Posts by breaking_free87

I had my wisdom teeth taken out when I was 20.  It really wasn't that bad . . . I had never had surgery of any kind, never been under anesthesia.  (I've never even had a cavity and I'm almost 23.)

Needless to say, I've never had a rough experience with a dentist.  This occasion was no exception: they gave me the gas, told me to count back from 10 (I think I made it to 7 . . . maybe), and the next thing I knew, I was waking up groggy in the oral surgeon's chair.

My mouth was a little puffy, a little sore the following days, but I took my antibiotics, ate really soft foods and lots of liquids and I think I maybe took a total of 2 Vicodin out of the bottle that they prescribed.  If you can take Tylenol to help with the pain, do that.  (Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs can interfere with bone development, though, so talk to your oral surgeon about what they recommend for over-the-counter pain meds.)

Frozen veggies and heat packs helped with the discomfort.  Other than that, relax, get someone to drive you home and take it easy.  You'll be more than fine.  :)

The only part that I would say was "less than great" about my experience was the fact that I totally lost my taste for Jell-O for a good two years.  (Maybe not a bad thing though . . . ) ;o)  You'll see -- a week of eating mashed potatoes, yogurt and Jell-O makes them all sound not-so-appealing for a while . . . Ha ha.

Yeah, I'm learning to be wary of artificial sweeteners.  Not any particular one, but all of them in general.  Aspartame, though, breaks down in the body as formaldahyde, which is what cadavers and frogs used to be preserved with (in the last several years, however, there has been a reach to preserve dissecting animals with something else as formaldahyde often causes very strong reactions in people working around it.)  Gross right?  Yeah.  Splenda is chlorinated sugar, which just sounds wrong if you think about it . . .

I haven't tried Stevia but I wouldn't rule it out . . .

I think everyone just needs to be careful.  It was mentioned before, but it bears repeating: our bodies really aren't designed to keep breaking down chemicals.  I think that eventually, that will catch up to us in a not so good way.

Splenda gives cancer.  (I have no idea if that's actually true, but I figure if I tell myself that enough, I'll stay away from it.)

It is a caloric luxury, but I agree: it is soooooooooooooooooooooooo good!

Original Post by smiles21:

I don't know if this counts, but Love Actually.

What a great movie :)

 Ditto!!!!!  :oDD  So funny!  So cute!

"There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?"

I totally feel your pain!  My default drink of choice is a nonfat vanilla latte . . .

I hardly get them anymore because though I looked it up once, I don't remember the number of calories in one and frankly, I don't really want to know.  LOL.

Do they offer sugar-free white chocolate syrup?  That, for me, tends to be a saving grace . . . While aspartame and artificial sweeteners aren't very good for you, sometimes when you're dying for something like Starbucks, it softens the calorie blow a little . . .

I try to organize, read or think about running (note: I don't always run if I have nothing to do, but I like to think about it).

Failing all three, I resort to DVD marathons of my favorite shows (Criminal Minds, Grey's, SATC and The West Wing).

Frequently having to relieve yourself is usually a sign that you're doing well to keep hydrated.  I know when I fall off the wagon, so to speak, with drinking lots of water, I often have to pee like crazy when I start hydrating myself because my body's not used to having so much fluid.  If you're genuinely concerned, though, don't be shy about talking to a doctor. 

Not in the winter.  It can be a waste of razors if I'm wearing pants that day.  Obviously, if there's a skirt involved or a special occasion, the yes, I shave.

You are very restrained, in a good way.  I would have let loose with something like, "Oh, wow.  You know, that's really great you can fit into juniors sizes.  I've always thought the way things are sewn are a bit too hoochie for me, but I'm glad you've been able to find stuff."

Good luck.  Family can be sooooooooooo discouraging, but you're on your way to totally leaving her in the dust.  Don't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she got to you and just be content with the fact that you're setting an amazing example of being healthy and a nice person for your boys, whereas their aunt is obviously not.

