(Image source from: Breakfast Tips for Weight Loss})

If you're trying to lose weight, it's smart to make your morning meal count. Hit your goals in no time with these tasty, zero-deprivation tactics, all of which have been proven by scientific studies.

Pick a Cereal With Large Flakes

Size matters-even when it comes to wheat flakes. In a new study from Penn State, researchers crushed up cereal to create four different sizes of flakes. Because the cereal that was crushed into smaller pieces was denser when participants poured it into a bowl, people underestimated the number of calories in those bowls. The lesson here: If you choose bigger flakes, you'll consume fewer calories without even noticing the difference.

Eat Oat Bran

We're the first to admit that oat bran isn't exactly the sexiest breakfast food. But it is one of the smartest: A recent study found that one of its key nutrients—fiber—keeps you fuller, longer, meaning you won't get hit by random cravings throughout the day. (And you know what? These apple-cinnamon oat bran muffins are kind of sexy!)

Have a Big(ger) Breakfast

Yep, a larger morning meal might mean more calories, but it also might mean more efficient weight loss. In a recent study, one group of people ate 700 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch, and 200 calories at dinner, while another group ate 200 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch, and 700 calories at dinner. Twelve weeks later, those who’d been eating a 700-calorie breakfast had lost two and a half times more weight than the other group, likely because your metabolism is at its most efficient in the a.m. But don't gorge on empty calories, of course—make 'em count, like with these yummy ideas.

AW: Suchorita Chowdary