There are plenty of ways to work smarter instead of harder, but sometimes it takes a little bit of elbow grease to get the job done. What happens when hard work and smart work come together? Ingenuity and hard work are responsible for things like the ancient Egyptian pyramids, some of which took up to 80 years and 30,000 people to build! Being smart and working hard were also crucial in landing us on the moon, building structures like the Empire State Building, and in curing diseases and improving health.
Although sometimes it might seem easier to fly to the moon, losing weight does not have to be as hard as we sometimes make it. In fact, according to this study at Tel Aviv University, eating dessert with a healthy breakfast is a counterintuitive way to work smarter instead of harder. First, according to the study, your metabolism is most active in the morning, so eating your dessert earlier makes it easier for your body to burn it off. Second, Dr. Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University says that “Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term,” so it is important to indulge at the right time, keeping your body and your mind happy.
What’s even more, in a 32 week-long study, people who ate dessert with their breakfast lost an average of 40 more pounds than the group who avoided sweets entirely, and kept it off more consistently!
So what should you be eating for breakfast? Heidi Baird, Clinical Dietitian at Brigham City Community Hospital, says that an ideal breakfast consists of high fiber and/or protein, which help your body to feel full without stuffing it to the rafters. This could be things like an egg with a whole wheat English muffin and a glass of milk, or a cup of non-fat Greek yogurt and some berries. Protein shakes, oatmeal with walnuts or fruit, and high-fiber cereals with fruit are also good options. She says you want to keep away from things like sugary cereals and donuts as the main course for your breakfast, and aim for 300-600 calories at breakfast. She also points out that eating breakfast is one of several habits of people who successfully lose weight and keep it off.
The key here is that you want your breakfast to be nutritious, delicious, and satisfying, because then you will be less likely to indulge in that tempting piece of cake later in the day.
So have your cake and eat it too, but do it in the morning. Maybe then you will feel a bit smarter, and you can work harder on something else.