limit variety = lose weight

I still see patients a couple of days each week, and doing so really helps me understand why some people are successful and others are not. One of the things that I think helps, especially initially, is limiting variety to some extent. Research actually proves that if you eat the same thing for each course at a meal you will eat less than if you have something different at each course. I think this can be applied to both individual meals and an overall diet plan. I find that people who get into a routine, not necessarily eating the same thing every day but the same type of things, do much better losing weight and keeping it off. I think it goes to my fundamental point of having a plan and some structure – not just letting meals happen. So try to find some things that you really love for meals and snacks and rotate through them every week. When you get bored, change things up but maintain the structure. I find that I tend to rotate through meals and snacks every couple weeks but I stick with the same types of foods. It makes shopping, planning, and even eating out easier as you know what works best for you. And you can always spice things up with low-fat sauces and spices to keep things interesting.