Having many food choices - desirable or problematic?

millabird

I have been thinking about choice a lot lately. This topic came up in a Weight Watchers meeting, because one of the factors that WW uses to promote its program is freedom of choice and having choices... you can have what you want, in moderation and provided you make it fit within your point/calorie allowance.

During the meeting, I disagreed with this and I argued that choice hurts me more than it helps me. When I have a choice of all this huge variety and abundance of food (as is the case with most eaters in the United States), I choose the wrong thing, and I choose to eat too much of it. Then there is the slippery slope of one bad choice leading to another bad choice. For example, eating high carb makes me hungry, sometimes ravenous, just a few hours later--- bad choice. Yes, I am making some subjective calls when I deem food "good" or "bad", but I have to make those calls for myself. Don't we all?

So part of my personal eating plan is to LIMIT my choices, and take away that freedom. I set rules for myself, since I have control problems. And this has been working for me. I don't have that constant psychological battle over making the right choices, because I give myself very limited choices in the first place. But I don't believe in complete deprivation either, so I have a "splurge day" once a week, where I get to eat a restaurant meal and generally have what I want at that meal.

There is a psychology book called "The Paradox of Choice", and the basic conclusion from the research studies in this area is that having too many choices can make us unhappy. Having too many choices can lead to decision making problems and can result in second-guessing and regret over the choice made. Hmmm. Sounds familiar!

jordanlell

I think it's up to you to decide what will help or hurt your progress. I don't personally keep too many unhealthy things in my kitchen, that way if I do want something unhealthy then I have to go out of my way to get it, making me less likely to do that. Having a lot of healthy options keeps me on track.

lyttlewon

How you feel about the number of choices you are given is, within itself, a choice.

MaraDiaz

A recent study shows that food boredom can lead to lowered calorie consumption. That said, there is a point where it's just not worth it. For me that point is when budget considerations force me to eat eggs for several days in a row. Ick! I sometimes will just not eat instead, which is never good.

brower47

If it works for you to limit your overall diet options to just a few key foods that you can stick to for the rest of your life and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, then go for it.

I, on the other hand, love to introduce new foods into my diet. I can eat the same breakfast everyday (scrambled eggs) but I love to have a different dinner every night. So I guess my take; to each his own, one size does not fit all, what will work for me will not necessarily work for you (or any other saying).

And I read "The Paradox of Choice" back in college. It was interesting and the example I remember best was one that dealt with choices at grocery stores. If there are too many versions of the same product, people are less likely to even purchase the product. But this doesn't work in every case. For a few months, Walmart drastically reduced its choices in the grocery isles for similar products, got a lot of complaints, lost some revenue (relatively) and then re-added many of the choices.

So yet again, while it's a cool idea and can have an effect, it does not necessarily apply across the board.

kimberliiw

It doesn't really bother me in things like choosing food or a meal. I definitely get analysis paralysis in bigger projects like painting a room or deciding how to landscape my yard. So rather than make a decision it just doesn't get done. But when it comes time for me to decide what to eat I go by what I want at that point balanced with nutritional value. I also eat pretty much the same meals during the week for breakfast and lunch, removing the decision making. So the only meal I really need to make decisions on is dinner.

CKJ118

I have gone about it both ways and personally stick to fewer choices because I find that when I have a ton of choices it makes me want to eat everything. That being said, when you make choices it is good to think about what will fill you and up and fuel your body because if you decide to go for a donut or waffle and no protein in the morning then it is probable that you will be hungry not long after. I keep a few meals saved that are my go-to's so that I can switch it up and have choice. I lost on WW a few years back and then gained it back because I did not change how I ate, I only changed the amounts that I ate. This go around I have totally changed my lifestyle and feel crappy when I don't eat healthy food so I make choices that give me energy and make me feel full. Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

CaffeinatedConfectionist

I'm definitely a fan of limiting food choices. In a similar vein to the "Paradox of Choice" is this infographic on decision fatigue, which shows how peoples' eating habits get worse as the day progresses.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669761/infographic-when-the-lights-go-out-the-world-eats-junk

This infographic is linked to the original NYT article on decision fatigue, which I found to be very interesting reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Basically, the article states that when we make decisions constantly thoughout the day, we suffer from mental fatigue and it becomes more difficult for our brain to make these decisions. Subsequently, our brain starts to look for shortcuts and it will be more difficult for people to make good decisions. The concept of decision fatigue is based on experiments that indicate that "there is a finite store of mental energy for exerting self-control. When people fended off the temptation to scarf down M&M's or freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies, they were then less able to resist other temptations."

There is an interesting section later in the article about the connection between glucose and willpower, arguing that glucose helps fuel peoples' willpower/self control.

"The discoveries about glucose help explain why dieting is a uniquely difficult test of self-control — and why even people with phenomenally strong willpower in the rest of their lives can have such a hard time losing weight. They start out the day with virtuous intentions, resisting croissants at breakfast and dessert at lunch, but each act of resistance further lowers their willpower. As their willpower weakens late in the day, they need to replenish it. But to resupply that energy, they need to give the body glucose. They’re trapped in a nutritional catch-22:"

Just speaking from personal experience, I have found that I do make worse eating decisions later in the day. Whether this is because I'm more physically tired, more rushed, or am suffering from "decision fatigue," I don't know. But I HAVE found that I tend to eat better overall if I limit my food choices and bring a packed lunch and packed snacks to work, or pre-log everything that I am going to eat for the day in the morning. Both these strategies limit my food options and help me from overindulging on food I don't really want and that I will regret later.

Bumbeen

Variety is a factor in overeating.

particleastro

Just remember a balanced meal is a balanced diet. I, along with many of my clients, find it much easier and more successful to have a few 'good' meals ready to go and made up than following some crazy five week diet plan with 100's recipes in it.

Good Luck,
JU