Deciding what to have for dinner every night can be a chore, but new research reveals there’s an unexpected upside to sticking to a go-to meal. A new study from Drexel University in Philadelphia suggests eating the same thing on repeat may be the key to shedding pounds.
While our palates love variety, it’s the consistency that counts here. The study finds that participants who ate more routine meals and kept calorie intake the same lost significantly more weight over 12 weeks than those who switched up what they ate more often. Instead of just relying on willpower, researchers note repetition is a simple but powerful psychological tool for losing weight, but it might get boring after a while.
The repetition is what helps here, as it keeps goals “mentally active,” according to the study, which makes them easier to remember when faced with real-world choices, like what to eat or whether or not to work out. “Maintaining a healthy diet in today’s food environment requires constant effort and self-control,” explains study author Charlotte Hagerman. “Creating routines around eating may reduce that burden and make healthy choices feel more automatic.”
Source: Newsweek