Weight Loss & Diet Plans

'Big Breakfast' Diet Helps Shed Pounds

Big Breakfast Diet continued...

"We know women who don't eat breakfast are more likely to do impulsive, unplanned snacking," she says. "It's no big surprise that having breakfast and having protein is a good thing when it comes to weight loss."

"We know protein will have the biggest effect on the feeling of fullness," she says. "It's always important to have protein at each meal."

But she has some misgivings about both diets, contending that the daily calorie allotment and the carbohydrate intake was too low in both groups. "One hundred thirty grams of carbohydrate are the minimum for our brain to keep working," she says, citing guidelines from the National Academy of Sciences.

To achieve weight loss, she advises eating breakfast every day, including protein at each meal, and also focusing on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

While the participants in the study were all obese, Jakubowicz says she thinks the plan will work for those with less weight to lose, too.

"I think this is the right way of eating, even if you are thin. I think it works for everybody and especially for obesity."