Large weight in loss elderly

While I’ve never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, I have engaged in purging in the past. It was a form of self-harm if I was feeling really bad about myself. Today I noticed that after losing a few pounds per week since January, my weight has begun to plateau. I know that this is a normal part of the journey, but sometimes I can feel myself shifting towards that mindset of self-loathing. I think I ate over my calorie budget tonight, and all I want to do is throw it up. I want to continue with my weight loss because I need to for my health. But I don’t want to make unhealthy decision.
How do I continue on this journey without triggering disordered eating behaviors?

Hi I'm type 1 since 13 I'm 31 now but only just started taking care of my sugars about 3 months ago. I got my a1c down from a 13.6 to a 10.3 without really trying and then I got my dexcom February 12 and from then to now I've gotten it from 10.3 to 6.4. But unfortunately I have chronic kidney disease along with cardiovascular issues from now taking care of it for so long but my doctor put me in ozempic to help these things as well as some weight loss. I lost 23 pounds on my own since they end of February and have lost 6 pounds just this week on 0.25mg but I'm having lows that are verrrry hard to bring up and when I do get them up to like 89 they go back down ? Can anyone give me some advice on how to keep my blood sugar stable while on this medication or has anyone else experienced this?

I’ve been on semaglutide going on 2 months now. I’m 5’1 and I went from 151 lbs. to 145 lbs. and though I’ve only lost 6 lbs. my clothes are all loose and I’ve lost about more than 3 inches from my waist last time I checked. How can this be? How can I only have lost 6 lbs but lost so many inches?

Hi everyone. Hoping for some insight because I cant find it anywhere else. A year ago I had an outpatient EGD due to trouble with certain foods getting stuck in my throat. Things like celery, melted cheese etc. Doc said all looked great but did a slight dilation with a maloney device. I had a freak accident a month prior where I accidentally drank straws of raw jalepenos that were in a drink. I had lost my voice, had sore throat, ear pressure etc for a month. That EGD just happened to come up after that. Doc did biopsies. 2 months later report mailed to me said biopsy indicated GERD. Shock to me bc I have no symptoms of GERD.
Fast forward to this year I choked on a small piece of meat at dinner one night. I thought it went down but then felt lodged in throat which caused me instant anxiety like never before. I tried all sorts of things to get it down and to relax but the feeling remained so I went to ER next evening. I had an emergency EGD and was ventilated due to the possibly of food being there. Doc didnt find food but I did have a small stricture in the same spot as last year. This time he balloon dilated me to 18mm and apparently there was a mucosal tear in the upper ring? No idea what that means but I was told it is desired. He also put the balloon down in my esophagus and dilated the entire thing with the 18mm balloon and noted no other strictures but there was some benign stenosis. That was not there last year.
DAY AND NIGHT DIFFERENT feeling waking from this compared to last year. I had a ton of symptoms but will just mention current ones.I was on liquids only for a week, then softs for another and even now Im very limited although eating enough that the weight loss has slowed down. I lost 14 lbs in 1 month. This is creating so much anxiety in me it's not even funny and I do not have anxiety normally. The feeling I have now is that some foods feel like they are stretching my esphogus going down and feel stuck for a period of time. When it happens I instantly feel the anxiety and have to fight that because of course it makes it worse. I am able to tolerate eggs, chicken, soft rice, sweet potatoes, soft carrots and green beans, oatmeal, yogurt, shakes, turkey bacon with small bites well chewed, egg noodles, baby cucumbers. Things that have felt stuck: ripe mashed avocado, soft cheese, rice cakes, anything dense and bread like or filling, mashed potatoes etc. The rice cake I tried was 2 days ago and I did tiny bites with water. I have been trying to make myself try a new food each day.....yesterday I was horrible with anxiety and pain in throat....it felt irritated and I wonder if the rice cake was too abrasive. when I woke up I was told go back to normal diet in 2 days :( 2 weeks after the procedure I did go on Prilosec OTC for 18 days. Been off that 1 week. I was good till day 16 then I didnt like how I felt on it. Everything slowed down and anxiety seemed worse.
Wednesday will be 5 weeks from the time I had that EGD. I am waiting to see a specialist and hopefully get answers. I dont know that I have GERD....maybe that showed up on report bc of the acute issue with the hot peppers? I have no reflux, no indigestion, no signs of reflux visibly to the doctors on either EGD done. I did a barium swallow last week and radiology said it was normal. Things I have been told are possible: Hypersensitivity that will likely just go away but no one said how that happened or when it will go away, also was told the biopsy showed very low inflammatory cell count which is why I was not called about the GERD paper sent to me regarding the biopsy.
Has anyone experienced this. I had NON of this TILL THE PROCEDURE. I just pray to God it goes away. This has been pure hell. I am researching and cant seem to find anyone else in my shoes so please send me encouragement. My son is getting married in 2.5 weeks and it's a destination wedding. Im just beside myself and hopeful that I'll be better by then.

