Best Breakfast for Weight Loss
The best breakfast for weight loss is one that fills you up for a moderate number of kilojoules: a wholegrain or high fibre base, a protein food such as eggs, milk, yoghurt or legumes, and some fruit or vegetables. Porridge with fruit, eggs or baked beans on wholemeal toast, and natural yoghurt with berries are all good examples. No breakfast burns fat on its own, and what counts is the energy you take in across the whole day.
This is general information, not medical advice. Outcomes vary between individuals, and a GP or accredited practising dietitian can help you plan meals that suit your health.
On this page
Key Points
A breakfast built from the five food groups, with fibre and some protein, can help you feel fuller for longer.
Five everyday breakfasts are compared below by energy, protein and preparation, with figures worked out from Australia's food composition database.
Skipping breakfast is not a reliable way to lose weight, and eating breakfast does not make you lose weight either. Eat breakfast if you are hungry, and choose it well.
Flavoured oats, juice, dried fruit, pastries and large serves of nuts or spreads can add kilojoules or sugar easily.
Breakfast is one part of a healthy diet. Regular physical activity matters too, and results vary between individuals.
What Makes a Good Breakfast for Weight Loss
A good breakfast gives you nutrients and can help you feel full. Four building blocks help:
A wholegrain or high fibre base. Fibre gives a feeling of fullness with minimal kilojoules. Eat for Health advises including a wholegrain bread or cereal at breakfast, because people who miss it will find it hard to meet their fibre needs for the day.
A protein food. Eggs, milk, yoghurt and legumes such as baked beans all count. A higher protein diet can help you feel fuller for longer.
Fruit or vegetables. Fresh fruit, tomatoes, mushrooms or spinach add fibre and nutrients for relatively few kilojoules.
Little added sugar, fat or salt. Plain oats, cereal and yoghurt let you choose what goes on top.
Our guide on how to lose weight without exercise covers more ways to choose foods that keep you full.
Timing does not change the maths. A croissant's kilojoules are not used any better because you eat it in the morning: they all count towards the day's total. To see how that daily balance works, read what a calorie deficit is.
Five Breakfasts Compared
The table compares five everyday breakfasts, each built from Australian standard serve sizes with no spread, oil or sugar added.
| Breakfast | Energy and protein | Cooking needed |
|---|---|---|
| Porridge with milk and banana | 1,730 kJ (410 cal), 14 g protein | Stovetop or microwave |
| Poached eggs on wholemeal toast with tomato | 1,520 kJ (360 cal), 24 g protein | Saucepan and toaster |
| Baked beans on wholemeal toast | 1,370 kJ (330 cal), 16 g protein | Toaster, warm the beans |
| Wholewheat biscuits with milk and strawberries | 1,110 kJ (260 cal), 13 g protein | None |
| Natural yoghurt with blueberries and almonds | 1,270 kJ (300 cal), 14 g protein | None |
The figures were worked out for this page from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand food composition database (AFCD Release 3), using the amounts listed under each breakfast below. They are arithmetic only, rounded to the nearest 10 kJ and 1 g, and brands, amounts and toppings change them. Calories are kilojoules divided by 4.2. The cereal and yoghurt bowls need no cooking at all.
Five Easy Breakfasts for Weight Loss
Each breakfast below comes from the Better Health Channel's list of healthy breakfast ideas.
1. Porridge With Milk and Banana
Plain rolled oats let you add your own fruit.
Amounts: This bowl uses 1 cup (240 g) of porridge made from rolled oats and water, ½ cup (125 mL) of reduced fat milk and 1 medium banana (150 g). This is 2 grain serves, 1 fruit serve and half a dairy serve, with about 10 g of fibre.
Flavoured instant oat varieties tend to have a lot of added sugar, so choose plain oats and add your own fruit. Overnight oats work the same way: soak rolled oats in milk in the fridge overnight, then add fruit or nuts.
2. Poached Eggs on Wholemeal Toast With Tomato
Poached eggs need no added oil.
