If getting started in the morning takes longer than expected, the culprit could be the wrong breakfast. The first meal of the day needs to be substantial and complete in order to activate the body's physical and mental metabolic systems quickly and at 100 per cent, to burn fat and stay in shape. Eating shortly after waking up, according to experts, means telling the body that energy is in plentiful supply; conversely, when you start the day eating very little — a coffee, a few biscuits and off you go — you send the body a message of scarcity, which is interpreted as a need to ration consumption. In this way you can end up putting on weight even while eating very little. Interpreting the signals the body sends in relation to how we eat is one of the most fascinating fields that science is exploring today. These are signals that can alter metabolism, inflammation, hormonal balance and many other aspects, even through simple choices, such as whether or not to have breakfast in the morning.

Better not to cut daily calorie intake too drastically

One of the fundamental rules for keeping metabolic rate high is never to reduce daily calorie intake excessively: when the body does not receive the fuel it needs, it activates a defence mechanism that consists of going into "energy-saving mode". In practice, the less you eat, the less energy you burn, and the more the metabolism slows down. The body, in order to obtain the energy it has been denied, lowers its metabolism by converting muscle into sugars that can then be used as energy. Muscle mass, however, should be kept intact, because it keeps the metabolic rate high. Muscle tissue burns energy when it is used and also when it is at rest, unlike fat, which is almost inert. It is therefore better to reactivate the metabolism by other means — for example aerobic physical activity such as cycling, exercise bikes, swimming, water aerobics, light jogging and brisk walking. The minimum commitment required is 30 minutes
a day, or 1 hour three times a week.

The importance of insulin balance

Another important piece of advice for avoiding weight gain is to maintain insulin balance. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas whose main function is, as immunologist Attilio Speciani clearly explains, "to put out sugar fires". The level of sugar in the blood is constantly monitored by the body: if it is too low, the hunger stimulus is triggered; if it is too high, the pancreas immediately secretes insulin. Our bodies are not programmed to receive sugars in abundance (in the past, the only sources were berries and tart fruit, a few wild grains and honey). Every time we eat a plate of white pasta or something sweet, our "primitive" body sends an alarm signal that activates insulin — extremely useful for recovering energy, but not something that should be repeatedly triggered. When it is, the pancreas's ability to produce insulin becomes impaired, the risk of diabetes increases, and the body is predisposed to inflammation. When the body removes excess sugars from the blood, it stores them so as to have them available when needed. It converts the stored sugars into triglycerides and tucks them away in layers of fat, from which it will be very
difficult to remove them. So what should we do to keep insulin in balance? First and foremost, always consume carbohydrates and protein together (even at breakfast), favour low-glycaemic-index foods (wholegrains, high in fibre), limit simple sugars, and keep moving.

Three meals, two snacks

A substantial breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a balanced lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, a light dinner: distributing calories in this way means activating the digestive process several times a day, encouraging constant stimulation of the metabolism. This calorie distribution ensures that the body starts the morning at full capacity and slows down in the evening, so as to limit the nocturnal accumulation phase, avoiding the fat build-up that typically results from eating a large meal before going to bed. The body burns energy to metabolise the nutrients it is given, and the more complete and varied the meal, the greater this effect. If you feel the need for an extra snack, opt for fruit or vegetables, which, as Speciani points out, "pass through the stomach quickly thanks to their high water and fibre content, and are interpreted by the digestive system just like water, without causing unwanted spikes in insulin".