High Protein Breakfast For Weight Loss 2024: 11 Effective Foods To Consume

Weight Loss requires a shift in diet and exercise. You’ll notice a shift in body weight when you change what you eat. One good way to ensure you start to lose weight is by having a high-protein breakfast.

A high-protein breakfast for weight loss includes more protein and fewer carbs. The advantage is that protein is slower to digest. So, you remain full for longer. In this article, you can find the best healthy breakfast ideas for weight loss. Have fun with these high-protein breakfast ideas.

Best High Protein Breakfast For Weight Loss

Scrambled Eggs

Are you looking for a high-protein breakfast for weight loss? At the top of the list of the best choices is scrambled eggs. You can enjoy your eggs alone or add nutritious carbs like whole-wheat bread for a balanced meal.

Scrambled eggs are the best for a protein-packed breakfast. One large egg^[1] has only 72 calories and close to 7 grams of protein, so you can have two for a healthy breakfast.

Opt for eggs on toast if you aren’t a fan of scrambled eggs or want a more filling meal. You can also enjoy egg whites or hard-boiled eggs.

Greek Yogurt

You can also have protein-rich Greek yogurt with a handful of berries in the morning.

Greek yogurt only has 73 calories per 100 grams. This has fewer calories than natural yogurt and is a good option for high-protein breakfast ideas. One hundred grams of Greek yogurt^[2] also contains close to 10 grams of protein.

Smoked Salmon

Do you crave more savory breakfasts in the morning? Adding smoked salmon to your meal plan to help you lose weight.

Smoked salmon continues to be a perfect pick when you want to eat fewer calories. 100g of smoked salmon^[3] contains only 117 calories but 18 grams of filling fat-burning protein.

Chicken Sausage

Chicken sausage is another quality, high-protein breakfast for weight loss. Chicken sausage is preferred over pork as a healthier, leaner option. While pork sausages contain red meat, chicken sausages are made using white meat.

One hundred grams of chicken sausage^[4] has around 183 calories and 21.4 grams of protein. This is the right pick for a protein boost when you want to lose weight.

Chia Seeds

Did you know that chia seeds^[5] are a healthy option for a quick and easy breakfast? Chia seeds go well with Greek yogurt and fruits like berries. Adding sweet berries or fruits will make all the difference and boost fiber.

In 100g of chia seeds, there are roughly 130 calories and 4.7 grams of protein. Mixing the chia seeds with Greek yogurt boosts the protein content in your healthy breakfast.

Whey Protein Powder

Perhaps you aren’t interested in cooking anything for breakfast. Well, there are still numerous high-protein breakfast ideas that you can try out.

You can enjoy a convenient and nutritious whey protein powder. One hundred grams of whey protein powder contains 369 calories and 34.36 grams of protein.

Always opt for protein powder brands that contain 100% all-natural ingredients and no food additives.

Turkey Sausage

Healthy turkey sausage can be another great option for a high-protein breakfast to add more diversity to your morning meals. 

A serving of turkey sausage^[6] has roughly 88  calories and 5 grams of protein. You can have two servings plus another high-protein food option, like scrambled eggs, for this calorie amount. 

The goal is to increase protein intake and lower the number of carbs in the first meal.

Egg Muffins

Egg muffins rock when it comes to delicious breakfast meals. You can enjoy an egg muffin at home with other healthy ingredients.

For example, egg muffins are made using eggs, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, onions, and garlic. The result is a low-calorie yet filling meal that keeps you going all morning.

There are 4.69 grams of protein per 1 medium-sized egg muffin and 116 calories.

Oatmeal

Oats are a good source of healthy protein for your weight loss journey. Oatmeal has a balanced nutritional content. There are 13 grams of protein per 100 grams of oatmeal^[7] and 303 calories. One advantage of oats is feeling full for longer^[8] and being less prone to hunger cravings during the day.

Eating oatmeal for breakfast helps you accomplish your morning protein intake. Plus, your stomach will take longer to empty^[9] due to the fiber content of the oats, which is good for weight loss.

Black Beans

Add black beans to your breakfast burrito and enjoy a high-protein breakfast to lose belly fat. Black beans are nutritious and, best of all, filling. You end up feeling fullness, which helps curb cravings and hunger pangs when restricting caloric intake.

One cup of black beans^[10] contains 227 calories and 15 grams of protein.  You can enjoy one to two ounces in the morning to get your protein and fiber fix without overdoing it on calories.

