Hi all, I began running on our treadmill about two months ago. It got to the point I was enjoying it so much and was beginning to see weight loss (32, male, went from 290 to 270) that I ran every day. I began to notice a dull pain just below the left side of my right knee cap 12 days ago. I took a day off then ran about half a mile 10 days ago before throwing in the towel.
I have poor posture from a few broken ankles over the year and my feet may need orthotic insoles. They're wide and flat. Plus, minimal physical activity the last decade as far as working out. Likely weak quads. That and not giving my body time to recover are the reasons this developed, I'm almost sure of it.
After consulting with a PT friend, they told me I likely had an overuse injury. Without getting into the weeds too much, probably patella tendonitis. I seem to have noticed it fairly early. It hurts now to walk down stairs, squat, and do too much physical activity. But I can feel it improving daily. Last week just sitting on my office chair hurt. It's less tender now around my kneecap and I have a bit more mobility. Still is bothersome though.
So my question is, what can I begin doing in the next week or so to slowly begin the recovery process? I don't want to bother my PT friend and get free consultation. They take their profession very seriously and get anxy about giving advice and opinions off the clock. Or should I continue to wait longer before beginning to build up my muscles before starting to run again? I'm hopeful to be over this sometime this summer. I'm getting married soon and would like to shed some more weight and not baby my knee during our honeymoon. But more than the weight, avoiding long term consequences is my main goal.
Thanks for any help. I've read plenty of advice on sub with patella tendonitis, I'm just looking for anything that could help me. I would love to be able to deal with this in a matter of a few months as opposed to years like other posts I've read.

TW: past medical abuse, mentions of miscarriage, preemie baby and Nicu stay.
This is my second baby, and my last! He was due in early May. Two years previously, I had his older sister at 36 weeks, so I knew that there was a possibility of going into labor early. So I scheduled my maternity leave at school to start at around 36 weeks, thinking if I relax I could keep him in for another week or so and have a full-term baby. Nope!
I had had a lot of previous issues with this pregnancy, like a hemorrhaging incident at 10 weeks in which we thought I had a miscarriage, some continue to bleeding and cramping at different points in my pregnancy, and a premature loss of my mucus plug. I was told each time that everything's fine and there's no sign of anything wrong and he should be a healthy full term baby. I felt like everyone around me thought I was being dramatic or looking for attention, but I really just wanted my baby to be okay and had this constant feeling that something wasn't right. Well, something wasn't right.
I, just like with my daughter, spontaneously went into labor at 34 weeks. PPROM, with my water breaking impressively around midnight at home. We of course we're not expecting this, so my husband ran to a neighbor to get them to come house sit until his mother could arrive to watch our sleeping toddler upstairs, and we drove to the hospital. I originally had wanted to drive myself because I just didn't want to leave our daughter without a parent at home, but I was gushing so much water that I couldn't hardly string two words together, let alone walk.
We got to the hospital, went into the emergency room entrance because it was after hours, and went to labor and delivery triage. Won't behold, I'm a couple centimeters dilated and in labor. The nurse I had was pretty rough giving me a cervical check, and it was the only one I've ever had between the two children have given birth to that hurt. The same nurse also failed to get my IV port in and left in half, and thankfully another nurse who wasn't in a bad mood came in and got it on the 4th attempt. My poor arms were covered in massive bruises for a couple weeks afterwards. Amazingly we were put in the same in sweet Nicki room as we were for my daughter 2 years ago, good old room 350!
Labor progressed well I'm without need for any intervention, like pictocin. I handled the contractions better than I did with my first, but wanted to make sure I got my epidural before I progressed to pass the point of no return-- I in no way wanted to experience the feeling of possibly ripping my vagina 🫠
It was really tough mentally, getting my epidural. With my first baby, the anesthesiologist was horrible. You can look at my previous birth story if you want the full rundown, but he assaulted me, so I was really nervous this time around. The nurse caught on that I was feeling apprehensive, and with talking to her I came to found out that the previous anesthesiologist had been fired for assaulting multiple women the same way he did me! Really hope he never works again. They brought in the new anesthesiologist, and he was the most gentle and kind person! It went very smoothly, and it was nice to have a relief from the contractions and pressure.
I was hoping I could maybe rest or even nap once I got my epidural in like I did was my first. But nope, 10 minutes later I was being told he is right there and ready to come out, about half a day after labor started. I don't know why, probably because he was so little, but he was incredibly easy to push out. I was told to stop pushing, and not push so hard, and got him out in about three gentle but steady pushes. Thankfully I had no damage at all, no tearing or even bruising or swelling. After my epidural wore off it literally just felt like I had written a bike for the first time in a while. As immensely grateful, because I was going to be run through the ringer taking care of my family and a Nicu baby.
