Everyday - Same Meals?

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foodiscomplicated
foodiscomplicated Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This approach isn't gonna work for all but it sure does for me. I eat, with very minor variation, the same meals every single day. What's worth noting is that I look forward and enjoy every bite.
This make counting calories a cinch as I know what to eat without obsessing on the calorie count. But the best reason I found for a static diet is that I eat less.
My particular diet is vegan - beans, nuts, fruit, veggies and the like. There's always 2 tbs flax seed, B12 (1x weekly), D, Amla and a few other daily supplements in the mix for maximum nutrition.


Here are a few links that discuss this theory:

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/why-eat-same-meal-every-day-135700390.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2320971/Can-eating-foods-day-make-lose-weight-How-mono-lunchers-consume-fewer-calories-overall.html

http://food.ninemsn.com.au/howto/expertadvice/8655726/eating-the-same-foods-daily-could-hold-weight-loss-key

http://nobrainermuscle.com/eat-same-meals/
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Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    Personally, I'd be bored to death within a week, but if it works for you and you are getting all the nutrients you need, then that's all that matters. :smile:
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
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    I eat essentially the same breakfast every day, was worried I'd get bored but not yet! I've considered doing something similar with lunch and dinner but my husband and kids would rebel against that, I am sure.
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
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    I am glad that it works for you.

    I had the same meals everyday I would fail because there is no way I could eat only the same meals everyday for the rest of my life. I am not on a diet to lose weight, I am making changes to help me get healthy and stay that way for the rest of my life. Now having said that I do eat the same breakfast almost everyday only because it is easy, keeps me full, and I don't have to think before coffee.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Whether dieting or not, people tend to rotate the same dishes anyway. I can't eat the exact same thing every day, I'd go crazy and I'm a foodie...but I'd guess I have about 4 or 5 different things I do for lunch and same for dinner...my breakfast is usually the same every day. Most people I know who aren't dieting pretty much do the same...people are creatures of habit by nature.
  • mamagirl49
    mamagirl49 Posts: 97 Member
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    Variety is the spice of life...
  • Kanuenue
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
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    I try to always vary my fruits and vegetables, getting whatever is seasonal whenever possible. I just think that's beneficial for maximum nutrients. But I pretty much always have eggs for breakfast and a yogurt or cottage cheese for snack tho. As long as you are still getting your macos & micros- eat what you like.
  • gojodster
    gojodster Posts: 38 Member
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    I have a very busy lifestyle with 2 jobs, Family and taking care of myself. So I Semi-Prepare if not completely and put them in portion size containers and keep a weeks worth in the fridge at work. I do this on Saturday for the next week and it works pretty well. I do understand that its easier but I will tell you by the end of the week I am ready to try something new if not at least a variation to the previous meals. when you find something that works to get all the nutrients in stay with it just mix it up a little bit so you don't get to bored. :) I think we all stick to our favorites to a certain extent anyways lol
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
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    I eat the same breakfast during the work week...and I have 4 different "snack" combos that I make up in multiples on Sunday so my fridge is like a vending machine! I do go off the path on weekends, though as I have the time and creativity. I LOVE to cook and try new things, but it makes me stress out to have to deal with that Monday thru Friday!

    EDITED to add that a Crock Pot is an amazing tool! That one thing has helped with the variety during the week.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
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    I rotate between just a couple of meals for breakfast and lunch every day, but then have more variety with dinner. It works for me!
  • tinacrane
    tinacrane Posts: 134 Member
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    My husband and I are both on MFP and both work alot. We eat almost the same breakfast 5 days a week (food is sustenance;it doesn't always need to be an experience), with a few snack choices daily and our work lunches vary a little with the same items rotated weekly. There is a peace knowing that for the majority of the day "you got this' :drinker: and its oh so quick and efficient in the mornings. Dinner varies nightly and weekends are the big cooking time-so anything within reason goes :happy:
  • piratesluver
    piratesluver Posts: 105 Member
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    Variety is the spice of life...