Nuts

When making your chia pudding with Greek yogurt, toss in an assortment of nuts. They are rich in protein and healthy fats essential for weight loss. While you would need to consume a lot to meet your breakfast protein needs from nuts alone, they are a wonderful additive to your other high-protein breakfast foods.

You can add nuts to a high-protein breakfast, including almonds, walnuts, pistachios, nutritional yeast, hazelnuts, and peanuts. Depending on the type of nut, their protein content^[11] varies from 6-8 grams per one-ounce serving.

How Much Protein To Eat In The Morning

When you want to lose weight, you must eat fewer calories. Lowering caloric intake helps you control your body weight better, but getting more of those calories from protein will help you burn fat and stay satisfied.

Opt for a  high-protein and low-carb breakfast whenever possible. Above is a list of high-protein breakfast foods you can enjoy daily. Foods like eggs^[12] have enough protein to keep you going until it’s time for the next meal.

The goal is around 15 grams to 25 grams of protein for breakfast when you’re aiming to lose weight. This helps get rid of body fat while you retain lean muscle mass. A high-protein breakfast helps to curb cravings and hunger so you can burn fat.^[13]

Keep in mind these protein recommendations are general guidelines for weight loss, but you should always speak to your registered dietitian or doctor for personalized nutrition guidance.

How Protein Helps You Lose Weight?

Protein is important, so you need it as a breakfast meal. It becomes easier to achieve healthy weight loss when you have a morning meal that boosts your protein intake. Foods like eggs, chicken, and smoked salmon can help you lose weight.

Achieve your weight loss goals is easier when you have a protein-rich breakfast. Protein^[14] can help you eat less, especially as part of a morning meal. You feel fuller for longer with high protein rather than eating high-carb and high-fat meals.

A 2005 study^[15] included 19 women who wanted to lose weight. They increased their protein intake from 15% to 30% of their calories per day. In 12 weeks, the women had lost 11 pounds each due to improved satiety.

Feeling fuller helps you eat less,^[16] which is good since you need to take in fewer calories to lose weight. There’s also a drop in ghrelin^[17] (the hunger hormone) when you eat breakfast with more protein than your morning meal, which can help control appetite throughout the day and prevent cravings.

The Benefits Of Eating Protein At Breakfast

Weight Loss

Eating more protein for breakfast will make achieving your weight loss goals easier. This is especially true if you increase protein intake and lower the number of carbs.

The body needs more calories^[18] during digestion when you eat more protein. Burning more calories improves metabolism, which is good for weight loss.

Maintain Lean Muscle Mass

Muscle mass loss^[19] can happen when you start losing weight. However, you can lower the lean muscle mass loss rate by eating more protein for breakfast. Eating enough protein helps keep you looking lean and your metabolism high by preserving and building muscle mass.

Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

The good news is protein doesn’t spike blood sugar like carbohydrates. Protein stabilizes your blood sugar levels since it takes longer to break down in the stomach.

This is another reason why a high-protein breakfast is good for your health and well-being.

Other High Protein Breakfasts To Eat For Weight Loss

Here are a few more specific breakfast ideas to add to your morning weight-loss routine.

High Protein Breakfast Burrito

A breakfast burrito can help you increase your daily protein intake. Not only are burritos delicious, but they are also filling. Therefore, you can achieve your weight loss goals since you won’t keep snacking all day.

Stuff your burrito with protein goodness to make the perfect high-protein breakfast meal. Include eggs, black beans, chicken sausages, turkey sausages, and mushrooms. Add a bit of cheddar cottage cheese to the mix, and you’re good to go. 

High Protein Pancakes

Protein pancakes are a great way to start your day and feel full all morning. The best recipes use protein powder in place of wheat flour. This is because protein powder has a higher protein percentage which adds to your protein intake.

In addition, you can add an egg or rolled oats to your protein pancake batter for an extra protein boost.

High Protein Shake

You can also blend a simple protein shake as your breakfast. You can include ingredients like protein powder, chia seeds, and Greek yogurt. Find some lovely shake recipes and add high-protein foods, fruits, or greens to the mix.

The Takeaway

Don’t skimp on breakfast in an attempt to cut calories and lose weight.

Starting your day with a high-protein breakfast is satisfying, keeps cravings at bay, and helps you lose weight. Including high-protein foods like eggs, almond milk, almond butter, smoked salmon, turkey sausage, chicken sausage, chia seeds, or oatmeal will help you meet your breakfast protein needs easily.

Vary your high protein breakfasts to keep things interesting and make it easier to stick to your weight loss plan.

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