If you eat the same thing everyday...

[Bernadine]

I can't see the pic, but I'm usually ok with the same breakfast and lunch everyday, but I'd need a different dinner.

[soleil]

I pretty much eat the same thing everyday. ETA:  Because I'm lazy and its easier to just do this than to plan an elaborate week of meals. That menu looks a lot more varied than my diet though lol. The only thing I disagree with on that plan in the steamed broccoli - yuck. I adore broccoli sauteed or roasted with garlic but steamed is just very...dull.

My daily diet for the last 3 weeks is:

Breakfast - Either eggs and toast or toast with almond butter and jam

Snack - Oatmeal

Lunch: almond butter and jam sandwich, 2 clementines, 1 cup blueberries, side of veggies (I've been rotating green beans, asparagus, red bell peppers and broccoli.

Dinner: Tortellini from Aldi with pasta sauce and extra cheese.

I usually eat some sort of small bite of chocolate at some point of the day.

[jinkies]

I have eaten the exact same breakfast virtually every day for years: Kashi toasted berry crunch cereal mixed into Greek yogurt.

Come to think of it, I don't have much variety in my lunches either.

I don't think I could handle the exact same thing every day for every meal though.

Maybe if you created even 4 healthy all-day menus and rotated?

[pittsmcgee]

I usually make 1 thing for breakfast each week and freeze them into daily portions.
For lunches, I will make 1 protein that usually lasts me about 4 lunches and then wing it on Friday.
It is boring and limited, but it is cheaper and it makes it easier to pack up and go every day.

[jinkies]

I do want to say that I can commiserate with not trusting yourself around an assortment of food.

But if you restrict yourself to such a limited diet, you aren't really fixing the problem, you are just trading one food issue for another.

I really think you need more variety to make sure your body is getting everything it needs.

[Deleted]

Please don't eat salmon every day for dinner! I think it's a fish that's higher in mercury, or if I'm wrong about that, it's one that has too much of something that isn't good for you.

I eat a lot of the same things for breakfast/lunch/snacks from week to week, but I try to mix up elements of it. So I eat an egg sandwich for breakfast most days, but I'll use a certain kind of cheese for a couple of weeks and when I run out, I'll buy a different kid. Or I eat yogurt as a snack but I buy a bunch of different flavors or ones with mix ins. I usually eat a fruit or veggie (or both) as snacks, but one week I eat roasted carrots and the next it's asparagus. I will often eat the same leftover soup for 5 days in a row, but then the next week I'll have a different leftover soup. Etc.

I am trying to get a little better about having less variety in dinners for budget reasons. So I may buy a package of black bean burgers and have them for dinner once a week for 6 weeks, and do the same thing with a few other quick easy items like that. But I wouldn't want to eat them for dinner every day for a week. I'd get so sick of food!

[pittsmcgee]

If you restrict yourself too much you're going to go apeshit when you finally give yourself a treat and undo your hard work.
Try and find a happy medium and not obsess too much either way.

[Deleted]

Feb 26, 2015 15:12:11 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Feb 26, 2015 15:10:22 GMT -5 @buckybells said:

Please don't eat salmon every day for dinner! I think it's a fish that's higher in mercury, or if I'm wrong about that, it's one that has too much of something that isn't good for you.

Wrong.  

I'm batting 1000 this week with my posts lol. Isn't there something about salmon that's not good for you if you eat it too much? I thought there were certain fish that you were supposed to limit to 1-2x a week and that was one of them. Maybe not mercury, but something? 

[papie]

Feb 26, 2015 14:58:27 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

This just makes me think of immm.

ELEVEN ALMONDS

[maddiepaddy]

I totally get you about the self control thing. I have a hard time with it and I find that I need hard and fast dietary rules to make a difference. I think that's what you're going for with looking at a fixed menu.

Personally, I've had the best success following the Whole 30 diet. I found that having a very strict list of what was ok and what was not ok to eat was really helpful. I definitely ended up eating similar meals day to day, but there's plenty of room for variety. Also, eliminating sugar really helped me with the self control issue.

I was doing great until the holidays and then it all went to shit... I need to get started again :/

[dexteroni]

I don't understand how eating the same thing every day is going to get you OUT of a rut, or quell cravings. It seems like it would do exactly the opposite.

It's fine to have a template to adhere to, though, to keep yourself on track. I wouldn't go by this one 100%, though; to me it needs more fat and protein, and contains too much sugar from fruit. Here's how I would modify it:

Breakfast: low or full fat yogurt instead of non-fat. Save the apple for later.

