Taste Fatigue

Because of a long term low grade depression, which I did not know I had, my family doctor and my wife recommended I see a psychiatrist to see if anti-depression medicine was appropriate for me. I did so and was diagnosed with the low grade depression. Since I have to see the psychiatrist anyway because of the medicine, we have talked about a number of issues I've had over my life. During my last visit, we decided that my obesity might be a good topic to explore. She asked me about what worked and what didn't. Then she wanted to know what would cause me to go off my diet when I had a successful run going, like being good for several months, losing anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds, and then going off the diet. I thought about that for a moment and I realized that something would always come up where I couldn't get my regular diet food, and I would eat something unhealthy. Then, because I had such a narrow range of foods I used to lose weight, I just couldn't stand the thought of going back to them. She called this situation "taste fatigue" and I thought this described it very well. I told her I knew I needed more variety, but didn't want to spend a lot of time fixing food from scratch. She then gave me a most wonderful tip. She says that when she's had a long day and doesn't feel like cooking when she gets home, she stops by Wegman's Supermarket and gets one of their $6 dinners, which has an entrée and two sides. The entrées and sides have the calorie count listed so you can figure out the count for your whole meal. They have a good selection to choose from also. I wish the other grocery stores would do this also. I buy three or four meals at a time and put them in the refrigerator. They are as convenient as frozen TV dinners and taste a lot better. I hopeful that this idea and similar ones will help me combat getting taste fatigue.