How to Eat before a Feast?

Some advice requested:

how should one eat before a feast

That is, if I'm going to have a big, multi-course meal in the evening, how should I eat earlier on in the day?

An obvious answer is "fast", but this is unpleasant and not obviously optimal. I'm wondering if there is good light food to get you through the day but that doesn't cut into your appetite later one -- I'm thinking especially that choice of protein/fat/carb (and what kinds!) should be a big issue, or maybe that bulky, watery foods (or water!) might work, but I figured LTH folk should be experts in such matters.

Thanks!

I've found that a simple salad with a simple smattering of protein (chicken, blue cheese) and roughage/fiber (olives, jalapenos, green/red/yellow peppers) has satisfied me, yet kept my gustatory libido primed for wild, orgiastic, rapacious revelry not too long after!!

Dammit. Shoulda eaten more than 2 mini-Snickers for lunch....

My standard party prep for what I know will be an overindulgent dinner begins the day before. A sybarite buddy of mine taught me this trick: it's called a "tummy stretcher," and it involves drinking a quantity of beer the night before (I'm not suggesting that you drink "irresponsibly," but over the space of several hours, a normal-sized person can down a number of brews without becoming intoxicated). In the morning, eat a banana and have some coffee. You will arrive at the party hungry and with an abdominal cavity suitably stretched to receive massive quantities.

This, of course, is advice to one who may not overindulge often; for the habitually overindulgent, my assumption would be that the gut is always flexed, commodious, at the ready.

Hammond

Hi,

I will assume here feast is a once-in-a-great-while thing rather than a regular habit.

I would eat my breakfast as normal, I would eat lunch at the usual time though on the light side (especially if lunch may be your main meal of the day). If you go into your feast in full starvation mode, guess what? Your body will agree, and in infamous feast and famine mode will store up the energy from your feast very efficiently (read too efficiently into fat). I would simply eat earlier in the day as normal and treat your feast as an anomaly, which is what your body will do.

Post feast - I am usually extraordinarily hungry the next morning. Where I may sometimes put off breakfast for a while, I usually have to eat when I get up. This is where you really need to stick to your usual breakfast because you will want more, or at least I do, and maybe more isn't really needed.

Nothing perks up ones appetite better than a brisk walk or some form of excercise.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies!

Hope your future feasting goes well.