Is your diet boring?

Boring is in the eye of the beholder. What it may be boring for some people it may be delicious for somebody else. It is all according to our taste buds and preferences.

Some people choose to eat the same food all the time as a way to control calories, cravings and/or binges; others with more controlled eating habits, prefer to have a variety of foods on hand and try different things. Some people like to cook a lot and have a preference for recipes with more or fancy ingredients and with more preparation time. I prefer simple recipes with few ingredients that can be prepared in less time.

I can eat homemade soups and salads for lunch all the time (different recipes, of course) and some people may consider that "boring," but for me is convenient and delicious. We are all different.

abetterluke wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

abetterluke wrote: »

This is a real question -- for those of you who are actively losing weight and have stuck with it for a long time....is your diet boring? Are you eating the same things over and over? I feel like I get stuck because I can healthy for a little while and then I get super bored of the same foods all the time. I try to find new healthy recipes and try new foods but I always end up getting bored and then giving up for a giant bowl of spaghetti.

I have a couple of different friends who are both in amazing shape and spend a lot of time on their overall health but I see them eating the same things all the time.

Is this the habit of a healthy person? Do I need to just get on board with the boredom?

Not at all...variety is the spice of life...

And there's nothing inherently unhealthy about a bowl of spaghetti either...had some the other night.

I also have a couple of friends who spend a lot of time on their health and their fitness...they do pretty much eat the same things routinely...largely due to their inability to cook and/or lack of interest in cooking and preparing meals.

In all fairness a "bowl of spaghetti" for me is generally about 3x the size it should be, drenched in butter (like enough to leave a serious puddle at the bottom) and then covered in half a block of cheese.

See, that to me actually sounds boring, kind of bland.

How I like pasta (and am happy with a serving size or less) is with a meat sauce made with tomatoes, lots of vegetables (onions, peppers, and garlic, of course, but also whatever else I have on hand -- often zucchini or cauliflower or broccoli or simply some greens), and of course lean ground beef. A little olive oil to start it off. Or even more often, since faster, I use whatever vegetables I have on hand, plus mushrooms, and sautee them in olive oil. Then I toss in the lean meat or other protein I want to use (smoked salmon is good and something I always have on hand, but shrimp, other fish, chicken, beef, whatever, sometimes even tempeh or seitan or beans (although I'd prepare that differently). Depending on the mix of ingredients used, I may add some pinenuts or a sprinkle of strong-tasting cheese or olives.

I find this really delicious and endlessly variable.

There are other meals I love and repeat a lot (basic salmon plus veg (usually 2-3) plus starch or roasted chicken in place of the salmon), but I find them not boring at all, and as you can see there are moving parts (I try to eat seasonally, so that keeps it interesting). If I do pork chops I often include sauerkraut and apples and onions. I play around with different Asian salad mixes (I like lean beef as part of this, as it goes well with a spicy dressing), tons of different things. When I get boring -- and I sometimes do -- it's more because I make something and am using it up or have limited time to cook so just whip up whatever is on hand in my refrigerator. (Worst case, an omelet for dinner can be nice.)

My diet is not boring at all. I eat plenty of variety and can fit in pretty much anything I want in moderation.

I eat very healthy and clean for the most part, but I don't think what I eat is boring. I love to cook and use a lot of infused olive oils, different vinegars, herbs, spices and seasonings. Or I just look at menus and pick out something that sounds really good and make my own version - looking at where I can swap healthier options. Fat free greek yogurt for sour cream, no added sugar marinara sauce, baked potato fries, cauliflower mashed potatos, ezekiel bread french toast, protein pancakes. I don't have a grill, but use my George Foreman grill all the time. I'm always on the lookout for different sauces or marinades. My portion sizes are huge, I get pretty creative in my meals, and I don't get bored with what I eat. What works for me is knowing my portion sizes of my go-to proteins, carbs, and fats, and the combining them creatively to make all kinds of meals.

Boring food isn't a requirement.

I'm just lazy and generally don't care that much.

-does it taste alright?
-does it fit my calories?
-does it keep me satisfied for awhile?
-is it easy?

Hit all the above and I'm in. I do tend to go in phases though. I might eat basically the same thing for a certain meal or snack for months and then finally get worn out with it and switch to something else.

BTW, you can have basically the same thing and just make it a little different by using a different protein/seasoning/sauce/etc.

If you think about it, most people eat the same things and rotate them with the occasional different meal, be it on a diet or off a diet. You just feel it more when you are on a diet because you focus on food more when you are on a diet. Trying to eat out of character for you might also contribute to the boredom because many of your favorite foods are off the table.

I try to make effort not to let my diet veer too far from how I used to eat before. Of course modifications need to be made because my previous diet had too many calories which wouldn't work for weight loss, so I control that by altering the quantity or the frequency of higher calorie foods.

I totally understand what you mean when you say you look for recipes then just end up going back to the same dishes. I love trying new foods and recipes. I have tens of cookbooks and thousands of recipes and I don't mind cooking. After trying a couple of recipes I find myself going back to my good old routine of some kind of grain with some kind of vegetables or beans with sauce, the same old variations and flavors rotated, then I catch the recipe bug again and try a couple of other new recipes, repeat.

I don't think of it as boring, it's just how I always tend to eat. Realizing that, coupled with not changing my diet drastically, helped me stop trying too hard not to get bored. I just needed to relax and eat whatever I felt like eating, even if it was weetabix for dinner for the 6th day in a row. If it's what I want it's what I want, I don't need to bend over backwards and turn my diet into a pinterest board.

Some of the snacks can get repetitive, but each week I try to buy different things to keep my diet varied. There are thousands of fruits and vegetables and grains and legumes and nuts and herbs and spices offered at the grocery store, and there's millions of recipes out there, so healthy definitely doesn't have to be boring!

Follow as many healthy food blogs as possible, or sign up for meal plans. The Happy Herbivore does weekly meal plans that always vary, and Joe Cross (guy from Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead) has free meal plans; Forks Over Knives always has recipes; etc. There are so many to follow out there. Another thing you could do is go to the produce section of the grocery store and try things you've never eaten before. Or pick a theme for the week, like Asian or Hispanic food, and find as many recipes as possible under that theme, so you can re-use similar bulk groceries but still have varying flavor profiles. Just a few seconds of research will reveal that cultural food is much more broad than traditionally thought! :P Or use Pinterest, it's my favorite resource! I can pin all the recipes I find to go back to. While there are a few favorites that the hubby and I occasionally repeat, and snacks sometimes are repeated, main meals are always different!

I definitely occasionally miss less healthy options, but those are just cravings which can easily be curbed with healthier alternatives (banana nice cream or smoothies in replacement of ice cream; popcorn lightly oiled/buttered and salted instead of chips/crackers/theater popcorn; peaches or nectarines heated in the microwave with cinnamon instead of pie/candy/sweets; baked potato in the microwave w/ organic ketchup instead of chips or fries; etc.). And "cheating" occasionally isn't a bad thing as long as you don't eat enough to make your stomach hurt. :P

In summary, if you find your diet boring, turn to the internet and healthy food blogs for inspiration!

I shop at Costco so I do tend to rotate a lot of the same foods - because I have a lot of it! I don't find it boring though. I enjoy what I eat. It can taste a little different with a few changes (spices, cheese, sauces).

My diet might be boring to others but I like to eat simply. Lots of grilled meat and raw veggies/fruits and eggs. Very easy to prepare.