When he first came out, my son was very small, yes, but incredibly pink, very lively and noisy, and he peed all over me immediately lol. They let him have extra time with his cord before they clamped it due to him being early, and I got to do my wonderful hour with him before they wished him over to the NICU attachment of the room. He had respiratory distress for the first 24 hours of his life, which was gut-wrenching to watch. He could not regulate his body temperature at all, so unless he was snuggled under many blankets on me, He stayed on the warmer. He couldn't eat by himself so his NG tube was placed and used for the majority of his stay. His blood sugar was monitored very religiously, and it was so tough watching his little feet be pricked over and over and over.
I was released after 2 days from the hospital, and I probably could have been released earlier but I wanted to stay officially as a patient for a little longer. It was hard, being away from my toddler daughter was a special kind of hell. But then when I was with her, my heart was torn to pieces that I wasn't with my baby. No matter where I was, I felt horrible guilt. I triple fed, pumping every 3 hours, and if I was a NICU nursing him before they topped him up with his special increased calorie premium formula. Any milk I produced was fortified to give to him as well. He steadily lost weight despite them constantly increasing the size of a speeds, the point of him constantly spitting up from having way too much in his tummy. But I was told that this is just what they do until they start gaining weight. I was told with preemies that they just won't put on weight for the longest time, and then suddenly start putting it on, and suddenly eating on their own.
I was starting to lose hope of that, when on about the 10th day he put on weight overnight. They took out his tube and we worked on feedings with him, which he seemed to struggle so hard with. But then just like with the weight, he suddenly started eating well. On day 12 we could take him home! In a way it was even harder at home to keep up with the pumping, fortifying the milk I pumped myself, mixing the special recipe of extra calories preemie formula, and nursing. He gained weight so well that I was given the okay after a few days at home to stop pumping if I didn't want to. I very gratefully stopped pumping
. He eventually started showing signs of a milk protein intolerance, just like my daughter had, and just like I had as a baby. It was no surprise to me when he was put on hypoallergenic formula. We're still dealing with all of that right now, with me trying to keep dairy out of my diet and struggling with the decision of whether I want to keep combo feeding or just switch over completely formula. He will be 2 months old in about a week and he is put on 4 lb so far, almost doubling his birth weight!
Right now we are also struggling with his head shape. This was new to me, because my first born head no issues with any flat spots or head shape at all. But being in NICU, they always faced him in the same direction, facing the nursing station when I was not there. He developed a tendency to put his head to the right, and developed a bit of flat spot. We've been working with him on tummy time, gently repositioning his head the other way, and just doing everything in our power to help correct this... All to know avail. His spot has gotten worse, and we are fairly certain that he will be getting a helmet soon. I know it's no big deal, but apart me feels like I failed somehow 😭 his poor, cute little lopsided noggin 🥺 otherwise, besides his head shape and figuring out his dairy intolerance, he's doing well!
I've tried multiple times to figure out why my babies were born so early, why my body couldn't keep them in to be full term. The OB had no answers for me and just sort of shrugged her shoulders at it, saying that since I showed no signs of having an incompetence cervix or anything else, it was just something that we'd never know why. She was relieved though to hear that we did not plan to have any more children, as that would have made things a bit more complicated given my history of early birth.
It's hard of me is sad that I'm not having any more children, but the possibility of having another preemie baby, especially one even younger than my first two, is sobering. I will just enjoy my two very healthy and happy babies I have 💕

I’m on a market for some new hair products for my fine hair and it got me thinking about whether or not others have had this experience. I loved Pantene formulas when I was a kid, they made my hair so soft and shiny without weight, greasy feeling, or frizz, then I got to high school and had friends going to Vo-tech for cosmetology and “Pantene” suddenly became a curse word. “Don’t use that! It’s so bad! It coats your hair in wax!” Ok.. Over the years I had several conversations with several hairdressers and the word “Pantene” triggered almost word for word the same response every time. “Don’t use that! It’s bad and coats your hair in wax!” This confused me, not just the weird cult-like behavior, like a sleeper cell trigger word, but... you’re telling me that it gives me the results I want, plus puts a protective coating on my hair? Where’s the bad? Sign me up!
I’ve also semi recently discovered that I apparently have an allergy to DMDM Hyndantoin, the symptom being hair loss. Guess what chemical has been in every single salon formula, particularly in volumizing products marketed towards those with already fine/thin hair, that I have looked at since becoming aware of this allergy and isn’t in Pantene formulas?

First/Previous
"Watch out!" Jack yelled out to the crowd as the now-glowing overhead turrets, long dormant and forgotten, suddenly whirred to life with a mechanical hum, tracking his movements as he ran, shoving past a group of unsuspecting Xarak to the side as he moved to dodge the torrent of rapid fire aimed right at him, kicking up smoke as the superheated plasma churned the ground underneath him, before the sound of gunfire abruptly stopped.
