BORED WITH DIETING BY SYNDI POWELL

BORED WITH DIETING BY SYNDI POWELL

Like most people, I've been trying to eat healthier since the beginning of the year. And like most people, I researched the trendy as well as the more tried and true diets that are out there. I looked at paleo, keto, low fat, low carb, low sugar, WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers), Whole 30, Sugar Busters, Atkins, Jenny Craig, DASH, Mediterranean, Flat Belly... Whew! I'm tired just typing all those, and there were many more I haven't mentioned. I was overwhelmed with all the information that is available.

Then I started looking at what cookbooks and websites and food bloggers are cooking in order to eat healthier. One afternoon, I spent four hours looking up "healthy recipes". Depending on which diet I chose to follow, there were tons of recipes with pictures.

So my problem is not a lack of information. What I have found on diets that I've tried and failed is that I'll give it a good shot for about three weeks or so, but then I grow tired of eating the same things (i.e. salads) day after day.

With all the information I find, why do I get bored with the diet? Based on the sheer number of recipes I pinned, I could try a new recipe every day for a year without repeating. Many of the recipes I've tried out I have liked, so that's not the reason either.

Maybe it's because I'm like most people and want immediate results. With all the effort I put in and the self-discipline I've instilled after a week, I expect to lose pounds but the needle on the scale barely budges.

My aunt has been on a diet since she was sixteen. I won't divulge her age (she'd kill me if I did, I'm sure) but that's almost a half century of dieting. And she's tried most of the diets out there with mixed results. The following are her rules when it comes to diets:

1. Always start a diet on Monday. Starting the week off the right way gives you a better chance of staying on it the rest of the week.
2. Cookie crumbs have no calories because they were used up in the breaking process.
3. Popcorn has no calories, no matter how you cook it. And it will fill you up.
4. Protein bars don't count when counting calories because they're healthy. This applies to anything sold in the "health" aisle as well.
5. Salads (no matter what kind) have no calories and salad dressings don't count because you're eating healthy.
6. When you get tired of counting calories, don't.
7.  Cheat days are expected. Just don't do it on a Tuesday. You'll lose your momentum.
8. No matter how you've done during the week, the diet starts up again on Monday.

Obviously, these "rules" are tongue in cheek. There's a reason she's spent almost fifty years on a diet, but these rules give her a sense of control as well as comfort. And I must admit, I like some of those rules (especially the second one).

Why am I sharing all this when I obviously don't have any answers on how to lose weight?  Maybe because I'm looking for some validation that dieting is hard and doesn't work. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself that yes, dieting is hard but the payoff of having a healthier body and mindset is worth the struggle. Or maybe I just want to vent because I'm really craving some ice cream.

Whatever the reason, I'm bored with dieting. Anyone else?