Posts by jupufo

I'm also left-handed and I play the guitar. When I was first searching for one to buy, it felt more natural to hold the guitar as a left-handed person would do.

However, at the time, I had absolutely zero knowledge about guitars and was told that left-handed guitars were much more expensive (Had no clue that all you would need to do is re-string the guitar).

So, I ended up learning on a right-handed guitar. Now I'm at the point where it would seem really unnatural to hold it left-handed. So, it's very possible and doable to learn on a right-handed guitar as a left-handed person.

When you think about it, we lefties have been forced to learn how to do a lot of things with our right hands anyway - so what's one more thing?

Oh, I am a HUGE trekkie...been watching it since I was about 5. TNG is my favorite series followed closely by Voyager. How bad am I? I could name a Next Generation episode within the first five minutes. Can you beat that?

When I was in middle school, I was in a dance club. During one practice, we took a break and just started to chat lightly. Someone brought up a kid's name - let's call him "George". I said, "I hate George, he is such a loser."

Everyone turned and gave me this funny look and I said "What?"

Then one of the girls said "That's my brother".

I still feel awful about it to this day, haha.

Wow, great information about Boston! I live there and never knew about some of these places. I'll definitely have to check them out now. Thanks guys!

I'm in this situation too!

I went on vacation for Memorial Day weekend. Since it was a vacation I made sure to indulge a little bit and not worry to much about what I was eating.

I had ice cream (which was the best thing I have tasted in a long time, haha) a lot of fried foods and ate out pretty much every day.

This morning I checked the scale and am up 2 pounds. But you know what? That's ok. I really enjoyed my vacation and the food was great. I know I will be settling back into my routine now.

I'm going to be cutting my calorie intake back to weight loss mode, though I don't think I really need to do that (It might just be water weight, after all). So I hope to be back to normal by the end of the week.

Don't sweat it too much. It was a holiday and people tend to overeat during that time. If you can't indulge every once in awhile, you'll drive yourself crazy! (I'm partly telling you this and partly telling myself, haha)

Besides, since you don't eat like that often, it should be easier to get rid of extra (if any) pounds.

Where do I begin about myspace...

I'm really sorry this situation is happening to your daughter, cnjjeanmard. And I hope everything will be resolved appropriately. Please, keep us updated!

I'm not a fan of social networking online. In fact, CC is the first site I've ever regularly participated in (and I'm a web designer/developer - you'd think I'd be more active in these kinds of communities!)

Let me start out by saying that I recognize that there are teenagers out there that would be responsible enough to handle using a social networking site. Unfortunately, there are many who abuse the privilege of its use and ruin it for everyone else.

On that note, I sincerely believe that when it comes right down to it, I think it is highly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18 to join sites like myspace and facebook (and even CC...oh dear, I'm walking a fine line :/ )

I just don't believe that most teenagers (and, of course, even younger kids) are mature enough to handle the environment. And of course, it's not just an issue with the kids themselves. There are many dangerous people out there who would take advantage of a child's naivety on the web. I can't count how many times I've seen people on these sites giving out personal information in an open area.

Of course, I understand that there is no real easy way to solve this issue. Teenagers will be teenagers and if someone tells them they can't do something, they sure as hell are going to want to do it even more! So you can't force them to stop using these sites. Besides, there's not really a good, solid way to prove you are above 18 anyway.

And I know I can't forget that there are many adults out there who are also just as naive about giving away personal information.

So what kind of solution is there? The best I can come up with really holds true about anything else in life. Adults need to properly educate their children in the dangers and responsibilities of using these kinds of sites. And if the adult isn't educated in the subject themselves? Well, they damn well better step up and learn because it's not going away any time soon!

After labor day weekend last year, I decided enough was enough and that I would start exercising more and eating better. I planned on losing 10 pounds.

I was told that there were websites out there that help you count calories, so I did a - you guessed it - google search and came up with CC.

I truly believe that if I hadn't found this site at the beginning of my weight loss journey, I never would have made it past the first 5 pounds.

Haha, I first started reading this topic with thoughts like, "I never ate food like this!"

