Macaroni and cheese for weight loss

A new research suggests that having the same food everyday may actually may help you weight; however dietician Jyoti Lalwani has a word of caution

‘Friends’ star Courtney Cox had said in a recent interview to Los Angeles Times that during her shoots for the sitcom, she was on a perpetual diet of Cobb salad ‘doctored up with turkey bacon and garbanzo beans’. Not only did it help her lose weight but also subdued her hunger pangs. If having the same food seems the most boring task on the planet, here is some good news. A new research suggests that having the same food everyday may actually may help you eat less and give you a better perspective on weight loss. 

Eat to lose weight, says study

The idea of eating the same meal every day may make you reach for the packet of potato wafers, but it may be actually helpful. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied the effect of eating a serving of macaroni and cheese daily or weekly on an equal amount of non-obese and obese women. The study found out that those who ate the macaroni and cheese daily actually ate 100 calories less after a week, whereas those who ate it only once a week, ate 30 calories more after 5 weeks. This process is called long-term habituation, which means presenting daily the same meal makes it less desirable.  

Healthy way to lose?

According to the study, slower rates of habituation is due to great energy intake, therefore, suggest that the benefit of eating less is only effective when the same meal is eaten every day. Consulting dietician, Jyoti Lalwani believes that monotony does help in weight loss. “But whether that weight losswill be muscle loss or fat loss, which is important. If you eat only bread and nothing else, there will be basic calorie deficiency and that will make you shed pounds. However, it will lead to nutrient deficiency,” she says.

The best way to lose weight without compromising your nutritional and caloric requirement is to set aside one meal for phase eating. Not only will phase eating make it easier for you to log your daily calories, but it will also make eating healthier less daunting. As you gain confidence in choosing healthy food, you can revamp your meal choices or add new ones. “The best way to lose weight is by upping your metabolic rate and that is possible if you incorporate exercise in your routine. The person who is exercising will have a higher metabolic rate as compared to a person who is not exercising. So whatever he eats will be burned without getting into calorie restriction,” she adds.