Diet Boredom - tips from Star Umbehant

Here are a few tips that have worked for me whenever I am getting bored with a diet.

1) Make sure I am not eating the same thing more than once a day. If I had some apple slice with breakfast, don't eat any for snack. If I ate chicken for lunch, don't eat it for dinner, etc.

2) Try new recipes.

3) Planning every meal of the day can make you feel like all you ever think about is food. Instead of cooking every day, choose one day a week to cook several recipes and then separate them out into little single serving meals and stick them in the freezer. This will feed you for at least a week, most likely longer.

4) Go grocery shopping at a new store and look at the shelves (except for the junk aisles!). Pay special attention to the specialty sections of the store - you will find new products that you have never seen before.

5) Try new foods. Ever had a caper? An artichoke heart? Mango? Apricot chutney? Pickled cherry peppers? ETC.

6) Visit a health food store if you don't already, or if you do, visit a new one.

7) Buy food at a Farmers Market.

8) Find some online resources to buy foods - fruits, vegetables, Maine Lobster and other seafood, steaks and other meats, etc.

9) Join a monthly service for food - fruit of the month or tea of the month, etc.

10) Join a program that sends your meal to you. If you have gotten totally bored and stressed out over your diet, this is a great way to get a break! Sign up for a two week program and then get back on track yourself.

Thu. Mar 2, 3:42pm

OP here...

11) Eat on your best china.

12) Change your scenery. Eat on your porch, on a blanket in the yard, at a friend's house, park, playground, etc.

Thursday, March 2, 2006, 4:29 PM

Those are great suggestions. Thank you!

Thursday, March 2, 2006, 6:52 PM

Your welcome! I love to hear any more suggestions.
-Star

Thursday, March 2, 2006, 7:27 PM

i keep a candle on my desk. when i take lunch i get to have a nice relaxing mini meal to take away some of the stresses of my day for a few min.
just make sure to blow it out when you are finished.

Thursday, March 2, 2006, 9:03 PM

I really like to go to ethnic markets. There's a huge asian one near me, a good-sized Indian one and the neatest, most well-kept little middle eastern one I've ever seen (with the nicest help). They always have neat, unusual produce, seafood, seasonings and sauces (plus really good prices). I use the new foods or seasonings that I find there to shake up an old recipe or to inspire a new one.

I've met all kinds of people while browsing the aisles and have gotten some terrific recommendations, suggestions and recipes.

Thursday, March 2, 2006, 9:07 PM

A lot of those tips go against the idea (in a bunch of recent magazines) that says that people who eat less varieties of food (even healthy food) lose more weight. The reason must be that when you get bored of eating one food, you may still have an appetite for a different kind...

Friday, March 3, 2006, 12:14 AM

i've never heard that people who eat less variety of food tend to lose more weight before. also that seems kinda unhealthy-like your body might not get all the nutrients you need if you are eating the same things all the time.

Friday, March 3, 2006, 12:23 AM

OP here...

I remember reading recently about people who had less choices at their meals lost more weight. For example, instead of having chicken, rice, green beans, and salad with all kinds of vegetables, they would limit their meal to only 3 kinds of food. Chicken, rice, green beans.

1) We all know that "lost the most weight" and "healthy" are not neccessarily synonmous.

2) These suggestions are for when you get BORED with your diet. If you are on a diet and are eating all the same kinds of food and get bored - I know I do - then here are some suggestions to help you "kick it up a notch." Then you can go back to doing the same thing you were doing before - eating the same kinds of foods over and over again.

3) Also, the last thing we need it another "diet." What we need is a healthy way to eat for the rest of our lives. If you stick with the same foods over and over again, I don't see how you can maintain that.

4) I think it is better to eat lots of different kinds of foods and vary your diet when you get bored - otherwise you might decide that you hate your boring diet and go off the deep end. You might add sveral binges and stop eating in a healthy manner altogether.

-Star Umbehant

Friday, March 3, 2006, 10:45 AM

Great suggestions!

And now for a little English: FEWER choices, not "less choices."

Friday, March 3, 2006, 10:50 AM

Thanks for pointing out that we are all human: I made a mistake, and you pointed one out.

I know that "fewer" should have been used instead of "less", but I had "less" on the brain since it had been used in the previous two comments. Also, I was typing quickly and didn't read my post. If I had - I would have caught it. I will do so from now on since the English police are out to get me. :<)

Also, it might be nice to note that not everyone learned English as a first language. Some people might find it embarrassing and insulting to have their mistakes pointed out, it might be nice to include some type of statement such as "I don't mean to be rude or insulting, just want to point out in case you don't know..." Unless of course you DO mean to be insulting - In that case, please keep your comments to yourself.

Friday, March 3, 2006, 12:19 PM

I don't think PT is the place to correct people's grammar - save that for your children. We just need to be able to understand each other.

Friday, March 3, 2006, 4:32 PM

thank you OP for these great suggestions!

Friday, March 3, 2006, 4:38 PM

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