Amounts: This plate uses 2 large eggs (120 g), poached, on 2 slices (80 g) of wholemeal bread, with 1 medium tomato. This is 1 protein serve, 2 grain serves and 1 vegetable serve, with about 6 g of fibre.
This breakfast has the most protein of the five. Mushrooms or spinach on the side are a lower kilojoule way to add vegetables.
3. Baked Beans on Wholemeal Toast
Choose reduced salt or no added salt baked beans.
Amounts: This plate uses 150 g of baked beans in tomato sauce on 2 slices (80 g) of wholemeal bread. The beans are 1 cup of legumes, a full serve from the protein food group, and the bread is 2 grain serves. Together they give about 13 g of fibre, the most of the five.
Legumes count in both the vegetable and the protein food groups. No added salt baked beans on toast also make a good light lunch.
4. Wholewheat Biscuits With Milk and Strawberries
A wholegrain cereal with fruit on top needs no added sugar.
Amounts: This bowl uses 30 g of wholewheat breakfast biscuits, 1 cup (250 mL) of reduced fat milk and 150 g of strawberries. This is 1 grain serve, 1 dairy serve and 1 fruit serve, with about 7 g of fibre.
This is the lowest energy breakfast of the five, and it needs no cooking. Untoasted muesli or bran cereal with milk and fruit fits the same pattern.
5. Natural Yoghurt With Blueberries and Almonds
Fruit adds sweetness and a few nuts add crunch.
Amounts: This bowl uses ¾ cup (200 g) of natural yoghurt (regular fat), 150 g of blueberries and 15 g of raw almonds, which is half a standard 30 g serve of nuts. This is 1 dairy serve and 1 fruit serve, with about 6 g of fibre.
Nuts are high in nutrients but also high in kilojoules, so keep the portion small if you are trying to lose weight. The 15 g of almonds adds about 360 kJ on its own, more than the blueberries.
Should You Skip Breakfast to Lose Weight?
Skipping breakfast is not a reliable way to lose weight, and eating breakfast does not make you lose weight either. The Better Health Channel still recommends a healthy breakfast and suggests trying not to skip it, while the trial researchers below say people should not be encouraged to eat breakfast if they do not want to.
The trial evidence. A Monash University review of 13 randomised controlled trials, published in The BMJ, found that people who ate breakfast gained on average 0.44 kg more than those who did not, and took in about 1,090 kJ (260 calories) more.
The observational evidence. People who regularly eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, and they generally have healthier diets and are less likely to be hungry for snacks during the day (Better Health Channel). Those studies show a link, not a cause: the Monash researchers note that breakfast eaters' wider lifestyle and food choices likely contributed to their healthier weight.
Skipping meals. Skipping meals can leave you tired and more likely to overeat later, and over the long term it is unlikely to help with weight loss.
In practice, eat breakfast if you are hungry in the morning, and choose one of the options above. If you are not hungry, there is no need to force it: make up the nutrients at lunch, dinner and in healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit, yoghurt or a wholemeal sandwich. Fasting diets generally lead to similar weight loss as other ways of reducing kilojoules.
Breakfast When You Are Short on Time
Not having enough time is a common reason for skipping breakfast. A few habits help:
Prepare ahead. Make overnight oats the night before, or healthy muffins or zucchini slice on the weekend.
Keep breakfast foods at work, if your workplace allows it.
Set your alarm 10 to 15 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat at home.
Move breakfast to morning tea. If food does not appeal first thing, take a no-cooking option with you, or try a smaller evening meal, earlier.
Breakfast Foods to Watch
Some breakfast foods add kilojoules or sugar easily:
Flavoured cereals and oats. Compare cereals using the sugar per 100 g on the label: a cereal with 5 g of sugar per 100 g is the lower sugar choice next to one with 10 g. The Health Star Rating also helps you compare one breakfast cereal with another.
Fruit juice and dried fruit. These count as a serve of fruit only occasionally, and dried fruit is high in kilojoules if you are trying to lose weight.
