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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Jan-20-20, 14:26
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
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Posts: 14,608
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
Default Some thoughts on boredom/variety

I’m now a year in on the most restrictive, and yet the most freeing, eating plan I’ve ever tried. As Maxwell Smart used to say, “And... loving it.”

How can this be? When so many lowcarbers fall by the wayside because of the monotony and boredom? On the other hand, many find success by eating the same things, day after day.

And I think that’s what makes the difference. I love how I eat. It’s delicious, and so so satisfying. I was trying to be “perfect” and that would lead me into more buying and cooking I didn’t want to do. My cooking now couldn’t be simpler unless I stuck it on a stick over a bonfire.

I basically grill meat and eat it. Sometimes I put extras on the meat, like this morning’s pound of ground Italian sausage got a topping of tomato sauce and romano cheese. Now that’s pizza for breakfast!

And yet, it works.

So maybe that’s the same solution for other people. I had it so ingrained that “meat and two veg” had to rule my plate that it took going Carnivore for a month to find out what nutrition tasted like. What real satisfaction felt like. And what real hunger was. (Could I eat a pound of ground beef right now? No? Then I’m not hungry.)

I’ve expanded some, but this elimination diet transformed the whole picture. Instead of dropping things and seeing if I could tell a difference, I scaled back to the most basic. Then, when I added one thing, I discovered how that thing did, against a background of what absolutely worked for me.

That’s how I found my body loved high fat dairy, hated beans no matter how small the quantity, and let me eat berries and cherries but not pineapple and grapes.

And that vegetables in more than condiment levels made me want to eat more! Who could have seen that one coming?

Now, I only buy what I want to eat soon, and throwing out spoiled food has dwindled to almost nothing. Most amazing is that I am never bored. It never seems monotonous. One week it’s bacon cheeseburgers and right now I’m on a BBQ pork with coleslaw sprinkle spree.

So maybe this is a tip for others. If the food seems boring... maybe you are eating boring food? When I “splurge” on a ribeye with blue cheese dressing, it’s the same price as a sandwich with a side of deli salad.

But the difference is amazing.
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, Jan-20-20, 15:36
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
Default

I really relate to this, as this has been my approach over the past several years. My first rule: keep it simple. Don't get into exotic "keto" recipes, hey, we're eating whole nutritious foods, and I don't want to add complexity to my simple lifestyle. My second rule: don't sweat occasional deviations when certain family, friends or business situations come up and don't always mesh with my WOE. As I'm fat adapted, I can choose to eat or not, choose to eat certain things or not, and I never apologize for not trying dessert, particularly when those serving it know I'm low carb. I don't do sweets, period.
Quote:
Now, I only buy what I want to eat soon, and throwing out spoiled food has dwindled to almost nothing. Most amazing is that I am never bored. It never seems monotonous. One week it’s bacon cheeseburgers and right now I’m on a BBQ pork with coleslaw sprinkle spree.

Great advice, and this is exactly what I do. I was in my local Wegman's the other day, and thought about getting enough food for the coming week before I realized that I didn't know what I'd be eating within one day let alone over a whole week. So, I bought what I wanted for the next 24 hours. This way, I can make quick trips to good stores and buy what's fresh at a good price.

Excellent observations for making it all work.
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  #3   ^
Old Mon, Jan-20-20, 16:20
Meme#1's Avatar
Meme#1 Meme#1 is offline
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Posts: 12,456
 
Plan: Atkins DANDR
Stats: 210/194/160 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 32%
Location: Texas
Default

I eat the same bacon and eggs every single morning and it's just a normal part of my life. It starts off every day with good protein and fats and basically no carbs except for one or two. The simpler the better and I don't think I've ever thrown out old bacon or eggs because it all gets eaten. Plus, I never have to think about what I'm going to eat.

You are definitely right about a ribeye not costing more than a lot of other foods. A good steak is a lot of bang for the buck because here I can usually find them on sale for $5-6, maybe 7 each. A "meal" at McDonalds is around $9 now, and there are little nutrients in any of it, not to mention the bad carbs etc.. The steak is also 100% digestible.

