Does eating the same foods help your weight loss?

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Bdde
Bdde Posts: 133 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i was wondering if I ate the same basic foods every day at the same time would that help my weight loss?

I am currently eating oatmeal every weekday mornings but I'm all over the place for lunch and dinner.

also-

when should i stop eating? I've heard to stop eating two hours before going to bed?

any help?

thanks!

Replies

  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
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    i was wondering if I ate the same basic foods every day at the same time would that help my weight loss?

    I am currently eating oatmeal every weekday mornings but I'm all over the place for lunch and dinner.

    also-

    when should i stop eating? I've heard to stop eating two hours before going to bed?

    any help?


    thanks!


    I eat the same ol' plain oatmeal and 2 pieces of sausage every workday ( Mon-Fri) and am considering making a staple lunch as well... I think it helps ME in that I don't think about it and I don't get tempted with the multitudes of processed food choices that would be the alternative.
  • Jlynb1109
    Jlynb1109 Posts: 84 Member
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    I try to not eat anything after 8PM and I usually go to bed around 10PM. If I get hungry past 8PM - which I do every night! I drink water or have some tea (decaf).

    Good luck with your weight loss! :flowerforyou:
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,798 Member
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    i was worried about when should i stop eating thing as well, but i was reading something that said, calories are calories, no matter when you eat..makes sense, but i can also still see the concern, as the body slows down at night..best of luck, google it and do some research..you may find more than you were looking for :)
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    You are what you eat. so just make sure that your staples are something that you want your body to be made of. Other than that you should be fine...

    Do try to mix it up tho it is easier to fall off the wagon when you are bored. and I find that mixing up my food choices helps me to not be bored. I have about 3-5 breakfast and lunch choices that I mix up. And then I eat well balanced dinners.
  • petithamu
    petithamu Posts: 582 Member
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    I have read somewhere...a long time ago that people who are at a healthy weight tend to not change a lot in their daily food intake. I start to believe that as I pretty much have the same breakfast/lunch everyday. The only thing that may different slightly is dinner. I think it does help because you're not flustering about with all different ingredient and if you eat something different every meal every day, it would make logging intolerable I think...

    I also try not to eat after 8pm unless I have a late work out. Then if I do, I try to keep my dinner at around 350kcal and drink a butt loads of water.

    I tend to make a big pot of stew or something for lunch so it's already measured out and I don't have to worry too much about it. Like I said before, it's dinner where I usually change things and that helps me because it gives me variety and I don't get bored since I'm eating the same breakfast/lunch everyday...
  • ngoat
    ngoat Posts: 97 Member
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    I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every week day. I think this helps and hurts me. I think it helps keep in line on my calories most days, but it also makes me crave unhealthy food alot more.
  • pawprint_net
    pawprint_net Posts: 54
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    It really depends on you - your schedule and your body... For me (for example) I eat a very consistent "set" of foods - because it's easier for me to shop and maintain that way - I always know what ingredients I need. Also for me if I EVER ate oatmeal I'd gain like crazy (carbs & me = not good friends!) so it all depends.

    The trick is to find what works for you and stick with it - It's all about life change so gotta find something you can stick with, basically forever after. Being too consistent with what you eat may become boring - I guess I'd suggest if you haven't ever tried a more routine meal plan, and it works in your schedule, give it a go and see how that works for you - can't hurt as long as you choose good foods.
  • audbbgirl
    audbbgirl Posts: 83
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    I usually eat pretty much the same things for breakfast and sometimes at lunch. I heard it helps with weight loss but not sure.
    I do switch up sometimes weekly with breakfast. I may have oatmeal every day for one week but then next week have a granola bar or a bagel with cream cheese. It all depends what i get at the store.
    But it really does not bother me to eat the same thing every morning.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    The reason eating the same thing every day helps with weight loss is because you know ahead of time that you're within your caloric limits for the day and don't get tempted by eating whatever you can get your hands on.

