Eggs are among the healthiest foods you can eat.
They are rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats and many essential vitamins and minerals.
Eggs also have a few unique properties that make them egg-ceptionally weight loss friendly.
This article explains why whole eggs are a killer weight loss food.
Eggs Are Low in Calories
The simplest way to lose weight is to reduce your daily calorie intake.
One large egg contains only about 78 calories, yet is very high in nutrients. Egg yolks are especially nutritious (1).
An egg meal commonly consists of about 2–4 eggs. Three large boiled eggs contain less than 240 calories.
By adding a generous serving of vegetables, you’re able to have a complete meal for only about 300 calories.
Just keep in mind that if you fry your eggs in oil or butter, you add about 50 calories for each teaspoon used.
Bottom Line: One large egg contains about 78 calories. A meal consisting of 3 boiled eggs and vegetables contains only about 300 calories.
Eggs are Very Filling
Baked Eggs With Spinach Yogurt and Chili Oil
Eggs are incredibly nutrient-dense and filling, mainly because of their high protein content (2).
High-protein foods have been known to reduce appetite and increase fullness, compared to foods that contain less protein (3, 4, 5, 6).
Studies have repeatedly shown that egg meals increase fullness and reduce food intake during later meals, compared to other meals with the same calorie content (7, 8, 9).
Eggs also rank high on a scale called the Satiety Index. This scale evaluates how well foods help you feel full and reduce calorie intake later on (10).
Additionally, eating a diet high in protein may reduce obsessive thoughts about food by up to 60%. It may also cut the desire for late-night snacking by half (11, 12).
Bottom Line: Eggs rank high on the Satiety Index scale, which means they may help you feel fuller for longer. High-protein foods, like eggs, may also help you snack less between meals.
Eggs May Boost Your Metabolism
Eggs contain all the essential amino acids, and in the right ratios.
Woman Smiling and Holding a Fried Egg
This means your body can easily use the protein in eggs for maintenance and metabolism.
Eating a high-protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by up to 80–100 calories a day, through a process called the thermic effect of food (13, 14).
The thermic effect of food is the energy required by the body to metabolize foods, and is higher for protein than for fat or carbs (13, 14, 15).
This means that high-protein foods, such as eggs, help you burn more calories.
Bottom Line: A high-protein diet may boost your metabolism by up to 80–100 calories per day, since extra energy is needed to help metabolize the protein in foods.
Eggs are a Great Way to Start Your Day
Egg and Measuring Tape
Eating eggs for breakfast seems to be especially beneficial for weight loss.
Many studies have compared the effects of eating eggs in the morning versus eating other breakfasts with the same calorie content.
Several studies of overweight women showed that eating eggs instead of bagels increased their feeling of fullness and caused them to consume fewer calories over the next 36 hours.
Egg breakfasts have also been shown to cause up to 65% greater weight loss, over 8 weeks (7, 9).
A similar study in men came to the same conclusion, showing that an egg breakfast significantly reduced calorie intake for the next 24 hours, compared to a bagel breakfast. The egg eaters also felt more full (16).
Furthermore, the egg breakfast caused a more stable blood glucose and insulin response, while also suppressing ghrelin (the hunger hormone) (16).
Another study in 30 healthy and fit young men compared the effects of three types of breakfasts on three separate occasions. These were eggs on toast, cereal with milk and toast, and croissant with orange juice.
The egg breakfast caused significantly greater satiety, less hunger and a lower desire to eat than the other two breakfasts.
Furthermore, eating eggs for breakfast caused the men to automatically eat about 270–470 calories less at lunch and dinner buffets, compared to eating the other breakfasts (17).
This impressive reduction in calorie intake was unintentional and effortless. The only thing they did was to eat eggs at breakfast.
Bottom Line: Eating eggs for breakfast may increase your feeling of fullness and make you automatically eat fewer calories, for up to 36 hours.
Eggs Are Cheap and Easy to Prepare
Incorporating eggs into your diet is very easy.
They are inexpensive, widely available and can be prepared within minutes.
Eggs are delicious almost every way you make them, but are most often boiled, scrambled, made into an omelet or baked.
A breakfast omelet made with a couple of eggs and some vegetables makes for an excellent and quick weight loss friendly breakfast.
You can find plenty of egg recipes to try on this page.
Bottom Line: Eggs are inexpensive, available almost everywhere and can be prepared in a matter of minutes.
Take Home Message
Adding eggs to your diet may be one of the easiest things to do if you’re trying to lose weight.
They can make you feel more full and help you eat fewer calories throughout the day.
Furthermore, eggs are a great source of many vitamins and minerals that are commonly lacking in the diet.
Eating eggs, especially for breakfast, may just be what makes or breaks your weight loss diet.