Here’s a little back story.
I’m a 21 year old male that is 6’2 and weighing in at 360 lbs. I’m currently at my heaviest weight and I’m starting to feel it. I’m not currently diabetic but my doctor had recently prescribed me a blood pressure medication along side phentermine. My genetic history includes my parents on both sides having diabetes and being overweight for majority of my life. Growing up as a kid I was always seen as the “big kid/big guy.” I just want to be able to live my life without my weight getting in the way. It’s hard to find shirts that fit a big guy (4XL) that look decent. It’s hard to fit in airplane seats.
Recently I’ve been considering bariatric surgery (VSG). Last year my sister had the procedure in the US and she has lost a considerable amount of weight but the cost is too high for me. So I’ve been looking at a place in Mexico called Tijuana Bariatrics at Blue Medical Tower. Anyone have any advice or knowledge of this? I see bariatric surgery as a tool rather than a easy way out. I’ve tried various weight loss methods such as Keto, Optavia, and now phentermine.
I appreciate you reading this, I’ve never talked about my weight loss journey on the internet before. I look forward to hearing all your responses.

My former friend, who lives in another state, has only dated what she described as bad boyfriends - she said they were sociopaths, users, etc. When she met a new guy who had a very good job, she immediately moved in with him, stopped working, and they got engaged soon after.
He bought a house and we went to visit. My family felt the guy was unfriendly/off. There was a TON of PDA in front of my child, and they would leave us siting in the living room to go "take a nap" every day. She ignored me to the point where I broke down in tears - I had come all that way to visit and she acted like she didn't care. This is a trait of hers. She hugged me and apologized and things improved.
When they got engaged, I offered to help because she helped minimally with my wedding 20 years ago. So here's where the drama starts. She was all set on this particular wedding a couple years back. I helped look at the locations remotely , we discussed menus, the dress, ideas, the whole thing. They were now trying to get pregnant and it was looking like she had infertility issues. He really wanted a family. But they wanted to get married first.
He called the wedding off/postponed it to do updates on the house instead (her words). They were still trying to get pregnant and now working on getting an egg donor. I talked all this out with her, comforted her, etc. I purposefully didn't talk about my life much at all, because she was going though all this.
*Please note: all of our communication was over text. She told me she didn't like talking on the phone a while ago, so we never, ever spoke on the phone. Only texts and occasional visits when we were in each other's states. In retrospect, I get this was a red flag.
Fast forward about a year, and finally they have everything set for her to get pregnant. Still not married. A while later, she got pregnant and they decide OK, let's invite our close family and friends for a VERY small, low-key, low-stress, mini wedding. And then maybe have a larger wedding later.
The mini-wedding is what I helped with, all over text, many texts per day. We exchanged tons of photos and messages about this very small, simple, intimate, LOW KEY and LOW STRESS event as she was at an advanced age when she got pregnant.
She constantly told me how low key this was as we looked at pretty place settings, menus, talked about decor, dresses, everything. It was so delightful to talk about all the nice touches and I hope it took her mind off her fears and discomfort of being pregnant at an advanced age.
The groom did not want anyone staying in his very spacious house for the wedding. She offered to pay for my plane ticket and an air bnb for all the help. I graciously declined.
So I got my tickets, booked the air bnb, and then 2 weeks later found out that the Friday before her wedding was my son's graduation from grade school. An earlier calendar version of the school year had it the following week, but the school board actually changed the calendar and moved it up a few days. It sounds almost unbelievable, and I am still upset about that date change.
Rather than being able to fly out early, visit the venue, look at the decor, meet the caterer, and go over everything in person to prepare, I had to be here for my child. She didn't offer another option when I told her about the date change - we were both at a loss about that. So I paid a fortune to change my ticket and flew out right after his ceremony, forgoing all the weekend graduation celebrations, even lunch afterwards. I regret that, especially now. My child should have come first.
So I landed Friday night. I have severe altitude sickness, insomnia, and a concerning autoimmune health condition that is being diagnosed right now and is triggered by stress. She knows about the insomnia and has even tried to offer solutions, but probably not the severity of the health issue bc I didn't want to burden her with that.
She said all along this "mini wedding" with 20 people or so would be simple and stress-free. Right when I got there, there was drama with his mother, who has full blown dementia and didn't know why she was there. He (the groom) had no idea his mom had ANY dementia. So while she was frantic and lost, we were trying to get on with things I guess? He went out with his friends but was in a bad state because he didn't know his mom was like this. He was planning to have her be a huge part of taking care of the baby and was going to relocate her to their state.
Ok, so while that was going on, she had me, her other attendant, and the 2 mothers do a formal rehearsal that night at her house...and then started to explain this DIY design element she wanted me and her other friend to re-create down at the wedding site. We had talked about this DIY thing via text and I understood and could do it, but she was concerned about it being right.
THEN she started talking about changing the setup time in the morning (I had created a spreadsheet for her with all the times and my go-time was 9am).
Knowing I'd just flown in that night and have a history of insomnia, she changed the time at the last minute. I thought about the new time and realized with the time change in the new state, which is already an hour earlier, I might not be in good shape for that early of a go-time. This is not a petty concern - I am working on getting a diagnosis, but without good rest, and with altitude sickness, I get very confused, disoriented, I have bad diarrhea, I pee constantly, can be shaky on my legs, and an emotional mess. It sucks and is private and personal and embarrassing. But if I am rested I can present myself normally.
Her other friend insisted she could handle the design element and had been to the wedding venue. She kept reassuring us she could do it and it'd be a cinch. It was simple, after all. If she had not been so confident I would have pushed somehow to shift the time back to the original 9am go-time to just get it done and get it done right. That is the whole reason I was there - to HELP.
After she changed the setup time, it was agreed that at 9am I'd be at the bride's house helping her get ready, then go to the location, help her and her other attendant with their makeup there, and also help throughout the rest of the event, which I did.
In the evening, after the wedding lunch, instead of a reception, they had a baby shower. A couple of the guests seemed "off" to me - like not very nice. Now I know she badmouthed me to them.
Back home, I sent a text to her to say I thought she looked gorgeous and it went beautifully. She was short in her reply. A few weeks later, after I got back from a family vacation, I touched base with her again. And just the tone of her text...I realized she was angry with me for not being at the site to do the setup.
I immediately wrote a very heartfelt reply explaining what my experience was and my apologies, etc. It took me 3 hours to write. She replied with a short, cruel text saying I flaked on her, that I said rude things (she never clarified), that I could not set aside my own needs just for one day, that she could not bear to look at the pictures from the wedding, that I kept offering to help, and "lesson learned."
She then said there was something wrong with the baby. So immediately I dropped all that and focused on helping her and being there for her. She made it through the delivery and baby is healthy and perfect. I sent gifts and we were on good terms.
Then I get a mass email announcing she's throwing herself a large, splashy wedding and everyone can come meet the baby. I wrote back saying I thought it would be a really nice event, sending best wishes, etc. No reply from her.
She has displayed micro-aggressive behaviors since then (yeah, all via text) and when I said we would graciously not be attending the larger wedding, she disregarded my texts completely - my last text was asking how her baby was and she ignored it.
I realized this was intentional, and finally sent a very firm text message telling her she crossed a line and that I can't have friends like that in my life.
AITA?

