It’s common for many of us to start our day with a cup of coffee or by quickly grabbing something small. The day progresses and we get caught up in our schedule. We either begin grazing all day, not realizing just how much we are actually eating (but those small amounts all day long add up BIG time) OR we don’t want to be bothered by taking time to eat, so we go-go-go until we are physically famished and literally have to eat. Both scenarios’ lead to over eating by the end of the day.
I heard this saying over 10 years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a poor college kid with a maxed out credit card.”
When we load our calories at the beginning and/or middle of the day, we use food the way it was intended--as fuel--to help our bodies and minds function at their best. The dieting mentality that fools us into thinking we should eat little in the day so we “save” those calories in case we want them at night only sets us up to binge. It completely sabotages our goal to eat less. We can all relate to this!
If you truly want to eat less. function at your best and drop fat and inches, start by eating your largest amount of food around lunch time. I know it seems scary to trust that you won’t over eat in the evening, but this really works! By eating more food earlier you set yourself up for success. You won’t have depleted will power or ravenous physical cravings because you’ll be nourished, mentally balanced and more alert so you can manage your response to any emotion, craving or thought.
Put this into practice starting your next meal. See if the rest of this week you can create a new habit by eating your largest meal as breakfast or lunch, and have a modest amount at dinner. Most of us are more sedentary in the evening compared to the day, and we just don’t need high volume before we prepare to go to bed. We eat higher volume out of habit and fatigue.
The great thing about habits is that they can always be improved by practicing a more supportive one! This is a simple habit switch—just eat the same foods you’ve been eating at each of your meals, but change up the amounts you serve yourself to reflect this healthier eating style.
Remember it’s the small changes, done over a period of time that lead to your big results! Start your days off with the highest volume of food so you can drop unwanted weight, inches and fat!