Posts by briskjackal5

darkpilot19 said:Hey there!
I've got a few questions for anyone who might be able to help me out. I've been struggling with being underweight for quite a while now. I'm about 5'4" and only weigh around 103 lbs... I've been trying to put on a little weight for ages, but nothing seems to work. Anyway, someone suggested I try protein shakes, but I don't really do any sports or anything, so I'm just not sure if that would even do anything for me or how much I'd need. It's not really my upper body that bothers me; my biggest issue is my legs, which always look super skinny, even when I manage to gain a tiny bit of weight. I also don't want to just end up gaining everything in my stomach area, you know? If anyone knows more about this stuff, I'd love some advice because I'm totally lost here. Thanks so much! 😉

Protein might help.
Exercise would definitely help.
Hitting the gym—especially focusing on those specific areas you mentioned—would probably make the biggest difference.
It would also be super helpful if you could list what you ate yesterday and today (including portions)

The main thing is pretty simple, really... you're just not eating enough.

-Steve

Donna Kelly6 said:I actually have it, but I don't take anything else along with it. I see people mentioning some kind of glucose stuff here and there. So, what exactly is glucose? Like, how much should you take and how do you use it? Where can I find it, is there an alternative, and what does it even do? Thanks!

Well, just like they told you, you can grab some Glucose at CVS.
Alternatives would be various mass gainers, though those are usually loaded with sugar—you really have to check the label on each specific product—or just junk carbs (like, a liter of fruit juice has about 100g of glucose syrup) and things like that.

I think someone else mentioned a similar product here that's kind of like glucose, but I can't quite put my finger on it right now... if I remember, I'll definitely let you know.

Anyway, it’s pretty much a solid fact that you don't really need alternatives like that in a place like Washington, D.C. The stuff is cheap, it's straightforward, and it gets the job done. Plus, there are more CVS stores in the city than all the fitness supplement shops combined, I guess.

-Stipe

Bradley Nelson2 said:it's pretty obvious you know way more about this than what was actually in your first post 🙄

I'm kind of lost on this comment, honestly.
No, I really don't know anything more than that.
Everything I mentioned is right there in my original post, I guess.

-Stipe

Wait, you actually just put that there? 😁

I mean, look, there are like 22 million businesses in the USA alone. That’s basically 22 million different entities that don't give a single damn about Americans.
So, yeah, go ahead and have fun with them.

-Steve

Nah.
It’s not like you're crazy or anything, it's just that you were told exactly what happened and what your options were. Based on what was written, neither choice was unreasonable or went against the company policy.

But now, on the other hand, you’ve kind of developed this obsession with some "massive injustice" or whatever, so you're just lashing out. You actually had a super simple way to handle this, didn't you? And honestly, the more you lash out like this, the worse it looks. I guess that's what led you to start being so unpleasant toward that woman—and then just kept making it even more uncomfortable, doing all those things I mentioned before.

The CS:GO situation where the customer called it silly after being mostly fine... well, you kind of expect a manager to back their team when customers start complaining to them too. It all feels pretty unnecessary. If you ask me, the guy said it right: you've got too much time on your hands.

-Steve

You're probably not gonna love hearing this—but honestly, I think they were right. 😁

-Steve

"Absorption"

I've got a bit too much free time on my hands today, I guess.
😁

-briskjackal5

It’s honestly kind of hard to say for sure if this was actually a "software glitch" or not based on just the text.
I mean, I have no clue what specific emails the author actually received or what the exact wording inside them was.

On the flip side, you can really feel that passive-aggressive vibe coming through—like when they hit him with "if you don't care about my money" and then follow it up with "you can just delete my account" as the first two steps to fixing things. I mean, nobody is stopping him from taking his business elsewhere, so there's really no reason to be that snarky in a customer service chat.

In my opinion, that whole attitude is just super off-putting.

-Steve

Look, from a purely practical standpoint—and I hope you don't mind me being blunt here—if you can just take the win and accept the resolution, then just move on. It’s business as usual after all. If you've pulled in a decent chunk of change, maybe a few thousand bucks, you'll burn through an extra couple of tubs of protein powder before you even notice. And honestly, if there was some glitch in the software, that’s hardly her fault, right?
If you can't do that, then fine, just send the money back and pay via PayPal or credit card like your wife suggested.

