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Friday Favorites: Is Breakfast the Most Important Meal for Weight Loss or Should It Be Skipped?

Is the link between breakfast skipping and obesity cause-and-effect? Breakthroughs in the field of chronobiology—the study of our circadian rhythms—help solve the mystery of the missing morning calories in breakfast studies.

*Spoiler Alert* Ironically, breakfast may indeed be the most important meal for weight loss based on chronobiology, the effects of our circadian rhythms. While we’re on the topic, Which Is a Better Breakfast: Cereal or Oatmeal? ( ). Find out by watching the video!

Did I pique your interest in chronobiology? If so, you’re in luck:
• Chronobiology – How Circadian Rhythms Can Control Your Health and Weight ( )
• Eat More Calories in the Morning to Lose Weight ( )
• Breakfast Like a King, Lunch Like a Prince, Dinner Like a Pauper ( )
• Eat More Calories in the Morning than the Evening ( )
• How Circadian Rhythms Affect Blood Sugar Levels ( )
• How to Sync Your Central Circadian Clock to Your Peripheral Clocks ( )

And for some breakfast inspiration, check out A Better Breakfast ( ), Dr. Greger in the Kitchen: Groatnola ( ), and my recipe videos for a vegetable smoothie ( ) and a grain bowl ( ) from The How Not to Die Cookbook ( ).

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Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.

Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at . You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics.

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

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Leroy Johnson
 

  • @Ellfman says:

    I did time restricted OMAD with whole food plant based. I lost 50lbs, kept it off, and haven’t been ill in 15 years. That’s right, no pharma (OTC or prescribed), no vaccines, no COVID.
    Thank you Dr Greger and Dr Rhonda Patrick. Between both of you, I have improved my health and stumped doctors.

    • @user-bv7mk8id5t says:

      What does vaccines have to do with anything!? Been veg head and vegan for 30 yrs, I wasn’t ever sick until my 40’s, had cancer. It was early and very treatable, didn’t need chemo or radiation, but I had it! I am now on a treatment for 5yrs. Vegan or pb doesn’t mean you won’t ever get sick. It may help but it doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. We should still go to the doctors and get blood checked and whatever else needed. I was early because I never skipped my annual doc appt. Oh and there was a few supposedly very healthy pb social media YouTubers or whatever who ended up getting ill, I believe with cancer. We are not immortal. Best 🌱

    • @ryandavid4906 says:

      He’s saying despite not having vaccines his immunity is v healthy

    • @356h7 says:

      excellent, nice to hear people doing good things 🙂
      big thumb up for no vaccines, we have enough drug use ingrained in our culture.

  • @yuckysmuck says:

    Having a bigger breakfast never fails to keep me satiated the rest of the day, yet I’m still trying to get over that mental hurdle of “What if I don’t have enough for later?” even though that never turns out to be the case lol. Thanks Dr. Greger!!

  • @androz38 says:

    Great video doc

  • @damikey85 says:

    I believe in IF from 12-8 Monday through Saturday. On Sunday I eat at random times. And something about breakfast lol. I love breakfast

  • @ryandavid4906 says:

    So should my 4 mile morning walk continue to be fasted? I guess the correct thing to do would be to fast for the 4 mile walk, eat lunch, and make dinner fewer calories than lunch

  • @jaivasanth1982 says:

    Why does dr Michael Gregor always have a small commercial break style segway in all these videos? Are these being aired on tv?

    • @joannmoon949 says:

      I think it is because this is aired as a podcast

    • @dianeladico1769 says:

      This is a compilation of two previously published videos, hence ‘Friday Favorites’. The ‘segue’ is where Dr. Greger’s staff edited out the intro and outro when making it into one video.

  • @bubblybull2463 says:

    Weigh loss is only important in overweight people while skipping breakfast benefits all people regarding their health!

    It’s not just about calories, it’s what type of food you eat. Most people eat breakfasts which are either too sweet or too fat, sometimes both.

    Skipping these type of breakfast will maje sure that their insulin levels stay low for a longer period of time than just during the night. This in turn will help their cells regulate their insulin response and prevent the body from developing chronic inflammations and metabolic disorders, such as diabetis..!

    Skipping breakfast is the best way to regain control of your body and improve your help.
    And once you achieve it, skip the evening meal too and see how refreshed you wake up in the morning.

    We’re not meant to be eating so much. Especially with our modern ways of life…

  • @andrewpawley8883 says:

    I love this channel!

  • @karenseale9372 says:

    Another good video. Thank you, Dr. Gregor. And I might add, you are looking particularly dapper today in the blue shirt and the blue tie.

  • @sw6118 says:

    700 calories before 11 a.m.? That’s a lot!

  • @zk4761 says:

    He confused me because he’s great at sarcasm. So intermittent fasting is bad and we shouldn’t skip breakfast? Or should we have breakfast and skip dinner when we fast?

  • @manofconstantsorrow says:

    Ir’s a logical fallacy. It’s like saying that If you skip drinking alcohol you’re more likely to devolop drinking problem than heavy drinkers. You wanna lose weight you eat less. It’s the simpliest thing.

  • @zk4761 says:

    Wouldn’t the issue of sluggishness lack of activity go away if you exercise in the morning while skipping breakfast?

  • @relaxgood5214 says:

    I make overnight oats every evening with plant milk 5 different fruits and berries and 4 different seeds and it works for me. I forgot to mention that I wash it down with a cup of organic coffee.

  • @komalthecoolk says:

    I spend almost 6 years skipping breakfast and felt fine. But since I started listening to Circadian rhythm and longevity experts like Dr Sachin Panda, I moved my meal timings earlier during the day because of the various health benefits he talks about. It’s still taking some effort to getting used to this meal timing but every good project takes effort.

  • @scrollop says:

    Can you give more information on circadian rhythm food intake and how this affects calories? Dr Huberman did a video on this but your perspective would be enlightening.

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