If you keen to reduce that ever-burgeoning waistline? Make breakfast the largest meal of the day as it may help maintain your body mass index (BMI)

Most of us know that losing weight is a matter of calories in versus calories out. To shed excess pounds, the equation is simple: Eat less and move more. But according to a new study in the journal Obesity, there’s more to weight loss than total calories: when you eat your calories matters, too.

It seems the best formula for losing weight – and warding off type 2 diabetes and heart disease – is to breakfast like a king and dine like a pauper.

For the study, 93 overweight women with metabolic syndrome where assigned a 1,400-calorie weight-loss diet for 12 weeks. Half the women ate a high-calorie breakfast (700), then 500 calories at lunch and 200 at dinner. The other group consumed a 200-calorie breakfast, a 500-calorie lunch and a 700-calorie dinner.

Over 12 weeks, women in both groups lost weight. However, compared to the big dinner eaters, women who ate a 700-calorie breakfast and 200-calorie dinner experienced a 2.5-fold greater weight loss (19 pounds versus eight). As well, waist circumference, blood glucose and insulin levels improved to a greater extent in the high calorie breakfast group. Blood triglycerides levels fell 33 per cent in the big breakfast group, but increased in the big dinner group.

adding protein to breakfast slows digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness throughout the morning. Studies suggest protein-rich solid foods curb appetite better than protein-rich drinks. Breakfast foods high in protein include egg whites, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, low fat milk, turkey breast, smoked salmon and tofu.

The following tips will help you plan a breakfast that can stave off hunger and cravings during the day – and eat a snack-sized dinner.