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प्रतमें वजन घटाने के लिए 15 सर्वश्रेष्ठ आहार, विशेषज्ञों के अनुसार

वैज्ञानिकों का कहना है कि इन पोषण योजनाओं के पास यह मानने के लिए पर्याप्त सबूत हैं कि वे लंबी अवधि में काम करती हैं।

2023 में आजमाने के लिए सर्वश्रेष्ठ आहार का पूर्वावलोकन

आहार पर जाने के लिए सावधानीपूर्वक योजना और बहुत सारे शोध अग्रिम में शामिल होते हैं। आखिरकार, आप कोई आहार नहीं खोजना चाहते- आप सही आहार चाहते हैं। और, यदि वजन कम करना आपका लक्ष्य है, तो आप वजन कम करने के लिए सबसे अच्छे आहार पर जाना चाहते हैं जो आपकी जीवनशैली में भी फिट बैठता है।

ह्यूस्टन मेथोडिस्ट वेलनेस सर्विसेज के आहार विशेषज्ञ अमांडा बीवर, आरडीएन कहते हैं, "पोषक तत्वों से भरपूर आहार खाने से हम बेहतर और अधिक ऊर्जावान महसूस कर सकते हैं और इससे हमें पता चलता है कि हम एक स्वस्थ जीवन की ओर कदम बढ़ा रहे हैं।" लेकिन जब आप वजन कम करने के सर्वोत्तम तरीकों के बारे में शोध करना शुरू करते हैं, तो आपका दिमाग सभी अलग-अलग "चमत्कारिक" आहारों के साथ घूमना शुरू कर सकता है - कीटो! पालेओ! 5-2 उपवास! और निश्चित रूप से इनमें से प्रत्येक के पास सच्चे विश्वासियों की एक सेना है, जो पूरे इंस्टाग्राम पर पोस्ट करते हैं कि वे कार्ब्स/चीनी/मांस/डिनर छोड़ने में कितना अच्छा महसूस करते हैं। यह जानना असंभव हो सकता है कि किसको आजमाया जाए।

नया आहार कैसे चुनें

एक नए आहार के बारे में निर्णय लेना एक बड़ी बात है, और अपने लिए सही आहार चुनना मुश्किल हो सकता है। द स्मॉल चेंज डाइट के लेखक केरी गन्स, एम.एस., आर.डी. कहते हैं, "किसी को यह याद रखना चाहिए कि स्वस्थ वजन कम करना एक प्रतिबद्धता है जिसमें समय लगता है।" "कोई चांदी की गोली नहीं है। आहार का चयन करते समय, वह चुनें जो सभी खाद्य समावेशी हो न कि वह जो खाद्य पदार्थों को खत्म करने के बारे में हो, विशेष रूप से जिन्हें आप प्यार करते हैं।

अमांडा होल्टज़र, एम.एस., आर.डी., क्यूलिना हेल्थ में एक आहार विशेषज्ञ, एक नए आहार पर बसने से पहले खुद से निम्नलिखित प्रश्न पूछने का सुझाव देते हैं:

● क्या यह आहार आपके लिए टिकाऊ है? "मतलब, क्या आप इसे सप्ताह के सातों दिन, हमेशा के लिए कर सकते हैं?" वह कहती है। "क्योंकि यदि नहीं, तो दूसरा आप इसे करना बंद कर देते हैं, संभावना है कि आप वजन वापस प्राप्त कर लेंगे।"

● क्या यह आहार अत्यधिक प्रतिबंधात्मक है? यदि आप वंचित महसूस करने जा रहे हैं, तो होल्टज़र का कहना है कि किसी विशेष आहार के साथ रहना कठिन होगा। "आखिरकार, उन लालसाओं पर काबू पा लिया जाएगा," वह कहती हैं। "अक्सर, इस तरह की स्थिति overindulgences या यहाँ तक कि द्वि घातुमान की ओर जाता है।"

● क्या आप इस पर रहते हुए अपना जीवन जी पाएंगे? यदि आप दोस्तों के साथ खाना पसंद करते हैं, तो इस अवसर पर आइसक्रीम लें, और ब्रंच में मिमोसा का आनंद लें, यह विचार करना महत्वपूर्ण है कि क्या आपका आहार इसकी अनुमति देगा, होल्टज़र कहते हैं। "अगर आपको लगता है कि आपको इस आहार को ठीक से निष्पादित करने के लिए अपना जीवन दांव पर लगाना होगा, तो यह वह नहीं है," वह कहती हैं।

