According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, eating the same meals and consuming a consistent amount of calories every day may help you lose more weight.
Research published in journals health psychologyfound that adults who followed a more routine eating pattern, such as repeating the same meals and keeping calorie intake constant over time, lost more weight during a 12-week behavioral weight loss program than adults who ate a more varied diet.
Maintaining a healthy diet in today’s food environment requires constant effort and self-discipline. Creating a routine around eating can help ease that burden and make healthy choices feel more natural. ”
Dr. Charlotte Hagerman, Lead Author, Oregon Research Institute
Researchers analyzed detailed real-time food records of 112 overweight or obese adults enrolled in a structured behavioral weight loss program. Participants were asked to weigh themselves daily using a wireless scale and to track what they ate daily using a mobile app. To ensure the data reflected consistent habits, the researchers focused on the first 12 weeks of the program. This period is typically the period during which participants track their dietary intake most diligently and accurately.
The researchers then measured how “routine” each person’s diet was in two ways. First, we investigated calorie stability, or how much a person’s daily calorie intake fluctuates from day to day and between weekdays and weekends. They then investigated meal repetition by tracking how often participants recorded the same meal or snack, rather than always choosing new foods.
Ultimately, those who ate the same foods over and over again, rather than eating a variety, lost an average of 5.9% of their weight, compared to 4.3% for those who ate a more varied diet. The study also found that consistency in daily calories led to better results. Each 100 calorie increase in daily variation reduced weight loss by approximately 0.6% over the study period.
The findings suggest that simplifying food choices, such as creating a rotation of staple foods and maintaining a stable calorie intake, may help people build sustainable habits in challenging food environments. However, the researchers cautioned that the study showed a correlation rather than cause and effect, and that factors such as motivation and self-control may also be at play.
The authors also acknowledge that previous research has linked dietary diversity to improved health outcomes. However, these studies primarily focus on dietary diversity within healthy food groups such as fruits and vegetables. “If we lived in a healthier food environment, we might encourage people to eat as diverse a diet as possible,” Hagerman says. “But the modern food environment is too problematic. Instead, people may do best with more repetitive meals that help them consistently make healthier choices, even at the expense of some nutritional diversity.”
An unexpected finding of the study was that participants who ate higher total calories on weekends compared to weekdays also lost more weight. Hagerman said this likely reflects stronger tracking habits rather than increased food intake, as people often track less consistently over the weekend.
Still, Hagerman says the bottom line is simple: When it comes to weight loss, consistency may be more important than variety.
sauce:
American Psychological Association
Reference magazines:
Hagerman, C.J.; Others. (2026). Do daily eating behaviors support weight loss? An investigation of dietary records of behavioral weight loss participants. Health psychology. DOI: 10.1037/hea0001591. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/hea-hea0001591.pdf
