How Eating Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight

Why? Many people postpone the first meal of the day as long as possible because they're convinced that once they start eating, they can't stop. "The reason they can't stop once they get going isn't that they've eaten but what they've eaten," Reardon says. "If you just grab a bagel or a piece of fruit, it's a simple carb that's burned quickly, and you're soon ravenous with a need to feed a glucose low." This sets you up for a roller-coaster of blood-sugar highs and lows all day.

By eating a more complex breakfast soon after you get up, however, your body actually remains sated longer -- and you'll ultimately eat less.

How? Break your overnight fast within an hour of awakening with a balance of four items: a slow-burning whole grain (oatmeal, muesli, whole-grain English muffin, whole-grain cereal), some protein (yogurt, low-fat milk, tofu with scrambled eggs, nut butter, fish, lean meat), healthy fat (almond butter, cashew butter, nuts, ground flaxseed, canola oil -- found in some cereals), and a fruit/vegetable (raisins, frozen berries, grapefruit half, grilled vegetables, banana).

Avoid two food categories that contain most "classic" American breakfast foods:

• Simple carbs (frozen waffle, pastry, muffins, sugary cereal, pancakes made with white flour, breakfast bars)

• Fatty foods high in saturated fats (fried eggs and bacon, cheesy omelets, bagels with cream cheese, fast-food breakfast sandwiches)

Tip: For an easy, sustaining, one-bowl solution, microwave plain oatmeal (not flavored) and low-fat milk with walnuts or almonds and dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.). Add ground flaxseed and top with fresh berries, a little cinnamon, and you're good to go. Even better: Make a batch to get you through a few days; refrigerate and heat up individual servings day by day.