● क्या आपका पर्याप्त पोषण होगा? होल्टज़र कहते हैं कि यह अपने आप से पूछने के लिए "सबसे महत्वपूर्ण" प्रश्न है। वह कहती है, "कोई भी आहार जो बेहद कम कैलोरी निर्धारित करता है, वह नहीं है," वह आहार का हवाला देते हुए कहती है कि आप अपने आप को 1,200 कैलोरी तक सीमित करना चाहते हैं। होल्टज़र कहते हैं, "याद रखें, जिस तरह से आप इस तरह से खाना बंद कर देते हैं, आप वजन वापस ले लेंगे।"

आखिरकार, गन्स कहते हैं, "एक अच्छे फिट में इसके कई हिस्से होंगे जो आपकी जीवनशैली का हिस्सा बन जाएंगे, ऐसा कुछ नहीं जिसे आप दिनों तक गिनेंगे।"

कुछ नया करने से पहले आपको कितनी देर तक आहार देना चाहिए?

ज़रूर, पहली बार ऐसा आहार चुनना संभव है जो आपके लिए सही न हो। तो, आपको इसे कब तक देना चाहिए? होल्टज़र कहते हैं, "बहुत लंबा नहीं।" वह यह देखने के लिए कि आप एक नए आहार पर कैसा महसूस कर रहे हैं, अपने साथ दैनिक चेक-इन करने की सलाह देती हैं। होल्टज़र के अनुसार कुछ बातों पर विचार करना चाहिए:

आप कितनी अच्छी तरह से आहार का पालन कर पाए हैं

तुमने क्या अच्छा किया

आप क्या सुधार कर सकते थे

क्या आप अपने भोजन और नाश्ते से संतुष्ट महसूस करते हैं

आप आहार पर भोजन के बारे में कितना सोच रहे हैं

आहार आपके जीवन के अन्य क्षेत्रों को कितना प्रभावित कर रहा है

होल्टज़र कहते हैं, "यहां तक कि अगर आप आहार के पहले दिन को खत्म करते हैं, और इनमें से कुछ सवालों के जवाब से संकेत मिलता है कि यह आहार सही नहीं हो सकता है, तो मैं कहूंगा कि इसे कॉल करने का समय है।" "एक आहार पर रहने के लिए जीवन बहुत छोटा है जो इससे दूर हो जाता है।" (लेकिन, वह कहती हैं, अगर आपको लगता है कि दैनिक चेक-इन बहुत अधिक है, तो आप हर हफ्ते पुनर्मूल्यांकन कर सकते हैं।)

गन्स इस बात से सहमत हैं कि आपको किसी ऐसी चीज़ के साथ नहीं रहना चाहिए जो सही नहीं लगता। "यदि आप सप्ताह में एक से दो पाउंड खो रहे हैं, तो आप सफलता की राह पर हैं," वह कहती हैं। "हालांकि, यदि आप वजन कम कर रहे हैं, लेकिन महसूस करते हैं कि आप लंबे समय तक जारी नहीं रख सकते क्योंकि यह बहुत कठिन है, स्विच करने का समय तत्काल है।"

कुल मिलाकर, गन्स इसे ध्यान में रखने की सलाह देते हैं: "सबसे अच्छा आहार वह है जो आहार की तरह महसूस नहीं करता है। योजना में सभी खाद्य समूहों को शामिल किया गया है, आपको भाग के आकार के बारे में सिखाता है, स्वस्थ खाना पकाने की युक्तियां प्रदान करता है, जिसमें खाने की रणनीतियां शामिल हैं, नियमित शारीरिक गतिविधि और पर्याप्त नींद का सुझाव दें। सबसे अच्छा आहार वास्तव में आहार नहीं, बल्कि जीवन शैली है।"

हमने आहार विशेषज्ञों के एक पैनल से कुछ सबसे अधिक चर्चा वाले आहारों के माध्यम से छाँटने और अच्छे, बुरे और भूखे लोगों पर चर्चा करने के लिए कहा। यहां शीर्ष 15 की उनकी सिफारिशें विचार करने के लिए हैं- और 4 को भूलने के लिए।

भूमध्य आहार

द लिटिल बुक के लेखक जेसिका कोर्डिंग, आरडी कहते हैं, यह आहार लगातार शीर्ष पर आता है, और इसके कुछ कारण हैं

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avee155 · 2 years ago

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avee155 · 2 years ago

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FAT TESTS / 8:32 PM by CHRISTIAN FINN

The Skulpt Scanner is a device that claims to measure your body fat percentage quickly and accurately. But does it really work? Is there any science behind it?

