Long‐Term Weight Loss and Breakfast in Subjects in the National Weight Control Registry

OBJECTIVE: To examine breakfast consumption in subjects maintaining a weight loss in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A cross-sectional study in which 2959 subjects in the NWCR completed demographic and weight history questionnaires as well as questions about their current breakfast consumption. All subjects had maintained a weight loss of at least 13.6 kg (30 lb) for at least 1 year; on average these subjects had lost 32 kg and kept it off for 6 years. RESULTS: A large proportion of NWCR subjects (2313 or 78%) reported regularly eating breakfast every day of the week. Only 114 subjects (4%) reported never eating breakfast. There was no difference in reported energy intake between breakfast eaters and non-eaters, but breakfast eaters reported slightly more physical activity than non-breakfast eaters (p = 0.05). DISCUSSION: Eating breakfast is a characteristic common to successful weight loss maintainers and may be a factor in their success.