Is there a best practice or suggested way for handling large documents (> 2000 page limit)? I’d like to handle these documents in batches to avoid data loss. I know that there is a page range parameter but without knowing the total number of pages ahead of time I can’t take advantage of it as reliably.
Ideally the service would have an endpoint for this data or at least include it in the result. I know that it gets this data because it validates the page range.

Seeking any recommendations for any good free calorie tracking apps that include micronutrients, vitamins and water. Currently using MyNetDiary but they want a subscription to track all nutrients and this is already the third one I've tried like that. Furthermore my caloric maintenance is 2200 calories and gain at around 2500 and at 2500 daily the app is adamant that I'm going to lose 30 lbs by July which isn't true as evident by my in app weight log. Regardless of weight loss/gain goals, what are you using to track what you eat?
Edit: Probably worth mentioning, I'm seeking apps available on the Google play store.

Actually, in the long term population won't keep increasing because fertility will not increase above replacement
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the number of children people are having is declining, and if we project this out for several centuries we see massive worldwide depopulation. Eventually, the population is small enough that it could get wiped out by a disaster, and most people who'll ever live are in the past.
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Cheap and effective birth control is very new. There could be reversion to my mean but that doesn't seem to happen with technology. [save for Israel] there is no economically developed country that has fertility high enough to replace itself so there will be immigration or depopulation.
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They're projecting a very recent phenomenon, below-replacement fertility, to last many times longer than it has so far, instead of reverting to the historical pattern.
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Will we evolve another drive towards reproduction other than recreational sex? My skepticism about evolution solving this is skepticism about the existing variance in biological preferences for children. Obviously that's not something we can easily get at, since outcomes are the product of environment + constraints + culture + preferences, etc
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30 billion future humans are still more moral patients than existing humans. But there are about 30 billion existing land farm animals, and more existing aquaculture farm animals or wild animals. What this means will depend on your discount rate and interspecies moral weights
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Even absent AGI or superintelligence, I expect artificial intelligence to take over a lot of innovation, so I think the rate of technological development could get uncoupled from population growth rate. So I expect listed company share price will still rise. But, house/land price would not continue to be an investment to concentrate on.
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in places with declining populations a more typical pattern is probably that less desirable areas, with the least economic opportunity, depopulating faster. So there's still expensive housing in places where you can get good jobs, and prospective parents still face large costs if they choose to have kids
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Looking for ways to speed up weight loss. Started at 291, hovering around 273 now after almost 2 months now? My weight has stalled and I’m looking at ways to break past 273 and keep going.
I am a wrestling coach and am competing now, but it’s become apparent that while I’m capable of intense movement and have the ability to sprint/jump/wrestle etc, my body does not agree and I get so many aches and pains from it. Things like tendinitis in my knee, my feet always hurt, and it keeps me from trying to workout more outside of just weightlifting.
Any advice would be appreciated. I promised the kids I coach I would be under 250 by October and I think I could realistically be under 240 if I can be active more regularly.

