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4 Diets You Could Try in 2021

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Fruit Salad in a ceramic bowl

We are all in different stages of our lives where we are either happy with our weight, or we’re not. Some people struggle to follow the right diet because they’re still indecisive on whether they’re looking to lose or gain weight.

So, we’re having an in-depth look on the different types of diets there are, and this will include diets to gain but also lose weight. By the end of this article, you will know which is the right diet for you.

Losing Weight and Gaining Muscle

A man holding a dumbbell in the gym

It can be easy to lose weight if you exercise regularly and eat all the right foods, but what can be really tough to do is gain muscle whilst also losing weight. To accomplish this is a very tricky thing to do, as you have to be extremely disciplined with yourself and follow a strict plan. Not only will you have to increase the amount of exercise you do, but you’ll also have to increase the amount of food you eat everyday. 

If you’re looking to just lose weight you could get away with eating 3 meals a day, however, if you’re aiming to gain weight as well you will need to consume 6 meals a day that are super healthy but also full of protein so you can bulk up. The main reason why you have to eat more than you usually do is because of the increase in exercise. 

Woman slicing food

If you’re working out twice a day then you’ll be burning so many calories, and because your body has used so much energy it will be craving food to keep you going for the rest of the day. Hence why you need to eat 6 meals a day so there is the perfect balance in your diet and workout plan. It’s common knowledge, aiming to have a better-looking body requires an extensive amount of exercise, but the kitchen is where you will see the results the most.

We advise that your diet contains a mixture of fruit, vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. Be careful with carbs as they’re good to eat when you are exercising regularly, if you’re not then your body will just store the carbs as fat. Dieting is tough at first, but once you start subtracting the unhealthy snacks for fruit, you will start seeing a big difference.

Naturally, it is tough to suddenly give up all the normal foods you are used to having. Which is why we suggest after 10 days you can have one cheat day so you will not go completely insane from the diet!

Losing Weight

Spinach, chicken & pomegranate salad

Losing weight can be difficult for some, but easy for others. This can be due to a number of reasons, but mainly it’s due to your metabolism. If you naturally have a fast metabolism then this means you burn a lot of calories easily, which is a great thing if you’re looking to lose weight. However, if you want to gain weight this can be more tricky as you will need to eat much more than you usually do.

There are a number of ways you can lose weight, but mostly it comes down to two things: a healthy diet and cardiovascular exercise. Consuming a healthy diet is essential to losing weight, as the diet should consist of fruit, vegetables, a low amount of carbohydrates and healthy protein.

A perfect example of a healthy meal if you’re looking to lose weight is fish, rice, asparagus plus any more vegetables you wish to include. Fish is a great source of protein and probably the healthiest as there is hardly any fat on it and the rice compliments the fish really well and it’s also a carbohydrate. Finally, the asparagus is considered a versatile vegetable as it’s healthy for you but also full of protein, so you get the best of both worlds.

Woman standing on a tredmill resting from her run

There are many other dishes similar to this which are super healthy for you, and when you start getting in the routine of creating these meals you will begin to create your own healthy dishes. The second important factor of losing weight is cardiovascular exercise, and this may sound like an intimidating word, but don’t worry – it’s not as scary as you think!

Cardiovascular is a physical exercise which consists of low and high intensity workouts, for example, running, jogging, burpees, squat jumps plus much more. These types of workouts are perfect if you’re looking to lose weight as the exercise requires you to use so much of your energy till you’re at the point of exhaustion.

These workouts do require a lot of dedication and determination, but If you perform them constantly and you’re eating the right foods then you will start to see results quicker than you thought.

Gaining Weight

Steak dinner

For people who are naturally slim and have been all their life, gaining weight can be a big ask for them, as they may struggle to put on weight due to their metabolism being so high or other reasons. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t gain weight – quite the opposite actually. Anyone can gain weight but to do so you need to follow a very strict diet plan and exercise consistently.

To some this might be a big ask, but once you start getting into the routine it all of sudden becomes natural and easy. It’s just getting to that stage which is the hardest part. So, immediately the first changes you need to make are adding more protein based foods into your diet. 

Protein is a big source of energy and it provides support to your muscle growth, so it’s essential you include it in your diet if you’re looking to gain weight. Protein comes in many food forms too such as fish, chicken, asparagus, sprouts, kale, spinach plus many other foods, so there is a good variety of protein foods you can add to your meals.

It doesn’t stop there either, you can purchase protein bars and powder which are ideal to consume before and after a workout. It may be more expensive but it does help you gain weight a lot, so if you’re completely dedicated to gaining weight then we strongly advise you to make this investment.

Now your diet is planned and set in motion, the next thing you need to plan is your workout schedule. Working out can be just as hard as dieting especially if you’re building muscle as you’re essentially tearing the muscle to allow growth – but as a famous movie once said, ‘No pain no gain’!

When exercising with weights, always start where you feel most comfortable and if this means the lowest weight then don’t worry – you’ve got to start somewhere to get to the top! For each exercise you do, always make sure you mix it up because if your body gets used to the same workout, you will not see the results you would like. 

Once you have established the exercises you’re doing during the week, try to get into the habit of planning for the weeks ahead as this will slowly get you in the mindset of further pushing yourself to reach your goals. Now your diet and workout plan is in place, get cracking on with it – there’s no time like the present.

Vegan Diet

Basil leaves and avocado on toast

The word ‘vegan’ may put people off immediately as it essentially means you can’t eat any meat, so all meat lovers – look away now! Over recent years, becoming vegan has started becoming more popular as there is quite a variety of different foods you can eat, which are all predominantly healthy.

The fact that you’re constantly eating a lot more healthy food is what attracts so many people to this particular diet, as it helps you to lose weight. There have been many research studies on weight loss with a vegan diet and it’s been proven that vegetarians lose more weight than non-vegetarians after 18 weeks. Within this period, vegan dieters managed to lose 5 more pounds than a non-vegetarian, so it’s clear to see a vegan diet does help you lose weight.

It’s great eating lots of vegetables and fruit in the vegan diet, but it’s also crucial that you eat a good amount of protein otherwise this will lead to potential issues with your body as it needs protein to function. Some people might say that the only way to eat protein is through meat – this is wrong.

Oatmeal

There is lots of protein in all kinds of food, such as fruit, vegetables, tofu, oats and oatmeal, nuts plus much more – so overall there is a great variety of foods you can eat which is full of protein. The recommended amount of protein males should consume daily is 63g and for females it’s around 52g per day. As long as you follow that recommended amount, then you will be flying with the vegan diet.

Now that your diet plan is set in motion, next you need to think about what exercises you should be doing to lose weight. We advise you perform a lot of cardiovascular exercises such as running and bodyweight exercises. This will push you to and beyond your limits as they’re very intense workouts, however, the results you will see are second to none.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog on the best healthy diets for you. If you have any further questions on the specific types of food you should eat, then feel free to get in contact with us today.

Finally, April 12th is nearly upon which only means one thing – bootcamp is back! We’re following the government’s guidelines so we can bring our popular bootcamps back for all to get involved with again – we hope to see you there!