I'm so bored of the plans that I have been on. Started calorie counting and logging, got tedious and old after 8 or 9 months, then did south beach with a lot of success, but I felt like I needed more variety.
Now I'm replacing 1 meal a day with a protein shake, eating all the fruits and veggies I want and trying to keep the 2 core meals about 350 calories. But I'm borrreeedddd!
I don't know what I feel is missing. I do like to cook, I'm pretty good at planning meals I enjoy grocery shopping. But I just can't find anything that really works for me and is keeping me motivated. Anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry no, I have only been on the Metabolic Research Center diet for about a month (down 13 pounds, whoo hoo) and i would kill someone for a slice of cake right now. It is so restricted.

I started calorie counting too and also logged everything I ate. After a couple of weeks I felt like I had learned how to stay on Target and I quit logging. I still look for new things to eat our sub out, but, I no longer track every bite.

The fact that you enjoy cooking is fantastic! I used to "try" to follow plans and diets and was sucsessful, but the "same old same old" gets so boring--especially after more than a year of one plan! It literally has taken me YEARS to cook stuff I LOVE and loose the weight. I love burritos, chili, quesadillas, even bacon cheese burgers...but the fat, calorie, and carb contents are usually VERY LOW--it's hard to balance ALL those things and make an incredible tasty meal. Just get to cooking! Read labels, and use lots of spices! Cooking for myself and experimenting--BALANCING FAT, CARBS, AND CALORIES IS such a juggling act but becomes second nature. Cooking has been a saving grace for me and MY only long term success.

I don't have a solution for you, but your post is interesting. It confirms a theory I've had for quite a while about those of us who find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight: We don't like routine. I say this because one of my biggest challenges is avoiding becoming bored when I get into a routine (paradoxically, I also tend to overreact to change, which is strange). I remember taking a Myers-Briggs personality assessment one time, and being bored with routine was one of the character traits for my personality type. Also, some time ago, I remember reading that people who have weight problems tend to eat less of a routine diet than those who do not. In other words, those who are able to easily maintain their weight tend to eat mainly the same sorts of foods all the time. This also is confirmed by my experience with my husband. He is a "naturally" thin person, i.e., a person who is able to maintain a healthy weight will no conscious effort on his part. He tends to order the same foods when we go out to eat---steak, pasta, etc. I, on the other hand, will be the first one to order something different or new. He always tells me that I'll order the "weirdest thing on the menu" (although not really weird---just weird because he orders the plainest thing ).

I find that this "adventurous spirit" concerning food choices is sometimes difficult to reconcile with eating appropriate portions. For instance, even if I'm not hungry, if I see some exotic or interesting food while I'm out, it's as if I'm compelled to buy it and eat it immediately. I'm trying to put a stop to this.

So, I have no solutions for you except to say that you're not alone. Knowledge is power, though, and since you know you're easily bored, perhaps you can make a list of strategies that might help you to eat healthily while not being bored to death (Mole's suggestion is a good start).

I am exactly the same as you. When i used to be addicted to processed food, i'd be the biggest sucker for the latest new flavor of whatever cookie, chip, granola bar, etc. they came out with--i'd HAVE to try it. Even while dieting, i always thought more variety was better, but now i'm trying to limit choices for the first time. I read somewhere that the number of calories people eat at a buffet DIRECTLY correlates with the number of choices. You're less likely to overeat if faced with an unlimited amount of 1 or 2 foods even if they are your favorites. The amount of food choices we have is mind-boggling. I'm going to try reducing my variety a LITTLE bit. I still eat many different meats and vegetables but no need to expand on what i already eat.

Ehm.. have you tried something more along the Mediterranean diet? If you like to cook it sounds great. I'm not following it strictly but my diet is very similar to it and I'm losing weight. I feel really good because I'm not hungry or feeling deprived which was really important to me as I couldn't do it any other way.

I'm trying to do the same, surfergirl. As a matter of fact, I'm in "strict mode" this week, and I have purposely avoided buying anything other than the basics: veggies, fruits (have even limited the variety of these), eggs, etc. I have eliminated any of the extras this week that might tempt me. It is much easier for me to stay on track when I have fewer choices.

Ditto - My weight loss success is attributed to the fact that I like to cook and can cook well. Anything that I want to eat, I pretty much can modify enough to get the flavor components I like.

For example, I love buffalo wings. Sometimes I make a buffalo chicken wrap or buffalo chicken flatbread pizza with homemade blue cheese dressing, two kinds of hot sauce, spinach, sometimes tomatoes and/or mushrooms and grilled or rotisserie chicken and a little bit of very good blue cheese.

I get the flavor profile I'm looking for, but without the high calories.

I think most foods can be tweaked enough to be healthy. Maybe looking at some healthy blogs/websites/cookbooks will give you new ideas.

I know what you feel... the plans usually are quite restrictive! I have discovered a new passion - cooking new recipes, modifying them to make them healthier and thin-friendly and discovering all kinds of new foods, especially in the vegetable section! It has kept me excited for months and I can't see the end yet.
Maybe browse around cooking blogs and try to create your own system?