Nathan Collins2 said:I don't know the exact dosage in milligrams or whatever, but I’ve had a pretty uncomfortable run-in with "overdosing" on beta-carotene before.
See, that's funny... because my experience has been quite the opposite. I spent about a month popping these beta-carotene capsules—two a day, if I recall correctly. Now, I am incredibly pale. Like, unnervingly pale. My skin just refuses to tan; it doesn't even burn, it just stays stubbornly white. This year, I’ve barely stepped foot on a beach—maybe five times total? And yet, I already have a decent glow. It's not overly dark, just a healthy shade, similar to how people look after a few days out in the sun. 🙂 The only thing is, people tell me the color looks a bit artificial—almost like I’ve been spray-tanned with a cheap brand, giving off this slightly orange tint. But honestly? I couldn't care less. As long as I don't look like a ghost, I'm happy. 👍
Sandra Walker82 said:Why don't you try drinking your water a bit colder, maybe with a few ice cubes? You won't drink as much, but it cools you down perfectly... personally, I find I don't even crave more after that.
As for overdoing it, I caught myself doing it too—just unconsciously chugging water. It’s like how smokers reach for a cigarette; I just reach for a water bottle... 🙄
Well, actually, I started that habit of keeping a water bottle on my desk back when I was trying to quit smoking. Ever since then, I've always had water within arm's reach, though eventually, I scaled it back. I stopped using water as a substitute for a smoke and only drank when I was actually thirsty. 🙂 But lately... I feel thirsty constantly. I'll finish half a liter and still feel parched. And it isn't even that hot out.
By the way, I absolutely cannot handle ice-cold water. It's physically difficult for me to swallow anything freezing. I mean, it doesn't have to be room temperature, but straight from the fridge or loaded with ice? No thank you. 😲 So, I'd basically just end up waiting for the water to warm up, and by then, I'd be starving for a drink anyway. 🙂
How much water is actually safe to drink? Like, is it okay to just keep sipping whenever I feel thirsty, or should I be setting some kind of limit?
I always keep a water bottle right on my desk—as soon as it’s empty, I refill it. But over the last couple of days, I’ve noticed this constant, nagging thirst. It feels like I'm constantly running back and forth to the cooler to top off my bottle. Since 8:00 this morning alone, I’ve already knocked back more than a liter, and I definitely downed at least another half-liter before even leaving the house for work. On other days, that half-liter would last me the entire day. Now, I’m still thirsty, but I feel a bit ridiculous drinking this much... honestly, it's making me a little anxious. Maybe I'm just being silly; I know it's scorching hot outside, but still... this much?
Maybe you're just dealing with some seasonal allergy triggered by whatever is blooming right now? I don't know, that's my first thought... though, honestly, it could be a thousand other things entirely. If it keeps up, you should probably swing by a doctor's office, but you already knew that without me saying it 🙂
nimbleskipper17 here, and yes—I am a total gum addict.
Fortunately, I don’t break the bank on my habit because I have this rather peculiar system: I only chew half a piece at a time, then tuck the other half back into the pack. And before anyone asks—no, I don't bite them into pieces; I just snap them in half. It's a necessity, really, because if I try to tackle a whole piece at once, my jaw starts aching incessantly. I’ve been loyal to Orbit White for as long as I can remember.
I truly wish I could kick this habit, though. Honestly, the way I chew is quite unsightly—rather unrefined, if I'm being blunt. But there's a nagging fear that if I stop, I'll just find something else to replace it with. I might pick up smoking again, or go back to biting my nails... or worse, I'll just invent some entirely new, even more terrible habit.
So, I did a little digging to educate myself on the matter (Google rules, 😁) and it turns out I’m actually a terrible candidate for laser lightening—not even removal, just lightening—of stretch marks. Apparently, since mine have been around for about a decade, the laser won't do much. It really only works during those early stages when they're still quite dark. Mine? They turned "silvery" ages ago.
And yes, they are definitely indentations in the skin... sort of like little channels.
From what I gather, they happen because certain fibers in the middle layer of the skin snap due to constant stretching: "When the dermis is constantly stretched over time, the skin becomes less elastic and the connective fibers break. The result is the markings we know as stretch marks. ... Stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body where the skin has been stretched (often as a result of weight gain)."
I actually earned my stretch marks back when I was eighteen. It happened after I packed on 15 pounds in just ten months, then spent the entire following year sweating those same 15 pounds off. One day, I just happened to catch a glimpse of my thighs and hips in the mirror... 😲 I hadn't even given it a second thought, but the moment I saw them, I started trying to connect the dots. 😁 That’s why placidjackal97's theory feels much more plausible to me. Though, I suppose there's also the possibility I was dealing with some kind of hormonal imbalance at the time—I mean, when you fluctuate by 15 pounds that quickly, your body chemistry is bound to get a little thrown off balance, right? 🙂
I haven't had any luck getting rid of them so far. Every time I ask someone for advice, they just tell me they aren't going anywhere and that I should just learn to live with them, end of story. 🙂 Maybe they've become less noticeable as the years have passed—or perhaps I've just grown accustomed to seeing them there? 😁 Regardless, I've completely given up hope that they'll ever truly vanish. Whether laser treatments actually work or not, I honestly have no clue. I can't even begin to wrap my head around how a laser could possibly target and erase a stretch mark... but hey, I'm hardly an expert, so I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about. 🙂
So, I was just chatting with a friend, and somehow we drifted into the topic of dandruff. He actually claims it’s some kind of contagious disease. It never even crossed my mind that it could be infectious—I mean, he deals with it and I don't, so I suppose he might have a point... but I’m just not following his logic. My dad has been struggling with dandruff for as long as I can remember (probably much longer, honestly), yet no one else in our house has ever caught it...
