Cut Me In Half

A recent study at Louisiana State University found that women who had two eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight than women who ate a bagel instead and lost a significant number of inches as well. Does that mean that eggs are going to become the new “it” diet food?

About three weeks ago, I had a consultation with a weight loss specialist. They told me something rather interesting: That eating an egg (yolk and all) for breakfast within 30 minutes of waking actually speeds up weight loss.

The reason? Eggs release slow-acting insulin, which means that you’re burning calories and fat for a full 3 hours. Since eggs are fairly low calorie on their own (65-80 per egg), that means quite a fat burn over the course of 3 hours. Eggs also contain small amounts of cholesterol and fat, which help control junk-food cravings. Eating a hard-boiled egg when you get out of the shower and then eating a modest meal 3 hours later is a good fat-burning plan for the morning hours (and can help prevent you from eating a lot at your desk).

This works best when you’re eating 5-6 modest meals a day, as it boosts the metabolism a great deal and in turn helps you burn fat better. But really you could incorporate this with any diet type as a first-thing-in-the-morning snack.

So a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, a nice mid-day snack, a healthy lunch, an afternoon snack and a reasonable, healthy dinner will make for improved weight loss.

Eggs get a bad rep for having cholesterol and fat in them, but in combination with a healthy diet and a little exercise, they can be a blessing in disguise. And at about 80 calories per large egg, they have half the calories of 1oz. of peanuts and just as much protein. Combine them with a salad, a slice of bread or piece of fruit, and you have the perfect afternoon snack.

–Griffin Boyce