The Skulpt Scanner is shaped a little like an iPhone, with sensors on the back.

You put it over your muscles, and hold it in place for a few seconds.

View on Amazon

It’s then supposed to “instantly and accurately measure body fat percentage and the muscle quality of each muscle.”

Here’s a video of a guy using the Skulpt Scanner if you’d like to watch.

Skulpt Scanner: The Claims

Skulpt makes a number of very specific claims, including that their device is 5 times more accurate than body fat scales, 3-4 times more accurate than skinfold calipers, and within 1-2% of underwater weighing.

It all looks very exciting and scientific.

But there isn’t anything on the website to support their claims, other than this:

“Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is based on over a decade of research at Harvard and MIT, and has previously been used in collaboration with NASA. Initially developed for the medical space, Skulpt introduces EIM to the consumer market with its two products: Aim and Chisel.”

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So I had a dig through the research to see what I could find.

I did come across a number of studies that looked at EIM (the technology used in the Skulpt Scanner) as a way to diagnose and monitor a variety of neuromuscular disorders [1, 2]. But none of them used it to track changes in body composition over time.

Skulpt makes a lot of bold claims about what their products can do.

But once you look past all the puffery about “decades of research at Harvard” and “collaboration with NASA” there is no hard data to back those claims up.

If the Skulpt Scanner is more accurate than body fat scales (which wouldn’t be difficult) and “within 1-2% of underwater weighing,” then presumably the people who make the product must have done the research to back those claims up.

But if they have, I couldn’t find it. So I wrote to the people at Skulpt, with a simple question:

“I’m interesting in finding out more about the science behind EIM. Do you have links to any research that compares it with the 4-compartment model, in terms of its ability to track individual changes in body composition over time?”

Other than an automated reply saying that my message had been received, I heard nothing. Radio silence.

Skulpt Scanner Accuracy: Worse Than DEXA and Body Fat Scales

In one of the few studies to test the accuracy of the Skulpt Scanner, researchers from Texas compared a number of different body fat tests to see which one worked best [3].

There was a lot about this study to like:

1. It looked at a wide range of body fat testing methods, from body fat scales to DEXA to the Skulpt Scanner.

2. The 4-compartment model was used as a benchmark. This involves dividing the body into four compartments (mineral, water, fat, and protein) and measuring each one independently. It’s currently the gold standard against which other body composition tests are measured.

3. The researchers also listed the 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for each method. This gives you a much better idea about the accuracy of a given body fat test for an individual rather than a group.

Why does that matter?

Let’s say you round up a group of people and measure their body fat. Let’s also assume whatever body fat test you’re using overestimates body fat percentage in half the group by 5%, and underestimates it in the other half by 5%.

When looking at the group results, the average error size is zero. But the individual results are way out.

Just because a body fat test does a decent job at estimating group averages doesn’t mean it works equally well for individuals. That’s why it’s good to know the 95% LOA.

The result?

The 95% LOA for the Skulpt Scanner clocked in at 7.7%. Which means that if the Skulpt Scanner puts you at 15% body fat, your true body fat could be as low as 7.3% or as high as 22.7%.

It was worse than DEXA and body fat scales, and one of the least accurate devices tested in the study.

Final Thoughts

A body fat test is less of a measurement than it is an estimate. A guess about what your body composition really is.

In that sense, the Skulpt Scanner is no different than body fat scales, DEXA, the Bod Pod and all the others, which are a lot less accurate than the people who make them would have you believe.

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The Apple iPhone is a well-known communicating device from the house of Apple. The highly advanced mobile telephony features as well as stunning design of the gadget turns the head of the onlooker at the very first glance. One could say that the gadget is a perfect blend of performance and utility.

And the best part is that it comes with easy-to-use touchscreen controls, iPod features as well as image setting options. Besides the multimedia capabilities, this iPhone from Apple also offers some of the latest and the best connectivity options for downloading or sharing important files with other compatible devices.With a small and sleek profile, the handset measures 115mm in height, 61mm in width and 11.6mm thickness and weighs 135grams. The users can easily carry this compact gadget in purses or pockets. The casing of the Apple iPhone comes in a selection of popular colours namely - glossy black and white.