Does anyone actually know what dandruff is and if it's really contagious?
My best guess would be that it’s some sort of skin issue, maybe an overly dry scalp or something similar, rather than an actual illness, let alone a contagious one.... but now I'm genuinely curious. I did a little Googling on the subject, but didn't come up with anything particularly insightful, so if anyone has the scoop, I'd be grateful for the info. Purely out of curiosity, really.
Megan Reed said:Heh, honestly? I feel like I’ve gone completely mental since I started these pills. I’m overanalyzing every tiny little thing. 😳 I mean, I was always a bit 😳, but lately, it’s just been total overkill.
Same here. I never even dealt with PMS before, but now? It hits me like a freight train. You could basically point a finger at me and I’d burst into tears. Though, it doesn't have to be this way—I know girls who haven't felt a single symptom since they started their birth control. I guess it just depends on how your body reacts to different brands...
On the plus side, though, those brutal cramps are finally gone. 🙂
northernfalcon30 said:Logistics question for everyone—what are the actual risks if I missed a pill and then finally took it about 12 hours later?! I know there’s that whole distinction between "less than 12 hours" and "more than 12 hours," and I somehow managed to land right on the 12-hour mark??!!😕 Hey Lastane, is pregnancy actually a possibility here?!
Well... honestly, if you timed it down to the very minute, who knows? 🙂 I can't say for sure, but if I were in your shoes, I’d definitely play it safe and use some backup method... I mean, I have no clue exactly how much your chances of getting pregnant just spiked (not that I’ve tested that theory myself 😬), but it's probably... well, better to be cautious than to live with the "what ifs"...
On another note, Logest has made my boobs swell up so much they feel huge, I’ve gained maybe 10 pounds (okay, maybe not all of it is from the pills 🙂), and instead of clearing up, my face has become even more breakout-prone. Still, I suppose it's a fair trade for peace of mind, a regular cycle, and finally being pain-free...
It strikes me as rather odd that anyone today would find the existence of a condition like Anorexia surprising. Still, I suppose it is always prudent to educate oneself—better late than never, as they say.
Personally, I haven’t dealt with Anorexia, but I have lived through Bulimia. Firsthand experience. Unlike Anorexia, where the individual simply refuses to eat, someone with Bulimia eats—and they eat a great deal. They binge, and once they’ve overindulged, they purge it all, whether by vomiting or through other means—metabolism boosters, detox teas, excessive exercise, or similar methods, though usually, it's a frantic combination of several at once.
I noticed someone above seems to be conflating Anorexia and Bulimia, so I should probably clarify—though, truth be told, the two disorders very often travel in pairs. It is somewhat easier to identify an anorexic person by their physical appearance; they tend to be "more" emaciated. A person with Bulimia also loses weight, but perhaps not quite as rapidly as an anorexic, given that they are actually consuming food, and some of it inevitably gets digested...
And the root causes? Well, I suspect they are remarkably similar for both. Primarily, we are looking at a profound lack of self-confidence and self-esteem, which is frequently intertwined with depression and related issues. There is certainly an element of perfectionism and ambition involved, but I believe the deciding factor is that desperate urge to please others—the desire to be accepted by one's social circle, the misguided thought that being thinner will make you more likable... It has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence (I've seen comments along the lines of "only an idiot would do this to themselves"—thankfully, I haven't encountered those types here yet). In fact, highly intelligent individuals are very often the "victims" of these disorders, likely because they feel "different from everyone else," unaccepted, and try to fit in by thinking thinness is a way to belong. And it is vital to understand that these people, no matter how thin they become, still perceive themselves as overweight; they feel they must constantly lose more weight...
So, that is my somewhat layperson's perspective... drawn from personal experience and things I've picked up along the way. I likely haven't covered every single nuance, but there are hundreds of websites out there filled with resources; this is more just how I experienced it.
As for the consequences... we can discuss those another time, but they are truly harrowing. Fortunately, I managed to break out of that "vicious cycle" relatively early, so my own consequences aren't quite so tragic, but they can be far worse—right up to the point of death...
I’m with Roger Cox10 on this one. Even if you have every intention of quitting, it is significantly easier to walk away when you're only down to five cigarettes a day rather than burning through a whole pack. I know from personal experience. Back when I was smoking a full pack, I’d manage to quit for a day or two, only to find myself lighting up again. But once I scaled back to just five? I could actually hold out for a week, maybe even a month... and look at me now, nearly two years in.
