Variety vs Routine

Options
marypresent
marypresent Posts: 39 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When the goal is to lose pounds, do you find that variety is the way to go when choosing foods to eat or do you tend to eat the same foods? Just wondering if you have found more success with one particular way of eating.
«1

Replies

  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Options
    If you feel deprived then variety.. if you're like me you could eat hamburgers everyday and no care.. then routine.

    It's all preference.
  • donnat238
    donnat238 Posts: 309 Member
    Options
    I have better results when I have similar meals every day. The more I think about it and try to add variety, that is when I slip up. I usually throw something in the crock pot on Sunday afternoon. That goes into individual servings, so I know what I'll be having for lunch each day. Breakfast is always the same. Dinner I will have a couple of different options, but it works for me!
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    Options
    I think for me, it's a mixture. I have a lot of base foods that you'll find in my diary every week: eggs, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, the zucchini muffins I keep making because they make me not want timbits etc.
    But my fruits and veggies tend to change from week to week, as does how I prepare my eggs and that's how I keep my need for variety satiated, and round out the nutrients I need.
    The only issue I have with people using a complete routine to lose weight where they're eating almost the same thing every day is that if your macros aren't perfect, you're depriving yourself of something your body needs long term.
    So basically, if it fits my macros, I eat it.
  • tsimblist
    tsimblist Posts: 206 Member
    Options
    For me it is routine. I don't have to make choices and research the calorie counts of new food. I have my basic routine items that make logging easier for me. I also plan my meals by logging them for the day before I eat. Helps me to say no to the office snacks.
  • TXGirl78028
    TXGirl78028 Posts: 37
    Options
    Mostly routine with a little variety thrown in for spice. I find that if I get to much variety I go overboard, but if I have the same types of things most of the time and have a little something different from time to time I'm more apt to stay where I need to be calorie/weight wise.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Options
    Routine makes it easier and more convenient, but variety makes it more fun. Do a little of both...
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    Options
    I love to cook and I love food. Eating the same thing everyday would not be realistic for me. That being said I do eat similar foods most days for breakfast when I'm too tired to care what I'm eating. Lunch and dinner are vastly different every day. Not sure how long you are looking to sustain this diet which probably makes a difference. I could eat the sames things for a week, maybe, if I had to.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,516 Member
    Options
    My husband eats the EXACT same thing for breakfast and lunch monday to friday and it weirds me out, but after 14+ years I am used to it. Cheerios(no milk) and OJ for breakfast, two ham and cheese sandwiches with mustard on wheat bread, a banana and a handful of baby carrots and a diet dew for lunch.

    I got bored one day and inputted his diet into my diary, lol. Holy carb monkey. However, he is 6' and 180lbs so it works for him :explode:
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Options
    For me, variety helps me be consistent with my routine...
  • spiralated
    spiralated Posts: 150 Member
    Options
    I do a mixture. For breakfast and lunch its usually one of three options which i do for a few weeks (until supplies are gone) then I buy a different option, eat til gone, etc. So its a routine for the length of the supplies and variety depending on whats good in the grocery.

    Dinner I keep a medium sized list of "good meals," and a short list of special meals we choose from.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    I need variety! Although I eat a lot of the same things (chicken breast, Greek yogurt), I change the way I eat them.
  • marypresent
    marypresent Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    I think, for me, one of the biggest obstacles I face is dinner. I like to have variety but it's difficult to limit portions so that I'm not overeating, especially with foods that I love. I'm thinking about limiting my dinner options to a few that I like (and easy to calculate calories for.)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    I need variety and would quit if I couldn't have it, but within that there's a lot of routine, which is what makes it easy. For example, I need to be able to change up breakfast on occasion, but I have a vegetable omelet more often than not. It's just what I put in it and what I have on the side (some kind of fruit, some kind of dairy or other protein) change constantly. The same is basically true with my other meals.
  • essjay76
    essjay76 Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    I love food. All kinds. I need variety. So much good food out there.
  • Soggynode
    Soggynode Posts: 1,179 Member
    Options
    I'm far too lazy for variety. I would probably eat bacon flavored pellets for every meal if I could find them. I would have made someone a great hamster.
  • maroonmango211
    maroonmango211 Posts: 908 Member
    Options
    I keep a variety IN my routine. Usually for lunch I have fruit and greek yogurt, the variety is in what type of fresh fruit and possibly what flavour I add to the yogurt. For supper we always have family favourites, new recipes and some easy fast ones thrown in for busy days to keep us from getting bored but when we go grocery shopping I make a two week list of the meals available and have all the ingredients and recipes in check so that we can pick and schedule them when we need/want.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
    Options
    I absolutely love all sorts of foods, and in a perfect world would constantly switch things up. However, with a very hectic schedule in the lab (averaging 70-90 hours per week) eating similar things most days makes meal prep and planning simple. It makes keeping track of kcal and macros easier, since I have a good idea of what combination of foods will meet my goals and it makes logging quick. I also live alone, and always seem to end up with plenty of leftovers which is great since i can just reheat and eat when I get home.
  • Peloton73
    Peloton73 Posts: 148 Member
    Options
    I keep the same breakfast because I like it and it's safe. For lunch and dinner I rotate from 3 entrees for each meal.
  • andreavarangu
    andreavarangu Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    I like food too much to want to eat the same things all the time. So lots of variety! That said I now eat a healthier variety than I used to....with way more vegetables and way less cake :smile:
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
    Options
    i'm a picky eater so i like routine. i also dont mind eating the same thing over and over as long as it's delicious.

    besides that i have too many other things to think about than trying to worry about what i'm going to at and how to make it different than what i ate before.

Categories