Want to beat the bulge? Start with a much smaller breakfast and you won't eat more later in the day

People who eat small breakfasts do not compensate for it later in the day

Successful dieting involves changes that are too small to make us hungry

If you are watching your waistline, begin with breakfast.



A study found that men and women who ate a small breakfast did not compensate by eating more later in the day. As a result, they cut back on calories.



The European Congress on Obesity heard that weight loss can start with small changes.

Full stomach: Eating a big breakfast is not the best way to lose weight

Researchers from the Medical Research Council’s nutrition centre in Cambridge gave 33 overweight men and women breakfast three times.



One contained normal serving of around 700 calories, another contained the same foods but was 20 per cent smaller. The third, very small, breakfast, was almost half the size of the first.

Later in the morning, the men and women were offered biscuits and then watched as they served themselves lunch.



They also noted down what they ate for the rest of the day.



Snacking: Cutting back at breakfast reduced daily calorie intake by around 270 calories - and the dieters did not catch up on the calories later in the day

This revealed that they didn’t pig out after a small breakfast. Instead, they ate the same amount post-breakfast each time – even when starting the day with a small meal.

As a result, cutting back at breakfast reduced their calorie intake by around 270 calories a day – roughly the equivalent of a Mars Bar.

It is thought that the secret lies in making changes that are too small to make us really hungry.



Without the hunger pangs, we stick to our habits and simply eat our usual amounts later in the day.



Researcher Susan Jebb said: ‘It suggests that small reductions in portion sizes can be a helpful strategy to control weight.



‘Don’t underestimate the impact of small differences, particularly when they are repeated day in, day out.’

Her advice comes as the World Cancer Research Fund launches a campaign to encourage people to cut back on 100 calories a day to reduce their odds of cancer.

This equates to half a small bar of chocolates, a handful of chips or a small banana.