Many obese people are not hungry when they awaken (in part because many of them had a big snack or meal just before going to bed), so their body’s degree of energy burning is not revved up before they head off to work or school. This is one reason, among many, that eating breakfast is is important for prevention and treatment of obesity, especially in children. Not eating breakfast has many other disadvantages. It means not performing well on tasks because of distraction due to lack of food. Not eating breakfast means the stomach hormone ghrelin, which conveys the signal for hunger, is not suppressed throughout the morning. Obese people rationalize not eating breakfast by saying that’s one less meal’s worth of calories. But that idea doesn't account for the unintended side effects of hunger. Numerous studies show that people who skip breakfast eat more during the daylight hours, in part because ghrelin rises to high levels. This leads to overconsumption of calories at lunch, dinner, and prior to bedtime, all driving further obesity.
