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Creating a healthy and sustainable diet for weight loss is all about finding what works for you and your body without forcing yourself to follow fads which seem to work for everyone else. There is no one-size-fits-all diet plan that is universally successful when it comes to losing weight, and approaching your health journey in that way will merely set you up to fail, creating unrealistic expectations for yourself. One of the essential parts of losing weight is setting the stage for your day with your morning routine, with some habits undeniably being more productive for improving your overall health than others.
In order to pave the way for healthy weight loss, we checked in with Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, M.D., EmbraceYOU Weight & Wellness, C.E.O. & Lead Physician to determine the most useful change you could make to your morning in order to see the best results.
Listen To Hunger Cues
It’s long been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while it certainly does provide you with an energy source to draw from, listening to your hunger cues in the morning is just as important as breakfast when it comes to losing weight. “Skip early morning breakfast if you’re not hungry,” Gonsahn-Bollie says. “Previously it was recommended to eat breakfast to lose weight. However newer studies have shown for some people you may not need to eat breakfast right when you wake up if you’re not hungry.”
Just as forcing yourself to stop eating when you’re still hungry can create a poor relationship with food, so too can forcing yourself to eat when you haven’t yet struck up an appetite.
While you sleep, your body is finally allowed the time to rest in order to repair and refresh its essential functions, especially pertaining to hunger and weight loss. “Overnight your body resets its weight management & hunger hormones: leptin, ghrelin, adiponectin & insulin. Eating disrupts this cycle, which takes 10-12 hrs for most people,” explains Gonsahn-Bollie.
As these functions reset within the body, it is essential to be in a fasted state, and as every body is different, some people take longer to grow hungry in the morning than others. “If you’re not hungry in the morning, this may be a sign your body needs a longer time to go through this cycle. That’s why eating breakfast when you’re not hungry can lead to weight gain,” she adds.
It’s in these instances that intermittent fasting becomes a natural solution for some, but instead of sticking to rigid times that you’re “allowed” to start eating, take your morning routine from day to day, paying attention to when your hunger cues hit to start eating.
However, when you do finally have your first meal of the day, it’s important to make sure it’s balanced with protein, carbs and healthy fat in order to provide ample fuel to your body so you don’t feel depleted or run down. Fiber is another nutrient which can help to keep you full for hours after eating, making it a valuable tool for maintaining satiety and achieving weight loss when included within your meals.
