Believe it or not, the answer can be true – at least, according to research with about 200 healthy (non-diabetic) people with excess body fat. The study compared half the subjects, who had a 300-calorie high protein breakfast (egg whites, tuna, cheese, milk), with a second group who ate the same breakfast but followed it with 300 calories of dessert (cake, cookies, chocolates).
The total calories per day were limited to 1,600 for men and 1,400 for the women — but divided into different sized meals. That is, one group of women ate 300 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 600 for dinner, while the other group ate 600 calories for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 300 for dinner.
Four months later, both groups had lost about 30 pounds per person. But in the next four months, when the subjects were in the “maintenance phase” of the study, the 300-calorie-breakfast group regained 22 pounds, while the dessert-with-breakfast group continued to lose, on average, another 15 pounds
The dessert-eaters reported they were less hungry throughout the day. Plus they reported they were better able to resist sweet temptations later in the afternoon. They didn’t crave sweets because they had already satisfied their sweet tooth.
So what does this mean for you, a hungry athlete? It does not mean you should stuff your face with donuts and Danish pastries at breakfast-time! Trans fat and excess junk food is not conducive to optimal health. But it does mean, if you enjoy a sweet treat, you can balance it into your front-of-the-day food plan, accompanying it with a meal balanced with protein and other quality foods. This could offer you weight management benefits over succumbing to an (out-of-control) sweet-treat at night.
Makes sense to me, given the brain has limited energy to make wise food decisions. By the end of the day, low energy can easily overpower your best intentions to eat, let’s say, only one or two cookies …Give it a try?