Did you actually insult her? Like, did you make it clear you were trying to mess with her career, or were you just being passive-aggressive the whole time? Or maybe even straight-up aggressive? And yet, somehow, you're still sitting there complaining about her?

I mean, I totally get the whole "customer is always right" thing and how she basically has to play nice because of work, but maybe try looking at it from her perspective for once.

-Steve

Alex Thomas27 said:Thanks, Alex.
briskjackal5, it’s not even about being trendy. It’s just that my calves are weirdly wide, and I really want to make my lower legs look slimmer.

Haha, yeah, "slimmer legs."
I mean, it's probably just because you're still young.
Honestly, it seems like women—especially when they're trying way too hard to show off the one part of themselves they actually feel insecure about—just end up making things look totally awkward.

Eventually, you'll realize it makes way more sense to do the exact opposite. Like, if you love your eyes, highlight them! If you're feeling your lips, go for it. If you're happy with your chest, wear a nice neckline (but, you know, nothing crazy so it doesn't look tacky), or if you've got a great butt, show it off. Or if you love your hair, play around with different styles, right? It's just common sense.

I honestly thought every woman was just born knowing this stuff.
It feels like nobody teaches the younger generation anything these days...

-Steve

Alex Thomas27 said:I don't want any other kind of pants. I just want regular pants that a normal girl can actually fit into without my wide calves being an issue.
I really don't want flares. I want pants that make my lower legs look skinny—like, actually skinny, not just hiding how wide they are, because that just looks pathetic. And I want them to give my thighs and butt that heart-shaped look (you know, that inverted triangle shape).

I just want the kind of legs girls my age have (I'm 17). Girls my age don't have calves that measure 16 inches around. They have slim, tapered legs, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

Then just wear skirts.

-briskjackal5

Alex Thomas27 said:Hey there, I'm Alex, female, weighing about 165 lbs, and my calves are around 16 inches.
My hips are 46, waist is 29, and bust is 37.

So, I went out shopping for jeans today. And honestly? I couldn't get a single pair on because of my calves. Like, they are seriously wide.

Does anyone have any tips on how to slim down calves with exercise? I walk all the time. Maybe my legs are just swollen? Should I maybe stop walking so much?

If I don't get some advice on how to shrink these calves, I might actually cry.

Just buy different pants.

-briskjackal5

Steven Lopez35 said:Sure,

but what other supplements could actually help him out?

Nothing.

Honestly, he should just forget about supplements entirely right now—all that stuff about "B complex to boost appetite" and those other little shortcuts... they don't really work.

The real answer is finding food he can actually eat consistently. People are basically just products of their habits, you know? So, for him, it means finding a go-to routine that works for his lifestyle (for me, it’s pretty easy: it’s just veggies + meat + a specific sauce or side + more meat + sauce for lunch; breakfast, dinner, and snacks are almost always the same thing), something he can either have served up or just whip up himself easily. Then, he can just swap out different foods based on what he's feeling.

Whether he succeeds probably depends more on his current habits, who's cooking for him, how much cash he's got, and stuff like that. Those are the things that really decide everything. Like, if his mom is always making meals but he ends up grabbing junk for lunch every other day, he's going to fall short on his intake. Or if he's constantly sleeping in late and skipping breakfast, he'll miss his targets there too. It's just like that.

Once he finds that rhythm—that specific type of food he can eat regularly—then he's actually solved the problem. Until he finds that (and he might struggle to find it if he keeps following all those useless tips from random websites), he's just spinning his wheels without getting anywhere.

-Joe

Steven Lopez35 said:Hey there,

besides just sticking to Protein, what else would you guys suggest for someone trying to pack on some serious muscle? I'm hitting the gym about 4 or 5 days a week for heavy lifting sessions.

Food,
in huge amounts!

-Joe

rustyowl4 said:The whole debate isn't even worth getting into if you've already decided you're only buying "gluten-free" protein. I mean, if that's your mindset, the discussion is basically over before it even starts, no matter what anyone else tells you.