We don’t usually eat carbs in our house. We never have the stuff stocked, I’ve been keto since having successful weight loss surgery, and I’ve kept off most of the weight… It works for me.
But every now and again my partner, and I will have a carb night.
Tonight she made fettuccine Alfredo. She used 00 flour and duck eggs to make the pasta from scratch, and then made the Alfredo sauce, using my bone marrow compound butter!
At first, I was trepidations, thinking that the marrow butter would add to Rich of a taste to something that is already very rich. But holy fucking shit…

• How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself.
-I am a 30-year-old biological female, mentally male most of the time.
• Is there a medical diagnosis that may impact your mental stability somehow?
-I don't think so. I'm relatively mentally stable, I think.
• Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it?
-My upbringing was relatively boring. I have my parents and my two younger sisters (28 and 22). I think that my parents were irresponsible for wanting to have children for their reasons. My parents both broke out of religious households and my sisters and I (have one wish before we die and it may sound strange as if our minds are deranged) grew up sans religion. (Extra credit points if you get the reference.)
• What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not?
-I am employed as a veterinary assistant by my veterinarian mother. Yay, nepotism. I don't really enjoy my job, but I get paid fairly well for the hours I put in. I enjoy working more when it's just me and the vet because then I have way more control over everything than when the other assistant(s) and the receptionist are at the clinic. When it's just me and the veterinarian, I can get the vet and her patient prepared and in surgery, set up for all of the appointments and other surgeries during the day, prepare vaccine certificates, take phone calls and assist clients, get the X-ray table ready, do any bloodwork/urinalysis for patients done, schedule appointments, and overall get everything done how I want to get it done right then.
• If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed?
-I could probably spend eons by myself and not get sad or lonely. I can have my surroundings be as quiet as I want them.
• What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities?
-I'm not really good at sports, especially team sports. I do like archery, cycling, hiking, weightlifting, kettlebell exercises, weight drafting/pulling and can pull my 1.5 ton car on good days.
• How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate?
-First of all, it's *than. I would say that I am pretty curious, I think. I don't really know about executing ideas. I tend to hyperfocus on one thing, if this is what the question is asking. Most my "ideas" are storylines in my head and I have a couple of those. Other more realistic (at least I think they're realistic) ideas are more based on the future of humanity and future civilizations and other crap like that.
• Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be?
-I do not want to take on a leadership role. I think if I had someone else to tell what to do who would do what I say would be the best way that I could be a leader.
• Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity?
-Coordinated as in calculated or not clumsy? Well, I enjoy gardening, home improvement, and all of the physical things I said about the sports question.
• Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer.
-I am pretty artistic, but not the most. I draw mostly tangible things like dogs, cats, horses, and humans. I also like drawing dragons and aliens and other crap. I would just say that animals and outside scenery are the main focus of my drawing. I also draw some surreal and kaleidoscope-esque things and other things. I am not very good with clay, but I like making tiny clay sculptures. I also like making music. I play a dozen different instruments and use my ability to read music (western notation and tablature) to play with modes, transpose, transcribe, etc my sheet music from lessons and schools in between each instrument. It's a sort of my own little game with my own rules for me. I can do this by ear, but it's more fun and more challenging with actually mapping things out. I also incorporate basic algebra and the FOIL method into my music theory game rules. I don't know if that made sense.
• What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them?
-I think we can learn from the past, but it's not something to get hung up on. Wars, genocides, mass extinctions, and more efficient ways of life (on a softer note) are something to consider. I think it's kind of stupid when parents don't understand that their child is an adult and has changed while they won't let the past go, or whatever. For the present, it's just here. I just go along with whatever is thrown my way whether I can take it or not in the end. For the future? I'm not sure. I don't want to sound contradictory to what I said about the present, but while the present is here and is... here, I like to think about what I can be doing in the future. I will reach my 80lb weight loss goal in 1 year, for one example. I will have this sort of "devil on the deep blue sea behind me" moment (another reference of The Police) if I can just figure out how to break those chains that bind me here.
• How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so?
-If it's something that I can realistically and physically help them with, then I will help them. If it's something isn't detrimental to me, I don't see why not. If I can't help them with something, then I will point them to something or someone who can.
• Do you need logical consistency in your life?
-Yes.
• How important is efficiency and productivity to you?
-It is very important. I think it should be important to everyone. Like I said in an earlier question, I like to take charge of the productivity because then I know it will get done correctly even if it's not done how someone would like it done.
• Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that?
-Yes and yes. As said earlier, I get everything in my external surroundings prepared exactly how I think it should be done and everyone else (whether coworker or client, at least in the workspace) just follow with what I already have set up. Other than at work, I don't really interact with other people all that much, so I just have control over people at work.
• What are your hobbies? Why do you like them?
-My hobbies are the exercise things and "art" things that I mentioned earlier along with reading books. I enjoy them because they are essentially an escape from reality as well as that I make a little money from taking drawing commissions for art roleplay games, so there's something to that. The exercise and music are more for helping my mind and body. I can come home to walk on my treadmill for an hour, do some deadlifts, and then play bass a little bit once I have exerted myself, for a small example.
• What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses?
-I could have done better in school with how smart I was (my teachers would pull me out of class and would nag me about my grades). I had to have paras in some classes for some reason, but they and the teachers both sucked at explaining things to me in ways that I would understand. I think my science and band classes had the highest grades. I was bad at math and with understanding what my English literature and writing teachers were trying to teach me. TLDR for this is that I can't learn things on other people's terms. For school in specific, if I had dropped out and learned the world my way without the pressure of grades, I probably would have learned things a lot quicker. I like a lot of things now that I hated learning in school. I know that this question isn't all about school. I think logic and creativity would be most how I prefer classes. With science classes and band, I could easily use both.
• How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go?
-This depends on the task. I have a bunch of notes that I make for myself regarding a task so that I can come back and either do it the same if it works or change it if it messed up. Usually, I start something completely new sometimes by winging it and piecing things together to what works in the most convenient way.
• What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally?
-Well, like I said before, I'd like to lose 80 more pounds by the end of this year. I'd like a different career and to move out of the current state I live in. I'd also like to keep myself independent for the rest of my life.
• What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why?
-I don't really have any fears. Smalltalk and hyper people make me uncomfortable. People trying to "help" me with things I've already planned out because they think their way is better without thinking things through or explaining why their way is better annoy me. Clients who come in and tell some dumb sob story about how their dog was badly abused by its previous owner and about how sick it makes them to think about it annoy me. Do they abuse their dog? No. The dog is with them, now. They need to stop worrying about the dog's past because the only "trauma" their dog has now is its owner's negative and irrational emotions towards the past situation.
• What do the "highs" in your life look like?
-My highs are that pretty on top of the world feeling. It can be little things like getting my rent, utility bills, and car payments done on time. I also am more mentally "aggressive" if that makes sense. Usually, I keep my highs internal. I don't really know how to explain the non-sensory highs.
• What do the "lows" in your life look like?
-The lows are me being externally crabby, no motivation to do anything, naggy, eating an ungodly amount of unhealthy and savory food. I think "bitchy" is a good way to describe it.
• How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so?
-What is spatial awareness? I am aware that I am here, but I feel very detached from my body almost constantly. I can completely lose myself in whichever of my storylines I want to. I do it at work a lot where I can just autopilot my body while my brain goes to LaLa Land.
• Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about?
-If it's a blank and empty room, that sounds like prime breeding grounds to just zone out and not think about anything. If I get bored, I can revisit my internal storylines and look for something in their to either start a new storyline or go back and rewatch one of my other filed storylines. I often like to think about if I were to trade bodies with an unrelated biological cisgender male and about the differences that I would experience like what having a higher center of gravity would feel like, for one. Another thing is what a civilization would do with having to harness radiation from black holes to use as power.
• How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it?
-This depends on the situation. If it's a pet that broke its back and has no use of any of its legs, that's an automatic euthanasia. Other times, because I have no examples right off the top of my head for this, it can probably take a while for it to mull over.
• How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life?
-So, everyone's emotions are valid, but they should not let them get in the way of logic. I feel pretty calm most of the time, but sometimes there will be one thing that just sets me off and then I get passive aggressive and snappy. These times are all shallow and short-lived, though.
• Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why?
-Not really. I don't like talking to people just to talk and I will tell them what I think if they ask for my opinion. If something comes up in their conversation that I can reply to, if it's something I disagree with I'll answer them so long as they will listen without interrupting my point of view. If they get hissy with me for disagreeing, then they shouldn't have asked for my opinion. This only goes for people who engage in conversation with me. I do not seek out conversation with others unless it's important information.
• Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why?
-I break rules if the rule in place doesn't make sense. If the rule does make logical sense, then I'll follow it. I follow most rules at work, but sometimes I'll be extremely honest with clients and tell them things that I think they need to hear even if the vet yells at me later for it. She usually puts the receptionist and me in charge of bluntness, though, because she can't bring herself to hurt her clients' feelings. In the real world, this also depends on the rules broken because I don't want to do something against the rules (speeding, for instance) and have to fork money over for a ticket or go waste time in a court of something that could have been avoided if I had followed the rule in the first place. Authority figures depend on the person in charge. Some of them do and some of them don't. I don't know what else to say about this. I think it's pretty straightforward.

