Here’s what happened when I ate the same things everyday…
This is not nutritional advice. This is simply a list of neutral observations I made when I ate the same foods everyday.
When I’ve dialed in food and diet for a specific goal in the past, I’ve always done it by tracking macros or practicing deliberate, mindful eating tactics. I had never followed a meal plan where I was eating the same things everyday for weeks or months at a time. Last year, I decided it was time to give it a shot and treat it like a science experiment. For clarification, I ate 5 meals per day that stayed the same 7 days per week. However, I would eat 2-3 meals “off plan” per week which meant I was swapping out one of those meals from the day for something different (if I went out, etc.) 2-3x per week. This plan was specifically programmed for me and my health goals. I was well nourished and eating a balanced diet.
Grocery shopping was in and out. I always knew exactly what and how much I needed and exactly where it was. This also made it easy to budget.
I never had to spend much time cooking. I had meal prep down to a science.
Physically and mentally, my body responded very quickly. Mental health and focus improved, digestion became the best it’s ever been, I felt lean, and my nails and skin were glowing. As I stated above, this plan was specifically designed for me :)
I didn’t have to spend any time on food logging. My phone did not have to be involved around meal time. I didn’t have to think about macros because it was already programmed for me.
Sometimes it was hard to hit the specific grams of food without storing a ridiculously small amount or wasting something. In most of those cases, the meals I consumed were not perfect down to the gram but they were close enough.
Strangely enough, I didn’t have as much cravings as I thought I would. I actually looked forward to MY meals and found myself happily turning down foods I would’ve otherwise eaten. It brought to light how much I say yes to just because I’ve always eaten it or “have always done it that way”.
At first, the thought of eating the same foods everyday overwhelmed me. I anticipated it being much harder than it actually was.
I set my “baseline” every week. If I chose to allow myself to have a few chocolate chips “off plan” after dinner, that would carry over in the consecutive days to come. On the flip side, if I decided I was going to be completely on, then that’s what would happen.
I am susceptible to others opinions. If someone viewed what I was eating or doing as something negative, I started to question if it was negative. Once I started questioning (if I didn’t reel it back in & ground myself with the facts of the situation), all bets were off because I wasn’t moving with as much assurance and purpose.
If I didn’t want food or drink being offered to me in a social setting, I needed to speak with confidence. A “no thank you, I don’t want that” is much different than “ugh no, I can’t have that”. Usually the first one is heard and respected, but the second one leaves room for “oh are you sure? It’s only a little bit, live a little!” which of course leaves you debating if you should “live a little” and what that even means.
Most people didn’t care. I assumed I would get raised eyebrows when eating differently but other than a few times, no one said much.
Since I was seeing the physical benefits, the few times anyone did say anything usually didn’t bother me.
I turn to food in moments of stress or avoidance. When things begin to feel unmanageable and I have time to procrastinate, I tend to think of food as a way to solve this. I was reminded it was imperative to manage my stress first if I wanted good meal choices to follow.
Sometimes I was genuinely hungrier than normal and it was better to have a filling food in addition to whatever I had already eaten at that meal. Whole foods were always my best bet when it was true hunger and not a craving or stress reaction.
Having 5 smaller meals per day seemed to work better for me than 4. This meant I was having a meal around 4pm, which is usually the time of the day work starts to feel mentally fatiguing. Having a yummy smoothie at that time helped me stay in the game.
There is a part of me that really thrives off routine. Having the same thing every day offered a lot of structure and helped increase focus.
I actually looked forward to keeping some of the meals consistent in the long run.
It was much easier to follow when I could feel or see the physical progress. When the scale would fluctuate, it felt less motivating to keep going because I would think “well why put in all of this work if it’s not working” even if there were other markers that showcased progress and benefits.
While there were times I chose to have a meal “off” and eat what my family and friends were eating, there were also times I ate my own food in social settings. Previously, I had some judgment around this but it actually felt fine to me. It didn’t take away from my experience of spending time with those I love.