Don't Skip Breakfast to Reduce Caloric Intake

There is a myth which continues to circulate among those seeking to shed unwanted belly fat. The theory is that by skipping breakfast, you are reducing overall caloric intake and thus forcing your body to lose the fat. In theory this sounds great, but here are some important facts:

# The body is fasting overnight. Skipping breakfast deprives the body of essential nutrients which it needs to kick-starts your metabolism, and gets your digestive system moving for the day ahead.

# Skipping breakfast has been shown to increase the likelihood of bad food choices later on in the day - high saturated fat/sugar, high calorie - as these are usually the most convenient and tempting choices to satisfy your hunger. Excess consumption of these foods can lead to further weight gain, and often long-term health issues.

# The body requires a certain amount of calories every day just to keep its basic operations in check - organ function, breathing etc. Missing out on breakfast doesn't remove the fact that your body needs a certain amount of calories to function, so you may end up cramming large amounts of food into one or two meals later on to make up for missing breakfast. This slows your digestive and metabolic rate, thus reducing your potential for weight loss (fat burning).

Important to remember: Never exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. For those attempting to lose stomach fat, this is counter-productive - more lean muscle mass equals more fat burning potential (quicker metabolism)!