Want To Lose Weight? Eat Like A Dog

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 32 women were given macaroni and cheese every day for a week. By the end of that time, the participants were so uninterested in their meals that they consumed 100 fewer calories each day. Why didn’t we think of this? Of course eating like a dog can help you lose weight!

We’re really not that surprised here—who could possibly want to eat that much mac and cheese? But we’re not buying the fact that this so-called diet could work in the real world. First of all, where is the nutrition? You can’t possibly consume the same food every day—whether it’s mac and cheese, pizza or even salad—and get all of the adequate nutrients that your body needs. Secondly, what happens when someone goes back to eating “normal” foods? Wouldn’t they be so hungry for other foods that they would go back to old eating habits?

According to Shelley McGuire, associate professor of nutrition at Washington State University and a spokesperson for the American Society for Nutrition, that remains to be seen:

This provides a very interesting new piece to the obesity puzzle by suggesting that meal monotony may actually lead to reduced calorie consumption. The trick will be balancing this concept with the importance of variety to good nutrition.

Researchers stand by their theory that reducing the variety of food choices could be an important component to losing weight. We stand by our philosophy that variety is the spice of life and everything in moderation.

What do you think? Would you try this?

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