According to research from the National Weight Control Registry, people who lose a lot of weight (30 pounds or more) and keep it off seem to do so by eating mostly the same limited number of foods. The study looked at the diets of over 2,000 participants, and found they didn’t have a lot of variety in their diets. You might not want to limit your diet too much in the long run, but while you’re working to lose weight, sticking to a relatively small number of healthy foods might speed up the process. In one study, 200 overweight adults were divided into two groups for an 18-month weight-loss study. One group was limited to adding just two favorite junk foods to their diet; the other group could choose from a wide range of junk foods. The limited group ate less junk food overall, probably because they were bored by their choices.
Champagne, C.M., Broyles, S.T., Moran, L.D., Cash, K.C., Levy, E.J., Lin, P.H., Batch, B.C.,. Liend, L.F., Funk, K.L., Dalcin, A., Loria, C., Myers, V.H. “Dietary Intakes Associated With Successful Weight Loss and Maintenance During the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial.” The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. December 2011. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22117658.
Raynor, H.A., R.W. Jeffery, R.W., Phelan, S., Hill, J.O., Wing, R.R. “Amount of Food Group Variety Consumed in the Diet and Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance.” The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. May 2005.
Raynor, H.A. “Can Limiting Dietary Variety Assist with Reducing Energy Intake and Weight Loss?” The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. June 6, 2012. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3723458/.
Raynor, H.A., et al. “Limiting Variety in Non-Nutrient-Dense, Energy-Dense Foods During a Lifestyle Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. May 2, 2012.