I too found out that pineapple was bad for me and I did several experiments on myself with it because I love the taste but I realized that it makes me sick. I found out that there is a certain acid in it. I guess that's why it's used as a meat tenderizer in teriyaki.
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  #4   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 03:04
s93uv3h's Avatar
s93uv3h s93uv3h is offline
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Posts: 1,662
 
Plan: Atkins & IF / TRE
Stats: 000/000/000 Male 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 97%
Default

I have a set breakfasts that I can choose from, and mix and match combinations. I sometimes lie awake just before I get ready to get up (or try to get an hour or two more of sleep) and figure out in my head what I'm going to cook. Having the ingredients ready, and a few ready made items (quiche, pesto, LC ketchup, leftovers etc.) really helps with planning. This morning I had some hamburger quiche with pesto and lc ketchup with leftover pork chop adobo.
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  #5   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 06:55
JEY100's Avatar
JEY100 JEY100 is online now
Posts: 13,371
 
Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"
BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%
Location: NC
Default

WearBear, just letting you know you inspired me last week to give carnivore another shot. Maria Emmerich's new Carnivore Cookbook was also gave me the science of why BG does not rise eating a higher percentage of protein, etc. I am keeping 2T cream in my morning coffee (I've tested cream and coffee numerous times..it doesn't seem to make a difference) and have been alternating a steak and ground beef. Both work, but I'm finding the ground beef is actually more filling. Haven't been at it a week yet, so my boredom threshold may be yet to come, but cravings for anything else seem to have disappeared.
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  #6   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 10:23
bkloots's Avatar
bkloots bkloots is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 10,147
 
Plan: LC--Atkins
Stats: 195/162/150 Female 62in
BF:
Progress: 73%
Location: Kansas City, MO
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When DH and I first met, I introduced him to the Flaxseed Muffin--commonly known as the OMM (One Minute Muffin) in a thousand variations.

These things have been my breakfast--and now our breakfast--for more than ten years. I make up packets of dry ingredients to stash in the fridge. Mornings, he "makes breakfast" by adding olive oil and egg, mix and microwave. This brings a base of protein, fat, and fiber to every single day. Somehow we don't get tired of it.

We're happy with a regular menu of grilled meat or fish, with salad and/or green veggies like broccoli or spinach. We have our fave LC main dishes, too, when I plan ahead: pizza with almond flour/mozzarella crust, LC Meat loaf, Deep Dish Pizza Quiche (a sort of cheese pie), and other easy cuisine. I go to Diet Doctor for ideas, and freely (!) adapt to what I've got in the cupboard or fridge.

This is often spur-of-the-moment and never boring. Of course, somebody has to be in charge of the grocery shopping and menu options. That would be me. But it's really a no-fuss way of managing nutrition that we both enjoy.
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  #7   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 11:33
Grav Grav is offline
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Posts: 1,469
 
Plan: Banting
Stats: 302/187/187 Male 175cm
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: New Zealand
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The other side of the argument to any sort of concerns over monotony is that for me, I find that having a regular routine really takes a lot of stress and worry out of each mealtime.

I have my go-to meal options for every day of the week, with a couple of extras on the odd occasion where I do feel like mixing it up. What this does for me is it really frees my mind from having to spend time thinking about what I might like to have for lunch or dinner at any given moment. Which really, is quite trivial stuff to have to be worrying about every single day when you think about it.

Steve Jobs of Apple fame used to do something similar with what he wore. Always the black top, blue jeans and sneakers, every day. He felt that by not sweating the small stuff, it gave him more freedom to tackle the more meaningful issues in his life and work.

The fact that low carb itself actually works is obviously the clincher, but I've also come to appreciate what some might call a relative lack of variety compared to a standard diet. Less choice = less time spent choosing = more time for other things!
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 12:23
WereBear's Avatar
WereBear WereBear is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 14,608
 
Plan: EpiPaleo/Primal/LowOx
Stats: 220/125/150 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 136%
Location: USA
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JEY100
WearBear, just letting you know you inspired me last week to give carnivore another shot. ... Haven't been at it a week yet, so my boredom threshold may be yet to come, but cravings for anything else seem to have disappeared.


Cool!

My biggest stumbling block was always what seemed like increased appetite: if a person is used to that "deck of cards" sized portion of meat, the whole pound of ground beef that I would eat at a sitting was startling. But often that was all I ate all day. And I can't argue with the results
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Jan-21-20, 19:44
Bob-a-rama's Avatar
Bob-a-rama Bob-a-rama is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,953
 
Plan: Keto (Atkins Induction)
Stats: 235/175/185 Male 5' 11"
BF:
Progress: 120%
Location: Florida
Default

I quit looking at food as entertainment but instead a good tasting, satisfying way to sustain life and stay healthy.

After the years passed instead of monotony I look forward to the meals.

There are other ways to entertain myself.

Bob
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