The huge multi-coloured touchscreen of the handset acts as a brilliant display for viewing the data and vibrant graphics. The screen measures 3.5 inches and provides a high resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. As a matter of fact, the multicolored screen is based on a new Mac OS X based user-interface.The owners are able to type in messages on this device, as the iPhone displays a touch QWERTY keyboard on its widescreen. This advanced keyboard comes complete with predictive text that automatically corrects the typing errors. Therefore, it can be said that this QWERTY keyboard provides a user-friendly input method. The owners can enjoy creating text messages, multimedia messages as well as emails, using the touch keyboard. The email facility on the Apple comes with graphics, images & photo attachments as well.

The built in touchscreen music controls help the owners to play, pause, rewind and fast forward the music on the MP3 player. Moreover, the owners can view their album covers on the wide screen. Apart from that, the iPhone comes with a touchscreen search facility that can be used for searching by song, album, artist or playlists. The advanced controls and easy to create music playlists make the gadget all the more interesting. The integrated camera and video capabilities are used for capturing the still images and short videos. The advanced photo management applications provide the users with perfect finish to each and every shot. Like the music capabilities, the video functions can also be controlled by a mere touch.This handset provides real mobile Internet experience to the users. The built-in safari Internet browser can make life easy for the people who need to remain connected with the latest developments taking place. The high-end connectivity options include EDGE, Bluetooth, USB and Wi-Fi for fast & efficient data & file transfers. This handset works well over a GSM quad-band network that allows seamless communication, across the world.

The Apple iPhone is available in two memory options i.e. 4GB and 8GB. Therefore, depending upon the storage requirements, the owners can opt for either of the two. This massive memory storage allows the users to store the varied content without any problem. This smartphone comes with a fitted battery that provides up to 16 hours worth of music playback and approximately 5 hours of talk time, which includes call time, video time as well as Internet browsing time.

isn't just a suggestion but a statement of what is going to happen with most people who want to get themselves Apple's new smartphone this year. There is always a long wait for the new Apple smartphone; specially if you are not in the States. If you are in a country in Asia, this wait may last up to months, specially if you want to get the new iPhone X this year. Now a lot of people are going to be reading this and wondering why because this year, for the first time ever, Apple is rolling out the new iPhone X simultaneously to many countries. The iPhone X goes on sale on the same date in thirteen more countries as it does in North America, which is the 3rd of November. However, that is just theoretical. Anyone who has tried to buy a new iPhone in a retail store or even online, on the day of launch, in any country across the world will know that it is almost impossible. The retail stores have just a few units in stock that are sold out to the people who camp outside the stores for days, waiting to get their hands on the new Apple hotness. Online stores sell out even faster and within minutes if not seconds, the iPhones are back ordered and ship dates slip back to many weeks.

This year was no different and the iPhone X has opened up for pre-order just a few days ago. On the midnight when the Apple online store started accepting orders, those people who did not manage to place their orders for the phone within the first few minutes already started seeing that the phone was back ordered and that their phones would not ship for 4 or even 5 weeks. Those customers that had also bought iPhone covers with their phones realised that their iPhone X case would ship before the phone itself and they'd receive the case before the phone for which it was meant.

iPhone X Cases for your new phone

Customers in countries outside North America who try to buy the iPhone X online are going to have to wait even longer because the phone will probably be available in brick and mortar retail stores long before it is available with online sellers. There too quantities of the iPhone X will be very limited until 2018, so customers are probably going to have a much easier time finding great designer iPhone X cases and iPhone X back covers for their phones, than they are in actually getting the phones.

Almost all major Indian cases sellers and accessory makers have launched their range of iPhone X covers and some are even let prospective iPhone X owners create their own iPhone X custom case with their own photos. All of these iPhone X cases should ship within a few days, so within a week or so, there are going to be a ton of Indian customers who have their iPhone X back covers ready in anticipation of a phone that they haven't even been given the chance to buy yet!

Within one month at the end of 2014, two major smartphone competitors released their newest models, entering themselves into the growing "phablet" market. In September, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus was released, and in October, Google reacted with their Nexus 6. We compare the key features of both smartphones to aid consumer decisions on which manufacturer's device to opt for.

Design & Build Quality

The Nexus 6 measures at 6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches with a 6.0 inch display. It is larger than the iPhone 6 Plus, which measures at a smaller and thinner 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches, holding a 4.7 inch display. Naturally, the Nexus 6 weighs more than the iPhone by approximately 10 grams. The iPhone case is composed entirely of aluminium, giving it an elegant and premium design, while the Nexus 6 has a contoured aluminium front but a cheaper plastic back.