    Now, if you're a foodie like me, this will get boring VERY quickly and temptation will still throw you for a loop, so try to come up with a bunch of things that you know will work so you can switch it up a bit from week to week. And always have a couple healthy snacks on hand in case you happen to burn some extra calories and need a boost.
  • Bdde
    Bdde Posts: 133 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I think it makes sense when you do eat the same things often and they are ready when you're hungry. It makes perfect sense. Sometimes when you are hungry you go for the very first thing in sight which in my case it's junk food. Although I'm at a school so many times they are selling junk food for random fundraisers.

    Im headed to Trader Joe's right after work and getting my breakfasts and lunches ready!
  • mattcoop
    mattcoop Posts: 30 Member
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    Two of my meals( one is a potatoe based hummus & the other is a sesame flour thickened stew) are in batches (I make about 8 servings of each) and put them into microwavable containers in the fridge. The important thing about them is that each one is fortified with vegetables (spinach- can't taste it in the mix), legumes (lentils &split peas), sesame seed flour, egg beaters, potatoes (rich in vitamin C & potassium), Habaneros (very good for the blood vessels, prevents colds and colon cancer), & tomatoes. This helps me be very consistently low in sodium daily (less than 1200 mg)... Look at my diary and profile... Since these two daily batches are used for my breakfast and lunch.... They allow me much greater flexibility to go over in sodium in the other times of the day and still let me be under 1200 mg per day. It is very important to usually make your meals the old fashioned way - by scratch. Let me know if you want the two recipes. I've lost 60 lbs total and maintain my 155 lbs and health due to these two meals (and exercise!)

    I wish you success...

    Matt
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    I think you can go either way with that one. Definitely one of those conflicting information kind of things.

    Some studies say to stick with the same bf/lunch and maybe vary dinner a bit: we tend to eat more when there are more choices. It also makes menu planning a bit easier.

    But others say to shake it up...keep your body guessing what's coming next.

    So figure out what works best for you. During the week, we tend to stick to the same few items, but rotate though them. For example:

    BF: either oatmeal w/fruit, OR some sort of eggs (omelette or frittata) w/fruit OR protein smoothies
    L: some sort of salad OR homemade chili/soup OR leftovers
    D: varies, but usually some sort of protein and veggie and maybe a complex carb

    Snacks are almost always fruit/nuts, etc.

    Anything goes on the weekends;-)
  • sarahs440
    sarahs440 Posts: 405
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    Thanks for posting this! I was just wondering the same thing, because I eat the same breakfast and lunch every day. Breakfast varies some but lunch is almost ALWAYS the same. It works for me to eat light through the day so I can save calories for dinner, as I am still struggling with what to eat for dinner that will please my family as well. So thanks everyone!
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    I eat from the same basic set of foods for breakfast, lunch, and morning / afternoon snack most days. This includes breads, eggs, cheese, yogurt, granola, berries, bananas, cereal, milk, granola bars, veggies, V8, peanut butter. For B&L, I try to have some dairy, some grain, and some fruit / veg.

    Dinner varies. A lot.

    Snacks are the same items from that first group, along with 200-cal. portions of late-night snacks like peanuts or mixed nuts, peanut butter, pretzels, popcorn, and ice cream or frozen yogurt.

    But I find that if I know that my first two meals will be around 300 cal. each with a 150 cal. snack, then I've got plenty of calories left for a sensible dinner and a late-night snack. It also helps with meal planning, because I'm just stocking up on things we're low on instead of shopping around for new and exciting foods. I save the experimenting for when I eat out (which is pretty frequently... another reason why it helps to keep those two meals pretty stable, low-cal, and well-balanced) or when we make a nice dinner at home.
  • SeasideOasis
    SeasideOasis Posts: 1,057 Member
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    I think it depends on the same person. Can you lose weight eating the same things day in and day out? Yes. Hence the brown rice and chicken diet.

    However, if I were to eat the exact same thing everyday, I WOULD GO CRAZY!! I am a lover of food. In order for me to keep my 1200 calorie diet and not fall off the band wagon everyday, I need variety. Ill take the extra 5 minutes to log in everything if that means that I was able to stay within my diet totals.

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