Eating a Lot for Breakfast, Less for Lunch, and Least Amount for Dinner

We don't eat that mathematically at our house, but are believers in a good breakfast. Other goodies we like for breakfast include:

- French toast (soak cinnamon rasin bread in a sandwich bag with one egg, splash of vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon. In the momrning the egg is all soaked into the bread and ready to cook). Good protein and fiber if you get a real fiberous bread. We use Ezekiel bread in the frozen section of grocery.

- Egg sandwiches (husband does this one. Butter and eggs in skillet. Squirt or two of Tapatio hot sauce. Fry eggs. Put on top of sourdough bread toasted in the toaster oven with cheddar cheese on both slices). Again - a great protein.

- scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, jalepenos, any kind of meat (ham, sausage, bacon) cooked and put into a tortilla for tacos or I prefer to eat it in a bowl with cheese sprinked on top. Protein!

- shredded wheat bites (my 2.5 yr old son loves when I get him three bowls - one for the cereal, one for milk, and one for yogurt. He dips each bite. Yumm and fun.

- My son does oatmeal too.
- we sometimes do granola bars on those 'quick' days.
- I've heard that smoothies with the right ingredients added to them can make for a very fullfilling breakfast. But my concern is lack of protein.
- You make biscuits - Learn to make a meaty cream gravy to go on top. YUM.

That's all I got. All breakfast stuff. I can't wait to see what others post.

I don't know about portions, but I would suggest upping your protein in the morning as a start. I used to eat very little in the morning and would be nearly faint with hunger by lunchtime. Adding a lot more protein in the morning really helped me.

There are high-protein yogurts (usually the "greek" style of yogurt) you could try.

Hard-boiled eggs are a great option--you can prepare them ahead of time,making it quick and easy.

There are high protein breads available--sprouted grain breads are great because they are also high in fiber, which fills you up. Other high protein breads are made with flour and have protein added.

Every morning I have a smoothie with organic high protein yogurt, frozen organic berries, protein powder, agave nectar (because I'm a sugar addict) and I even put a bit of spinach or broccoli in, for added greens, because I'm awful at eating veggies, and you can't taste them in the smoothie! If I know I'm going to be in a rush the next morning, I make it the night before and it's ready to go.

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

No matter what, each person... eats varied... and in varying amounts.
Some people are breakfast people, some are not. Some eat a lot in the morning, some don't.
And for kids... the main thing is they eat... if/when hungry and per their growth spurts... which varies.
My daughter for example, is going through a HUGE growth spurt... and right now, LITERALLY, she gets hungry EVERY single hour. And I don't know where it goes because she is a lanky kid... and she eats healthy... because we simply do not have 'junk' in the house. So I don't have to worry what she eats or 'when.'

For dinner prep... to me its not about the percentage of how much you eat at each meal... it is how you "plan" your cooking within the day...and how you schedule yourself and your activities for the day. NOT about percentages and what meal is bigger or less than.
Me for example.... I cook dinner and prep it in the MORNING.... because in the afternoon and close to dinner time... is simply too busy and too rushed for me to do it then.
I already have dinner cooked for today. For example.

all the best,
Susan

Go by hunger. The healthiest nations eat only until they feel 80% full (unlike us here that overindulge quite often). Start by having lighter dinners, never eat after 7 pm, then go to bed and get some rest. When you wake, you will be hungry for a decent breakfast since you have been 'fasting' for 12 hours or so. Eat protein, fruit, grain. By lunchtime you should be ready to eat, so have your biggest meal then. (This is best for overall health.) Lots of veggies, some protein, maybe a grain or fruit. If you need a snack because lunchtime is early, eat something so you are still ready for a light dinner. Eat less calories for dinner because you don't burn much while sleeping. As for proportions...I don't know exactly.

The food pyramid is still off. Remember 4-4-3-2? Then they had something that looked like stacked categories, and now it has stripes top to bottom. The healthiest way to eat is to fill your plate with veggies (3/4 of plate) and use meat as more of a condiment (no more than 3 oz. chicken or steak for a meal). Grains are more of a 'filler' and whole grains are all we should eat. Fruit is a wonderful source of vitamins and fiber, just like veggies. Snack on fruit anytime you are hungry between meals. I like to have fruit as dessert also.

I too go for that, though not so strictly. My breakfast alternates a big bowl of my favourite yogurt and cereal, tea with tasted bread spread with jam or a cup of milk and bran cookies. I don't make portions, I eat as much as i want in the morning. Lunches alternate one day carbs (pasta/polenta/potatoes/ rice etc..) accompanied by one veggie side (any), and one day meats (especially chicken but also deli meats except salami - too fat); dinners alternate protein (fish,meats or beans or fresh cheese like mozzarella) and soups, both accompanied by a veggie side (any). i do light running (consistently) on the treadmill and 1/2 of jacuzzi massage every day...I don't even remember what cellulitis looks like! Good luck.

Portion wise, large breakfasts and smaller dinners were the way it worked in the good o'le days. That fuel was needed for hard mornings in the fields and after a long, hot day of work and sweat, who wanted a big, gut filling heavy dinner? I'm still that way sometimes.

Some of the best advice I got on this subject was...get ready for this.....switch your meals accordingly. So.....speggetti, pot roast, tacos, what have you for breakfast....pb and j (lunch stuff) for lunch, and breakfast (cereal, pancakes, ect..) for dinner.

Now, that said, my husband HATED it. I would cook the night before and reheat. He thought it was too much like leftovers (which he won't eat) and just couldn't get over the 'wierdness' of it. It doesn't help that he is a night snacker, so a smaller dinner didn't do the trick for him.

I think it is a good idea in theory (and if I live alone I would still do it!) but much harder practically.