    Yes. Yes it is.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I did that for the first 6 weeks or so of my diet, then realized I was wasting what was probably my best opportunity to retrain my eyes and stomach to be satisfied with standard sized servings of the full range of foods I hope to be able to eat for the rest of my life. Learning portion control when you've been used to super-sizing everything is a tedious process and unavoidable unless you plan on eating a very limited diet for the rest of your life. And it doesn't get any easier after you reach goal. It seemed to me the best time for it was early in the process when my levels of enthusiasm and determination to permanently change my eating habits were at their highest. By the time I reached goal my standard sized servings really did seem completely normal and full sized, which made my transition to maintenance practically seamless.
  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
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    I eat the same breakfast and lunch on the weekdays. I tend to prefer it since I'm at work and not really focused on the food so much as just having enough energy to make it through the day. Also, this way I have the bulk of my calories saved up for dinner, where I can savor and enjoy. :)

    (The weekends are a whole other ball of yarn. Anything is game.)
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    This is nothing more than everyone's personal preference and you will do what works best for you... I myself tend to have 3 goto meals for breakfast but normally nothing replaces my scratch made waffle and syrup that wins out most mornings.... I do sandwiches and wraps in multiple combinations for lunch with some chips and Supper is always changing, although I am a Steak and Chicken lover so those are on the menu in some form most nights... Snacks are normally Nuts and Chocolate Milk.... Finding what you can adhere to is the most important thing you can do for long term sustainability..... Best of Luck
  • foodiscomplicated
    foodiscomplicated Posts: 85 Member
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    Yeah, it's a crazy method. Who could possibly eat the same thing, week in - week out, for the rest of their lives?
    I've been doing this for 1 1/2 years. Still waiting for it to loose it's effectiveness, but it hasn't yet.
    For me, the monotony tames the food monster - takes some of the struggle out of foods gravitational pull.

    Food's complicated
  • looopyloops
    looopyloops Posts: 84 Member
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    I tend to eat the same foods all the time, with a small amount of variation, I like to have a big salad at lunch , but put different veggies in it , and sometimes add cheese or nuts, I have been eating the weight watchers zero point soup as well, breakfast is usually fruit and yogurt or a smoothie, supper time though is more varied, as I make things for my family and they would not like the same food day in and day out, Good luck with your plan , remember what ever you can live with is the best plan for you.
  • lebbyloses
    lebbyloses Posts: 133 Member
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    I tend to eat the same things a lot whether I'm trying to lose or not. And the thing that's most helpful to me in losing weight IS eating the same thing every day--not for life, but for a week. I cook big batches of healthy things on Sunday, portion them out, and eat them all week. Some weeks, of course, life gets in the way. What helps me about that approach is not really the repetition (I change recipes from week to week) but the fact that as a busy, single, not-affluent person it's the easiest and most cost-effective way to make sure I get cheap, nutritious food. Lunch is all packed for the week on Sunday, so I never need to consider fast food or the like.
  • oiseau17
    oiseau17 Posts: 142 Member
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    I think this comes down to personality. I'd get bored eating the same thing every day, but my husband could and does do it happily. He likes the simplicity of it. Heck, he could probably eat the same thing three times a day, everyday and be happy.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Personally, I'd be bored to death within a week, but if it works for you and you are getting all the nutrients you need, then that's all that matters. :smile:

    This ^^

    I would find it hard to meet nutritional needs without a vitamin supplement eating the same thing every day, I think. But we'll never know because it's definitely not my thing. I crave variety.
  • lyzmorrison
    lyzmorrison Posts: 172 Member
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    I eat a lot of the same stuff b/c I'm a terrible cook. If you look at my diary, it's basically the same stuff over and over. I don't mind that b/c I HATE IT when I spend time making something new and it turns out terrible. If I was a better cook I'd be all over trying new recipes, but for me....I stick with what I can do.

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