Firstly, when we use the word breakfast, we mean the first meal of the day. For some that may be at 6am or 7am and for some it may not be until much later, say 11am or 12 noon.

This first meal has traditionally been regarded as the most important meal of the day. It is breaking the nightly fast from your last meal the night before to the first meal the next day. For most of us this is the longest period between meals. 

We recommend a minimum twelve hours between these meals to give your ‘hormonal orchestra’ time to reset itself, where your blood sugar, insulin levels and insulin sensitivity are optimised for both health and weight loss.

Experimenting with eating the last meal of the day a little earlier (start with an hour first) or delaying your first meal may provide one change that is easy for you to do – a change that may have a big impact.

To help you to continue losing weight or maintaining at your best weight, we prioritise protein in every meal and snack. For gut health we suggest you choose high-fibre low-carb (low sugar) green veggies as well.

So, start the day with your choice of protein.

Kick start your day with these 10 breakfast tips for helping with weight loss, avoiding hunger, maintaining satiety, and keeping boredom and impatience at bay:

1. Add spices to your protein meal is a no brainer. Spices such as za’atar, sriracha, garam masala and turmeric are a great start. Spend some time in the spice section of your supermarket and your head may go into a spin looking at the selection!!
2. Sauce suggestions like peri peri, roasted pepper puree, pesto, salsa verde, and gremolata are wonderful added to any meal. Check labels for carb (added sugar) content, or even better, make your own.
3. Fresh herbs like dill, thyme, basil, parsley and marjoram add their own unique flavour. Start your own herb pots or garden and use a different herb each day. Herbs are a great source of nutrients.
4. Roasted or sauteed vegetables as a side serving are so easy. While your evening meal is cooking in the oven, add a tray of cut-up capsicum, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and add garlic. Add cold to your breakfast or reheat if you prefer warm. Kimchi is also another option if you like fermented foods.
5. You may want to spend some time in your local deli to check out the range of cured meats available. There are so many to enjoy but some of the most popular include prosciutto, salami, chorizo, pepperoni, pancetta, pastrami, saucisson, jamon serrano, bologna, mortadella and corned beef.
6. Fat is a great flavour enhancer! If you choose a low fat protein try cooking your breakfast with a measured serve of butter or coconut oil. A little fat can make a meal more satiating. To stay on-plan you may have to forgo a fat serve at your next meal – but it’s worth it!
7. Spice up your breakfast with variety – not too much and not too little. For some, eating the same breakfast every day works for them as they’d rather not think about what to eat. But many others get bored and want a selection of different breakfasts. Find 3- 4 hot breakfasts and one or two cold breakfasts that you like. Each hot breakfast could be based upon meat (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, haloumi cheese or fish) stir fry, or eggs. Your cold breakfast might use a high-speed mixer with green veggies, low-sugar fruits, seeds, nuts, protein powder, ice and water.
8. Too much variety can stimulate your appetite. Have you ever gone out for a large smorgasbord or buffet breakfast? The sad truth is that the greater the variety, the more people (and that means you and me) eat. Be warned!!! Even at breakfast, stick to the ‘one plate’ rule.
9. Leftovers can be eaten for breakfast or lunch the next day. This is the easiest pre-plan meal idea we have. It’s simply cooking twice as much for dinner, popping half in a container to use as one meal for the next day and then enjoying the other half. This saves prep time and effort in the kitchen and saves your time as well the next day. Bonus extra – it saves on decision fatigue as you automatically have one less decision to make the next day.
10. Let’s finish with “Impatience”. This is when we don’t leave enough time to eat slowly and savour our food and enjoy the company – or even the peaceful solitude. There’s a biological reason for eating slowly. It takes at least 20 minutes for food to start being processed through your gut, into your blood stream and elevating your feeling-good/feeling-satiated hormones and receptors.  If you rush your food you’ll be much more likely to over-eat. Also… for most of us we may endure some stress during the day – even rushing for that bus or dealing with kids and traffic. And so, it makes sense to start the day as calmly as you can.

You may want to try putting down your knife and fork after each bite. This will slow you down. It will actually give your control.

Just remember to prioritise protein as rule number 1. If you need any further help with a weight loss program that allows you to eat real food, and never go hungry, but with the accountability to keep you on track, Click on the Lose Weight Now button at the top of the page to get started.