𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲: 𝗔 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻

15|Self-care ~1~ Diets

So we've all been here.
It's either we're too skinny or we're too fat. It has to be one of them and as far as humanity is concerned, we've all put ourselves in one of the 2 circles at some point in our lives.

A diet commonly refers to a course of food that a person eats in order to lose or reduce weight. There are also however, diets for gaining weight so it can help weight gain.

There are too many kinds of dieting and they all have intended goals.
I'll give a short list below.

#1 The Vegan diet which is very popular and is in fact a lifestyle. Sometimes people follow it strictly for ethical or environmental reasons and not necessarily because they want to achieve weight loss.

Involves
- staying away from all forms of animal like  products, including all dairy, honey, and eggs.
- choosing whole-food proteins (in the form of nuts, seeds, and legumes) as a substitute to nutrients lost from the foods not eaten.

There are lots of Vegan based diets we can also research about like whole fat vegan in, junk food veganism, raw food veganism, etc.

#2 The Paleo diet a natural way of eating, that almost abandons all intake of sugar.

Involves
- eating sugar only from fruit.
- eating fish, fowl, vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, sweet potatoes, eggs and meat, so long as that meat is grass-fed and not grain-fed.

It helps those with glucose intolerance and weight loss.

#3 The Low-Carb diet which is another popular diet limits the amount of a person's carb intake. The aim of the diet is to force your body to use more fats for fuel instead of using carbs as a main source of energy.

Involves
-Limiting carb intake to 20-150 grams/day
-lean meats, such as sirloin, chicken breast, or pork.
-fish.
-eggs.
-leafy green vegetables.
-cauliflower and broccoli.
-nuts and seeds, including nut butter.
-oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, and rapeseed oil.
-some fruit, such as apples, blueberries, and strawberries.

Also, even though I won't really discuss this, we also have ridiculous diets like:
the cotton ball diet, the tapeworm diet, the "clip your nose while you eat" diet, the baby food diet, the sleeping beauty diet and so on. Concerning those kind of diets, in my opinion, I strongly advice you not to try them except a qualified doctor tells you to since I've read about their many health risks. Sometimes, some of these diets are just crazy fads so it's important to be very informed before we start a diet. (except maybe you're playing BitLife and just wanted to get an achievement medal).

Tips for weight loss
-Exercise: It would help a lot if you engage in exercise like aerobics to help burn fat while dieting for weight loss to see faster results. It might be a bit stressful at first but with time, your body would find it normal making life easier for you.
-Use smaller plates: It encourages you to eat less because servings would be smaller considering the small plate size.
-Drink water before meals: One study showed that drinking a half-liter (17 ounces) of water about half an hour before meals helped dieters eat fewer calories and lose 44% more weight, compared to those who didn't drink the water.
-Drink green tea: Green tea is loaded powerful antioxidants called catechisms which help with fat burning.
-Cut back on sugar and junk food. Instead, eat healthy foods like carrots, fruits, hard boiled eggs, etc when you're hungry. It might not be as delicious but it'll be worth it.
-Budget: Honestly, eating healthy foods is more expensive than eating unhealthy foods. This shouldn't discourage you from reaching your goal but instead, should encourage you to budget better when grocery shopping. Instead of buying so many bags of chips or bottles of soda, weight loss diets encourage you to spend less money on them. You can then use this money which you could have spent, to buy foods you can eat in your diet.
-Get good sleep because it's good for you.

#4 The Weight gain diets involves eating foods high in fats, proteins or carbs like butter, rice, nuts, milk, etc. People follow these days in most cases when dealing with underweight. The diets are geared towards weight gain or muscle increase.

When trying to gain weight, you would normally start thinking of eating foods loaded with fats which is a good start. However, there are 2 kinds of fats, the good fats found in foods like olives, avocados, fish, nuts etc and the bad fats which are found in foods like French fries, butter, processed foods like cookies, etc.

Like the name implies, good fats aren't bad at all in considerable amounts as they are found in foods are perform different functions like strengthening your immune system and keeping your body generally healthy. Bad fats in moderate amounts aren't also bad for you because it's okay for instance to eat fast food once in a while. However, an excess intake of bad fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke since it raises cholesterol level. This shouldn't scare you but encourage you to eat bad fats in moderation.

So I haven't really come across diets for this type but I've put together a couple of foods you could try.

-Smoothies: Get your blender and put in your favorite fruits with an addition of 2 cups of milk (470 ml) coz milk contains fats needed for muscle increase and...it's also good for your bones.
-Oily Fish and Salmon: Excellent sources of high quality proteins and healthy fats to build that muscle.
-Dried Fruit: apparently they have high calories, fiber, vitamins and minerals and just excellent to snack on. You could also add these to your cereal ,oats or yoghurt  for added calories in your breakfast.
- Whole Grain Bread: Because it's just filled with lots of carbs and protein.
-Avocados: Unlike other fruits, avocados are loaded with healthy fats. One avocado has 322 calories so imagine eating one everyday...that's a lot of calories. If you're like me who just thinks avocados taste pretty bland, you could add a dash of salt to give it that extra flavor.
-Dark chocolate: You've probably heard this before. It's true. Eating dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa gives high fats. Eating 100 grams alone gives 600 calories so that's something good to try.
-Cheese: Another food packed with high calories. It contains good amounts of proteins and healthy fats needed for muscle build. The more cheese you eat, the more calories you obtain.
-Full fat yoghurt: Like it's name, it's full of fats as well as protein and carbs. It's also great for snacking on and incredibly delicious. You can add yoghurt to your smoothies as well or even make it a yummy parfait by adding fruits, granola bars, candy and whatever you enjoy it. Next time you hit the grocery store and look for yoghurt, ensure you're buying the right kind because there's also low fat yoghurt with the opposite effect.
-Rice: Packed with carbs, rice remains staple, cheap and convenient. Since it has low fats and protein, you can cook your rice and different proteins in it and maybe even veggies to give it a twist.
-Cream: Add cream to your coffee for extra calories.
-Red meat: If you're not a vegetarian this is loaded with carbs
-Starches: They add bulk to meals and contain high amounts of calories. Eg: Potatoes, beans, legumes, pasta, etc
-Etc: There's so much more to explore

Tips for weight gain
-Don't drink too much water before meals because that fills your stomach making it harder to get calories
-Use larger plates because they create an illusion that you're eating too little when you put your small serving.
-Eat more often: Whenever you can, eat. Eat little snacks between meals or even before going to bad to a add extra calories to your diet.
-Weight gainer shakes: Especially when you're really struggling. Contains high fats, carbs and proteins.
-Sleep: Try to get more sleep because it generally encourages muscle increase.

It's very important to know everything about a diet plan before engaging in one as some diets are medically encouraged while others are just personal decisions.
A diet is a routine meaning it's very programmed. You have to stick to eating the types of food you're allowed to eat and ditch the ones you can't. So, it's a very big decision.

Diets have benefits depending on the type.
Some diets help with weight loss , others cardiovascular conditions, blood pressure, change a persons eating habits and so on. It has so many benefits, but like everything, diets also have a few cons. One that I know of is that some diets, sometimes, could be unhealthy since you are told to keep off nutrients of good use to the body.

Overall, diet plan or no diet plan, it's very important to watch what you eat for the good of your body.
Drink lots of water.
Eat organic fruits.
Eat less junk food and dessert.
Have good food habits.
Exercise.
Get enough sleep.
You can't ever have enough of those.

In conclusion, especially if you ever considered starting a diet plan, finding the right diet might not happen quickly. You keep trying till you get the right one.