April, 28 2024 FWD: Restoring the Academic Quad for Commencement Dear members of the Tufts community,
Tufts has a time-honored tradition of civil protest. Consistent with that tradition, and throughout this academic year, we have balanced our students’ right to protest with enforcing our conduct policies. Students have been sanctioned when protests affected public safety, were a clear violation of our conduct policies, or interfered with normal university operations.
Over the past two weeks, we have respected our community members’ right to advocate for their beliefs through a small camp site on the academic quad on our Medford/Somerville campus. Our staff have tried to maintain open lines of communication with the goals of ensuring safety, enforcing our policies, and avoiding the escalation we have seen at other universities across the nation. We have even delayed some preparations for Commencement as much as possible to allow the protest to resolve peacefully. But now the encampment must end, ideally peacefully and voluntarily, so we can prepare the campus for Commencement. Student Life staff will be reaching out to the protesters tomorrow morning to plan for the end of the encampment in the next few days.
The class of 2024 deserves to be celebrated. Many of this year’s graduates experienced the restrictions and losses of the pandemic and missed out on important life events including the opportunity to participate in their high school graduations. Commencement is the moment to celebrate their accomplishments with their family and friends and for us to honor their achievements as a community.
Unfortunately, at this moment when we should be coming together as a community, we have seen behavior that clearly is trying to escalate the situation. Protesters, including some who are unaffiliated with Tufts, have created conditions that have caused multiple community members and guests to lodge formal complaints. While much of Friday’s demonstration was peaceful, there were many actions that violated university policies. Demonstrators entered a classroom, blocked paths, and defaced, stickered, and scrawled obscene language on buildings throughout the campus. Even beloved spaces such as Alex’s Place on the Tisch Library roof and the Jumbo statue were marred.
Additional actions from the protestors throughout Friday and Saturday made multiple visitors at Friday’s Jumbo Days and Saturday’s admissions tours feel afraid and unwelcome, resulting in numerous complaints. These included harassment, intimidation, disruption of Jumbo Days sessions, and aggressive tactics. We will investigate every single complaint and hold those responsible fully accountable.
Since the protests on campus began in October, Student Life staff have tried to keep open lines of communication with the protesters. These conversations have focused on requests intended to keep the campus operating and to keep the entire community safe and have been largely productive. But recent exchanges have been markedly different as the protesters have sought to escalate and disrupt normal university activity. Exchanges with Student Life staff are often now followed by false claims of threats and intimidation on the protesters’ social media accounts. Let us be perfectly clear: these claims are simply inaccurate and can only be seen as an attempt to further inflame the community by deliberately misrepresenting the situation.
Following Friday’s demonstration, student organizers requested a meeting with university leadership. While we have always felt that dialogue is the best approach to resolving differences, it would not be appropriate to discuss a meeting with the student organizers until they clear the academic quad. Their request, which includes a threat to continue disruption, only comes after they have escalated their actions, caused intentional and malicious harm to our community and campus, broken multiple university policies and, most importantly, violated the values and norms of the institution. The protesters’ actions increasingly come at the expense of their fellow students' rights and a meeting cannot be a reward for such behavior.
We have met with multiple students, student groups, faculty members, and others throughout the academic year to discuss ways in which the university may be able to help people in Gaza and those affected by the war in our community in the ways an educational institution can, including by supporting Scholars at Risk, helping rebuild the educational infrastructure in Gaza when the time comes, fostering dialogue and training programs on our campus, creating gathering spaces for affected Tufts community members, and funding social gatherings and meals. As we have said before, we are deeply troubled by the tremendous loss of Palestinian life, and we desire to work with all members of our community to support both the Palestinian and the Israeli people.
It is time to celebrate the class of 2024. We are committed to maintaining an environment that will allow our students to finish the academic year strong and for the entire community to celebrate the class of 2024 at Commencement without disruptions. Our students and their families and friends deserve nothing less. We invite the entire community to join us in this endeavor peacefully and responsibly.
Sincerely,
Sunil Kumar President
Caroline Attardo Genco Provost and Senior Vice President
Michael W. Howard Executive Vice President
James M. Glaser Dean, School of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science
Kyongbum Lee Dean, School of Engineering and Karol Family Professor

