LET THEM EAT CAKE... FIRST!

Can starting dinner with dessert really help you lose weight? Yes, say scientists — and that’s not the only mind-boggling diet news

FORGET everything you thought you knew about dieting and nutrition. According to recent findings, many of our most widely held beliefs about eating well are totally wrong — from skipping sweets when you’re trying to slim down to the old adage about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. These five dieting tips sound crazy, but, according to nutrition experts, they’re just crazy enough to work.

SNAG DESSERT FIRST

Saving the best for last actually encourages you to consume more calories, according to a study published this month by the American Psychological Association. Participants who started their meals with the highest-calorie dish — whether sweet or savory — tended to consume fewer calories overall. Martin Reimann, who co-wrote the study, thinks starting with something indulgent forces people to build the rest of their meals more thoughtfully. “When we choose higher calories first, we don’t have license to indulge later,” he tells The Post.

NOT-SO-SMART START

Breakfast, shmeckfest: It’s no friend to dieters, according to a study published last month in the peer-reviewed journal the BMJ. Researchers found that those who skip breakfast don’t necessarily become more hungry throughout the day. In fact, they say, breakfast simply adds more calories to the day’s total. “Caution is needed when recommending breakfast for weight loss in adults, as it could have the opposite effect,” the study concludes.

COUNTERCULTURE

Yogurt has a golden reputation as a healthy snack, but makers of many brands are adding so much sugar, it’s become more of a dessert. “Yogurt’s not a bad-for-you food, but it’s a food you might not have thought of as having a lot of sugar,” Bernadette Moore, a professor at the University of Leeds, tells The Post. While she confined her study to yogurt brands in the UK, many — including Dannon, Fage and Yoplait — are also sold in the US. If you still want yogurt in your diet, Moore says, skip the sweetened varieties and stick to the plain stuff.

GO WITH THE GRAIN

Low-carb diets may be all the rage, but they’re not necessarily the best for your weight or health, according to a study analysis published in medical journal the Lancet last month. Scientists looked at a host of studies on carbohydrates and discovered that the fiber found in carbs, such as whole-grain pasta and cereal, was linked to lower weight. Study participants who ate the most fiber — between 25 and 29 grams daily — were found to have significantly lighter body weight than the lowest fiber-eaters.

DITCH THE DIET BOOK

Fad diets and celebrity-endorsed meal plans sound so promising, but they’re not as good as simply listening to your own body, says Laura Thomas, a nutritionist and author of “Just Eat It.” Healthy eating, Thomas tells The Post, “is about learning to honor the signals your body is sending you.” She recommends eating food that’s “more satisfying in the first place” (a scoop of fudge-brownie ice cream). Trying to satiate yourself with everything else in your kitchen (veggies and hummus, rice cakes with peanut butter, a cheese string, a banana) will likely result in consuming more calories in the end.