The Big Breakfast Diet

Breakfast is a commonly rushed or forgotten meal of the day. According to a poll conducted by Gary Langer of ABC News, four out of 10 Americans go without breakfast every day. However, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. from the Mayo Clinic, recommends eating breakfast to reduce your risk of obesity. By following the big breakfast diet, you can jump-start your metabolism and avoid late-day binges.

Calories

One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. By reducing your daily intake of calories, you can lose weight. Cutting 500 calories a day is a good way to start a diet without feeling ravenous. Decide how you want to break up your daily allotment by making breakfast your largest intake of calories. Lunch, snacks and dinner meals should have significantly less calories than your morning meals. By eating the majority of your calories in the morning, you can burn them off throughout the day. Be sure to create a meal plan. For example, eat 500 calories in the morning, 300 for lunch, one 100 calorie snack and a 300-calorie dinner. Avoid trying to eat less than 1,200 calories a day to prevent your body from going into a starvation mode where it holds on to any calories.

Breakfast Meal Options

Eat a well-balanced breakfast that includes a lean protein, fibrous carbohydrate, fruit, vegetable and dairy. Fibrous carbohydrates slowly convert into sugar in the bloodstream and won't leave you dragging at lunch. Examples include whole wheat toast, brown rice, oatmeal or wheat tortillas. Lean proteins have little fat to raise cholesterol levels. Eggs are a popular choice for breakfasts; however, according to the American Heart Association, a person with normal cholesterol levels should get 300 mg of cholesterol a day and one egg has 213 mg of dietary cholesterol. Therefore, make your morning meals with egg whites, which have very little cholesterol. Almost any fruit or vegetable you pick will be beneficial to your big breakfast diet, except for potatoes, which quickly convert into sugar.

Breakfast Recipe Ideas

Count all the calories according to serving sizes when preparing recipes. You can look up the amount of individual ingredients online at websites like thecaloriecounter.com or calorieking.com. Low-calorie recipe ideas include egg white omelets, tofu scrambles and turkey sausage. Spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic and broccoli can easily be incorporated with proteins. Buckwheat pancakes with fruit, whole grain zucchini muffins and wheat toast with peanut butter give you two food groups in one meal. Use low-fat dairy products like feta cheese, goat cheese or soy cheese. Legumes are high in fiber and can be served as a side dish or the main meal. Rather than loading your breakfast with stomach-bloating sodium, choose low-salt options or use herbs to season food. Develop your other three meals based on how many calories you eat for your big breakfast. You can also take some of your low-calorie recipes and use them as a jumping board for other meal ideas.