Is oatmeal good for weight loss?

You’ve heard that whole grains like oatmeal are good for your health, but is oatmeal good for weight loss, too? Oatmeal can potentially support your weight loss goals, as part of an overall healthy, balanced diet. Because oatmeal’s high fiber content can promote feelings of fullness, it may help with weight loss. Read on to learn more about oatmeal for weight loss. 

Yes, oatmeal can help you lose weight, but only as one part of a healthy lifestyle that promotes weight loss. 

The thinking behind oatmeal helping you lose weight is that it’s high in fiber, and fiber is an important part of a weight loss diet. Fiber promotes satiety, which is the feeling of being full, so eating it can help you feel fuller for longer. 

Oatmeal contains a specific type of soluble fiber called beta-glucans. Research suggests that beta-glucans in oats can help you feel fuller for longer, reduce hunger, and decrease food intake, which can contribute to weight loss. A review of research on oatmeal and weight loss suggests that oatmeal can help maintain body weight, reduce body fat percentage, and regulate appetite. 

“However, oatmeal itself isn’t a weight loss food in the sense that simply adding it to your diet will cause you to lose weight,” says Allison Childress, PhD, RDN, CSSD, LD, an associate professor in the Nutritional Sciences Department at Texas Tech University. “I encourage people to think about oatmeal as one piece of the puzzle rather than as a weight loss food.”

Ultimately, to lose weight, you should be in a calorie deficit, which means you burn more calories than you consume. So, even if you’re eating oatmeal, you won’t lose weight if you’re still consuming more calories than you burn.  

“Where oatmeal can help is by making that calorie deficit easier to maintain,” Dr. Childress says. “Its fiber [content] can help with fullness and satiety, and when it’s paired with protein and nutrient-dense toppings, it can make a satisfying meal with relatively few calories.” 

See if you qualify

Since oatmeal in and of itself won’t help you lose weight, there is no specific amount of oatmeal you should eat daily to lose weight. 

“I would focus less on eating a certain amount of oatmeal and more on how it fits into your overall diet,” Dr. Childress says. “It’s also important to remember that more oatmeal isn’t necessarily better for weight loss. Portion size and toppings still contribute to total calorie intake. ” (A general guideline for portion size is  ½ cup of dry oats, she says). You can then prepare the dry oats however you like (for example, cooked in water or milk). 

Remember this: “You could eat oatmeal every morning and still gain weight if your overall calorie intake consistently exceeds your body’s needs,” Dr. Childress says. 

On top of promoting satiety and helping you feel fuller for longer, here are a few other benefits of oatmeal. 

Lowered cholesterol 

Another health benefit of beta-glucans is their cholesterol-lowering effect. This benefit isn’t immediate, like their impact on blood glucose, but is a slow change that can happen over a period of weeks. 

In multiple studies, people who ate at least 3 grams of oat beta-glucans (OBGs) per day saw a significant lowering of both total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Another point in oatmeal’s favor was that it did this without affecting HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. 

How much oatmeal makes 3 grams of OBGs? A good rule of thumb is that dry oats are around 4.5% OBG. So about 67 grams of oatmeal would deliver it. That’s around ¾ cup, depending on the style of oats you’re using. If you want to be exact, a small digital scale is a convenient kitchen item. 

It doesn’t spike blood sugar

Research has shown OBGs can help reduce the post-meal glucose response. That’s a fancy way of saying they don’t spike blood sugar levels the way other carbohydrates can. 

In simple terms, these dietary fibers have a particular viscosity that makes them slower to digest. Because the carbs don’t break down into sugars as quickly, it takes more time for those sugars to get to the bloodstream.

Potentially improved digestive health

On top of being beneficial for weight loss by helping you feel full, fiber plays an important role in digestive health, helping you have regular bowel movements. 

Plus, oats can positively impact your gut microbiome — meaning all the microorganisms living in your gut, including “good” microorganisms (probiotics) that keep your digestive system healthy. Research shows that oats, particularly the beta-glucans in oats, act as prebiotics, which essentially serve as food for the probiotics, thereby improving gut health.

According to Dr. Childress, the healthiest way to prepare oatmeal for weight loss to optimize fiber content is to boil it. You should avoid most instant oats since they generally contain added sugars and may be less filling. Here’s what Dr. Childress recommends:

• Start with steel-cut oats or rolled oats, aka old-fashioned oats. (Steel-cut oats may have a slight edge for satiety and glycemic response, since they are slightly less processed). 

• Measure out a serving of dry oats based on the serving size on the packaging (typically around ½ cup).

• Measure out the liquid you want to use to cook the oats with. The ratio is typically 1:2, so use one cup of liquid if you’re using ½ cup of dry oats; however, read the instructions on the package. You can use water or a milk of your choice.

• Bring the water or milk to a boil. 

• Add the oats and reduce the heat to a simmer.

• Follow the directions on the packaging for how long it needs to cook.

For ease and meal prepping purposes, you can also make overnight oats. All you have to do is add raw oats to cold water or a milk of your choice and let them sit in the fridge overnight. 

You can make them in bulk, store them in the refrigerator, and add them to dishes over a few days. However, note that one study found boiled oats to have a higher soluble beta-glucan content than overnight oats. 

Start your journey

Oatmeal can be a helpful part of a weight loss journey, but it will not magically cause weight loss on its own.

• The fiber in oatmeal (specifically beta-glucans) can help you feel fuller for longer, which may help you consume fewer calories.

• It’s more important to focus on making oatmeal a part of a healthy, balanced diet. You should consume fewer calories than you burn in order to lose weight. 

• Oatmeal can also provide potential health benefits like lower cholesterol, fewer blood sugar spikes, and even possibly improved digestive health.