Display Quality

The Nexus 6 has a larger display, and boasts a far higher 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution than its competitor, which only displays 1920 x 1080 pixels per inch. If you can accept some plastic within the build of the Nexus, then you're getting a larger screen in as small amount of space as possible. The screen-to-body ratio of the Nexus 6 is a high 74.03% while the iPhone offers a lower 65%.

Performance

The Nexus 6 packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor offering 2.7GHz with a very high 3GB of RAM. The iPhone 6 Plus boasts a lower 1GB of RAM but holds a custom-built, 64-bit A8 processor and M8 motion co-processor that performs extremely well in tests against the Nexus 6. A key feature of the Google Nexus 6 is the dual front-facing speakers, allowing clear sound targeted towards the user as opposed to the iPhone's bottom-facing speakers next to the charger port.

Photography

Smartphone users increasingly are ditching their separate cameras and using their phone instead, pushing the importance of internal cameras. While the Nexus 6 offers a 13-megapixel camera, which is high in comparison to the iPhone's 8-megapixel lens, both devices deliver similar results in final picture quality. Those obsessed with "selfie" photos will be more attracted to Google's 2-megapixel front facing camera in comparison to Apple's lower 1.2-megapixel front lens.

Battery Life

One of our most important measures is the ability of a smartphone to match its capabilities to its power supply. A beast of a device is useless unless it can power itself efficiently. The Google Nexus 6 wins with a higher standby time 13.8 days compared to the iPhone 6 Plus' poor standby time of 10.4 days. As both models are strenuous on their batteries, don't be surprised if you're device lives longer next to a wall plug than in your hand.

Final Verdict

The Nexus 6 outshines the iPhone 6 Plus with its more advanced capabilities and higher standards of features commonly used by consumers. A better screen and camera sheds light on its advance into the media-obsessed market. But it cannot beat Apple's overall design quality and sleekness, fitting well in the hand while maintaining build strength with its fully aluminium casing.

The latest trend of the innovative powerhouse, Apple, is to release new iPhone models as a pair. The iPhone 5C, which comes in a range of colours, was branded as the "affordable iPhone model". Whereas the iPhone 5S was branded as their premium model with better features, and of course arriving at a premium price. The iPhone 6 is their latest smartphone upgrade, while the 6 Plus is a clear jump into the "phablet" market as Apple rivals with other major competitors. As with any manufacturer, Apple bombards the market with advertisements for their latest releases where profit margins are high and first adopters begin the trend to get their hands on the latest smartphone devices.

Yet when you compare the prices of all iPhone models on the market along with their true technical differences, there is consistently a significant difference in price yet an insignificant change in capabilities and performance. Is the iPhone 6 really an innovative jump from its predecessor or just a minor step up with a few new gimmicks?

When you compare internal changes, you'll find the newer models will have Apple's latest A-chips at a higher GHz and an increase in processor cores, along with new memory capacities. On paper, these changes sound like worthy reasons to upgrade, but when you compare models in reality, side by side, the changes are small and relative. It may be ever so slightly faster and more responsive, but you'll soon get used to this and notice insignificant differences. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are prime examples of Apple bringing new models with elegant designs to appeal to fans yet not actually upgrading much on the inside.

Whether you're a loyal Apple fan with a now old device, or a newcomer looking to dabble in sophisticated, smooth smartphones, it's always worth spending a bit of time trying every model available and consider the real differences between them. You'll find they run similarly, but come at totally different prices. Whatever model you choose, ensure you opt for a suitable internet data package, as all iPhone models tend to eat through data with automatic services constantly updating through 3G and 4G. Most package deals now include unlimited texts as more and more users simply message through internet services anyway, such as Apple's 'iMessage' and Facebook's messaging portal.

Another option to consumers in the UK is to buy the device SIM-free, and purchase a SIM-only contract separately. The advantage of this? Your overall cost, on average, will very likely be significantly lower than if you were to go for a full iPhone contract. SIM only offers tend to be lower priced as no device is provided by the retailer or network, thus passing on these savings to the customer. As long as the customer can purchase their own iPhone, then it is wise to choose a SIM-only contract. Another advantage? More and more SIM-only deals are flooding the market on 30-day rolling contracts, so you won't be locked into the common 18 or 24-month contracts usually advertised.

