As I've long maintained, boredom is a powerful enemy for any dietary discipline--especially low-carb/keto, due to the fact that it takes several days for your body to readjust to the diet.
For that reason, variety is important; the less you feel like you're sacrificing in terms of food choice--and choice in general--the less you're going to feel trapped and thus less likely to stray off the path of dietary righteousness.
In my case, I have a ritual every night that I prevent becoming a rut by simply mixing up the components of the ritual. Thus, I have the best of both worlds: the routine that my body craves and the variety that my mind craves.
Enter my beloved charcuterie plate. For those of you who haven't been following, well, shame on you; for those of you who have, you know that I like to enjoy a charcuterie plate every night after dinner. The components may vary, but the basic premise is that I have some prepared meats, some cheese and then other treats to round out the experience and add variety. These treats vary based upon what I've eaten earlier in the day, which dictates how much I have left in my "carb account" at the end of the day when I'm going to enjoy the charcuterie plate.
Last night, I had the following: 1 oz of white cheddar, 1 oz. of sharp cheddar, 3/4 oz. of colby cheese, 1 oz. of braunschweiger, 4 low-carb deviled eggs, pepperoni, wine-cured salami and some mixed nuts (no peanuts). Except for the sharp cheddar, the cheeses were artisanal blends that one of the local grocery stores rotates in and out of stock as they become available; during the end of the run, the store will offer steep discounts to move them out (some idiots won't buy cheese near its "best by" dates, thinking it'll spoil--obviously, they don't understand how cheese works). Since I live in a small city, this is a great option for me.
I truly enjoy making a little game of my keto/lchf diet, in terms of both the food itself and the means by which I procure it. Like I said--it's largely a mind game.
Cheers
