how many of you make excuses for not eating breakfast? I am often amazed by the number of people who do not eat breakfast in the morning; I, for one, cannot function without it. Presumably, if you read this column you are interested in losing weight or improving your health or fitness level; if that is the case, read on for reasons why it is vital that you start each day with a nutritious meal! "I don't have time to eat breakfast'', "I'm on a diet'', "I'm not hungry in the morning'' -these are just some of the excuses that people give for not eating breakfast. If lack of time is your excuse, remember breakfast does not have to be a sit-down meal; grab a bagel, yogurt and piece of fruit that can all be eaten on the way to work or while you are getting your kids ready for school.

And if you are not hungry in the morning, there are two possible reasons: Your metabolism has slowed down to adjust, because it knows that you are not going to give it fuel in the morning. If you start eating a small breakfast and gradually increase it to a substantial and healthy meal, your appetite will gradually return over a few months as your metabolism readjusts itself.

You may be eating too many calories the night before; your dinner should be the smallest meal of the day and your evening snacking should be limited.

There is little opportunity for the body to burn the calories consumed in the evening before you go to bed, so it is much better to consume the majority of your calories earlier in the day.

If you are trying to lose weight, skipping breakfast is one of the worst things you can do! You will not get fat by eating breakfast; you are more likely to get fat by skipping breakfast, getting too hungry, and then overindulging at night. By starting your day off with a nutritious meal, you will have more energy to be more active and burn more calories throughout the day. Breakfast is a kick-start for your metabolism - it lets your body know it is time to kick back into gear! The faster your metabolism, the more calories you will be burning during the day. If you skip breakfast on a regular basis, your metabolism will slow down, making it harder and harder to lose weight.

Also if you do not give your body enough fuel to function, it will be forced to burn muscle for energy, which slows down your metabolism even more. The best way to sabotage your weight-loss efforts is to cause your metabolism to decrease! So what is a healthy breakfast? You should have a meal that makes up about a third of your total daily intake. So for a 500-calorie breakfast, suitable for people on a 1,500-calorie-reducing diet, try 1 cup of orange juice, 2 ounces of cereal with 1 cup of skim milk and 1 small banana, or have a bagel and a low-fat yogurt.

And breakfast does not have to consist of traditional breakfast foods; you can have low-fat leftovers, or tomato soup with crackers, or cottage cheese with sliced fruit and toast. Use your imagination, just be sure to keep your choices low-fat and make it a high-carbohydrate meal - you have the whole day to burn off those calories! So heed the advice you have heard over and over again. Breakfast is essential on your path to becoming Body Wise!