Embarking on a weight loss regime is a daunting prospect for many people. All too often the first meal to go by the wayside is breakfast. It's a pattern that's repeated time and again by both "first-timers" and "experienced" dieters alike. Monday morning arrives and so begins a new diet. With the best of intentions you skip breakfast, believing this will give you a head start at eliminating unwanted pounds.



Unfortunately, it's the downfall of many weight watchers. The problem with this method of jump starting a diet is that by mid morning your sugar levels have fallen. This has the effect of making you crave a sugar fix and reaching for the most convenient snack, often something high in fat and sugar, such as a biscuit or chocolate bar.

Breakfast is described as the most important meal of the day because quite simply, it means you're breaking your overnight fast. It's usually the longest time your stomach has been without food and therefore, it's important to refuel yourself with energy to begin your day. A good breakfast helps keep you going until lunchtime and curbs tendencies to snack.

A busy lifestyle shouldn't be used as an excuse for skipping breakfast either. Always try making time for breakfast, even if it means eating it on the way to work. A sensible, healthy breakfast not only provides you with important nutrients, it actually helps boosts your metabolism into burning off calories faster and more efficiently. Missing breakfast can leave you feeling lethargic and unable to function at your best either physically or mentally.

Numerous research studies have shown that those who regularly begin their day with breakfast then go on to eat less throughout the rest of the day. Not only that, they are generally less stressed, have a healthier heart, live longer and most noticeably, are slimmer than those not eating first thing in the morning.

Recently, researchers from the Hospital de Clinicas in Venezuela, undertook an 8-month study into the breakfast habits of 100 obese young women in order to find out whether there was any direct link between breakfast size and weight loss.

All the women were put on a low calorie, low carbohydrate diet with half of them consuming 50% of their daily calorie intake at breakfast.

Initially the small breakfasters lost marginally more weight than the large feasters. However, after the 8-month study, the large breakfasters had lost more than 21% of their body weight compared with only 4.5% for the small breakfasters.

Interestingly, those eating the smaller breakfasts had regained an average of 18lb whereas the large breakfasters carried on losing weight. The big breakfasters also reported feeling less hungry with fewer cravings for starchy foods throughout the morning.

This led to the conclusion that by consuming around half your daily calorie intake at breakfast not only helps you lose weight, you're less likely to pile the pounds back on.

The healthiest breakfasts include a mix of high-fiber carbohydrates and protein. In particular, try including foods with a low GI (Glycaemic Index). Low GI foods release glucose slowly into your blood stream keeping your energy levels constant and you'll feel fuller between meals. Foods such as oats, bran based cereals, stonegound whole wheat bread, low fat yogurt and milk all have a low GI as do most high-fiber foods.

If you think breakfast is boring, think again. It doesn't have to mean eating the same old cereal or grabbing a slice of toast. Try eating a different breakfast every day so it's something you look forward to.

Some of the following breakfasts could help get you off to a good start in the morning:

• A bowl of porridge with sliced banana and honey;
• Low fat yogurt with sliced fresh fruit and sprinkled with un-sweetened muesli;
• Whole wheat toast, boiled, poached or scrambled egg, orange juice;
• Smoothie - blend low fat yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, banana and add 1 tsp of wheatgerm;
• High fiber bran cereal, unsweetened fruit juice (apple juice has a low GI);
• Grilled tomatoes and mushrooms on whole wheat toast, fruit juice;
• Half a chopped mango with low fat yogurt, sprinkled with All Bran;
• Mixed dried fruit soaked overnight in cranberry juice with a cinnamon stick. Serve with low fat yogurt;
• Grill a banana with a teaspoon of brown sugar. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve with 0% fat Greek yogurt;
• Oatcakes with smoked salmon and low fat cream cheese.

If you're in a hurry for work, grab a banana and a pot of yogurt and take them with you. And if you need a caffeine fix in the morning, there's good news here. Nutritionists claim 3 to 4 cups of tea or coffee a day aren't unhealthy.

There's no harm in enjoying the occasional breakfast of waffles with maple syrup if that's what you fancy. Even a cooked breakfast of bacon, sausages and eggs can be enjoyed in moderation, but grill rather than fry the ingredients.

So if you're trying to lose weight, don't make the mistake of skipping breakfast to save on calories. A healthy, balanced breakfast will not only help you achieve a steady weight loss, it can help prevent piling the pounds back on again. You'll feel healthier, more energetic and your body will thank you for it.