A recent study suggests that this habit would be much more effective than certain diets.
Counting calories, monitoring every bite, constantly adjusting your menus: for many, weight loss seems like an exercise in permanent control. However, in an environment where food demands are constant, this vigilance often ends up being exhausted. American researchers have explored another avenue, less restrictive on paper, but potentially more sustainable in everyday life.
Their work, published in the journal Health Psychology this year, is based on the observation of 112 overweight or obese adults followed for twelve weeks. All participants kept a precise food diary via a mobile application and weighed themselves every day, allowing scientists to closely analyze their habits. The objective was not only to measure what they ate, but above all how they structured their diet over time.
The researchers were interested in two key indicators: caloric stability, that is to say the regularity of energy intake from one day to the next, and food repetition, in other words the frequency with which the same meals recurred. Behind these technical terms hides a simple idea: some people eat in a very varied way, while others often reproduce the same patterns.
The results show a notable gap between these two profiles. Participants whose diet was the most repetitive lost an average of 5.9% of their body weight over the period studied, compared to 4.3% for those who diversified their meals more. The difference may seem modest, but on a population scale, it becomes significant, especially over a relatively short period of time.
Dr. Charlotte Hagerman, who led the study at the Oregon Research Institute, puts forward an explanation linked to the current context. “Maintaining a healthy diet in today’s eating environment requires constant effort and self-control. Establishing eating routines can reduce this stress and make healthy choices more natural.” In other words, the fewer decisions there are to make, the less risk there is of deviating.
This approach is therefore not based on strict restriction or obsessive monitoring, but on a form of automation. By reducing the variety of choices, we also limit the opportunities to give in to less balanced options. The brain, less stressed, adapts to a routine which gradually becomes the norm.
However, it remains important to compose balanced plates, with a good quantity of vegetables, a source of protein, suitable starchy foods and quality fats. The idea is not to eat less well, but to maintain a solid nutritional base while simplifying your daily choices.
