Does breakfast skipping really help with how to lose weight? With weight loss jabs and intermittent fasting so on trend is a protein breakfast still the most important meal of the day?

While skipping breakfast might seem harmless — or even beneficial for cutting calories — the evidence stacks in favour with consistent breakfast eaters tending to weigh less less than breakfast skippers.

Yes you read that right. Eating breakfast can help you be in better control of your body weight. What’s more, simply making breakfast a consistent daily habit is linked to a 25–30% lower risk of dying early. Anyone here not want to live longer?

‘Oh and it seems being a habitual breakfast eater you can gain better mood, sharper thinking and a reduced risk of dementia too.

So does breakfast skipping really help you lose weight?

Let’s separate the fact from the fiction and take a quick look at some of the evidence when it comes to breakfast skipping…

A study of 5761 Americans tracked over 12 years, found breakfast eaters ate more calories than the breakfast skippers and, on average, had a lower BMI.

In another study 26,902 male American health professionals tracked over 16 years, found breakfast skippers were 15% more likely to have ‘substantial weight gain‘ (at least 5 kg (11 lb) over ten years.A study involving 50,660 Seventh Day Adventists, a group known to be relatively healthy North Americans, aged 30+, found that breakfast eaters had a lower BMI than breakfast skippers.

A 2020 trial of 3,862 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, found that every extra breakfast day per week over 4 years was linked to a 0.43% drop in body weight.

A study of 776 Brazilian‘s with an average age of 33, found breakfast skippers had higher odds of having obesity.

Research shows that women’s hormones respond differently to missed meals compared with men.

Skipping breakfast can disrupt circadian rhythm, elevate stress hormones like cortisol, impair insulin sensitivity, and even affect thyroid health.

Whereas, on the flip side, eating a regular, protein-rich breakfast supports hormone balance, stabilises energy, and can help with weight management.

In this article sharing the science behind breakfast skippers and weight gain we’ll compare skippers with breakfast eaters, explore how breakfast timing affects hormones, find out why protein is just so powerful in the morning and separate fact from fiction when it comes to eating “breakfast like a king”.

Table of Contents

Circadian Rhythm: Your Body Clock and Breakfast

Let’s start with how your body works. Your circadian rhythm is your 24-hour internal body clock that regulates sleep, energy, digestion, and hormones.

Eating breakfast helps “set” this rhythm by signalling to your body that it’s time to start the day.

A 2017 review in Nutrients analysed over 20 studies worldwide and found that breakfast skippers or people who ate irregularly were 38% more likely to be overweight or obese compared with those who ate breakfast consistently [1].

Disrupted meal timing was also linked with higher risk of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

For women, who already experience hormonal fluctuations (menstrual cycles, perimenopause, menopause), regular breakfast helps stabilise the body clock and reduce metabolic stress.

Key Point: Eating in the morning works with your biology.

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What Happens When You Skip Breakfast?

Insulin Spikes Later in the Day

Insulin, also known as the fat storage hormone, helps your body move glucose from the blood into cells for energy. Skipping breakfast makes this process less efficient.

In a study of 22 people with type 2 diabetes, those who skipped breakfast had 36% higher post-lunch blood sugar levels and impaired insulin response, even though daily calorie intake was the same [2]. This effect can increase fat storage and cravings later in the day.

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Cortisol Stays Elevated

Cortisol, your main stress hormone, peaks naturally in the morning to help you wake up. Eating breakfast helps bring it back down. If you skip food, cortisol can remain elevated for hours, encouraging fat storage (especially belly fat).

Research in Psychoneuroendocrinology showed that people with consistently higher cortisol were 15% more likely to develop central obesity [3]. For women under persistent stress, this effect can be even more pronounced as the abdominal region has more cortisol (stress) receptors.

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Thyroid Slows Down

Your thyroid gland controls metabolism, and its hormones are sensitive to meal timing. In fasting conditions, levels of the active thyroid hormone (T3) can fall by up to 30% within 72 hours, while inactive reverse T3 rises [4].

Even shorter-term irregular eating can send “conserve energy” signals, slowing metabolism — something women often notice as fatigue, weight plateaus, or cold hands and feet.

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Consistency is Key

Eating at consistent times stabilises hormones and metabolism. An analysis from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey found that adults with irregular meal patterns had a 22% higher risk of metabolic syndrome compared with those who ate meals consistently [5]. Women also showed stronger links between irregular eating and waist circumference.

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Protein Breakfast: How Do Skippers Eat Less but Gain More

OK, how do breakfast skippers eat less but gain more? The typical argument being breakfast skippers are hungrier later on so tend to snack more and eat more calories overall.

But hang on, that’s not what the data says..

A study of 6,550 American mid-lifers found breakfast skippers consumed 14% fewer calories than breakfast eaters.

This pattern followed for younger people too. A meta-analysis of 38 studies in children/ teens found breakfast skippers actually consumed less calories on a daily basis.

Calorie Quality Vs Calorie Quantity

So if it’s not quantity that matters it’s where you get you calories from that matters.

Where you get your calories from matters just as much how many calories you eat. It seems data shows breakfast skippers may be eating fewer calories, however, skippers tend to eat differently compared to breakfast eaters, typically eating:

• Less complex carbs and more simple carbs
• Less protein
• Less fibre
• Less fruit and vegetables
• More simple carbs
• More soft drinks
• Fewer micronutrients

We know that not all breakfasts are equal -a bowl of sugary cereal or just toast won’t provide the same benefits as a protein-rich meal. Here’s why:

A protein breakfast has the highest thermic effect of food — your body burns 20–30% of protein calories during digestion, compared with 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats [6]. That means protein both fuels and boosts your metabolism.