Spreads. Keep spreads to a couple of teaspoons, such as hummus or a 100% nut paste, or a thin scrape of unsaturated margarine.
Pastries and processed meats. Croissants, other pastries and bacon are discretionary foods, which are high in kilojoules and low in fibre and nutrients.
Breakfast smoothies made from fresh fruit or vegetables, natural yoghurt and milk are another healthy option.
Breakfast Is One Part of a Healthy Diet
Breakfast is one meal in a healthy diet across the whole day. To set a daily target, see how many calories a day to lose weight and working out your macros for weight loss. Our guide on how to lose weight shows the daily serves for adults.
Food and physical activity work best together. Changing the way you eat while becoming more active is the best long-term approach, and regular exercise is critical for success over the long term. Australia's physical activity guidelines recommend moderate to vigorous activity for 30 minutes or more on most days, and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week. For ideas on moving more each day, see how many steps a day to lose weight.
When to Get Help
An accredited practising dietitian can give you eating advice tailored to your health and lifestyle, and a GP can talk with you about your diet, exercise and a referral to a dietitian.
For some adults with obesity or weight-related health conditions, a doctor or nurse practitioner may discuss medical weight loss treatment as an option. Weight loss medication should be used while you reduce your kilojoule intake and increase your physical activity, and it has side effects and can be harmful for some people. Whether any treatment fits is for a registered healthcare practitioner to decide after an individual assessment, and outcomes vary between individuals. To learn more, see how medical weight loss programs work.
A better morning meal is one part of the picture, and where overall weight loss still stalls, Burst Health provides medical weight loss plans online, reviewed by an Australian-registered doctor or nurse practitioner: check whether you are eligible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a breakfast that burns fat?
No. No breakfast food burns fat, and there are no magical foods or food combinations that make you lose weight. A filling breakfast may help you avoid getting really hungry, so you are less likely to grab high energy foods. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer kilojoules than your body uses, and results vary between individuals.
What is the best breakfast for belly fat?
No breakfast targets belly fat, because you cannot choose where on the body weight comes off. Belly fat can reduce as part of overall weight loss, through a healthy diet and regular physical activity. A high fibre breakfast with some protein is a good start. See our guides on how to lose belly fat and what visceral fat is.
How many eggs can you eat for breakfast?
Two large eggs make one standard serve from the protein food group. Eggs have a neutral effect on heart disease risk, and the Heart Foundation suggests including them in smaller amounts alongside other protein foods. People with high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or existing heart disease are advised to eat no more than 7 eggs a week.
Is cereal a good breakfast for weight loss?
It can be, if you choose well. Wholegrain cereals such as untoasted muesli, bran cereals or wholewheat biscuits, with milk or natural yoghurt and fresh fruit, are a healthy breakfast. Compare cereals by the sugar per 100 g and the Health Star Rating, and measure your serve: a standard serve of wheat cereal flakes is ⅔ cup (30 g).
How big should breakfast be when you are trying to lose weight?
Australian dietary advice sets serves for the whole day, to spread across meals and snacks. As a guide, Eat for Health's sample meal plans for adults aged 19 to 50 of a healthy weight include breakfasts of 2 grain serves plus dairy or vegetable serves. Needs vary between individuals.
Medical weight loss plans, online
In three steps.
- 1Answer a quick questionnaireOnline, no appointment, no in-person visit.
- 2A practitioner reviews itAn Australian-registered doctor or nurse practitioner decides whether treatment is suitable for you.
- 3Start your planIf treatment is suitable, you start your plan with the practitioner supporting you throughout.
References
Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). Weight loss: common myths.
Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). Weight management services.
Monash University (Monash Lens). Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Wrong.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3.
Eat for Health (NHMRC). Discretionary food and drink choices.
University of Sydney. Spot reduction: why targeting weight loss to a specific area is a myth.
This article is general information only and does not replace individual medical advice. Please speak with a registered Australian healthcare practitioner about your own circumstances.