Early on in my weight loss journey, I fell into a daily routine to help me stay on track.
Overall it has worked really well. I’ve hit the 30 pounds down mark and I couldn’t be more excited!
However, there have been several times along the way where my progress stalled quite a bit. I know plateaus are a normal part of weight loss. It’s certainly not a fun part of the journey, but I try to stay positive when the scale just won’t budge. I also try to do what I can to mix things up a little so that I can break out of the plateau more quickly. Usually this means upping my workout time and trying different routines. That’s the easy part for me.
Where I struggle is with mixing up my food routine. I’m a creature of habit and that is never more true than when it comes to breakfast and lunch. I have some very definite favorites (scrambled egg whites with zucchini, mushrooms and green onions for breakfast and a hummus tortilla wrap for lunch) that I don’t mind eating every day. They’re easy, I know all the nutrition information for them and I don’t have to think about what I’ll make. So, I eat the same exact thing for those two meals nearly every single day.
I read recently that our bodies get used to processing the same foods over and over again, so they don’t burn the calories as efficiently. Now, I’m not making any claims to the legitimacy of that statement, but it does make sense to me. And on top of that, to be at our healthiest, we need to eat a balanced diet and a variety of foods. So, obviously the food ruts that I fall into aren’t good for me, even if they truly have little impact on my weight loss.
Needless to say, I’ve been trying really hard to incorporate new meals into my daily routine. And whether it’s just coincidence or not, the scale has been moving downward consistently for the past few days. I think I’ll keep mixing it up!
Here are some of my favorite resources for finding new recipes and meal ideas that fit my criteria of easy to prepare, delicious tasting, satisfying and filling.
- Shape Magazine’s Meal Ideas
- LaaLoosh (recipes include Weight Watchers points)
- Skinnytaste
- Slender Kitchen
Have you fallen into a food rut too? Anyone want to join me in broadening our horizons and mixing things up?
