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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To eat the same thing every day?

69 replies

IsThisOKtoEat · 18/04/2022 13:17

I desperately need to lose weight. I am obese and pre diabetic. Could I have a balanced diet if I ate the same thing everyday? I think it would be easier of I didn't have to think about what I eat. I'm trying to keep carbs low. I am vegetarian. If I don't do something quick I am going to become diabetic.

This is what I am thinking?

Breakfast - cinnamon porridge made with water (or milk if I don't have 2 coffees!) plus blueberries and chia seeds + coffee with full fat milk

Snack - Coffee with milk and almonds, clementine

Lunch - Cheese omelette with cherry tomatoes and spinach & linseeds

Snack/pudding - walnuts and apple

Dinner - Noodle soup with lots of veg and tofu (v small portion of noodles)

Snack/pudding - Greek yogurt with banana and mixed seeds

I will base portion sizes on a 1500kcal vegetarian meal plan from Diabetes UK

OP posts:
WindsChange · 18/04/2022 13:54

It sounds ok but I honestly thought that a varied diet was better as different foods have different nutrients?

As you are veggie why don’t you look at whole food plant based? I’ve read some really interesting stuff about diet and diabetes and my DM is type 2 diabetic. Some of the recipes in this website are great: nutritionfacts.org/video/the-best-diet-for-diabetes/
Best of luck with it all.

IsThisOKtoEat · 18/04/2022 13:55

NETSRIK that sounds ideal!

OP posts:
peachgreen · 18/04/2022 13:58

Try Fast 800. I don't follow it to the letter but I do intermittent fasting (16:8), cook from the recipe books and stick to around 1000cals a day.

I lost 2 stone in 6 months doing low carb but then switched to Fast 800 a month ago and have lost a further stone and a bit. I'm rarely hungry and I'm getting all the nutrients I need.

ManUforthewin · 18/04/2022 13:58

@Qwill

It looks ok, but three snacks sounds quite a lot? It’s ok to feel hungry for a bit during the day, otherwise your body will be constantly processing food if you’re having three meals and all those snacks.
I eat all the time. I just had a hoummus and spinach sandwich (with butter too) but I only had a large bowl of soup two hours ago. I will have something else around 4/5pm I imagine. I think I’m pretty healthy and I’m definitely not even slightly overweight. I do walk the dogs every day but don’t exercise all that much.

What harm is it to the body if it’s constantly processing food? It’s a genuine question as I actually didn’t realise it’s not good. On working days I do have to have longer gaps between food. Also I realise it’s not so good for my teeth if I am eating too regularly. But otherwise?

IsThisOKtoEat · 18/04/2022 14:00

WindsChange I'm not thinking this would be forever, but I just need to do something NOW and without a personal chef I thought this might work for me as a short term solution.
Thanks for the link - I will take a look.

I really struggle with meal planning for some reason.

OP posts:
WhereYouLeftIt · 18/04/2022 14:02

"I will base portion sizes on a 1500kcal vegetarian meal plan from Diabetes UK"

So that sounds to me as if you've looked into the nutritional side for a reputable source. I'd give it a go.

ManUforthewin · 18/04/2022 14:02

@collieresponder88 fat can be good for you. Of course you’re less likely to be overweight if you only eat fruit & veg but you’re more likely to be hungry.

Thecaravan · 18/04/2022 14:03

It sounds healthy but not low carb if that's what you're wanting to do. Check out the low carb boards on here. I think it's @BIWI who has lots of great advice for that way of eating.

Qwill · 18/04/2022 14:03

@ManUforthewin

I think it just depends on your body. I tend to eat lunch and dinner only as not hungry at breakfast. When I was younger I went on a diet once which was very similar to the OP’s with a lot of calorie controlled snacks and it made me hungrier! I believe fasting for short periods has been recommended for weight loss too. I think it’s also more about the relationship you have with food, if it’s a big deal and you need to keep eating, that could indicate an issue, but for you it sounds like you’ve always done it and it suits you. I think if there was a writ loss technique that suited everyone we would have found it by now!

