I seem to obsess about food, thinking, planning, buying, eating, feeling hungry, feeling full, when am I eating next, what will i eat, etc.
Well I am thinking of eating the same things day and day out. I tried it the other week for about 10 days and I go into it and its seems to stop my obsessing. Then I got slack and stopped planning ahead. When I tried it I planned out 5 days of food but varied the type of soup or veg I had, so it wasn't strictly the same. Then the next 5 days I planned out things.
I like the fact I knew what I was eating and when and I actually stopped thinking about food. Plus it keep me within a workable calories allowance, I was eating food I enjoyed too.
A nutritionist would say this is a terrible idea because we normally require variety in our diets over the course of a week or so in order to get all of our nutients. (it sounds like you are getting more variety than me but I really DO eat almost the same thing every day lol)
However, this journey has made me realize that sometimes successful weight loss requires throwing certain rules out the window. I doubt I was getting all of my nutrients from the fast, processed food diet that I USED to be on anyways. Now at least I am eating whole foods, fruits, and veges. So,for the same reasons you described, I have been doing this. It really DOES diminish the cravings and helps me stay on plan! Take a multivitamin every day just to be safe, though.
i am starting my 2nd try here ...was here a year and a half ago, and am back now...and i tend to eat the same or very close to the same things each week. it is making my food journaling a lot easier. i do try to add one new thing a week, if not more...and if it works, i incorporate it into the menu...if not, i am comfortable keeping the menu basically the same. i have researched the top healthiest foods to eat...and most of my daily menus come from those items so i know i am getting the best nutritional foods for the calories even though the meun doen't vary much. i find comfort in my preparing, eating, and enjoying....the foods i am most familiar with.
i love advanced planning....knowing WHAT i am going to eat is MORE THAN HALF THE BATTLE...in my opinion!!! i do a lot of weekend prep for the coming week...and it makes my days sooo much easier. i never want to open the fridge and have to stand there and think, hmmm what am i going to eat today....that would be a RED FLAG for me!! get in the kitchen, prepeare whats on the menu and get out! hahaha i say, do what works for you as long as you are getting in the most nutritional foods you can!!
I try very hard not to because I don't want to lose weight on a comfort zone of food then find I don't have a wide enough diet to choose from on maintenance. I have to find a LOT of different healthy things I can eat.
OTOH I do tend to eat a lot of the same things for short periods of time, mostly due to the portion sizes that are on sale. It's the same price to buy 6 eggs as 30 eggs, so I eat a lot of eggs for a while. I buy some chicken that is sold as 4 portions, but by the time I've cut it into portions it's 7-9 portions, so I eat a lot of chicken for a while.
And the other reason I try not to eat too much of the same thing is that my previous mentality is not far away, the "That was nice, I must have another one" person. It doesn't matter if it's unhealthy or healthy, I want to kick that habit. I want to say that I enjoyed my egg sandwich for lunch, I don't have to have another for tea because it was so enjoyable, I will make a special effort NOT to have another one for tea precisely because I loved it.
I don't get too wound up in the nutrition element, I have too many things going on and have to take some wild prescription supplements so I know I've got all the stuff I need, but if you don't have the supplements it's important to get either variety or a very finely balanced repetitive menu. If you are going to eat it over and over and over it needs to be perfect.
I think my daily plan for food is - I will stick with it for:
x2 portions of homemade soup (thai carrot and lentil/veg) x2 eggs
protein shake
smoked haddock with stir fried veg
chopped carrots/cucumber
piece of cheese
I agree that sometimes you need to throw out the rules and too much variety leads me to obsess/crave. I will see how it goes......
I meant to add, I think I will try that for the next few days, say 10 days or so and then switch change/vary one or two items and run it again for another 10 days.
I find that I eat a lot of the same things if Im counting calories or not. So I do go 4-5 days eating exactly the same breakfasts and lunches without really realizing it.
I eat the same breakfast and preworkout snack everyday. I have snacks that I rotate. I have pretty much 3 lunches that I rotate. Dinner I try to vary more but it seems like I mainly repeat the same 4 or 5 meals for the most part. It's been working for me. Every now and then I try to try something new.
I'm a creature of habit too. It does make calorie counting a lot easier. I have 2-3 breakfasts, 2-3 lunches, and 4-5 dinners. Snacks are usually the same. I also take a vitamin, but other than that I am happy and full and losing weight so all's good!
Last edited by sept15lija; 12-11-2010 at 07:44 PM.
I've heard it called "automating". It's quite common. I automate breakfast and lunch and vary my dinners. I'm healthy and happy and when I get tired of my dinner choices I move on to something new.
Pretty much. My bfast, snacks, and lunches are from just a few rotating options. Dinner is where I vary. This was actually recommended to me by my endocrinologist, as it makes it a lot easier to manage type 1 diabetes this way. It's also worked well for my weight loss.
I eat the same breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and vary snacks) for a week. Then, I plan new meals for the following week on Sunday mornings. It works for me. Otherwise, I would give up out of frustration with the time and energy it takes to prepare new and different meals every day.
Anyone eat the same things day in day out?
