To eat the same thing every day?

[IsThisOKtoEat]

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

Teen DSs eat almost exact same things every day, so does MIL (!) They all seem happy with their own choices.

yr13 DS & I were talking about what he'll eat when he goes to Uni, self-catering. We think he might just add variety by having more than one kind of crisp.

It will get very very boring after a while.

Try to find several different dishes with similar nutritional values to mix it up. It'll be much more sustainable if you have some variety.

Read the diabetes code by Dr Jason Fung.

I do. It's one of the things I like about living alone now.

Short and sharp weight loss for the T2 so if you can stand it, try fast 800. That said, I don't see why eating the same every day won't work. You can start with this and plan in different dishes asylum build confidence. The other thing would be to switch it up and do something different at weekends, eg lunch and dinner for 16:8 fasting etc

My two cents

-if you're obese, you can likely up the calories from 1500kcal. At first, I'd aim to eat healthy, and aim for a 500 kcal a day difference.
tdeecalculator.net/ You're more likely able to sustain your diet if it's not too drastic (feel hungry).

• I'd focus on low-carb but also high protein. Protein helps you in not feeling hungry. Make sure you have protein at every meal/ snack. For example your breakfast looks to be missing protein (chia seeds have protein but not enough). You could do overnight oats with chia seeds and protein powder (+berries) for example. For some snacks that have protein, think for example babybel/ piece of cheddar, apple with peanut butter, carrots with houmous.

I don't mind eating same thing for a long period of times (breakfast or lunches) but keep a variety in dinners. Do whatever works for you. Good luck in your journey!

I keep thinking about a short term diet published by Glasgow university to kick start dieting - still in the 'thinking about it' phase.
It's essentially porridge for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and dinner.
My compromise (easter treats aside) is breakfast, lentil soup for lunch, and a sensible evening meal - mostly fish and lots of vegetables.
I do like some variety - the premise is that if you have a few weeks without thinking about what you're going to eat, the absence of choice makes it easier.

I think the idea of doing the same thing every day is a great idea, then there is less chance of extra calories sneaking in

If you think you can be strong willed enough to not eat snacks then I would cut them out too. I was struggling to lose weight for 10 years and then managed to finally shift 20 lbs by cutting back really drastically especially on the foods I really love (and are really easy to eat too much of) and making it really simple

Breakfast 3 ryvita with smear of butter and tea
Lunch big salad with only veggies and balsamic vinegar sprinkled over and 3 ryvita with a slice of cheese or smoked salmon
Dinner whatever i was cooking for the dc but on a side plate and double the veg. I also then eat the veg first, then protein and then carb. Sometimes I didnt bother with the carb.

If i got hungry between meals I had a cup of tea, then a glass of water and if I still couldnt wait until the next meal time I ate a plain ricecake or ryvita

This worked for me, it might not work for you as everyone is different. I think not eating bread was helpful as I love it and would eat too much (and it also has loads of calories). If the dc were having a fattening dinner, I might switch to an omelette and brown rice etc.

I had the occasional break but kept it up for 6 months and lost the 20 lbs. I have kept if off now for a year by doing 2 days a week on the diet plan and the rest as more varied. I also weigh myself daily so it doesnt sneak back on.

Good luck and do what works for you

It depends on your brain really. My DH can eat the same thing every day and never get bored. I can't. I crave variety. So for me personally I would line up at least 3 lunches and 4 dinners so you can mix it up a bit. Maybe dhal, tomato and basil soup with a bit of a chilli kick and some feta, roast veg, curry with cauli rice or a small naan.

However I do love the sort of noodle bowl you're proposing. You can fill it with things like white cabbage and leeks for few calories. It sounds weird but lettuce actually works really well too.

I don’t understand the comments from @SexyLittleNosferatu - how were the other posters wrong or clueless? The OP was asking for advice and people were trying to provide it using their own experiences and knowledge. There are also many different ways to lose weight and presumably all these techniques have worked for the posters.

