Posts by otokio

I recently found out that I only need about 2.5L of water a day to maintain maximum organ function and bodily functions.

That being said, when I was obese, I required a lot more water. If you search for "bloating," under the forum search option, dig a little bit and you'll find a calculator that will tell you how much water you need a day. I drank about a gallon and a half when I was overweight and I lost my first 20/30 lbs. very quickly -- I realized at the time that this was because I was very dehydrated, and the foods I ate did not provide adequate moisture.

I've heard brunettes can use coffee, but I've never tried it myself.

The simple response would be: I didn't ask for advice on hair because I clearly stated above that I know damage cannot be completely reversed. I asked for hair mask recipes that will improve the condition of hair, which is not to be confused with restoring hair to its undamaged state.

I'm also not concerned with what was once done. At one point in history, testing on live subjects was the only way to develop FDA-approved cosmetics. Now there are methods of product testing during any state of production that are more accurate than animal testing. The FDA no longer mandates that animal testing is necessary. I'm in the process of phasing these items out of my house; I'm not aware of every single thing I use or buy that is tested because not all lists are 100% comprehensive. It's a personal decision that requires a lot of thought and research. I'm in the early stages of this process. One shouldn't assume that others always make blind decisions. Ethics aren't completely cut and dry, and I didn't intend to sound pious. I was only trying to explain why I choose to not buy Redken. I'm not passing judgment on anyone else's decisions -- I choose to do what benefits me and what I feel is right for myself.  I'm a bit of a neophyte when it comes to all things natural, but I try to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can so I can make informed choices. More than anything, the emphasis is on how informed I am rather than which decision I make.

I wouldn't question your personal decisions simply because I don't like the way you spoke to me or some other bogus reason like that (I assume, perhaps unfairly, that's the reason you tried to waterboard my personal choices -- to pick up any discrepancies so these choices are then rendered invalid by their inherent contradiction and hypocrisy -- unless your question was legitimate and you were genuinely curious, but it didn't sound that way). I would only do so if your personal decisions affected me in any way. And they don't.

I'm not sure exactly what I posted that rubbed you the wrong way. I specifically asked for hair masks. You told me there was nothing I could do. That's a partial truth. I explained what happens during the chemical process that causes damage and why some damage is harder to rectify, including damage done by hair strippers (I can't think of any better word for that). I'm gathering that you didn't like that very much, or you perceived my reply to be condescending because I didn't know what product you were talking about. If that was the case, I apologize for my manner, and I hope that we can forgive and forget. 

Do you remember what the product you used in your hair looked like? Did you have it done at a salon? Did it have a smell? I'm pretty interested in learning what this product does. Was it called something like Color-Oops? Did it have a particular color? After people bleach their hair, it's common to use toner. It can have the same effect as taking out hair dye because it employs certain colors to counteract the opposite colors. Lavender and blues are used after bleach or mixed in with bleach to prevent hair from turning orange, red, or brassy (this occurs because red is highly pigmented and it's the last color to leave the hair shaft). Unfortunately, there's no way to get bleach out of the hair, but there are ways to alter the effect of the bleach. Bleach literally strips the hair of all its colors. It leeches out the blues first, the yellows next, and then the reds. Toner is usually enriched with vitamins, proteins, and herbs to help minimize the damage of the bleach or to help the hair look healthier post-bleaching when used as a color-correcter. It's a huge life saver, especially when you want to bleach your hair and then keep it light blonde without it looking dull and orange. Does that sound anything like what you used?

When I was 18, in April 2006, I had a bout with insomnia one night and caught the movie Zorro on television. I've never admitted it to anyone because I'm generally not influenced by people in the media, but I watched Catherine Zeta Jones salsa dancing and thought, "Wow. I would love to be able to do that." She was just so gorgeous and had such a lovely, healthy-looking body. I was 220 lbs.. I got off the couch, turned the television off, and did some jumping jacks. It rekindled a competitive spark in me that turned into a full on weight loss spree. By February 2008, I was 140. lbs. At 19 years old, I clocked in at a lesser weight than I'd had since I was in 6th grade. I stand 5'4" tall.

People who don't know me would mistakenly call me an extrovert. I have a tendency to talk freely and openly about things others deem inappropriate, irreverent, and even taboo. I was raised by my grandparents, who placed emphasis on values like open communication, lack of shame, and personal education (not to be confused with academic education). I can see why people would have difficulty making the distinction between extroversion and introversion in me. It's even hard for me to figure out.

I don't think of personalities as changing. They evolve along a continuum in my mind. They never jump ahead a few steps. Personalities flow along, picking up new facets and shedding old aspects like a snake sheds skin as they go. The key word in all of this is "evolve." Sometimes we even react to how we perceive our personalities and intentionally go against them if they don't meet our own standards.

I was obese all of my life. I've spent more time reacting to myself than I have to others. I remember playing the roles others assigned to me all of my life out of self-consciousness. In elementary school, others told me I was funny, so I became the brazen comedian. People lacking a keen eye would never have guessed how much I was hurt by myself, by who I was, and by how I knew others perceived me. I shifted along becoming the next outspoken version of myself and then the next outspoken version of myself. I never took a step forward. I know it's such a cliche to say this, but I always felt as though I was the wallflower at a masquerade ball, mingling among those who seemed so much more self-assured than myself. I quickly rose to the challenge and became the a farce of that self-confident person. People reacted strongly to me on both sides. I was always either loved or hated. I always loved or hated myself, and I was never complacent. I felt that in order to not be ashamed of my body and how big I was compared to everyone else, I had to act the part.

