Stop Eating This Popular Meal for Breakfast if You Want to Lose Fat Faster, Metabolic Scientist Says
If you struggle to lose fat and can’t help but wonder why, the culprit could be hiding in your daily breakfast.
Many people roll out of bed and start the day with cereal, bagels, muffins, or something equally sugary and starchy. That’s one of the worst things you can do if your goal is fat loss, according to metabolic scientist Ben Bikman, Ph.D.
After fasting overnight, your insulin levels are naturally low, which allows your body to tap into stored fat for energy. But the moment you eat a high-carb breakfast, insulin spikes, shutting down fat burning and locking you into sugar-burning mode.
“Breakfast is almost just a dessert nowadays all over the world where it is just like pure sugar and starch,” Bikman says. “The last thing you want to do is spike your insulin with a starchy sugary breakfast.”
Related: This Keto Egg Cup Recipe Packs in 50 Grams of Protein at Breakfast
That big insulin spike sets you up for a crash a few hours later. Even if you still have food in your stomach, your brain senses the drop in blood sugar as hunger, which leaves you reaching for more snacks and eating more often throughout the day.
That cycle creates what he calls a “glycemic roller coaster,” pushing people to eat six or seven times a day just to stay satisfied.
The simplest fix?
“Change breakfast, and change it tomorrow,” he advises.
One option is to skip it entirely and just stick to coffee or tea, which won’t break your fasted state. If you do want to eat, keep it low glycemic and avoid sugar and starch, opting instead for protein, healthy fats, and foods like eggs, vegetables, or berries.
The longer you keep insulin low, the more you improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility — your body’s ability to shift between burning carbs and fat efficiently.
Related: This Common Late-Night Habit Is Worse for Sleep Than Blue Light, Metabolic Scientist Says
This story was originally reported by Men’s Fitness on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Fitness as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
