Are you eating breakfast?

This is one of the first questions I'll ask a client when they tell me they're struggling with weight loss. And the answers to this question will tell me a lot about this person's commitment or strategy to weight loss. Here are some of the answers I get:

• "No, I don't have time."
• "I'm not hungry in the morning."
• "Yeah, I had some Frosted Flakes and a banana."

All lousy answers.

Lousy Answer #1. Everyone has time to get breakfast ready in the morning. How much time does it take out of your morning? Maybe 10-15 minutes. This shows lack of commitment to a good nutritional plan. If you can not take that extra time to get your first and probably most important meal of the day in, what leads me to believe that you're eating good the rest of the day. It's breakfast, not a five course meal. It doesn't take that long to prepare.

Lousy Answer #2. It's not about whether you're hungry or not. It's about getting the wheels in motion for a good day of eating. A well balanced breakfast will help control blood sugar levels and help stave off late day food binges. Plus, your body has just gone on an overnight, catabolic fast. It wants some fuel to get the day started and get that metabolism revved up.

Lousy Answer #3. Get rid of the breakfast cereal. They are all the same, whether it's a sugar coma inducing junk cereal or a "healthy" cereal. Every meal or feeding should include some protein to help speed up your metabolism and balance your blood sugar levels. I remember falling asleep in my 8am geometry class every morning and it wasn't from lack of sleep. It was from that whopping bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And it wouldn't have mattered if I was eating Raisin Bran, because that to doesn't contain any protein. Some good alternatives are: eggs, yogurt, oatmeal or a smoothie. Throw a little protein powder in there also and now you have a good breakfast.

No more excuses and no more lousy answers. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat breakfast. And more importantly you have to eat the right breakfast. So make time, forget about being hungry and get the foods on your shelves. Then make a commitment to your strategy.