"Start Early" by eating breakfast, that is! This is one of the tools of my program, and I'm referring to starting the day by eating some form of breakfast. Eating breakfast, even a small one, even an "on the run" one, even a "liquid" one if necessary, starts us with fuel in our tank.

In fact, I think breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, yet so many of us skip it. Starting early with some fuel in our tank is good for our health, good for our brain (our brain needs readily available fuel to think), good for our energy, and it's good for our waistline too! In fact, I think this may be one of the most important habits we can practice that'll lead to all the other healthy slimming habits.

Over the years I have heard many reasons as to why many of us do not eat breakfast. Some of the reasons are,

I have no time
I'm not hungry
I'm just not a morning eater
If I eat breakfast, I just eat more all day
I feel just fine without it
I save my calories for later
And on and on....

I have talked to many people who even exercise without eating beforehand. I then usually ask, would you attempt to drive your car on empty? After sleeping, our blood sugar is at its lowest level and we, like our car need fuel. And our entire body needs fuel including our brain.

Eating some form of breakfast feeds our body and brain. And, starting the day within an hour of rising with fuel, usually results in craving less food and sugar type foods later on. If we think we are feeling fine without breakfast, then perhaps a light breakfast snack initially can result in our feeling even better. Numerous studies show higher cognitive functioning after eating breakfast and this is especially true for our children. Studies also point to a food-mood connection. No fuel in our tank may mean a lower energy level, and lower mood and worse, we will run on higher stress hormones released as a result.

If we have time, oatmeal is one of my favorites, a filling energy giving stick- to -the ribs food, or a high fiber cereal with berries (remember our berry tip?), or egg beaters, an alternative to eggs (let's just scramble in a non fat pan). If time is the issue, let's try a yogurt, slimfast made with skim milk (I don't own stock), or a cheese stick with a piece of fruit. We can grab the string cheese either with a banana or apple to go. For those of us who exercise very early in the morning, mixing a sport drink such as Gatorade with water 5-10 minutes before starting can result in a stronger workout. It also fuels the brain, helping us to keep our concentration at an early hour.

Lastly, many of us find reasons to continue our way of doing things, simply because it's a habit ( there's that word again), and change is hard. Eating breakfast or some form of breakfast is, in my opinion, a change that has many benefits and worth the effort.

One of my famous sayings I tell my clients often is "We Can't Play Catch-up". Once our brain feels hungry for fuel, our cravings may last all day or catch up to us late in the day. Many people also come to learn that skipping breakfast results in eating more of the unhealthier type snacks later in the day. Evolution has set us up for this survival mechanism, since the brain sends a signal for fuel in the form of craving sugar.

So, if we want to eat healthier, be healthier, feel better, think more clearly, and lose or control our weight, let's start early with a healthy breakfast, regardless of its size or type.

Here's to Starting Early in 2008!