High Calorie Breakfast Ideas: Gaining and Losing Weight

Are you trying to gain weight or add muscle?

Maybe you're looking to load up on calories in the morning to starve off hunger later in the day?

Whether you need to bulk up or lose weight, eating a high-calorie breakfast could be the answer. We look at some tasty calorific breakfast ideas too!

Why Should I Eat More Calories In The Morning?

When trying to lose weight, it is recommended by many experts that a big breakfast is a great way to start.

Your daily metabolism changes and often slows down at night, which makes it harder for your body to digest the food at night than during the morning or middle of the day.

If you eat a bigger breakfast and not a large dinner, you can burn almost double the calories as if you do the reverse.

Other Reasons To Eat A Big Breakfast

Curb Cravings

Eating a large and healthy breakfast makes you less likely to have cravings and eat multiple times throughout the day.

Eating a big breakfast lowers hunger pangs throughout the day and can even reduce your cravings for sweets and sugar.

Also, people who eat smaller breakfasts often eat larger meals at dinner time, which is not great for efficient calorie burning.

Insulin & Energy Levels

Insulin levels, a hormone that turns food into energy, and blood glucose are lower after a small breakfast than if you were to eat a big breakfast.

This can affect your energy throughout the entire day, which can affect other choices throughout the day.

Choices beyond what you choose to eat for the rest of the day can also affect whether or not you choose to exercise and your performance at your daily tasks.

Larger breakfasts instead of dinners can also reduce the risk of metabolic diseases by better managing glucose and insulin levels.

Metabolism Effects

Metabolism is higher in the morning, so it is more effective in burning calories after a big breakfast than after a big dinner.

Additionally, people are generally more active after breakfast than after dinner.

This can also affect how many calories are burned throughout the day.

Better Weight Loss

When trying to lose weight, people most commonly skip breakfast in an attempt to eat less calories.

However, this tactic has been shown not to work.

People who eat less or no breakfast eat more snacks throughout the day and make worse food choices when they reach for a snack or when it comes to meals later in the day.

Dangers Of Skipping Breakfast

Not only can skipping breakfast cause you to eat more snacks and higher calories in other meals, but there are also other consequences to skipping the first meal of the day.

Some research has shown that people who skip breakfast have picked up even more unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, and working out less.

As we have already discussed blood sugar levels and a change in metabolism, we will now get into the other potential dangers listed.

1.Higher Stress Levels

Eating breakfast is good for your cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone.

Cortisol levels are highest in the morning, so eating breakfast can help reduce those levels.

This will help reduce stress and make you feel less anxious and jittery.

2.Increased Risk of Heart Disease

When you skip breakfast, you can be at higher risk of the following:

• Atherosclerosis
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Higher Cholesterol

A study showed that those who skipped breakfast were 27% more likely to experience heart attacks or get coronary heart disease (Source).

3.Migraines

When you have lower sugar levels in the morning, your body releases hormones to compensate for that if you do not eat breakfast.

This can cause a sudden rise in blood pressure which can cause headaches and migraines.

4.Hair Loss

Another major harmful effect that can come from skipping breakfast is the potential for hair loss.

When you eat a meal that doesn’t contain enough protein, you can begin to lose your hair because it can hurt your keratin levels.

Keratin is critical for triggering hair loss or stopping hair growth.

Eating a breakfast every day that is rich in protein can help your hair remain healthy.

High Calorie Breakfasts To Help With Weight Gain

Some people look to eat a big breakfast to gain weight.

Unintended weight loss can be challenging.

It can cause you to have an issue with your strength, muscle mass, and other issues.

Additionally, if you are trying to bulk up or gain muscle, you need to eat more calories to do so, which includes a calorie breakfast.

Healthy Weight Gain vs Unhealthy Weight Gain

If you are looking to gain weight, there is both healthy and unhealthy way that you can do this.

A high-calorie breakfast is a great first step to healthily gaining weight.

Eating a good mix of protein, fat, and carbs is a healthy way to gain weight.

The unhealthy way to gain weight is to eat processed food, sugary snacks, and other empty calories.

Breakfast Ideas to Gain Weight

There are great ways to pack your breakfast full of calories and proteins.

When choosing what to eat, the serving size will depend on your personal calorie goals.

1.Breakfast Muffin

A breakfast muffin is a great way to eat a delicious breakfast that is packed with nutrients, protein, fat, calories, and fiber.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup buckwheat flour
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup acacia fiber
• 2 tablespoons psyllium fiber
• 2 cups whole milk, preferably jersey milk
• 3 servings protein powder
• ½ cup blackstrap molasses
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup roasted carob
• 2/3 cup chopped almonds
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup green powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease a muffin pan with olive oil.
• In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: buckwheat flour, almond flour, rolled oats, acacia fiber, psyllium fiber, protein powder, carob, green powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
• Then in another large bowl, add milk, molasses, maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla extract, and olive oil. Mix with a small beater or in a blender.
• Beat eggs for three minutes and then add to liquid ingredients. Stir to mix. You may need to add another ½ cup of water or so to get the consistency correct (Fiber changes the way muffin ingredients usually act and need more fluid to be absorbed.).
• Then pour liquid ingredients into the dry ones, stirring to mix. Do not overbeat.
• Finally, add chocolate chips, carrots, and almonds.
• The final batter before baking should be moist, not thin like milk, but more of a smoothie consistency.
• Pour batter into muffin cups and back for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

2.Homemade Breakfast with a Bit of Everything

A great high-calorie breakfast you can make at home includes:

• Small steak
• Fried Potatoes
• Omelete (3 eggs, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, dandelion, greens, broccoli, and other vegetables)
• Avocado salsa
• Coffee
• Juice

3.Oatmeal

A great way to make a high-calorie bowl of oatmeal is to add the following:

• Cook the oatmeal in milk
• Add peanut butter
• Add Raising

4.Whole Grain or Protein Pancakes

Another great way to eat a high-calorie, protein-packed breakfast is to use whole grain or high-protein pancake mix instead of a regular mix.

You can add bananas and some sort of nut butter for even more protein.

Pack It With Protein

The most important thing to remember is to add high-protein ingredients to your breakfasts.

You can also add whey protein supplements to add extra protein and calories to your breakfast.

The best way to add this is to include it in a smoothie or stir it into your oatmeal.

Don’t use one with added sugar or chemicals when picking this protein.

Overview

Whether you are trying to lose or gain weight, a high-calorie breakfast can be a great place to start.

As long as you are picking healthy options, this is a great way to start the day no matter your intentions!

Not only are there health benefits, but you will also have the added energy needed to tackle the day right.