I have, in my life, almost always been unhappy with my weight. That doesn't really separate me out from other Americans, though I am somewhat unusual in that sometimes I've wanted to lose weight, and sometimes I've wanted to gain weight.
"Never happy" doesn't describe me, but it's close enough.
So I thought that I'd write down some of the tricks I've learned for gaining and losing weight.
A trifle simplistic, but much more true than your average fad diet, which supplies wish fulfillment of the form, "You can eat all you like, if you just follow the following random restriction."
You have to eat less to lose weight, you have to eat more to gain weight. There are a lot of refinements you can add, complex carbohydrates are better than simple carbohydrates, make sure you get enough protein, make sure you get all the necessary nutrients, but it all needs to be based off of that simple fact.
The more you eat the more you weigh, the less you eat the less you weigh.
Now, this one is a little trickier, and really only works when losing weight. That is to say, if you want to lose weight, exercise more, but if you want to gain weight, you probably still shouldn't cut out exercise (unless you exercise excessively).
It's trickier because exercise can increase appetite. This is why it can actually be advantageous to exercise to gain weight, if you're diligent about taking advantage of the appetite increase.
Also, there are two main reasons for weight adjustment: health and vanity. As exercise can both improve health and improve your appearance, regular exercise is a good goal to have in itself.
A lot of people have trouble eating or drinking things that contain ingredients such as artificial sweetener. It can almost be a macho thing. Well, guess what. Most foods that most Americans eat is full of all kinds of "artificial" ingredients. It's junky, unhealthy crap.
Switching to home cooked (or home prepared in the case of foods that aren't cooked) meals is the real way to go. Use nothing but salt, herbs, spices, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, meat, and tofu. And if you do include meat, try to use very lean cuts, there are issues with animal fats. And, to cap it off, go all organic. Drink nothing but water, tea, and coffee, without additives of course.
That is certainly the ideal, but of course it uses a lot of time and costs a lot more. But if you're not willing to do that, don't whine about not wanting to drink diet soda pop because it's so much more artificial than regular soda pop.