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The Big Breakfast Diet

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Review

The Big Breakfast Diet: What It Is

You've heard it before: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. That's the basis of The Big Breakfast Diet; it's Sunday breakfast every day.

The Big Breakfast Diet is all about when you eat, not what you eat. The diet is described in the book called The Big Breakfast Diet, by Daniela Jakubowicz, MD. Jakubowicz says that eating a 610- to 850-calorie breakfast before 9 a.m. fires up your metabolism by taking advantage of your body's circadian rhythms. These rhythms influence hormones, how your body uses carbohydrates and proteins for fuel, and how efficiently it burns body fat, she says.

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On The Big Breakfast Diet, you can eat any foods you want. Ice cream, pizza, donuts -- all are fine for breakfast as long as you eat them along with foods rich in protein and fiber. Follow the plan, Jakubowicz says, and you can lose up to 25 pounds in 30 days.

"When you eat the right foods at the right time, you accelerate your metabolism, satisfy your cravings before they ever occur, and the result: you lose weight," says Jakubowicz.

On the basic, "turbocharged" plan, dieters are allotted about 600 calories for breakfast and another 600 calories divided between lunch and dinner. "Relaxed" and vegetarian options are also outlined in the book.

The Big Breakfast Diet: What You Can Eat

Each day begins with a breakfast that many people will struggle to prepare, consume, and take the time to sit down and eat. And it's not any big breakfast that will keep you feeling full all day. Eating the right combination of protein, carbohydrates, and sweets is important, according to the book.

How does this sample breakfast sound for a start to the day?

Country-style scrambled eggs made up of 3 egg whites, 2 ounces cheese, 2 ounces ham, and veggies
Half an English muffin with cream cheese
Cereal with 8 ounces of milk
Strawberry smoothie
A chocolate fudge brownie

Here's how the turbocharged plan breaks down each day:

Breakfast: 7 servings of protein (including 2 servings of dairy), 2 servings of carbohydrates, 2 servings of fat and 1 sweet.
Lunch: 3 servings protein, 3 servings low-calorie vegetables, 2 servings starchy/sweeter vegetables, 1 serving fruit.
Dinner: 0-3 servings of protein, unlimited low-calorie vegetables, 2 servings starchy/sweeter vegetables, 2 servings fruit.

Jakubowicz says protein is the mainstay of the plan because of its well-known ability to provide satiety and feeling of fullness. Carbohydrates are also essential in the morning meal, she says. That's because when consumed before 9 a.m. they are processed differently by the body, increasing energy instead of being stored as fat, she says.

The diet includes a daily sweet at breakfast to fend off cravings before they have a chance to derail your diet. Sample sweets include 8 animal crackers, a 2-inch-square brownie, 6 chocolate kisses, 3 gingersnaps, 14 jelly beans, or 1/4 cup sherbet.

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