So after years of being abused by my job, I recently quit. I feel a bunch of weight taken off my shoulders and I'm ready to start over. But I thought I'd stop here and see if I can add a new friend or two to my journey.
I'm Latino, from Texas, and love to chat about all sorts of stuff. Some of my interests include classic Nintendo games, Star Trek, volunteering, writing, reading, documentaries, classic comedies, and a bunch of other nerdy stuff. I don't mind small talk and feel like it's a great way to build a friendship slowly. I'm also on a weight loss journey and want to get myself in a shape other than round.
Mostly looking for guys close to my age who also enjoy chatting. As I'm in between jobs, I have a bit of time on my hands to chat while I find something new. I don't mind chatting on Discord or Snapchat if things go well. I just really want someone who is great at convo and doesn't mind small talk every once in a while. Love deep conversations and don't mind offering advice if you need it.
Thanks for reading!

Sometimes, our furry friends seem to have boundless energy, zipping around the house like tiny furry tornadoes. But what if this energetic behavior isn’t a sign of a happy, playful pup, but rather a symptom of an underlying health condition? Hyperthyroidism, a condition in which your dog’s thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, can cause a whole host of issues, from excessive thirst and urination to weight loss and hair loss.
While it may sound scary, fear not, pet parents! This post will delve into the world of hyperthyroidism in dogs, outlining the causes, signs, and, most importantly, treatment options to get your pup back to his or her happy, healthy self.

Under the Hood: What is Hyperthyroidism?

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located in your dog’s neck. This gland is responsible for producing thyroid hormones, which play a vital role in regulating your dog’s metabolism, growth, and development.
In a dog with hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland goes into overdrive, pumping out an excessive amount of thyroid hormones. This hormonal imbalance can wreak havoc on your dog’s body, leading to a cascade of signs and symptoms.

Uh Oh! Is My Dog Hyperthyroid?

So, how do you know if your once-placid pup might be suffering from hyperthyroidism? Here are some telltale signs to watch out for:

• Hydration Station: Is your dog suddenly lapping up water like there’s no tomorrow? Excessive thirst, also known as polydipsia, is a classic sign of hyperthyroidism.
• Frequent Flyers: Accompanying this insatiable thirst is an increase in urination, known as polyuria. This is because the excess thyroid hormones are causing your dog’s kidneys to go into overdrive, producing more urine to get rid of the extra hormones.
• ** bottomless Pit:** Is your dog inhaling their food and still begging for more? Increased appetite, known as polyphagia, is another common symptom of hyperthyroidism. This is because the extra thyroid hormones are revving up your dog’s metabolism, causing them to burn calories at an accelerated rate.
• Racing Heart: That thump-thump in your dog’s chest might be a little too fast if they have hyperthyroidism. An increased heart rate, known as tachycardia, is a common sign of this condition.
• Shedding Like Crazy: Is your furniture perpetually coated in a fine layer of fur? Hair loss, known as alopecia, is another symptom of hyperthyroidism. The extra thyroid hormones can disrupt the normal hair growth cycle, leading to excessive shedding.
• Restless and Rascal: Is your once-calm canine suddenly bouncing off the walls? Hyperthyroidism can cause hyperactivity, restlessness, and anxiety in dogs.