Walserwasstrange · 18/04/2022 14:09

Good luck OP, ignore the people advising you to ditch cheese or full-fat milk, you need the fat to feel full and you need the cheese to meet your daily protein and calcium requirements or you'll be losing a lot of muscle alongside the fat, and that will make it more likely you''ll feel terrible, be hungry and regain weight more easily later. You could add different low cal veg to the omelette such as courgettes, a bit of grated carrot, as well as the cheese. You could vary the fruit on different days, so berries always good for example, you could have Oat milk for part of the week etc. You need to consider your protein needs, calcium needs, vit C etc I'd also take a decent multivitamin and maybe a flaxseed oil supplement for your Omega 3 intake. You could add some vegetarian protein powder to your porridge.

myceliumama · 18/04/2022 14:10

Op get Ray off the milk and anything that contains flour or sugar. So no noodles and no milk. Chicken stir fry is better than noodle soup. Coffee with cream is better than coffee and milk. If you MUST have the porridge oats then make it with water and cream. But in your shoes I would replace the porridge with a low carb protein powder shake with cream and fruit ( like a smoothie) or just a few bullet proof coffee. Or bacon and eggs with mushroom and tomatoes

IsThisOKtoEat · 18/04/2022 14:10

@WhereYouLeftIt

"I will base portion sizes on a 1500kcal vegetarian meal plan from Diabetes UK"

So that sounds to me as if you've looked into the nutritional side for a reputable source. I'd give it a go.

It is very loosely based on this, though that mealplan has lots of different meals. But lots of things that I either don't fancy or will be too time consuming to make.

I guess short term (ie a couple of months) even if it's not perfectly balanced the benefit of losing weight will outweigh any lack of nutrition. I can always throw in some supplements.

OP posts:
IsThisOKtoEat · 18/04/2022 14:13

myceliumama I am vegetarian so won't be able to add bacon or chicken

OP posts:
LoveSpringDaffs · 18/04/2022 14:18

Don't omit the cheese, you need the protein & the fat.

Ditch the oats & fruit, neither will help with your blood sugars.

Try not to snack. Make sure each meal is sufficient until the next.

Full fat milk/cheese etc.

Listen to/read Jason Fung.

Deal with this now before you are diabetic, much much easier!!

If you want to discuss low carbing, join the Bootcamp Threads by BIWI.

Being low carb & vegetarian isn't easy, but it's doable. Cauldron sausages & their marinated tofu are both low carb & very handy.

pregnantncnc · 18/04/2022 14:26

@IsThisOKtoEat

pony I think that keeping fats high is better if you are doing low carb, I know the calories will be higher and not sure of the reason exactly but that's what I have read!
Keeping fats higher is incredibly important for satiation, especially if you are eating low-carb. Also what PP said re glucose spikes is true (and glucose spikes are important for everyone, diabetic or not!)

OP, that sounds like a healthy day of eating, but eating the same thing every day isn't going to give you enough variety of nutrients... and you will get bored very quickly. However, I do understand your mindset with it being easier to stick to short term.

I suggest you look up Lily Nichols. She specialises in pregnancy and postpartum nutrition (specifically gestational diabetes), but her advice is really applicable to all. She has some great advice on her blog and instagram page, as well as a couple of books (although they're very much aimed towards pregnancy, I found them very interesting when not pregnant!)

Dragongirl10 · 18/04/2022 14:27

I totally understand why you would want to not have to think about food, the slimmest l have ever been and sustained for years was when l was able to have a healthy breakfast and lunch (always versions of salads) at my workplace, taking home a small dinner from there too.
No food shopping or prep, no cooking , no thinking about food...l have never managed as well since, although eating a variation of 4 of the Louise Parker days meals on rotation is the next best thing!
For me to keep my hunger at bay l have to mentally disconnect from food as a pleasure.

