A recent study from Tel Aviv University, found that eating a small dessert with a balanced breakfast can actually help you shed pounds. 

Researchers found that those who ate a large breakfast that included something sweet lost weight and were able to keep off more pounds than those who ate a small breakfast. Breakfast is the meal that best helps regulate ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, says Professor Daniela Jakubowicz, one of the researchers. "The group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day," Experts agree with this but a number of nutritionists believe that eating dessert for breakfast is a major dieting no-no. As it could increase sugar cravings throughout the day, that could lead to the consumption of more sweets and weight gain.

Experts agree with this but a number of nutritionists believe that eating dessert for breakfast is a major dieting no-no. As it could increase sugar cravings throughout the day, that could lead to the consumption of more sweets and weight gain. However ingesting a higher proportion of daily calories at breakfast make sense, researchers say, as it helps rev up the metabolism but also alleviates cravings.

However, in another German study published last year, researchers came to a different conclusion about breakfast habits and weight loss. After they analysed and compared the food diaries of 300 participants, they found that people ate the same at lunch and dinner regardless of the size of their breakfast, resulting in an overall increase of daily caloric intake.

Ultimately, this shows that a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, the team concluded.