Causes of Canine Hyperthyroidism

Now that we’ve explored the signs of hyperthyroidism, let’s shift gears and investigate the culprits behind this condition. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism in dogs is:

• Thyroid Tumors: These can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). In most cases, these tumors are benign; however, they can still cause the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone.

While thyroid tumors are the most frequent culprit, a few other less common causes of hyperthyroidism in dogs include:

• Iatrogenic Hyperthyroidism: This occurs when a dog is given too much medication for hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).
• Lymphocytic Thyroiditis: This is an autoimmune disease that can cause the thyroid gland to become inflamed and overactive.

Diagnosing Doggy Hyperthyroidism: A Trip to the Vet

If you suspect your dog might have hyperthyroidism, it’s crucial to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They will perform a thorough physical examination and may recommend some diagnostic tests, such as:

• Blood tests: These can measure the levels of thyroid hormones in your dog’s blood.
• Thyroid scan: This imaging test can help visualize the thyroid gland and identify any abnormalities.
• Fine-needle aspiration: This minimally invasive procedure involves collecting a small sample of cells from the thyroid gland for analysis.

Lately, I noticed that one of my work dresses was feeling a bit loose on me. I have a huge wardrobe, but that is one dress that I wear quite often, so any changes in fit are quite noticeable.
When I started my weight loss journey, I was wearing 16s and they were tight on me, so I went thrifting and looked in the 14s and 12s, only to find that they were also loose on me. I ended up going with a size 10, and I am overjoyed at my progress!
I am a huge thrifter, so I am aware of vanity sizing and all the variables in sizes depending on brand and vintage/contemporary clothes. But I definitely could not have worn a size 10 six months ago. Being able to easily find cute clothes was a big motivator for me, so this is awesome!

I started taking lexapro last year and despite my doctor telling me weight gain wasn't a major side effect, lo and behold I gained 40 pounds in 10 months. Nothing major changed with my diet or activity levels. In fact I had lost about 50 pounds before I started the meds, and I was maintaining that for several months.
Now I eat in moderation, track my food when I'm mentally up to it, and go to the gym 3 times a week if not more. I've been strength training for 4 months and I drink at least 70 ounces of water a day. I also switched my meds to Wellbutrin which is said to help with weight loss in some people. Yet I have not lost even a pound, and my measurements are the same as well.
I just feel so discouraged. I have been intentionally trying hard to maintain an active lifestyle and resist overeating (which is a struggle for me in itself as I grew up with an Almond Mom who still has a very poor relationship with food) since August of 2023. I eat out 2-3 times a month and I have a drink maybe once a week (usually a seltzer or something light). I just can't believe those things would cause me to not be able to lose any weight with how active I am and how well I eat the rest of the time (lots of lean protein, whole foods, less packaged food, etc.)
Any advice or encouragement is welcome and appreciated. I'm only 26 and I don't want to live with this weight around my neck – pun intended – for the rest of my life.

I'm considering getting the surgery first then working on weight loss. I'm currently 34, 6'4 330lbs. My weight has bounced around for years, thin in elementary school, chubby in middle school, fat for 9th and 10th grade(270ish). Went hard with sports in 11 and 12th grade and dropped to a lean 210s. Kept around 220s till my late 20s then recently, I packed on quite a bit of weight. All throughout this roller coaster of weight loss and gain, I've had a pronounced chest. I finally have the means and capability to have them removed. I know ideally I would be at a healthier weight for optimal results. I am willing to forgo that and just get these things off of me. Has anyone gone this route and how did it go?

