A new study from researchers in Tel Aviv University’s Wolfson Medical Center in Israel found that starting your morning with a high-protein, high-carb breakfast can help you lose weight and keep it off. The University of Wolfson Medical Center followed the lives of 193 obese men and woman who live sedentary lifestyles (little to no physical activity).  The average age was 47 and the average body mass index (BMI) was 32.2, which is 2.2 over the obesity threshold of 30.  The men were instructed to consume 1,600 calories per day and the women were instructed to consume 1,400 calories per day.  The study split the group into two sections, the first group ate a high-protein, high-carb breakfast consisting of 600 calories and the second group ate a low-crab breakfast consist of 304 calories.  

After four months, the study found that both groups lost about an average of 33 pounds.  Over the next four months, the low-carb diet group regained an average of 22 pounds while the high-carb, high-protein diet group lost an additional 15 pounds on average.  Researchers speculate that this is because diet-related weight loss can reduce the suppression of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, causing a rise in appetite and cravings.  The surgery content in the high-protein, high carb breakfast may allow ghrelin levels to remain low, causing the high-carb, high-protein group to consume fewer calories during lunch and dinner. 

While these results are encouraging, there are nutritionists who are not ready to support this study’s findings.   "A combination of protein and carbohydrates may have kept these study volunteers satisfied, but you have to pay attention to the quality of foods you're eating, too," said clinical nutritionist Lauren Graf at Montefiore Medical Center, in New York City. "You don't want to encourage people to eat a lot of foods with trans fats, like doughnuts, cookies and cakes.”  It is probably unhealthy to gorge on sugary snacks every morning, but perhaps having a sugary snack with your eggs once or twice a week may be better for you than you think.