Let Them Eat Cake! ...in the morning

MadeOfMagic

Sweet little article about study, a new study from Tel Aviv University finds that eating a small dessert as part of a balanced breakfast can actually help you shed unwanted pounds!

Article: http://theweek.com/article/index/224214/can-dessert-for-breakfast-help-you-lose-weight



FULL STORY:


A new study from Tel Aviv University finds that eating a small dessert as part of a balanced breakfast can actually help you shed unwanted pounds. Wait, says Madeleine Davies at Jezebel. "Staying skinny and eating chocolate?" Here, a brief guide to what sounds, frankly, impossible:

Dessert with breakfast?
Why not? "Morning is the best time to consume sweets because that's when the body's metabolism is most active," says Britain's Telegraph. And if you indulge in, say, a bit of chocolate after your eggs and bacon, you have the rest of the day to work off the extra calories.

Wouldn't it be better to avoid extra calories altogether?
Apparently not. In this study, researchers split 193 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults into two groups. Men got 1,600 calories a day and women got 1,400. Half the subjects had a 300-calorie, low-carb breakfast, while the other half got 600 calories in the morning, including a small piece of chocolate cake. Halfway through the 32-week study, both groups had lost an average 33 pounds per person. But in the subsequent 16 weeks, people eating the light breakfast gained back 22 pounds each, while the cake eaters lost another 15 pounds apiece, on average.

What's the explanation?
Breakfast is the meal that best helps regulate ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, says professor Daniela Jakubowicz, one of the researchers. "The group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day," Jakubowicz says. "The participants in the low-carbohydrate diet group had less satisfaction and felt that they were not full," so their cravings for sugars and carbohydrates were more intense as the day passed. Many broke down and cheated on their diet, so they lost, on average, 40 pounds less than peers who got to have their cake, and lose weight too.

staceyGO

Thats extremely interesting, and something I could def take part in!

Psufilmgirl

I keep reading that you should eat a large breakfast and then eat less calories at every other meal.

Anyone do this?

oceanchristy

My mom always eats desert before dinner instead of after.
She says it is incase she dies halfway through supper.
lol

Msjcooper

My nutritionist/personal trainer says if you occasionally eat a small amount of dark chocolate before 10 am, you won't gain weight. She's a nutritionist so doesn't recommend any other types of chocolate or sweets. Dark Chocolate covered almonds are my fav!

tgh1914

This is directly from an old Bill Cosby routine - "Dad is great.... he gives us chocolate cake!"

hiker282

This is directly from an old Bill Cosby routine - "Dad is great.... he gives us chocolate cake!"

I was so totally thinking about this!

couponsaver79

I heard this on the radio and was skeptical. Nice to see someone else post it.

killagb

A lot of bro-science at play here. Stick to your calorie goals, lose weight. Eat what you want as long as it fits within these goals. End of story.

eta: Protein is going to make you feel more full for longer than carbs.

darlilama

I keep reading that you should eat a large breakfast and then eat less calories at every other meal.

Anyone do this?

The old saying goes: "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Queen, and dinner like a pauper." It really does make sense, but I can't say I follow those rules. I used to be more like that before I got married, but my husband is "Mr. Meat and Potatos for Dinner". Did I mention I didn't have weight problems BEFORE we got married? :ohwell:

hpsnickers1

Yeah and it was the cake that made them lose more weight. Just the cake. I'll have to go through this study thoroughly.

The breakdown on the carb-restriction due to the carb addiction. When you go from a high-carb diet to a low-carb diet you will go through a "withdrawl". You see, sugar travels the same brain pathways as opiate drugs and grains contain exorphins which are morphine-like compounds. In the beginning the body stops getting its "fix" every couple of hours. Think about a cocaine addict going from 5g a day to 1g a day.

Give carb restriction (done the right way - getting carbs from fibrous veggies, greens, and occasional berries, nuts and seeds) a few weeks and the "flu" goes away.

This didn't happen for me, though. I had immediate energy increase, better sleep. My daytime sleepiness disappeared along with my "hunger" every couple of hours. Six months on a high-carb, calorie-restricted diet didn't do this. My belly didn't go away on this either. Removed carbs and lost 4" off my waist in a matter of weeks and got a flat belly for the first time in my life.

killagb

I keep reading that you should eat a large breakfast and then eat less calories at every other meal.

Anyone do this?

The old saying goes: "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Queen, and dinner like a pauper." It really does make sense, but I can't say I follow those rules. I used to be more like that before I got married, but my husband is "Mr. Meat and Potatos for Dinner". Did I mention I didn't have weight problems BEFORE we got married? :ohwell:

That saying has no merit of factual basis. As I noted above....stick to your goals....and meal timing doesn't matter, as long as you eat in such a way that you are sated(high protein helps this). You can eat right before bed....I promise you'll still lose weight as long as you're at your calorie goal.

alohabrie

OMG - did anyone ever see the Bill Cosby comedy thing where he was talking about giving the kids chocolate cake for breakfast?! He completely rationalized it (eggs - good, milk - good, flour - good) and he totally got in trouble with his wife. So - Bill was actually right according to this study. Go Bill.

Apparently while I typed someone typed faster and referenced the routine above. Great minds.

jamk1446

A lot of bro-science at play here. Stick to your calorie goals, lose weight. Eat what you want as long as it fits within these goals. End of story.

eta: Protein is going to make you feel more full for longer than carbs.

True words. Except I would add to "eat what you want WHEN you want as long as it fits within these goals."

TheKitsune6

Correlation =/= Causation

Frankly, there's a whole lot of variables I would consider sooner than jumping to the conclusion that chocolate cake every day helps you lose weight.

MrsCon40

A lot of bro-science at play here. Stick to your calorie goals, lose weight. Eat what you want as long as it fits within these goals. End of story.

eta: Protein is going to make you feel more full for longer than carbs.

True words. Except I would add to "eat what you want WHEN you want as long as it fits within these goals."

Broscience... Hoscience... I prefer real peer reviewed science and the consensus is that nutrient timing is irrelevant.

I prefer to eat my cake in bed.

karinaes

this is actually why i have most of my fruits (carbs & sugar) in the morning

hiker282

I keep reading that you should eat a large breakfast and then eat less calories at every other meal.

Anyone do this?

Nope, I do it the pretty much the opposite. Well, not really. I eat a medium breakfast, a small lunch, a large dinner, with a few snacks in between. My rationale is that I eat dinner after I workout in the evening and I need to feed the fire and the calories I just 'burned.'

MissyJessy

My mom always eats desert before dinner instead of after.
She says it is incase she dies halfway through supper.
lol

this is also a major concern of mine

darlilama

I keep reading that you should eat a large breakfast and then eat less calories at every other meal.

Anyone do this?

The old saying goes: "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Queen, and dinner like a pauper." It really does make sense, but I can't say I follow those rules. I used to be more like that before I got married, but my husband is "Mr. Meat and Potatos for Dinner". Did I mention I didn't have weight problems BEFORE we got married? :ohwell:

That saying has no merit of factual basis. As I noted above....stick to your goals....and meal timing doesn't matter, as long as you eat in such a way that you are sated(high protein helps this). You can eat right before bed....I promise you'll still lose weight as long as you're at your calorie goal.

OMG.... You are NOT supposed to eat right before bed, but it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with weight-loss. It's about acid reflux. Ask any doctor, really.

Secondly, not ALL calories are created equal. If you want to optimize your health and weight loss, you need to eat nutritious foods, not cake and doughnuts all day. I have nothing against eating treats... I do it all the time. But, everything in moderation.

TheKitsune6

The cake is a lie!