Lose weight with 'big breakfast'

NEW YORK: To lose weight and keep it off, eat a big breakfast packed with carbohydrates and protein, then follow a low-carb, low-calorie diet the rest of the day, a study has suggested.

The "big breakfast" diet works, researchers say, because it controls appetite and satisfies cravings for sweets and starches. It is also healthier than popular low-carb diets because it allows people to eat more fiber- and vitamin-rich fruit, said Dr Daniela Jakubowicz of the Hospital de Clinicas in Caracas, Venezuela.

She told the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco last week that she has successfully used this diet in her patients for more than 15 years.