I was self-delusional. I used my weight as an excuse to not face who I was inside. I used my poor self-image to create an image for myself that hid how I felt. I remember a friend once telling me, "You're big but you don't let it get to you. I wish I had that kind of confidence."

At the time, I wished so too.

Now that I'm a little over half of my previous body weight, I've felt this internal pressure slip away. I I'm working on becoming the person I want to be with intentions of moving forward rather than sideways. I'm still naturally self-conscious, but I can say now with confidence that it manifests as a productive and healthy curiosity rather than a self-loathing reaction to the roles I fit into as a child. I don't settle. I don't reside in a state of complacency. Now that I realize how I used my weight against myself emotionally, I'm in the process of regaining what is rightfully mine: the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you're doing the best you can with the best you've got. Now I'm comfortable with letting myself evolve and not resisting the flow of my experiences.

Exactly.

I took a gander at my last post. It sounds a lot snippier than I intended. I apologize for that.

Thanks for clearing that up about the BMR + muscle. I didn't think 50 calories sounded right but it's what I heard.

Marilyn, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to lose weight while suffering through such horrible pain. My grandmother has rheumatoid arthritis and she can barely walk or stay on the computer for more than a half hour (which is awful for her because she's an internet consultant). Let us know if the exercise helps your arthritis at all; I'd love to be able to motivate my grandmother into joining maybe a water aerobics class or something similar. I'm probably headed down the arthritic road, myself. I'm only twenty and I already feel inflammation in my joints sometimes.

ETA: Everyone's chiming in with their tips on weight loss, so here are mine.

1. Don't blindly follow diet advice. Just because XYZ works for SkinnyMini doesn't mean it will work for you. Just because Cosmpolitan promises you'll be two sizes smaller in two months following the CrappyDiet or tells you you'll lose belly fat by taking fish oil doesn't make it true. The most important aspect of ANYTHING is to educate yourself! Make an effort to debunk common dieting myths and find something that works for you.
2. Don't get hasty now! We all go through periods where we feel like something needs to change immediately. When we get into this mind-frame, every disappointment becomes life shattering and every moment is life or death. This causes us to make irrational decisions and to look everywhere for a quick fix. Do what you can and do your best as often as you can. If "your best" isn't good enough for you, re-evaluate why you feel that way and focus on what you're doing right instead of beating yourself up over your perceived shortcomings.
3. Tell your friends and family about your efforts. If you're anything like me, you take care of your loved ones first. If you have any energy left over, you probably spend it making sure they're taken care of properly, and then you're too tired to focus on yourself! This happens to all of us. It's important for our loved ones to know what's going on with us. Not only does it provide us with a support system, but it makes them less likely to cajole us into bad eating habits or makes them more understanding when you need a few extra hours for yourself to exercise or focus on how you're going to eat healthfully when everyone else wants to go to Greasy Burger Shack.
4. If you want to indulge, let yourself. Those dreaded cravings bring all of us down, emotionally-speaking. Indulging once in a while doesn't mean you've fallen off the wagon. Once we feel as though we've done bad, a lot of us slip into a mentality where we say to ourselves, "Well, now it doesn't matter what I eat! I've already screwed up!" and it leads to more over-indulgence and then we tend to punish ourselves for it. Be kind to yourself above all other things. Personally, I love sweets so much that I will actually leave room for them in my caloric intake. If I know there's some ice cream at home that I can't wait to eat, I'll focus on eating small, protein and fiber rich meals until I can pig out on my favorite treat.
   

• Age: 20
• Gender: Female
• Preference: Neither.
• Comments:

Personally, I wish that people would unlearn the stigmas society and the media perpetuates about not having a "perfect" body. Breasts are breasts. They are all made equal. Breasts sag because of genetic make-up. They're perky because of genetic make-up. Breasts are large because of genetics, and they're small because of genetics. So many people place undue judgment on a woman because of her breast size and shape: Small breasts are unfeminine, large breasts are a waste, men like small breasts, men want women who look like they walked out of a porno. I won't even get started on these ridiculous and hurtful claims.

That being said, I hope you've examined your reasons behind wanting this procedure. Do you want it because you've been ridiculed for their size all your life? Is it the pressure of someone you know having a preference? Or are you doing this for yourself? If you're doing it for yourself, good for you. Do what makes you happy. Still, it's important to understand that changing the body does not change the person. If you're wanting this procedure because of your self-esteem, examine deeply why your self-esteem is low and why you feel you need bigger, perkier breasts to feel happy about yourself. Does your body image play into the image and myths perpetuated by a patriarchal and sex-negative society? If so, work on this first, because you'll just find another aspect of yourself to hate after your breasts have changed.

As far as scarring is concerned, pick up a bottle of Tamanu oil. Apply it lightly to your breasts after the procedure around the scarred areas, and it'll be like there were never scars there to begin with.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck.