TODAY'S factoid... Sumo wrestlers are encouraged not to eat breakfast because they need to gain weight.

I’m always telling people that eating breakfast is one of the best ways to lose weight.

Statistically, breakfast eaters are healthier and slimmer than those who skip it.

You can find masses of evidence to support this online.

But, now I discover that these hugely overweight chaps are actively told to miss it.

Sumo wrestlers, you probably know, are immensely strong.

One object of the sport is to knock your opponent off their feet.

So it’s in the athlete’s interest to become very heavy and pretty much immovable - hence the weight gain.

The methods are traditional.

They wake very early and train extremely hard for at least five hours with nothing to eat until lunchtime.

Needless to say, by that time they are absolutely famished.

Their appetite is roaring.

They then eat an absolutely enormous meal, consuming around 4,000 calories, and then they sleep.

Perfect fat-forming activity!

Like I said, folks who eat breakfast are indeed slimmer than those who don’t. Those folks who get weight off and successfully keep it off are almost always breakfast eaters.

They also have lower blood pressure and feel less stressed at work.

They suffer less depression, sleep better, are more likely to be active, and have a healthy weight.

This applies even if the breakfast is relatively calorific and feels counter-intuitive if you’re still thinking in calorie terms.

Now, I absolutely know why breakfast is an easy meal for us ordinary folks to drop.

You’re not really hungry. You might be short of time. You might think it’s an ideal time to cut a calorie or two. You can’t be doing with preparing food at 6am.

But, it's not as simple as that.

Just like the Sumo wrestlers, having a busy morning with nothing to sustain those blood sugars once you get busy will have you looking for some quick energy-giving foods after a couple of hours, like a biscuit, a chocolate bar, or some quick toast and jam mid-morning.

Foods like that go straight on the waist.

And they cause cravings for more.

Then, you might have a calorie-controlled salad for lunch, with good intentions.

However, then you’ll likely feel like eating more from the “sugar counter” by 4pm. It’s a vicious circle.

The bottom line here is that the only way to break it is to eat something in the morning!

If you cannot face eating first thing (and incidentally, that used to be me too!), maybe get up an hour earlier and get some exercise done.

Like the Sumo, this will make you hungrier and might just help you to eat that healthy breakfast to set you up for the day.

Unlike Sumo, you will then eat!

Ideas for non-breakfast eaters

If you can’t eat a whole breakfast in one go, many of these ideas can be nibbled through the morning.

They really will help to stop those cravings for high sugar / energy / salt foods that can sit on your waistline like glue.

• Boiled eggs – so versatile!

• Trail mix and some fruit on the go.

• Wholemeal roll, a little cream cheese and some fruit.

• Mashed banana, chopped dates and some Greek yogurt

• Take muesli with you to work.

• A small handful of mixed nuts, one kiwi fruit and a nectarine.

• Two slices of granary bread with some hummus or some lean ham

By the way, if a healthy weight is what you want, I would avoid high-sugar and processed breakfasts like cornflakes, anything with chocolate in it, or those cardboard-like breakfast biscuit bars.

It would be more nutritious to eat the box they come in, in my opinion.

Remember this - nowhere is it written down that breakfast has to be cereal or toast.

Many cultures have lean meats and/or rice for their first meal of the day and it’s a great idea!

If you feel like you could do with a quick chat about your own health and fitness, then now is a good time to get in touch.

Send me a text on 07766 645458 and we can set something up.