The women who followed the big breakfast diet reported that they felt less hungry before lunch, and therefore less prone to snacking.

What makes these new findings so attractive to those looking to lose weight is their simplicity. There are no expensive supplements to buy, nor overly restrictive guidelines.

According to head researcher Dr. Jakubowicz the big breakfast diet works because it controls appetite and cravings for carbohydrates. The highly respected Joan Salge Blake, who is a professor of nutrition at Boston University, agrees with Dr. Jakubowicz in this regard. Blake comments that she and her colleagues:

....know women who don't eat breakfast are more likely to do impulsive, unplanned snacking.

Professor Blake also adds that:

It's no big surprise that having breakfast and having protein is a good thing when it comes to weight loss.

As well as being part of the ABC News Medical Expert Network, and a prolific contributor to top journals, Professor Joan Salge Blake is the author of the acclaimed 'Nutrition and You'. This book is highly sought after due to its personalized nature, and the way Blake engages and motivates her readers.

According to Dr. Jakubowicz the big breakfast diet also allows people to eat more fruit, meaning they get more fiber and vitamins.

The "big breakfast" diet women consumed:

1,240 calories a day.
97 grams of carbohydrates per day.
93 grams of protein per day.
46 grams of fat per day.
For Breakfast they ate 610 calories. This consisted of 58 grams of carbohydrates, 47 grams of protein and 22 grams of fat.
For Lunch, they ate 395 calories. This consisted of 28 grams of protein, 34 grams of carbs and 13 grams of fat.
For Dinner they ate only 235 calories. This is by far the smallest meal of they for the subjects. This small meal consisted of a mere 5 grams of carbs, 18 grams of protein and 26 grams of fat.
Whats seems to be key was the consumption of the majority of the daily allotment of 1,240 calories at breakfast time.

The low-carb women consumed:

1,085 calories a day.
17 grams of carbohydrates.
51 grams of protein.
78 grams of fat.
For Breakfast they ate a mere 290 calories. This consisted of 7 grams of carbohydrates and 12 grams of protein. This was by far the smallest meal of the day.
Astonishingly over the eight month period the low-carb women ate around 37,200 calories less overall then the big breakfast diet group. Yet after 4 months they started to regain a lot of the weight they had lost.

There can be no doubt that when trying to lose weight, breakfast should be an important part of your strategy.

The study results were presented on Tuesday, June 17 at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

The Reverse Diet is a great example of a big breakfast style diet. It is a complete plan, including recipes.