Just gluten-free, huh? Wow...
Maybe we should just give her a few numbers for some local Congressmen and ask them if they have anything like that in stock and how their supply is looking. Probably wouldn't take much more than a couple of minutes, I guess.

If only someone had actually recommended something like that to her...!

And yeah, another thing—you probably don't even need to stress out or waste your cash because, honestly, you might not even need the powder at all.

She’s probably just bored in her city, so she's just rambling on the forum.
I think she's just here to stir the pot a little bit.
I mean, you can tell she finds this whole debate "interesting."
😁

Betty Williams91 said:The discussion is interesting because it's about protein for people who can't have gluten. But, I guess, you really should learn a bit about celiac disease if you're going to be participating in a thread like this.

"Celiac disease," by the way, unless you're a Slovenka or something.

-Steve

Betty Williams91 said:Dumbledore already covered all that so I don't end up repeating myself...

I’m really not even going to touch those suggestions about just using Google, because honestly, it's kind of pointless.
slydriver52—look, I already thanked you for trying to help and I really do appreciate the effort, but I honestly don't get why you're being so aggressive about it anymore.

And then there's the other person acting like such a know-it-all—if you guys don't realize that someone is looking for actual experience, or advice from someone who knows way more than a search engine could ever tell them, then what am I even supposed to say to you? And then that same person tells me it's enough to just type in whey protein 🙄
It's just so silly that we're even having this same argument here!

If you're interested, I can actually put you in touch with some people I know who train and take supplements but also deal with celiac disease.
But, I guess I'd love for things to calm down just a little bit first. Being polite matters, you know?

You know how it goes—nobody wants to force their friends into dealing with a super intense or difficult group. I have to keep that in mind too. 😁

-Steve

Betty Williams91 said:Thanks for even offering to help me out, regardless of 🙂
Look, let's just reset here. I actually managed to find what I was looking for, so my being all nice isn't because I'm hunting for a discount or anything! I just really don't want to get into a huge argument on this forum, 🙂
first off, I'm a woman
secondly, I specifically asked for protein made for women
thirdly, I can't have any gluten, which is why I needed gluten-free options

Well, why didn't you just say so? I've got plenty of protein for women right here... 😁

Betty Williams91, if you had just listened to what I told you, you would've had your answers in like three minutes flat. There’s a reason you were told exactly what you heard...

-Stipe

Betty Williams91 said:Let me throw out a question just to see how much you guys actually know about proteins...
I'm looking for some gluten-free protein options for my wife—she's in her cutting phase right now—but I really need them to be unflavored. I'm trying to stay away from all those artificial sweeteners and weird fake flavors in everything these days.
Any ideas at all?

Yeah—honestly, your best bet is probably just to Google some numbers and then call up two or three major supplement distributors here in the States.

-briskjackal5

Well, I guess it really just comes down to how much you weigh, what your actual goals are, how you're hitting the gym, and then, you know, whatever your own personal preferences happen to be.

-Stipe

granitegardener14 said:Holy cow, guys! You seriously took this whole discussion down to a molecular level! I mean, wow!🤣

Honestly? Not really needed.

Honestly, whether you decide to go with maltodextrin or glucose, I guess the end result is going to be practically identical anyway!
I mean, honestly, all these posts here... they're really just trying to dig into the *why* behind everything. It’s not even about whether it’s true or not—everyone already knows that part—it's more about analyzing the reasons why things turned out this way, I guess!

Glucose issues aren't some big, unsolvable mystery, you know? I mean, if someone actually deals with that—which, let's be honest, is super rare—they’re going to notice it pretty much instantly. It's hard to miss! And if they do catch on to what's happening, then they just... change things up. Simple as that, I guess!
I mean, if everything is running smoothly and there aren't any issues popping up, I guess there’s really no reason to go changing things around, right? Maybe it's better to just leave well enough alone!

I bet sometimes even you guys don't actually realize what you've written, you know? I mean, if you actually took a second to sit down and read through your own posts a little more closely... maybe then it would make sense!😉

I mean, there’s really nothing groundbreaking here, honestly. It’s just... I guess it's mostly just explaining stuff that everyone already considers total standard procedure. Nothing revolutionary at all!

Stipe