4 reasons why you need to eat breakfast

Growing up, your mom told you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. She also told you that those sweat pants you wore in 7th grade were cool too, so you don’t know WHAT do believe anymore. That’s where Nerd Fitness comes in. I’m going to give you the low-down on breakfast, and find out if it’s the real deal or if Count Chocula and Tony the Tiger are full of crap.

Nearly everybody I know who is in shape eats breakfast. Nearly everybody I know who is out of shape and overweight doesn’t eat breakfast. Seems counter-intuitive, I know – if somebody is overweight, then skipping one of the three meals a day should help them, right? Wrong, and here’s five reasons why:

1) When you skip breakfast, you end up getting so hungry by the time lunch rolls around that you overeat and often eat unhealthily. If you wake up, and eat a good breakfast, you won’t be so starved by noon and you can think with a clear head, “hmmm, maybe four Big Macs is a bad idea.” People that eat breakfasts are more likely to make more healthy choices throughout the day, because they’re not completely preoccupied all morning with thoughts of food. You’ll also be less likely to reach for the donuts your cubicle neighbor brought to work. Stay away from the bearclaw!

2) Breakfast gives you energy for the morning. You know when you get to your desk in the morning, you’re all Grumpelstilskin and Crankenstein, and by 9:15 you already need to run to Chachski’s for a coffee break? Well, when you eat breakfast, you’ll have more energy, a better attention span, and you won’t “space out” nearly as much. Still feel free to use the side door, however, when you come in 15 minutes late.

3) You’ll be less likely to do something stupid for dinner and late at night. When you skip breakfast, you tend to overeat for lunch and dinner and all that extra food gets stored as fat on your body. You know that old saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper?” Yeah, me neither. But still, I’m pretty sure that is a saying, and there is truth behind it. People who stuff their face right before bed are pretty much sending every one of those calories straight to their *kitten* while sleeping. If you eat a big healthy breakfast, your appetite will be curbed throughout the day and you’ll be far less likely to eat that pint of Chunky Monkey before bed.