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So they pick up a diet book or join some diet program. Eventually they find that the program is beginning to become too restrictive and redundant. The dieter is getting bored. One day, they cannot stand it anymore and abandon the program. They welcome back all the foods they were told to avoid like long-lost relatives. Then it is back to square one. Sound familiar?

No one will argue that diet programs are restrictive. The problem is, no one also told you that there are ways around it. In fact you do not even have to spend unnecessarily on books or programs to lose the pounds. All you have to do is educate yourself on healthy eating and adopt it as part of your lifestyle.

It requires a totally different outlook on food and eating. It may be a difficult adjustment at the start, just like when you start out on a diet program. But it is not as restrictive and it certainly does not matter whether you are young, in your midlife stage or in your senior years. In other words, it is neither too early nor too late to start. To help you along, here are four easy and sensible ways to get around the diet doldrums:

1. A healthy diet should be low in saturated fats, trans fat and cholesterol. Your daily intake of fats should come mainly from fish, especially the deep sea variety, and vegetable oils. This also means that you should cut out the processed foods like chips and cookies as well as the soft drinks.
2. A healthy diet should consist of all the food groups. But if possible concentrate more on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These items are usually high in fiber, and there are experts who say fiber intake should be the basis of a sensible diet. The reasoning may actually be simplistic but it does make a whole lot of sense when you think about it–fiber cleans the system inside. And when your insides are clean, it becomes easier to absorb the healthful nutrients and eliminate the bad elements.
3. Use your imagination and creativity when cooking. There is no evidence to suggest that people become overweight because of spices. It is the food that the spices are used on that causes the weight gain. So since you will be cooking healthy food from now on, use spices generously! Some of the really healthy ones are garlic, turmeric, oregano, rosemary and curry. But be sure that you use fresh spices and not the processed ones. Go easy on the salt, and consider using olive oil, vinegar and low sodium soy sauce.
4. This item was left for last because it is sure to draw some moans and groans–exercise. Without it, all your efforts at dieting will feel just like aimless wandering. Understand though that exercising need not be strenuous. In fact many professionals these days endorse walking as a very healthy form of low-impact exercise. But be adventurous. Open your eyes to other forms of exercising that will be beneficial to you. There certainly is no lack of information on those on the web.

Dieting and exercising are the key to maintaining the right weight, there are no two ways about it. But with a touch of imagination, you can make the entire process enjoyable and not be bored to death with it. It is just a matter of will.