Put away the grapefruit, the oatmeal, the bran muffin.
Put away the grapefruit, the oatmeal, the bran muffin. The breakfast that’ll likely help you lose weight might surprise you: desserts.
The March 10 issue of the journal Steroids looked at a study where scientists put 144 obese people, 20 to 65 years old, on two low-carb diets, totaling 1,400 calories for women and 1,600 for men. The two diets were identical except one included a high-carborhydrate, protein-enriched breakfast, The New York Times reported. The choices: cookies, chocolate, cake or ice cream.
For the first 16 weeks, both groups averaged 32 pounds in weight loss. But 16 weeks later, the follow up found people on the dessert-breakfast diet lost an additional 13 pounds. The other group didn’t fare so well, gaining all but 3.5 pounds they lost.
Those on the dessert regimen maintained lower levels of ghrelin and reported significantly higher levels of fullness. “Most people simply regain weight, no matter what diet they are on,” said the lead author, Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University. “But if you eat what you like, you decrease cravings. The cake — a small piece — is important.”
Forget about the South Beach or paleo “caveman” diet. This regimen is one you might actually stick to. Why wouldn’t you want to?
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