Snack #1: Have the apple now instead of the cherries, and add a piece of cheese.

Lunch: Lunch is fine, just vary the components. Fish instead of chicken some days, green beans instead of broccoli some days, etc.

Snack #2: Ditch the blueberries and have hummus or guacamole with the carrots instead. Or have cucumber slices and guacamole. Or grape tomatoes and little fresh mozzarella balls.

Dinner: Also just vary the components. Different fish, chicken, a pork chop, and different vegetables. Or a stir-fry with all of the components and have them over brown rice instead of quinoa. Etc.

Dessert: Fine, although it doesn't sound very appetizing to me. I would rather have another yogurt and stir in the fruit and some dark chocolate chips.

What do you mean when you say you can't control yourself around food? Are you eating a lot of junk, or just eating way too large of portion sizes? You said that if you know what you're going to eat next, you won't obsess over it. You may be able to accomplish the same goal by coming up with a meal plan, even if it doesn't feature the same exact foods every day. Sometimes when I'm really trying to eat healthily, I buy all the food I need for the week, then I make a rule not to spend one dime at a grocery store or restaurant until the next weekend. Removing the option to change course or get takeout forces me to stick with my meal plan. It also saves money.

I know I don't know a lot about your specific concerns, but it sounds like it's safe to say that your food issues are a bigger problem than this specific menu or any other. I strongly recommend talking more to your therapist about them, or seeking out ED-specific therapy. Good luck to you!

[Deleted]

I literally eat only when I am hungry. I know this sounds so simple but I was eating all the time. I drink a lot of water. And I eat whatever I want. until I am full. Usually if I go out to eat I try to only eat half of what is there. then sip wine. I find I am reallllly full after half. But a year ago I'd eat the whole friggen thing. SIDE NOTE: I am a size 14. I was a tight 16 when I was dieting. I have a bad relationship with food myself. this is working though

I quit smoking a few years ago and gained a lot of weight so I tried everything. But this is working for me. Eating the same thing every day would bore the shit out of me

[Deleted]

I pretty much eat the same thing every day, minus the weekends when I often go out. I'm trying to be super strict with clean eating over the next month, so I probably won't even out out much.

I honestly don't get bored of it because at home I just look at food as fuel and save going out for really enjoying good food.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with veggies, greek yogurt, piece of fruit

Lunch: Protein bar, carrots and hummus, nuts, apple...sometimes a salad, sometimes lentil soup. 

Dinner: I'm trying to cook more now that I'm this super clean eating thing but before I'd often have a frozen veggie burger with a sweet potato, salad and whatever veggie I bought for the week. This week I made a few different chicken meals with veggies and spices. I've been using a lot more coconut oil to get in enough fat. 

My snacks are nuts, fruit, cheese, smoothies when it's warmer, greek yogurt, oatmeal hummus and salsa.

I've probably been living on those foods above since I moved back to Philly at the end of May. 

ETA: I would eat a different dinner every day if I had a magic chef that could cook me different meals lol. But I don't and I don't enjoy cooking so I stick to the simple stuff!

[lexxasaurus]

I agree with kevin arnold. You use the word obsessed, and issues, and you've had it come up in therapy. Honestly I think you need to touch on it more with your therapist or maybe schedule an appointment with someone who specializes in eating disorders. It sounds like getting to the root of the problem is your best bet.
Eating the same thing day in and day out works for some people, I'm not saying you won't have success. It's also possible it could make your obsessive thoughts more orthorexia type thoughts. Just be careful and I wish you the best of luck finding something that works for you.

[wambam]

This could go either way, IMO. It could be that not having to make choices about what you will eat will be a relief for you and you won't be so stressed out about it. In that case, perhaps you could do a meal plan with a little more variety, if for nothing else than micronutrient content.

OR it could make the problem much much worse.

Only you know you well enough to determine which is more likely.

[expatpumpkin]

Feb 26, 2015 15:03:38 GMT -5 soleil said:

Dinner: Tortellini from Aldi with pasta sauce and extra cheese.

Are you losing/maintaining weight?  Pasta for dinner each night would make me gain...  

[wambam]

Feb 26, 2015 16:00:32 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Feb 26, 2015 15:54:00 GMT -5 wambam said:

This could go either way, IMO. It could be that not having to make choices about what you will eat will be a relief for you and you won't be so stressed out about it. In that case, perhaps you could do a meal plan with a little more variety, if for nothing else than micronutrient content.

