Breakfast for weight loss: should you eat it, and what keeps you full until lunch?
Key takeaways
- Breakfast is optional; if you eat it, aim for about 250–400 kcal with 15–30 g of protein
- Breakfast can be about 20–25% of your day, such as 300–375 kcal on a 1,500 kcal day
- Skip sweet iced coffee and filled pastries, which are high in calories but low in protein
Breakfast for weight loss is optional. A 2019 review of studies in the BMJ found that adding breakfast did not help people lose weight. What matters is your total calories for the day. If you do eat breakfast, aim for about 250–400 kcal with 15–30 g of protein, such as 2 boiled eggs with a ladle of brown rice and some fruit, and skip sweet iced coffee and filled pastries, which are high in calories but low in protein.
In this guide (6 sections)
Should you eat breakfast when you are trying to lose weight?
You do not have to force it. If you are not hungry in the morning, you can skip it. If you are hungry, eating is better than overeating later in the morning. Choose what fits your routine.
A review of 13 randomised trials by Sievert and colleagues, published in the BMJ in 2019, found that:
- People told to eat breakfast ate about 260 kcal more over the whole day than those told to skip it
- People who skipped breakfast weighed slightly less, by about 0.44 kg
- Most of the trials were short and of low quality, so the authors concluded cautiously that adding breakfast may not be a good way to lose weight
In short, breakfast does not make you lose weight by itself. If you eat it, count it in your daily calories and make it filling enough that you do not need snacks mid-morning.
If you have diabetes, take regular medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not skip meals or cut calories without talking to a doctor or dietitian first.
What makes a good breakfast for weight loss?
A breakfast that keeps you full has protein, a sensible amount of carbs, and fruit or vegetables, and about 20–25% of your day's calories. Find your daily number with our TDEE calculator (the page is in Thai).
| Daily total | Breakfast (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1,200 kcal | 240–300 kcal |
| 1,500 kcal | 300–375 kcal |
| 1,800 kcal | 360–450 kcal |
- Protein: eggs, plain milk, unsweetened yogurt, tofu or lean meat. A 2015 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Leidy and colleagues) uses about 25–30 g per meal for fullness
- Sensible carbs: 1–2 Thai rice ladles (thappi) of rice, oats, wholewheat bread or sweet potato
- Whole fruit: 1 serving, instead of juice
- Unsweetened drinks: water, tea or coffee without sugar, or plain milk
5-minute breakfasts for weight loss you can make at home
You can make these in 5 minutes if you prepare a few things ahead, such as boiling a batch of eggs. Hard-boiled eggs keep for about 1 week in the fridge, according to the US government's FoodSafety.gov.
| Breakfast | Energy (approx.) | Protein (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 boiled eggs + 1 ladle of brown rice + half a medium guava | 300 kcal | 15 g |
| 40 g oats cooked in 240 ml skim milk + 1 small Thai banana | 300 kcal | 13 g |
| 200 g fat-free Greek yogurt + 6–8 bite-size pieces of ripe papaya + 20 g oats | 255 kcal | 23 g |
| 2 slices wholewheat bread + 2 boiled eggs + 240 ml skim milk | 405 kcal | 25 g |
| 240 ml skim milk + 2 boiled eggs + 1 small Thai banana (easy to eat on the way) | 305 kcal | 21 g |
Freezer breakfasts: heat and eat
On mornings with no time at all, a frozen dish that already shows its calories helps a lot. Heat it until hot all the way through and eat it with 1 ladle of rice for a high-protein breakfast. Here are some non-spicy CleanFit dishes:
| Dish (no rice) | Dish only | With 1 ladle of rice |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled Chicken with Garlic Sauce | 160 kcal / 32 g protein | 240 kcal / 34 g protein |
| Ok Kai Pha-Lo | 150 kcal / 30 g protein | 230 kcal / 32 g protein |
| Minced Chicken Black Pepper and Garlic Sauce | 160 kcal / 27 g protein | 240 kcal / 29 g protein |
| Stir-fried Pumpkin with Minced Chicken | 160 kcal / 26 g protein | 240 kcal / 28 g protein |
| Miso Soup with Tender Chicken | 100 kcal / 20 g protein | 180 kcal / 22 g protein |
To make mornings faster, move tomorrow's meal from the freezer to the normal fridge compartment the night before. Once moved, eat it within 5–7 days. In the freezer it keeps for 120 days. For safe thawing and reheating, read frozen meal prep: how to store, thaw and reheat.
Breakfast traps that stall weight loss
Many breakfasts look light but are high in calories and low in protein, which makes it easy to go over your target for the day.
- Thai iced coffee, iced tea and milk tea made with sugar and sweetened condensed milk. One teaspoon of sugar (about 4 g) has 16 kcal according to USDA FoodData Central, and Thailand's Department of Health recommends no more than 6 teaspoons a day. Ordering less sweet (wan noi) or unsweetened (mai wan) helps a lot
- Filled sweet buns, croissants and cake, which are mostly flour, butter and sugar, with little protein
- Pa thong ko with sweetened soy milk, fried dough with a sweet drink. Try unsweetened soy milk with a boiled egg instead
- Grilled pork skewers with sticky rice (moo ping). The pork is marinated sweet and can be fatty, and the sticky rice portion is often large. If you have it, pick leaner skewers and a small bag of rice
- Juice instead of fruit. The WHO counts the sugar in fruit juice as free sugar, which should stay below 10% of your daily energy
- Sweetened cereal or granola. Check the sugar per serving on the label before you buy
You do not have to give up what you like. Have it on some days only, or pair it with eggs and fruit, and it becomes much easier to manage.
No time in the morning? How to prepare a week of breakfasts
- On the weekend, boil 6–10 eggs, keep them in the fridge and eat them within 1 week
- Portion oats into bags of 40 g, ready to cook with milk
- Buy easy-to-peel fruit, such as small Thai bananas or guava, for the whole week
- Keep frozen dishes in the freezer, and the night before, move tomorrow's meal to the fridge
- Plan breakfast together with lunch and dinner so your whole day stays within target. For an example, see the 7-day weight loss meal plan
If you want ready-to-heat dishes in your freezer, CleanFit has 38 dishes, each showing calories and protein, without rice. Website packs start at 21 meals. For the rules of choosing food for the whole day, read weight loss food, and for the evening, see weight loss dinner. Every dish is made with no cooking oil, no MSG, no added sugar and no preservatives, is Thai FDA approved, and has lab-tested nutrition.
Frequently asked questions
I am not hungry in the morning. Should I force myself to eat?
No. Wait until you are hungry for your first meal. Just keep your calories for the day within your target, and make sure that first meal has enough protein.
Can I have black coffee instead of breakfast?
Yes, if you are not hungry. Black coffee without sugar has almost no calories, but it has no protein either. If you get very hungry later in the morning, add a boiled egg or a glass of plain milk.
How many calories should a weight loss breakfast have?
About 20–25% of your day. For example, on 1,500 kcal a day, breakfast is about 300–375 kcal. Work out your daily number with our calculator (in Thai).
Can I eat rice for breakfast while losing weight?
Yes. One ladle of rice has about 80 kcal. Eat it with eggs or a dish that has protein, rather than with fried or sweet side dishes.
Can I eat frozen meals for breakfast?
Yes. Heat them until hot all the way through. If you move the meal to the fridge the night before, it heats faster in the morning. Non-spicy dishes are usually easier first thing in the day.
Written by the CleanFit teamCalories and protein for each CleanFit dish come from our ordering system. Figures for other foods cite the sources named in the guide.
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