With comments like that, that bad karma is bound to come back to her.  Women are b*tches because they hate themselves.

If you're feeling particularly snarky and she says something like that again, I'd be saying, "Why thank you.  I'm just sorry that I don't have as much energy to put into looking so sickly.  How ever do you manage?"

Or maybe something a little quicker and punchier like, "What am I?  Fly paper for freaks?"

Of course, taking the high road, you could smile and walk away.  (Shake it off.  She's just jealous, anyway . . .)

By the way . . . Does your foot ache from kicking so much @$$?  Good luck with your coworker!

I agree, butt squeezes are great to keep that derriere in shape . . . I do them when I can.  (I call 'em "butt crunches."  Hee hee.)

You could try squats with really slow, controlled movement.  Holding positions that force your muscles to engage can be good, too.  Even if you are just fidgeting, you're still moving, so don't completely discredit that, either.  It might not be much, but every little bit counts.

I sit in an office all day.  Almost 10 hours of just . . . sitting.  Thankfully, though, I work on the fourth floor of a hospital, so I take the elevator down to the basement and hike all the way up the stairs.  Then repeat.  If you're on a lunch break, or just break in general, do a lap around the building, hike some stairs or move some stuff around. 

It may not burn a TON of calories, but everything helps.  Good luck!  :o)

The Catholic church actually believes that when taking communion, the wafer and wine become the body and blood of Christ.  It's called transsubstantiation.

I have no idea how vegetarian/vegan Catholics would interpret this.  That is a ponderful one . . .

It's likely water weight, but if you haven't weighed in a while and have been consistently working out, it could be muscle, too. 

I wouldn't freak out . . . You'll be able to tell in a little while if it's just water weight, which comes off relatively easily.  If it's not water weight, talk to a doctor and see what's going on.  It never hurts to check.

It's kind of a backhanded compliment, in a way.  I like to look at the bright side of, they're probably trying to reassure that you're not fat/ugly/gross/whatever, but it always comes out condescending or somewhat enviously.  Just keep doing what you're doing - I'm sure it's great!  (Plus, you'll be a total hottie and then they'll really see why you were persistent about your goals.)

Don't get discouraged.  My favorite response is, "Well, I want to have kids someday.  I want them to be healthy.  If I can't show them healthy habits, who will?"  Even though I'm lightyears away from having kids, my friends usually take that response to have a noble goal in mind and shut up pretty quickly.  Another one I like is, "This is the only body I'm ever going to have.  I can take care of it, or I can trash it, but taking care of it will make it last longer, work better and keep me happier overall."

Good luck!

Your body will change over time and adapt as your hormones level out and you're probably not going to respond the same way as everyone else.  I started taking the pill in high school because I had horribly irregular periods (for not being sexually active, I'd go months without one which is weird).  Now that I'm older, my cycle is a little more normal and I haven't had the pill in a while. 

My experiences:

1.  Tri-Sprintec. 
A generic for Ortho-Tricyclen I really liked.  I started off with this one, ended up LOSING weight while on it, had great skin, lighter periods and not much cramping.

2.  The Patch (Ortho-Evra).
I HATED THIS!!!!!!  Not only was I completely borderline in the mood department (enraged one minute, crying hysterically the next, etc.), I also packed on about 30 pounds.  Yeah . . . Not pretty.  My skin was not doing too good, I felt like crap and the reason I went off it?  A news report I watched discussing the increased likelihood for stroke, blood clots with the patch over other forms of birth control because of the high concentration of estrogen that you apply through your skin for a week at a time.  It was AWFUL!!!!!!  I had a prescription for an entire year for it and demanded to have it changed within 4 months of it.

3.  Ortho-Tricyclen Lo.
Liked it.  Didn't really have much of an opinion either way.  Didn't notice any weight gain, but it seemed harder to lose weight.  (That may not have been a result of the pill, though, just to clarify.)  Didn't really see any psycho moods, either.  All in all, it was alright.  I might consider going back. 

Hope this was helpful . . . Good luck sorting everything out!