What I’m about to talk about might be the most important reason why I managed to stick to healthy eating for two full years without getting bored.

Most people I’ve met treat the pursuit of “fitness” as if it’s just a phase, and they “force themselves” through it—whether in food or workouts. And that’s very wrong. Because when you convince yourself it’s only a temporary phase that you’ll just get through by any means, as long as you finish it and that’s it, you end up hating the food you’re eating.

Try to understand that food is all about habit. When you get used to eating healthy food, it becomes an addiction just like unhealthy things.

One of the most important things you need to understand is that the appearance of food matters, and the way you present it to yourself matters a lot in how much you accept it and enjoy it. Your eyes eat before your mouth. Your eyes can crave something you’ve never tasted before and don’t even know what it tastes like, just because it looks good.

Pay more attention to how the plate in front of you looks—its colors, its portions, and its harmony.

As a form of change, try going out and buying a few new plates and spoons. Eat your new food with them. Plates with cheerful colors—anything that suits your mood.

Always try to make your meal an enjoyable experience that you look forward to, not something you try to escape from. If you like cooking, go out and choose your vegetables and ingredients yourself. If you don’t cook, then you’re missing out on a lot—you should look for healthy recipes online and try preparing them yourself.