Does skipping breakfast help with weight loss?

Many people, despite persistent dieting and exercise, fail to improve their physique due to incorrect fasting methods, neglecting body fat metrics, or maintaining unscientific lifestyle habits.

According to Taiwan nutritionist Peng Yishan, many individuals attempting to improve their physique often fall into unscientific weight loss traps, leading to stagnation. She offers in-depth analysis to correct common misconceptions.

Peng Yishan notes that many people practicing intermittent fasting mistakenly believe skipping breakfast entirely constitutes proper fasting. However, she advises consuming the first meal of the day before 12 PM to optimize weight loss and fat burning. The expert also recommends against relying solely on scale numbers for results, emphasizing the need to monitor body fat percentage, waist circumference, and muscle mass for a comprehensive view of bodily changes.

Photo illustration: Northwestern Medicine

Regarding diet, she explains that eating only one meal a day might create a calorie deficit for weight loss, but the consequence is that "the weight lost is primarily muscle mass, while excess fat stubbornly persists". During fat loss, protein is a vital nutrient, requiring individuals to maintain a balance between animal and plant-based proteins. Even with foods considered healthy, such as nuts, avocados, or oats, portion control is key, as overconsumption still leads to excess energy.

Alongside dietary habits, exercise and rest routines are also crucial. The expert emphasizes the importance of consistent training, but advises a gradual increase in intensity and frequency to avoid overloading the body. Notably, sleep quality directly impacts the secretion of hormones like ghrelin, leptin, and cortisol. Prolonged sleep deprivation causes hormonal imbalance, hindering energy expenditure.

Instead of setting harsh, discouraging goals, nutritionist Peng Yishan suggests an ideal weight loss trajectory of 0.5 to one kilogram per week, or aiming to reduce 10% of body weight within three months. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint; therefore, persistence and a steady pace are the keys to long-term success.