Your plan is healthy and well balanced. full fat is good just cut right down on the fruit (sugar is the enemy)

Flatbrokefornow · 18/04/2022 14:31

@IsThisOKtoEat

rubytubeytubes I think I may be insulin resistant as I also have PCOS. I lost about 10kg quite easily a couple of years ago when I really cut carbs. It's as if my body doesn't process them and just turns them straight into fat. I just don't seem to be able to do what I did when I lost the weight before. I don't know what's changed.
May I suggest reading (or listening to, the audiobook is great) The Obesity Code, by Jason Fung? He’s a doctor specialising in diabetes and it will explain exactly how your body is processing carbs straight into fat, what’s changed and how to stop it.

If what you can handle right now is the same thing each day, go for it. As you go on you can introduce new things and have a rolling 2/3/7 day plan. Do what you can manage for the moment.

wonkygorgeous · 18/04/2022 14:38

If you are pre diabetic and insulin resistant, cut out fruit in general. Fructose is particularly damaging to diabetics.

Low fructose fruits are berries, particularly sweet strawberries! These are better options.

Walserwasstrange · 18/04/2022 14:55

A serving of Sainsbury’s porridge oats contains 4.1g of protein, also oats promote good cholesterol levels which is important for avoiding health issues later! So, I’d keep those personally, they’re also very filling so will help with cravings, have a positive impact on mood etc Just make sure proper cook from scratch porridge oats not the instant varieties. The almonds useful too, if add a scoop of protein powder will help meet that requirement and will aid with avoiding blood sugar spikes. Berries have less impact in terms of sugars, so I’d keep the blueberries too. Strawberries and cherries also good, allowed on a lot of low-carb diets in preference to other fruits, so could substitute those. Ditching the banana means losing potassium but agree it’s very sugary, could make sure that get potassium in a supplement to make up for that if you decide to have something else instead. I’d also make sure the Greek yoghurt was live to help with your microbiome/gut health. If you eat Quorn the ham slices are low cal and a good source of protein, nice chopped up in salads or added to omelettes.

Agree re: Jason Fung, have a look at the Doctor’s Kitchen podcast too and the episodes on glucose – recent research suggests how we combine foods and the order we eat them in makes a difference to their impact on blood sugar - and the episode with Andrew Jenkinson on weight gain and what foods to avoid is useful and very clear.
thedoctorskitchen.com/podcasts/

Also, if you can get in at least 30 minutes exercise about three to five times a week that would be great, even a brisk walk will help with blood sugar and with burning fat. If necessary just stick on some headphones with some peppy music, and pace up and down the hall/sitting room!

butterpuffed · 18/04/2022 15:00

Both bananas and oats are carby. Choose fruits with 'berries' in their name, eg strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.

HerbivorousRex · 18/04/2022 15:02

I’ve been on a similar diet for gestational diabetes. I’ve only got to be on it for 12 weeks but it’s easy to get bored really quickly. Although the meal plan you’ve got sounds pretty balanced you’ll probably want a bit more variety if you’re planning on doing this longer term.

My suggestion would be to have a rotation of 2-3 days so you can increase the variety slightly whilst still avoiding food waste and having to do too much prep.

Things that I have found helpful are:

  • Roasting/steaming/griddling lots of different vegetables at the weekend and then just adding them to different meals to increase the variety (e.g. you could make a few different salads/omelettes/wholemeal wraps if you roasted a couple of trays of different vegetables and then added different combinations of hummus/cheeses/nuts/pulses/dressing etc). Last week I did:
  • Fennel, courgette and asparagus.
  • Tomato, aubergine, peppers and red onion.
  • Butternut squash, tomato and red onion).
  • You could do the same by adding different frozen fruit/nuts to your porridge in the morning.
  • Having a few different soups that you can make would make a huge difference to how interesting and varied your diet is (eg, changing the seasonings/herbs, veggies, using beans/lentils instead of tofu).
  • Try to be careful with fruit (especially juice) because it can spike your blood glucose. It’s why it’s often paired with high fat and protein options like nuts, cheese, peanut butter or Greek yoghurt.

