Whole eggs provide key nutrients such as protein, choline, and vitamin D. They can help you feel fuller longer, which may help support weight management.
Eggs are among the healthiest foods you can eat.
They are rich in:
- high quality protein
- healthy fats
- 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 great for weight loss.
Eggs are low in calories
Although many factors can contribute to weight gain, the most evidence-based way to promote weight loss is to reduce your daily calorie intake or increase the number of calories that you burn.
One large egg contains only about 74 calories, yet it’s very high in nutrients. Egg yolks are especially nutritious.
An egg meal commonly consists of about two to four eggs. Three large boiled eggs contain less than 230 calories.
By adding a generous serving of vegetables, a healthy source of fat like sliced avocado, and a complex carbohydrate such as whole green toast, you can have a complete meal for 500 calories.
Just remember that frying your eggs in oil or butter adds calories and fat. Butter contains 34 calories and 4 grams (g) of fat per teaspoon (tsp), whereas cooking oil contains 40 calories and 4.5 g of fat per 1 tsp.
Eggs are filling
Eggs are incredibly nutrient-dense and filling, mainly because of their high protein content.
High protein foods are known to reduce appetite and increase fullness compared with foods that contain less protein.
Research has shown that egg meals, especially when paired with a source of fiber, promote feelings of fullness and reduce food intake during later meals compared with other meals with the same calorie content.
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 in the day.
Additionally, consuming a diet high in protein may reduce the desire to eat by 15% and help prevent unhealthy late-night snacking.
Eggs provide high quality protein
Egg protein is one of the easier types of proteins for humans to digest. That’s because it’s a complete protein, which means it contains all the necessary amino acids for your health.
Numerous studies have found that egg protein may have various health benefits. These may include helping reduce malnutrition in developing countries, increasing height in children, supporting muscle and skeletal health, and protecting against various infections.
It may also have some anticancer properties and may help keep your blood pressure down.
Eggs may boost your metabolism
Because egg protein contains all of the essential amino acids that your body needs, your body can easily use it for maintenance and metabolism.
Eating a high protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism through a process called the thermic effect of food. The thermic effect of food is the energy the body requires to digest foods, and it’s higher for protein than for fat or carbs.
In addition, eating egg protein can help increase muscle mass long term, which supports a more efficient metabolism.
This means that high protein foods, such as eggs, may help you burn more calories to support weight loss.
Eggs are a great way to start your day
Eating eggs for breakfast seems to be especially beneficial for weight loss.
For one, regular consumption of an egg-based breakfast has been associated with increased weight loss over time.
Second, according to a 2021 review, eating a protein-rich breakfast can help control appetite and maintain energy balance, especially for children and adolescents.
The review examined 10 randomized control trials involving 824 participants. It found that those who had a protein-rich breakfast consumed, on average, 111.2 calories less and felt more full and less hungry compared with those who had a normal or traditional breakfast.
Another 2022 study explored the effects of a high protein breakfast, with or without lunch, on daily blood sugar levels in 12 healthy people.
The participants completed four trials and wore continuous glucose monitors to track their levels. The results showed that, compared with a typical breakfast, a high protein breakfast reduced post-meal glucose levels until 1.5 hours after lunch and had an overall suppressing effect during lunch and dinner. Skipping lunch weakened this impact.
These findings suggest that a high protein breakfast can help regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day.
That said, more research is needed to verify the effect of a high protein breakfast on appetite, metabolism, or blood sugar, especially because more recent research suggests that eating eggs may actually increase body weight over time.
Eggs are cheap and easy to prepare
Incorporating eggs into your diet is easy.
They are inexpensive and widely available, and you can prepare them within minutes.
Eggs are delicious almost every way you make them, but they 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 recipes with eggs on this page.
What is the best way to eat eggs for weight loss?
You can cook and eat eggs in a variety of ways. This includes:
- scrambled
- poached
- fried
- baked
- omelet
- microwaved
That said, if your goal is to support weight loss, consider choosing cooking methods that don’t add additional calories. This means sticking to poached or boiled eggs to avoid cooking oil or butter.
Or, you can use cooking spray to make an omelet or scrambled eggs, which is calorie-free.
You can also combine eggs with vegetables to fill yourself up even more in a healthy way.
Learn more: What is the healthiest way to cook and eat eggs?
Frequently asked questions
How many eggs can I eat a day for weight loss?
Eating a couple of eggs a day is generally not harmful. There’s a common concern that a lot of eggs, especially egg yolks, can raise your cholesterol.
But, recent research contradicts this, suggesting there isn’t as much of a relationship between consuming food with cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels as previously thought. That said, if this remains a concern, you can choose to eat only egg whites.
Learn more: How many eggs can you safely eat?
Does egg burn belly fat?
Based on animal research, egg white protein may help reduce visceral fat or belly fat. However, more human research is needed to verify this.
The bottom line
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, such as choline and vitamin D, that are commonly lacking in the diet.
Eating eggs, especially for breakfast, can be a great addition to a healthy weight-loss eating plan.