I just spent my 35th birthday with my father and stepmother. I’m his late in life baby; my half-siblings were 18 and 20 when I was born. He’s 77 now.
I live out of the country but ensure that I visit for a few days every 6-8 weeks; I am blessed to have a job that enables frequent travel.
After he retired, my father moved from the state I grew up in back to the state he’s from, and where my siblings have always resided. I remember frequent visits to their state as a child, but only one instance of either sibling visiting us in my home state. At the time, this seemed normal to me - they had minor children, and my mother, their stepmom, was a difficult and often mean person. But, they’ve been split since I was 13, and writing this now I can’t remember a single visit of theirs after the divorce.
I recall my father drinking beer, but never remember tracking it in my childhood or teenage years. In my culture, dads drank beer - that was a given, and nothing to examine. I do remember though him getting very angry sometimes, being constantly negative, talking about himself and how he fixed THIS thing that no one else could figure out, etc I found him a struggle to be around as a young teen and felt very guilty for it.
When I was 19, my dad got prostate cancer. I moved off my college campus to live with him, to care for him after his surgery and buy his adult diapers. Between his sweetheart of a girlfriend and I, we nursed him back to health. When my father talks about this period, however, the highlight that’s mentioned is how wonderful and selfless it was for my then-40 year old brother to drive up for a single day after his surgery.
After retirement he moved to the state my siblings are in along with his girlfriend, whom he finally, thankfully, married. He lives about 40 miles away from my brother. Years passed, but my siblings didn’t visit or call. My brother would reach out, but only if he had a truck or work machinery in need of repair; he let me elderly father tow his repaired truck to his home because he “didn’t have time” to go get it. Meanwhile, not unnoticed by my dad, he spends 3 full weeks at his wife’s parents’ out of state, helping them remodel their home.
My father and his wife re-sided their house alone.
When my father’s outbuildings - and nearly home - burned down while I was out of the country, neither sibling showed.
Once, they claimed they were coming to Thanksgiving and everyone bailed last minute, leaving them with a fully cooked meal and no one at the table.
This has been the pattern for years.
My sister - at 50 - paid a once-every-three-years visit and talked about herself the whole time, announcing to them that “this is the year of ME.”
On this visit, my father told me that “for my birthday” he’s inviting them all to breakfast. I was upset - it starts a cycle of him checking his phone desperate for a text. My brother claimed he would show, but canceled while we were en route, claiming a bad gut. I scoffed and my father defended him, as he always does.
My father spent the weekend deeply upset, drinking away his feelings, refusing to admit that he is angry at my siblings for their neglect. He just pounds beer all day instead, and at night switches to a bottle of wine.
By 5pm he’s slurring, repetitive, and living in the past. Everything that comes from him travels a well-worn groove - there is no present, nothing new, and no future, just figments of the past played on repeat.
I don’t know what I’m looking at to be honest. I don’t know why my siblings are this way - did he do something unforgivable when they were young? They smile to his face, act like nothing is wrong. Can they really be so cruel?
I talk to my father about his drinking sometimes. This time, I said dad, it’s poisoning you, you know. It’s poisoning your brain and body. He gazed into the distance and said something honest, “well I’ll have to die of something…. can’t run a race car anymore.” Racing was an activity he shared briefly with my brother, and one he excelled at in his youth in the 70s. It represents a lot of things to him. But what I took from that is he knows he’s killing himself.
I am just so angry and so sad. I am sad for his loneliness, and isolation, and rejection. But I’m angry that he refuses to move forward. I’m angry that he takes my own presence for granted. I know what “busy” is - I work 14 hour days - but I am there, with him, regularly and whenever he needs me. Yet he absolves them, “well, they’re busy.” I’m sad and angry that he won’t fight for his life. That he has a wonderful wife who he could have an exciting present with, and a future, but she can’t even take him anywhere because he indulges so wantonly in hating everything. I am angry and disgusted when people stop by to visit and he can only talk about how amazing he is, alienating them with the same repetitive lines I’ve heard for years.
I don’t know what to do with all this emotion. If nothing changes he will die of liver failure, and I will have to watch the whole thing.
What a heavy weight to carry.
Thanks for listening. Any insight or advice is welcome.

I'm a 6ft 1, 380~ lbs (26 stone) guy who works an office job sitting down for most of the day (8am-5pm)
For some context, it all started during lockdown/COVID. I gained lots of weight while working from home by eating junk food and not moving much. Fast forward three years (2021-2024) and now I'm very overweight (obese).
Believe me when I say I've tried everything (I can think of), eating less, diets, weight loss plans, meal replacement shakes, fasting, therapy, gyms, starving myself and for 3 years I've never gone below 300lbs. I used to think I suffered from an eating disorder, but I just have very little self control and am always hungry.
I live in the UK, in case that's relevant. I saw my doctor and he recommended a weight loss group. But that didn't really help.
I'm worried that I'm going to develop diabetes and die in my mid 30s. I have very little quality of life, I am unable to walk for long distances and live a very sedentary lifestyle. I play video games, read and sleep in my freetime. I sometimes walk my dogs around the block, but that's about it.
Please, please, I'm begging you guys, I'll try anything you suggest. Be as harsh as you need to, I miss my old self. I miss not wearing huge 4/5xl clothing.

Anyone here could provide an example of how they got to their vanity weight? Been a part of this community (silently) for 3 years. Went from a few pounds and change overweight to now 19 & 1/2 BMI during this time, 31 pounds down. Never obese, not diabetic, in my mid 20s. NOT a rapid weight loss at all as you can see, and I’m definitely seeing a lot of plateaus now that I’m near the end. I’m 120-122 lb now, which is great, this was my consistent weight throughout the past 10 years before I gained weight during Covid. I will probably post a detailed review of what I’ve done for this diet soon, as I think it would be helpful to see many types of bodies and backgrounds having success with this diet.
I’m going on vacation in a couple of months and honestly this is completely vain of me but I would like to short term lose a couple more lb for the summer bod. I can NOT seem to break 120 though. Not just now, but ever. Don’t think I’ve been less than 120 since middle school. How the hell did you do it if you did?
More info: I did the croissant diet with no seed oil or pork/chicken (low PUFA) at first, lost 10-15 pounds then coupled with light cardio, mild calorie restriction and deadlifts, lost more. Now I’m doing high carb low protein varying-but-mostly-low fat, walking and light deadlifts and broke a two months long plateau but have since plateaued yet again. Potatoes, dairy, croissants and ground beef were the major players in my weight loss. Oh, and a red light panel!!