Thus, it's always recommended to weigh your options, try all devices, decide whether you really need that higher GHz processor, and finally do the maths very carefully when choosing a contract deal. Always ensure your inclusive allowances cover what you will use, as networks charge high prices once you pass those limits. A safe bet is to opt for an optimum number of inclusive allowances as opposed to the most realistic choice.

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avee155 · 2 years ago

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avee155 · 2 years ago

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avee155 · 2 years ago

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I feel like I'll never find another book I love as much as Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and I am devastated that I've finished it. It usually never takes me longer than a day or two to finish a book; however, I purposely took over a week to finish Levi and Cath's story. I used my entire stack of orange sticky notes for this, and I don't regret any one of them.

I'm not sure if I've ever related to a character as much as I related to Cather. I recently wrote about my freshman year experience, and I did so because I received my college diploma in the mail. I also was reminded of how painfully hard it was for me to be a freshman while reading Fangirl.

Cather Avery is a writer, but she doesn't believe she can create her own world from her own words. I was in Cather's position a year ago. I remember the first day I spent in Tom Franklin's Fiction-Writing class; I was petrified after he let us know only publishable stories would earn you an A in his class. I thought about dropping Fiction-Writing, because I was afraid I wouldn't be as good as the other writers around me. My class was filled with real writers; publishable writers.

Tom wasn't fond of the first story I turned in, and I didn't deserve for him to be proud considering I turned in an excerpt of a story I had written for my Beginner's Fiction class. I was so afraid of starting something new; I was Cather. My day came for my classmates to critique my story, and my palms were sweating. I had been writing for days; I had been trying to come up with a story for weeks until I finally stumbled onto something. I had never written anything like Virago before; it wasn't full of Faulkner sentences. It was straightforward and dangling on the edge of too much dialogue. And the only thing I remember Tom saying was, "only a sophisticated writer would write this."

Rainbow Rowell is sophisticated; she is simple. She doesn't need sequins or diamonds for her words to stand out, and that's why I love her writing. I'm not sure I've ever read an ending so simply written; I've never smiled so much at an ending. I smiled at all her words.

"It's just... everything. There are too many people. And I don't fit in. I don't know how to be. Nothing that I'm good at is the sort of thing that matters there. Being smart doesn't matter-and being good with words. And when those things do matter, it's only because people want something from me. Not because they want me."

There are people who learn that my major in college was English Literature who look at me differently. Some always have a snarky comment to make; some people always somehow find a way to tell me I worked so hard for pointless degree. It doesn't matter how much I love words, and it doesn't matter that books changed my life. They tell me 'good luck with that' and smirk. I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me, because I've cried plenty of times over it. But, the thing is, I'm a writer. I'm going to make it as a writer, because I have these stories in my head that don't go away until I write them down. Because people have told me I am talented. It's so hard to do what you love when it's categorized as belonging in Liberal Arts, but I know that if you really believe it can happen then it will. And it doesn't matter if you're published or not; what matters is that you just keep doing what you love because it feels so good.

"Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy," Wren said. "It's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for."

Rainbow Rowell writes love stories, and what I love about them is they aren't overzealous. She shows readers that love doesn't have to be dramatic, and she shows readers that the greatest love stories don't have to end badly. They can end so purely; they can end so simply. I used to be petrified that I would only ever write love stories. So many people seem to look down on them, but that's what I write. You write what you love, and there's nothing I love more than reading about two people finding each other. I write love stories, and it makes my heart so happy. Because happily ever after really is the "most courageous thing two people can shoot for."

"Just... isn't giving up allowed sometimes? Isn't it okay to say, 'This really hurts, so I'm going to stop trying'?"

"It sets a dangerous precedent."

"For avoiding pain?"

"For avoiding life."

I'm just in love with Rainbow Rowell, and I'm so thankful that she helped me without even realizing it. We can't avoid things in our path because they will be hard or because we will get looked down on. I'm so, so happy my friend, Alison, forced me to read Eleanor & Park, because I would have never picked up Fangirl otherwise, and I would have missed out on so much. I want to sit on the floor and read this book every day for the rest of my life, and that's so magical.

And like I said, I almost gave up Tom Franklin's class because it was going to be hard, and because I was afraid he would make fun of me for writing love stories. And I'm so glad I didn't, because, had I quit, I would have read this:

"Alex - Well, this is an excellent opening to a story. I'm eager for the mother-in-law to visit. You write excellent dialogue and use drama well. Excellent prose. Let me know if my notes need explaining. - TF"

Scert gift for you 👇🏿

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