OR it could make the problem much much worse.

Only you know you well enough to determine which is more likely.

Dude, I thought about you during dinner on Monday! We roasted broccoli and it really was SO good! It got crispy and everything:)

Haha! I had some for lunch. It's so good. Maybe one of my favorite foods ever.

[shopgirl07]

When I'm trying to be healthy and lose weight, I definitely end up eating the same things over and over.

For breakfast I think it's easy to eat the same thing. So find something that works and stick with it. For lunch and dinner, maybe you could have a couple of staple proteins and switch up the veggies a bit. That way you know you're eating healthy but can still have a bit of variety.

[devonpow]

I eat the same thing every day for breakfast, lunch, and snacks just because I'm boring and it's easy. I can't do it for dinner because A) I think it would be excessive and B) DH and the kids would think I was nuts and not go for it.
Here's what I have :

Breakfast - Greek yogurt with fruit or a protein shake

Lunch - giant salad with spinach, kale, chopped veggies, avocado, chick peas, and tuna

Snacks - Greek yogurt or apples

* I also only do this weekdays
** I also only do this when not massively stress eating, like I am now. For today add on a giant bag of tostidos, guacamole, and a big container of ghiradelli dark chocolate. And some cookies.

[soleil]

Feb 26, 2015 15:57:23 GMT -5 expatpumpkin said:

Feb 26, 2015 15:03:38 GMT -5 soleil said:

Dinner: Tortellini from Aldi with pasta sauce and extra cheese.

Are you losing/maintaining weight?  Pasta for dinner each night would make me gain...  

I've been losing so far--I'm on week 3 of my fitness/lifestyle thing I've been doing and as of last Friday I went down from 144 pounds to 139 (hopefully will shave another pound off when I weigh in tomorrow morning), plus I lost an inch off my hips and another inch off my waist.  But again, I don't eat 3000 calories worth in one sitting in a cream sauce--I measure out an exact single serving.  I'd say my whole dinner (tortellini, red pasta sauce and a touch of extra cheese) is no more than 500 calories max (according to myfitnesspal anyway when I input it).

[wambam]

Feb 26, 2015 16:36:50 GMT -5 @kizmet said:

I tend to have the same thing for breakfast every day.  

I do the same.

[Deleted]

Feb 26, 2015 16:36:16 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Feb 26, 2015 16:35:11 GMT -5 AutumnRose25 said:

Me too.

I can actually go without sweets without a problem but loooooove salty snacks.

My H, of course, gets a kick out of it anytime I bring it up.

He'd also love "bring it up." LOL

Okay, we are both 9.

Lol, is he like "I've got a salty snack for you"?

[Deleted]

Who eats the same thing every day?

It sounds so...sad!

[hbear]

I didn't read all the replies, but there's way too much fruit/sugar in that plan. I can't get over the number of servings of fruit! That's a lot of carbs for a day. And there's hardly any fat. I just don't think that's a very healthy way to live. I'd be hungry all day on that meal plan.

[1confused1]

Feb 26, 2015 15:13:30 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Feb 26, 2015 15:08:16 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

This is pretty extreme language, and I can't tell if you're just being hyperbolic.  Know that restricting yourself to the same plain foods every day for weeks is only going to make these unhealthy and obsessive thoughts even worse.  

I'm probably being a little hyperbolic, but its mostly true. I've even gone to food addiction meetings, but the talking about it made it almost worse. I've talked to my therapist about it, but there are so many other things that we talk about that we don't touch on it a lot. I've got problems with food and my body. I dont know how to deal with them on a brain level. 

I think this is bigger than just changing up what you eat every day.

This needs to be the number one topic at your next therapy appointment.

[lexxasaurus]

Wait, you can't eat cheese if you're eating "clean"? Are people taking clean eating like a raw diet? Because yes technically making cheese is a process but so is peanut butter, and things like that. Too many rules for me.

I love some cheese but a slice of cheddar and a couple crackers won't necessarily satisfy me as a cheat snack.

[isabel]

Ugh. I would break that so damn fast. I can't stand eating the same thing all the time.

[lexxasaurus]

Feb 26, 2015 19:57:47 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Feb 26, 2015 18:56:54 GMT -5 lexxasaurus said:

Wait, you can't eat cheese if you're eating "clean"?

"Clean eating" is a pretty nebulous term.

I agree, I hate the phrase "clean eating" - it's right up there with "detox" anything. I simply never would have thought of cheese, at least good quality stuff, being shunned.