Are you about sick of people telling you that you MUST eat breakfast? When there's nothing you'd less like to do? You just can't stomach food in the morning. It makes you feel nauseous or you just plain have no appetite. I bet most people you've spoken to on the topic have ignored this and just blasted you with all the reasons.
'Breaky will kick-start your metabolism'
'It will stop you cravings junk food later in the day'
'It will give you energy and focus to perform better throughout the day'
'You should eat breakfast like a king, etc, etc, etc...'
Here's the truth about how much it really affects your health and weight, and what you can do about it.
The bad news? If you thought I was going to reassure you that you don't need breaky, you're wrong. Here's a nice little piece of info for you: over the past eight years I've trained well over 200 people one on one for different periods of time. Roughly 30% of them weren't eating breaky when we started.
None of them lost the weight they wanted to until they ate breakfast.
This post isn't about weight loss. But it is food for thought. So the truth is that all those annoying folks are pretty much on target. Here's what I bet you (or they) didn't know though.
Improving your metabolism, health or energy is not quite as simple as forcing food down. First, it helps to understand why you can't stomach food.
Here are the facts:
No appetite or no desire for food in the morning is a sign of excess cortisol (stress hormone) in your body. What this means is that your body is holding so much stress that it was not able to recover effectively throughout the night. Your hectic or stress-driven lifestyle - or just too many coffees - has charged you up so well throughout the day that your body was unable to release 'winding down' hormones at night.
The result?
Your sleep rhythms are out of whack baby.
Here's what should happened: when daylight hits your peepers your body should be well rested and able to release a NEW bout of stress hormones. In a good way - to get you going for the day. A natural outcome of this would be a healthy appetite.
I'm guessing that if you're in the no-breaky club, then you're also someone who starts the day feeling a little slow. Well, no wonder! What goes up must come down, and if the down part didn't happen for you during the night then it's no surprise that a coffee or juice appeals more than real food the next morning.
The answer is plain and simple: you need to de-stress. The fact that you don't want breaky is simply a symptom of a bigger problem. Literally - because too much cortisol causes your body to store fat. As fast as possible. There's no escape.
Here's what you can do:
1. Cut the caffeine after 12pm. No excuses.
2. Avoid alcohol and sugars after dinner. A glass of red before or with dinner is fine.
3. Reflect. Sick of being on fast-forward all the time? Schedule 15 minutes in your day to do nothing. (This doesn't mean check Facebook or text friends. NOTHING).
4. Download a free energizing soundtrack from Pzizz.com. Put it on your iPod and listen to it on the way in to work, or on the way home. Much better than blasting your nervous system with pop music. You might enjoy it, but it won't relax the inner you.
5. Schedule a treat for yourself. Even if it's a month away, a massage appointment or even a movie date with a friend can be something to look forward to and help you smile in the midst of the flurry of life.
And finally? Well, I'm sure you already guessed - eat something in the morning. Try a piece of fruit with a boiled egg, or even some plain toast to start. But you sure aren't giving your body a chance if you don't provide it with a little equipment.
To learn more about your body and your individualised nutrition needs, contact me at the email below for a FREE 15 minute phone consultation. 15% discount applies to all new clients for the months of November and December. The New Year starts now!