A New Way to Eat ... The De-Throning of Dinner

I am very excited that I have a new plan for eating!!!!

Now, I need one because over the past couple of years I think I have gained 15 pounds.  I attribute it partly to starting a business where I make cake all day and partly to my kids dancing from after school until about 6PM each night.  I sometimes stuff a scrap of cake in my mouth and I sometimes resort to take out pizza more nights a week than I would like.

Once I realized that I was on a bad path, I did really try to get back on track.  I listened to my very nutrition conscious friends.  First there was a phase of juicing for breakfast and lunch, there was a phase of being a vegitarian, then a dabble into paleo, and a few month stint with Weight Watchers.  None of these fit me.  Juicing felt great but I think I was depriving my body of enough food until dinner and then it didn't know what to with it.  I like all of my food groups so rigidly eliminating some just made me unhappy.  And Weight Watchers is expensive and I can really track what I eat on my one.

So for a while I have been wallowing.  Trying to figure out how to eat healthy, not stress out over having to make dinner for 2 young kids starting at 6PM and keep to my diet of no processed foods.  I have been eating very little for breakfast and lunch and saving it all up for dinner time.  And a glass of wine.  Because for me it has always been all about dinner.  Clearly some mental attachment there.

And today it hit me.  Into my head popped something I heard a long time ago.  That you should "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper".  And I realized perhaps this would work perfectly for us.   I am up early and I love breakfast food.  I can make a nice, protein-laden breakfast each morning to get started.  I can eat a normal lunch packed in my cute bento box.  And then I can have a much lighter dinner made of mostly easy to cook or even precooked veggies and maybe a little leftover protein or some beans.  Maybe a soup or stew I can easily reheat.  Or a loaded up salad.  And on Sundays I can combine lunch and dinner into an earlier family dinner and splurge on a heavier meal like homemade sauce or everyone's favorite meatloaf.

I have no idea how this will work but it feels right even before I started.  I feel like it will be lighter and more energizing on my digestive system and my lifestyle.  And as a byproduct, maybe even my body.

I am really excited to give this a try!