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Whether to front-load or back-load your daily bread is an argument as old as time. We serve up the nutritional stats on which plate to make your focus meal of the day.
Breakfast
Early bird benefits: You can trick yourself into cutting 3 766 kilojoules throughout the day by timing your breakfast immediately after a morning training session, according to the University of Scranton.
Don’t skip it
Ditching breakfast for a lie-in lowers your stocks of the reward chemical dopamine, making an afternoon sugar binge more likely, according to the University of Missouri.
Read more: Why you should chow a cheese steak omelette for breakfast
Weighting game
Stacking 2 900kJ in the morning and limiting your dinners to 800kJ helps you lose 2.5 times more weight than doing the reverse.
Worst culprits
- Diabetes risk
- Not filling
- Energy crash
- Sugary cereal
Endorsements – Joe Wicks
“After I’ve smashed a HIIT session first thing, it’s important I refuel my body correctly with a proper breakfast.”
Read more: The 15 best keto breakfast ideas to power up your morning
Dinner
Supper heroes: You can burn a total of 1 000g of fat in two weeks, while also supporting post-workout muscle growth, all by tucking into a hearty evening meal, according to the University of Munich.
Don’t skip it
According to Psychomatic Medicine, forgoing dinner to cut your kilojoule intake causes a rise in cortisol, not only slowing your metabolism but also disrupting your sleep.
Weighting game
Make dinner your largest meal and you’ll find it easier to maintain muscle while dieting, resulting in a better overall body composition.
Worst culprits
- Microwave curry
- Kilojoule bomb
- Blood pressure spike
- Packaging BPAs
Endorsements – Terry Crews
“Fasting between 22:00 and 14:00 the next day has kept me in truly great shape for the past five years.”
Read more: Make these two changes at dinner to avoid gaining weight
The MH verdict
Breakfast wins! The old proverb rings true. While porridge can’t compete with T-bone for taste, the importance of breakfasting like a king to maintain a healthy weight and set the tone for beneficial decisions throughout the day is incontrovertible. It pays to be a morning person, whichever way you slice it.
This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za
Image credit: iStock
