Kinesiology professor discusses skipping breakfast before exercise for weight loss

Mike Roberts, an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology in the College of Education commented on a recent article in The New York Times titled, “A Possible Weight Loss Strategy: Skip Breakfast Before Exercise.”

Weight loss explained:

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are classified as being overweight or obese, and this is problematic due to the rise in associated comorbidities, (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hip and knee replacements) as well as the healthcare costs of these conditions. Thus, it’s no surprise that weight loss is a common societal goal from both an aesthetic viewpoint, as well as a cost-savings viewpoint. As the article states, “weight management is, of course, one of the great public – and private – health concerns of our time.”

Generally speaking, there are two ways to effectively lose weight; more specifically lose body fat. The first is to eat less, and the second is to exercise more.

Past research has indicated that while most people have the discipline to lose weight over short-term periods (i.e., days to weeks), only 20 percent of individuals are capable of losing more than 10 pounds and keeping the weight off for over a year.

Losing weight is conceptually easy: modestly cut calories through smaller portion sizes at meal time, substituting water for calorie-containing drinks or limiting the consumption of high-calorie/high-sugar foods. Even better is doing all of the above while increasing your daily activity levels. Think of taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting out of the office for a lunchtime stroll or lacing up your walking shoes for a neighborhood trek after work.

Simply stated, weight loss through dieting can only promote a loss in fat as well as muscle, whereas weight loss through diet and exercise can promote more fat loss while preventing the loss in muscle, resulting in improved overall body composition.

Is skipping breakfast before exercise a better way to lose weight?

The answer is complicated and likely depends upon the person. First, the study discussed in The New York Times article was conducted in younger, fitter and non-obese men, not necessarily the population that’s most ideal for the research question. Second, the study only monitored these men over one day under three different conditions, two of which are relevant for purposes of this discussion: a) exercise after an overnight fast or b) a breakfast of oats and milk (430 calories) followed by exercise. Following both conditions, subjects were allowed to eat ad libitum from a basket of food provided for the remainder of the day.

What’s interesting and newsworthy is that the study’s investigators reported that 60 minutes of exercise on a bicycle after an overnight fast led to a net calorie balance of -400 for the day, while breakfast before the same amount of exercise led to a net calorie balance of 7 for the day. If the overnight fasted and exercise group did this for seven days straight, this arithmetic suggests that they would lose one pound of fat over the week. On the other hand, the breakfast before exercise group would not lose any weight.

Interestingly, exercise on an empty stomach actually reduced food intake later on in the day through post-exercise appetite-suppressive effects. Specifically, participants consumed 393 more calories throughout the day when consuming breakfast before exercise and metabolism was equally elevated over the 24-hour period in both conditions. So, the -400 calorie deficit during the fasted exercise condition was mainly attributed to the reduction in food intake along with the increased metabolic stimulus via exercise.

Based upon the study, is skipping breakfast the best way to lose weight?

Not necessarily. Weight loss is largely an algebraic issue. If you consume the same amount or more calories than you burn, you won’t lose weight. Had the research subjects above exercised on a bike for two hours, they could have eaten breakfast before exercise along with two snacks and two full meals the rest of the day and likely would have still been in a daily calorie deficit.

As the article admits, “this study was small, short-term and involved only fit, young men eating oatmeal for breakfast.”

This is a thought-provoking approach and more studies need to be done on additional, older and overweight subjects, and with different breakfasts, such as eggs or something with a higher protein or fat content.

Whether you try to lose weight by skipping breakfast before working out in the morning is a personal choice, but a time-tested and fail proof method for weight loss is creating a modest calorie deficit by executing healthier eating behaviors on a daily basis, while also exercising consistently several days per week. Maintaining a healthy weight is a lifestyle.