But then it occurred to me that eating the kinds of food everyone is mentioning is exactly how I gained all the weight in the first place! DUH.

My sophmore and junior year of college:

1) Almost EVERY SINGLE DAY for lunch and dinner, I would have a "side" of 3 scoops of ice cream, drizzled in chocolate and peanut butter sauce, m&ms, reeses pieces, oreo crumbles, big chocolate chunks, little chocolate chunks and whipped cream. Occasionally, I put a cherry on top.

2) Pasta with broccoli and garlic butter and oil sauce. DRENCHED and OOZING with oil. It was...amazing. Oh, and I suppose it was also a heart attack in a bowl.

Since college, and I could pay for my own meals, I've done things like order medium pizzas with extra cheese...and eat the entire thing in one sitting.

There's a great take out place near me that has GIGANTIC calzones. I'd order a medium spinach and cheese (about the size of a large pizza...no joke), oozing with mozzarella and ricotta cheese. As a "side" (lol) I would get garlic bread with mozzarella melted on top. And yes, I would eat ALL of it in one sitting.

Gross...what was I thinking?!

subs

Congratulations, cjeka! That's an amazing accomplishment!

And, once again, a successful story of upping the calorie amount when stuck on a plateau. It really does work!

msrobbyn,

You are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing - a 200 pounds loss is incredible! You are definitely a motivation for us all :)

I'm not actually a vegan, I'm a vegetarian, but I feel like this is an interesting topic to respond to.

I also don't take on the view that I "own" my dog. I look at Benny as if he was my baby brother or a little kid in the house. I love him dearly and couldn't imagine life without him now. Unfortunately, I do not get to see him very often since he lives with my parents and I moved out about a year ago.

Even so, I hope to think that we all treat him with love and care. For people that were not really dog lovers (especially my sister and dad), Ben has really made a difference in our household. Everyone considers him as part of the family.

Unfortunately, there are always going to be pet owners who do not treat their pets with respect and proper care. But there are always going to be people that do not treat their children properly either.

I would get my own puppy where I live now if it wasn't for the fact that he or she would not be in an ideal living situation. I don't have time to take care of a pet right now and am well aware of that. Someday, when I own a house (where there is plenty of room for a dog to run around) I would like to get my own dog (sorry, no cats...highly allergic!). But I know it wouldn't be right to do that with my current lifestyle.

I think it's a matter of taking proper responsibility, along with anything else in life.

sharpshootinstar - ya, I know about the xylitol. I should have been more specific. This happened about 6 months ago. He's been to the vet and he checked out alright. It was definitely a scare - but everyone is extra cautious now about where they leave their gum. Thanks though!

Things I don't miss?

1. The thigh chaffing thing. I am so excited about wearing shorts and skirts this summer. It's been years since I've bought normal shorts.
   
   
2. Hating to get my picture taken. It was just yet another reminder of my weight gain. But you know what? Since February (when I reached my goal weight) I've LOVED pictures of myself!
   
   
3. Feeling ashamed around my family. Don't take this one the wrong way though! They have never done ANYTHING to make me feel bad about myself. However, I was fully aware that I had become the "fat one" in the family and I knew that it was just not who I really was. I hated that my 2 younger sisters were absolute sticks compared to me.
   
   
4. The big one - Hating summer. EVERY aspect of it.
   
   
   • Sweating. It made me feel gross and I became much more aware of my fat.
     
   • Hated wearing tanks and hated tees even more. My arms looked awful.
     
   • Hated exposing ANY part of my body that I could easily hide in the winter.
     
     Now, I'm SUPER excited for summer. I bought sun dresses, skirts and shorts in anticipation. I can't wait to enjoy summer without worrying about my weight. This is where I'll really be faced full-force with the accomplishment I've made.

Whew - great topic!

1. Plan out what you're going to eat.

2. Get all the food together that you are allowing yourself to have.

3. Eat and enjoy.

4. IMMEDIATELY stick some gum in your mouth.

I guarantee within a half hour your feeling of "hunger" will go away. When you are eating a meal and you still feel hungry when you're done, it is only because your body has not had proper time to catch up. Usually you will feel full within 20-30 minutes after your meal.