And honestly, even if you aren't ready to kick the habit entirely, it’s better to poison yourself less often than more...
I’ve been cigarette-free since March 1st (or was it April 1st? 🤔—honestly, I can't even recall anymore) back in 2002. Before that, I smoked for about five years, though not excessively; at most, I hit a pack a day during one specific stretch, but on average, it was more like five or six cigarettes daily... still, I must say, quitting wasn't exactly a walk in the park, even at those levels...
To this day, I occasionally dream about smoking... about having a cigarette... and then my conscience just starts burning me up right there in the dream... 😁 It’s quite terrible...
But you can do it if you truly mean it... For me, hydration was the key. I had attempted to quit so many times before, even buying those ridiculous nicotine gums, but they didn't do a thing for me... Then, one Friday, I found myself out of cigarettes and I simply couldn't bring myself to drive to the convenience store just for them. So, I thought, let's see how long I can hold out, without any heavy-handed pressure or an intense internal command to quit... It’s not that I didn't face cravings—heaven knows I did—and I still get that occasional urge to light up (especially when I'm enjoying a good craft beer 😁)—but here we are, nearly two years later, and so far, I haven't touched one...
My advice? Don't tell yourself "never again." Instead, try telling yourself you'll just make it through one day, or one week, then maybe one month...
I don't have central heating, so I end up shaking like a leaf whenever a heavy wind kicks up out of the Midwest! Especially when those big SUVs roll by—honestly, I’m terrified to even get near them... seriously, is there some kind of cure for this? I always just assumed this was my lot in life and that's that 🙂 maybe I've just been jolted around a bit too much by life 🙂
Maybe try some chamomile tea or even just using chamomile compresses? I have no idea why, but my aunt over at the pharmacy insisted it works better than all those boric acids and other chemical concoctions they sell. And obviously, see a doctor as soon as possible.
Olivia Lopez41 said:Well, just as I suspected... total silence. Nobody’s even replying because the truth hurts, clearly.
But honestly? It’s true. I don't really have anything else to add to the matter. And why am I still typing? I suppose I just didn't want you thinking you were being completely ignored here.
Listen, that kind of deep, soul-crushing loneliness is truly, terribly awful—and believe me, I know the feeling all too well from my own life. But what can I actually do for you? I can't exactly meet up for a coffee right now; I'm stuck at the office.
Thanks for asking, but no, my wardrobe hasn't arrived yet.
I reached out to ConsumerProtection.org and they shot back this response: "We recommend you contact the local branch of the Federal Trade Commission at the Boardwalk to file a formal complaint. This appears to be a violation of sales terms under Article 7, Section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act, as the seller established a binding delivery deadline which they have now failed to meet."
I'm heading down there today to see what can actually be done about it. Honestly, I've had quite enough of the sheer rudeness and the constant lying. Perhaps you might want to reach out to the FTC office in your own area as well, just to see what your options are.
Ronald Castillo5 said:What do you all think is going to shift over the next 5 to 10 years—whether we're talking about global trends, national policy, or just your own personal trajectory—in a way that actually makes life better? Are you looking for change, or are you perfectly content with the status quo? I mean, personally, it’s not even about having a massive $1333 bank account; it’s more about having the time, catching some sun in the summer, and being surrounded by friends and family... stuff like that. Or would you still prefer to see things improve on the financial side, perhaps making earnings feel a bit more earned and equitable?
I’ve never really been much of an optimist, and I certainly don't hold my breath expecting any major upward shifts, though I won't exactly complain if things do take a turn for the better.
That said, if this supposed "improvement" involves us merely chasing the standards of "developed" nations—specifically by adopting their frantic pace of life—then I think I'll pass. I can't speak for everyone else, but after spending five years living in the USA, I made the choice to move back home to $1333 salaries specifically because I craved the freedom, the sunshine, the coast, and the ability to actually spend time with family and friends. I started thinking about what things might look like if I ever had children, and my only real certainty was that I didn't want my kids growing up in a place where they couldn't even step out into a backyard to kick a ball around with the neighborhood kids.
It’s not that she’s being pathetic; she’s just in total shock... it's completely normal. That initial sting will wear off in a few days, and then she'll probably look back at this post and think the whole thing sounds absolutely ridiculous 🙂
A cure? There isn't one... you just slowly, gradually, start feeling less of the ache over time. People say it passes once you meet someone else. Though even then—even years down the road—when the memory hits you, it still stings a bit... but it’s nothing like that raw misery and heartbreak you feel right at the start.
Hang in there. If he jumped into another relationship by day two, then clearly he never truly appreciated you, didn't care... he wasn't worth your time... I won't descend into being overly sentimental now, if you catch my drift... 😉
I totally get where you're coming from. I’ve been on Loestrin for about four months now, and honestly, I only felt a little bit of discomfort during that first month—and even then, it was barely anything and passed quickly. After that, nothing at all. Before I started the pill, my cramps were so intense I could hardly catch my breath. You should definitely check in with your doctor, though. It might be nothing, but I really don't think you should have to deal with pain that heavy.