Diet Boredom Leads to Diet Failure

Last evening as I relaxed and thought about my weight loss progress I had a breakthrough I must share. I was thinking about what to prepare for lunch the next day and I found myself dreading the mid-day salad, which is a staple in my diet. Now, usually I would force myself to keep eating those salads. I would eat them until I just can’t stomach salad anymore and then I would start cheating on my diet. The pattern was so obvious I can’t believe I never realized it before.

Recognizing the pattern that diet boredom leads to diet failure is critical for me. It emphasises the importance of keeping your diet interesting so that you don’t lose interest in eating healthy. There are so many great low-calorie, low-carbohydrate meals out there that limiting yourself to just a few foods or meals is a recipe for disaster, at least it is for me.

Feeling impressed that I could be so in tune with myself, I then explored the question – If I don’t eat a salad at lunch, what is the alternative. Here are a few healthy lunch options I came up with:

• a broiled chicken breast with steamed vegetables (made the night before)
• a fruit salad instead of vegetables
• a Lean Cuisine frozen entree
• soup, either made at home or the “just add boiling water” variety

I tell ya, I’m feeling much better about my diet plan now, knowing that I don’t have to torture myself with eating a huge salad at lunch every day. Next week I’ll plan to try some or all of these easy lunches. Here’s to beating the mundane and staying on track!!

By the way, I would love some new ideas for healthy lunches if anyone has some they would like to share.