For women, a high-protein breakfast helps with:

• Blood sugar control: Prevents spikes and crashes.
• Satiety: Keeps you full longer, reducing snacking.
• Hormone production: Amino acids are the building blocks of thyroid hormones, estrogen, and progesterone.
• Mood stability: Protein provides tryptophan, essential for serotonin.

In one study, women who ate a 35g protein breakfast reported 60% fewer late-night cravings and had reduced brain activity in food reward regions, compared with women who ate a low-protein breakfast or skipped it altogether [7].

Let’s not forget fibre. Fibre is a really important nutrient, that’s thankfully making a bit of a come-back. A study of 5761 Americans tracked over 12 years, found breakfast eaters ate more calories than the breakfast skippers and, on average, had a lower BMI. In those calories the breakfast eaters ate more fibre too. Fibre intake intake >25 g/day was associated with 21% reduction in all-cause mortality too.

Practical goal: aim for 20–30g protein breakfast. Non-GMO soy protein powder, tofu scrambles, or Greek yogurt bowls with added soy protein are great options.

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Breakfast Like a King: The Chrono-Nutrition Approach

Chrono-Nutrition is emerging area of science looking at how our circadian body clock system can interact with nutrients to influence bodily functions.

Because it seems there is some substance to the old saying “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.”

However, eating patterns have shifted over the last 50-70 years steering towards later eating times. Nowadays, over one-third of energy intake is being consumed after 6pm ¹.

Not eating in tune with our body can lead to circadian misalignment and hormone and metabolic disarray – and could be playing a part in the rising obesity trend.

Data shows that individuals with obesity tend to eat later in the day, tend to skip breakfast, delay meal timing, and concentrate higher caloric intake at the end of the day.

In a 2013 landmark study, 2 groups of overweight / obese women followed two calorie-matched diets for 12 weeks.

One group ate 700 calories at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 200 at dinner. The other group ate the calories in reverse order.

Results? The breakfast-heavy group:

• Lost 2.5 times more weight (8.7 kg vs. 3.6 kg).
• Had greater reductions in waist circumference.
• Showed significantly better fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity [8].

Key Takeaway: Eating a hearty, protein-rich breakfast may be far more effective for women’s weight loss and hormone health than focusing on dinner.

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Circadian Nutrition: Eating in Sync With Your Body Clock

So switching up meal patterns to front load more calories in tune with the most metabolically friendly part of the day, aka the morning, matters when it comes to weight management.

Multiple studies show that making breakfast (or lunch) the biggest meal of the day can reduce obesity risk by a third.

In that Seventh Day Adventist study, the biggest benefit was seen in people who made breakfast their largest meal of the day.

Despite this most of us do the opposite and work against our biology.

A study of 27911 Americans swapped breakfast and dinner calories and achieved different outcomes.

It found that eating the same foods at dinner rather than breakfast was associated with reduced abdominal fat.

Key takeaway:

• Morning (cortisol peak): Prioritise protein, fibre, and complex carbs for stable energy.
• Midday: Balanced meals sustain performance and focus.
• Evening (melatonin rise): Keep it lighter — protein plus vegetables, fewer heavy carbs — to support sleep and overnight repair.

This approach helps balance hunger hormones, improves sleep, and aligns metabolism with your natural rhythms.

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Practical Protein Breakfast Ideas

• Soy protein smoothie: Fibre enriched soy protein powder (non-GMO), almond milk, spinach, flaxseed, berries.
• Overnight oats: Rolled oats, soy protein, chia seeds, almond butter, blueberries.
• Tofu scramble: With peppers, spinach, avocado, wholegrain toast.
• Greek yogurt bowl: With soy protein, walnuts, and raspberries.

Sources: Protein Benefits / Fastest Weight Loss

1. Almoosawi, S. et al. (2017). Chrono-nutrition: A review of current evidence from observational studies on global trends in time-of-day of energy intake and its association with obesity. Nutrients, 9(12), 1324.
2. Jakubowicz, D. et al. (2015). Fasting until noon triggers increased postprandial hyperglycemia and impaired insulin response after lunch and dinner in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 38(10), 1820–1826.
3. Rimmele, U. et al. (2009). The level of physical activity affects adrenal and cardiovascular reactivity to psychosocial stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(2), 190–198.
4. Boelen, A. et al. (2011). Fasting-induced changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis. Thyroid, 21(8), 879–886.
5. Pot, G. K. et al. (2016). Regularity of meal timing and metabolic health: Evidence from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Frontiers in Nutrition, 3, 30.
6. Westerterp, K. R. (2004). Diet-induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & Metabolism, 1, 5.
7. Leidy, H. J. et al. (2013). The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(4), 727–735.
8. Jakubowicz, D. et al. (2013). High caloric intake at breakfast vs. dinner differentially influences weight loss of overweight and obese women. Obesity, 21(12), 2504–2512.
9. Uzhova, I. et al. (2017). The importance of breakfast in atherosclerosis disease: Insights from the PESA study. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(15), 1833–1842.
10. Breakfast skipping and timing of lunch and dinner: Relationship with BMI and obesity – ScienceDirect
11. Meal Frequency and Timing Are Associated with Changes in Body Mass Index in Adventist Health Study 2 – PMC

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1. Breakfast skipping and timing of lunch and dinner: Relationship with BMI and obesity – ScienceDirect ↩︎