If the meal planning/shopping is something that you find overwhelming then feel free to PM me. I’ve got a few weekly meal plans with shopping lists that I’d be happy to share. I’m veggie too (although I have eaten some fish whilst I’m pregnant, but they’d be easily modified) and the diabetes Consultant and dietitian I’ve been seeing have both said that they’re pretty good.

declutteringmymind · 18/04/2022 15:06

Just try it and see how long you can go for.

Theonewiththecandles · 18/04/2022 15:08

I eat almost the same breakfast and lunch every day, I am also fat and prediabetic and not even 30! So am keen to avoid entering full blown diabetes

Breakfast is 200g 5% fat Greek yogurt (not greek style, this is important, the greek style stuff doesn't have anywhere near as much protein), berries and 10g of almond butter. Nothing special about the almond butter other than a bit of taste/texture/fat as I don't like peanuts!

Lunch - my lunch isn't feasible if you're veggie. Involves carrot/cucumber sticks with cream cheese, cheese like babybel etc, and some meat. Quite a typical "keto" meal but I prefer not to cook at lunch, if I did I think the omelette sounds great!

Dinner varies. Sausages with carrot and swede mash (or shepherd's pie with carrot and swede mash even). Fajita chicken on top of a salad so no carby wraps. Julienne peel courgette into noodles as a substitute for pasta. Lots of veg here, my main amount sometimes 2-3 servings.

I don't snack midmorning. About 3pm I have a protein bar or an apple.. after tea around 8pm I have 25g very dark chocolate.
I eat anywhere between 1400 - 1700 calories a day, and that was enough for me to lose 12lbs fat in 9 weeks. I focus on high protein, moderate fat and low carb. High protein for me as my preferred exercise is weight lifting so although I lose 12lbs fat I gained 3lbs muscle - not a bad thing as muscle is metabolically active whereas fat is not.
This is a long winded way of saying yes you absolutely can eat the same thing every day. But if you're trying to go low carb, ditch the oats for breakfast and limit fruit. Protein, fat and veg should be your main focus

NeverDropYourMooncup · 18/04/2022 15:15

You could make roughly the same each day but a bit more interesting (and having the ingredients there can mean they go into different meals over the week, too);

Porridge could be with a different flavour each day - Cinnamon, Cocoa Powder, coconut yoghurt and walnuts, maple syrup and pecans, frozen blue berries, frozen forest fruits, peanut butter and grated apple, add the seeds you were originally intending for dinner sometimes... .

Omelette - could be cheese (the stronger types don't need as much for the taste), could be mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and peas, add chopped fresh herbs, add chilli sauce, spinach, edamame beans, courgettes, tofu, chilli, etc. Could change to poached or boiled eggs, or separate yolk and white, whisk the white, fold in the yolk, cook, grate on pecorino, grill for a souffle omelette...

Soup - easy. Stock cubes, assorted vegetables, stick blender, soy, etc. Can do broths with mushrooms, tofu, soy, ginger, peas, etc. Or change up for a tinned tomato based one with herbs. Or add a potato for a thicker texture without adding a roux. Or using tofu/aqua faba to thicken. Frozen veg is brilliant for this, as you can add bits and pieces as you feel like it. A dash of toasted sesame oil, a pinch of sesame seeds and some chilli is very nice, as is a quartered boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and peas in a soy sauce seasoned stock. There are different types of noodle with different nutrients - soya bean ones, rice ones, buckwheat (rinse under the cold tap after boiling before adding to the soup so they don't clump together).

Fruit/snacks. Sometimes they can be cooked. Some people like baked apple with cinnamon (do two, then one can be added to cinnamon porridge the next day), seeds can be used in sweet or savoury, as can nuts.

Marvellousmadness · 18/04/2022 15:17

Yabu
You are obese.
So what you need to do is cut obvious things out of your life. Like junkfood and soda.
Just by doing that will already make you lose tons of weight.
Then you start to eat smaller portions and more of the food stuff and less of the bad stuff etc.

But eating 1500 calories is going to end up badly as you will be immensely hungry and will find yourself binge eating in week or 2.