FWIW I agree with the previous poster about trying Fast800 if you have the willpower as it if very effective and seems to hit T2 nice and hard and quickly. I think everyone has their own diet and nutrition tweaks that work for their body but you have to find what works for yours. Meal planning is difficult but worth it in removing the options especially when you’re already hungry and potentially about to make a bad decision.

Good luck - I hope you’re successful and see good results for your health soon!

Why do you need a snack/ pudding after every meal. Get that down to just evening meal then start to limit pudding. That should be an odd treat not a twice daily thing.

And @IsThisOKtoEat - really well done on planning for your weight loss on this particular weekend! I started a diet on Monday, gave myself a day off yesterday but am feeling very deprived and jealous today

Thanks for all the input - will go back through comments and read more thoroughly and check out suggested links. The Jason Fung book podcast sounds really interesting.

If anyone is interested this is the mealplan I have mentioned - for those questioning all the snacks!
www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans/meal-plan-1500kcal-vegetarian

My TDEE is 1800 so I don't think I could really go much over 1500.

I'm currently tucking into another omelette (need to go shopping for ingredients for the soup!) but with added broccoli and feta instead of cheddar as I was making my DD some pasta with the same.

I think I find comfort in simplicity and get overwhelmed with too much choice. Interestingly when at home (and WFH mostly ATM) I wear the same clothes every day. Not the actual same clothes, for those that would find the thought of wearing clothes more than once horrifying, but I buy several of the same thing if I like something. And if I could wear the same thing for work everyday I would too, but for some reason think I should change it up for the office. I love a capsule wardrobe! So I think eating this way might suit me. For now at least.

@IsThisOKtoEat

Ragz If the daily calorie count is right, including the snacks, I wonder if it would be better to add them to the meals instead of having them as snacks. I have based the number of snacks on the Diabetes UK meal plan, but I did think it seemed a bit snacky!

Our diabetes specialists (I'm a practice nurse) recommend low carb for diabetes, but not everyone gets on with it and it can be hard to stick to. It does, however, completely reverse type 2 in a lot of people.

In terms of fruit, I always tell my patients to stick with fruit you would find growing in a UK garden, rather than shipped from a hot country, as our fruits tend to be lower in sugar.

@WindsChange I've just watched this video over lunch (the same lunch!). It's very interesting and just what I needed to make me really think about why I need to do this. Hope your DM's diabetes is under control. Thanks so much

@Walserwasstrange Thanks for these suggestions - do you use a protein powder yourself? It's not something I've used before - is there a vegetarian one you can recommend?

I’ve used the vegan protein powder made by MyVegan, a variety of stockists but I checked and it’s available on Amazon, and delivered by them so should be okay. But there are a number of choices available for protein powders and different price points, the Vegetarian Society has some recommendations via their website so could check those out. The MyVegan one is low in calories so good for muscle mass and okay for dieters, one thing to check if you are shopping around for other brands. Holland and Barrett also have a large selection but a lot of theirs for body builders so need to check them out, and a number are from animal sources i.e. dead ones. Boots sell Sanatogen High Protein powder which looks very reasonably priced compared to some others and says it comes from milk so should be okay for vegetarians. It has been around for a while so presumably sound but looks as if it works best added to things, the MyVegan one can be used as a pleasant-ish drink added to nut or oat milk. But Sanatogen would be okay in porridge I think. Also don’t have to use full amount of a protein powder can halve the scoops if you want it to last longer and still get a decent serving of protein.

The other thing to look out for is that a lot of the specialist vegan and veggie ones have added minerals or Omega 3 sources like flaxseed, so sometimes pricier but you save on not having to buy additional supplements.

Checked with a friend who uses another brand, hers is by Protein Works she says they have a good rep

@Walserwasstrange Thanks so much for the info. I'll check out your suggestions - it was the bodybuilding type ones that I wasn't sure about! - there are so many on the market.