"Fucking overheating shittubes!" the voice on the speakers cursed. "The Outsider is by the two broken pillars!"
"I see him!" a voice replied from out of the crowd as Jack got his bearings, spotting a group of three uniformed soldiers rushing towards him. As the leader moved to stab him with a nasty-looking barbed shortspear, Jack quickly juked the direction he intended to dodge, dipping to the right as he smashed the avian in the stomach with a vicious kick, shuffling back as he caught the blade of the second soldier with his bracer before throwing them off balance, lashing back at the first with his elbow as he did.
He moved to check the third that was moving to take a swing at him with a bat, but before Jack could do so the soldier was suddenly yanked back as a long, coiled leather whip snapped around them. Following along, Jack spotted an older grey-skinned ganger in black leathers with a coarse, black beard to match his scraggly hair sat down with his back to a wall, casually drinking a beer as he observed the chaos with a mischievous smirk.
As the soldier pulled back his bat to strike the interloper, the ganger grinned and looked down where his legs were already spread wide, revealing a strange metal crotch plate. Suddenly making a jerking motion with one of his legs, the plate flipped up to reveal the barrel of a huge codpiece gun that flipped up to point directly at the soldier, before it fired once, catching the solder completely by surprise as the top of their body was utterly obliterated by a bolt of powerful plasma energy. Smirking, the ganger gave Jack a wink, chugging down the rest of his drink, before charging into the brawl.
Hearing an almighty roar, Jack turned around only to be knocked back yet again as a broken, avian body was roughly lobbed at him, staggering him backwards as the Redeemer turned to the last of the bird-like gangsters, picking him up with immense strength and smashing them to the ground before advancing towards the human more cautiously this time, shoving drunken brawlers out of the way.
“I have long waited for this moment, Outsider. With your death, my King shall grant you redemption!” The Redeemer snarled. Now having a good look at him, Jack couldn’t see any visible weapons on him, which was strange. Last time, he’d brought a gunship and was taking potshots at him with some kind of high-powered rifle. Then again, considering what happened last time, maybe The Redeemer wanted the satisfaction of using his bare hands to beat him to death.
It wouldn’t be a terrible plan considering everything the Ogar had pulled off so far…
While sports on Earth were often separated by gender, despite some resistance from the more liberal-minded, due to biological differences between men and women, combat sports were a whole different game, with mixed martial arts organisations having very specific weight classes for fair competition between athletes, with two fighters of similar size and weight less likely to cause serious injury to each other.
But if you placed an experienced lightweight against even a novice heavyweight? That would introduce major problems for the smaller fighter, who would need to contend with the extra size, reach and power of their larger opponent. Not an impossible fight, but a tough one.
And Jack very much felt like a lightweight here.
Though of course, he had faced larger opponents before. Even an Ogar, though they had defeated the Laird with a cunning trap. However, he didn’t know how well matched he and The Redeemer were in a fair close-range fight outside of the opening moments of the ambush.
Still, he had little choice but to find out. He didn’t have an easy way to escape, and he didn’t know what the status of the others was. If he ran while they were still here then The Redeemer and the Regulators would simply go after them instead to get to him…
No. He couldn’t allow those thoughts to shake him. His friends knew what the hell they were doing, and they could handle themselves just fine. He had to worry about himself right now.
He couldn’t run, so he had to fight.
With a speed he didn’t expect from The Redeemer, they grabbed a nearby chair and lobbed it right at Jack in one smooth motion before following through with another charge.
‘Aegis!’ Jack yelled as he brought his forearm up, as his new and improved shield eagerly sprung up to take the hit from the chair, before a fist smacked into the side of his head as The Redeemer used the chair as a distraction to change his angle of attack.
Spinning with the blow, Jack fought in his mind to stay in the fight as his vision blurred, with the powerful strike threatening to knock him out then and there, before another fist caught him in the stomach, with his battleskin dispersing a hit that would have otherwise easily taken the air out of his lungs.
Retracting his shield, Jack ducked another punch that threatened to decapitate him as he skidded under the blow, parrying a backfist with his forearm that tingled painfully as he ate the blow, before clocking the Redeemer with a punch to the jaw, his gauntlet extending to cover his knuckles with a well-forged plate of metal to add their power to the strike, before the Redeemer threw out a punch that caught him on the shoulder, sending the deathworlder reeling back.
Jack grit his teeth as he fought through the pain, adrenaline rushing through him. He wasn’t out of the fight yet, but he knew he’d gotten the worst of that engagement.
The Redeemer clearly understood this as well, as the zealot strode towards the human with a confident, wicked grin.
But this time, Jack was ready.
‘Caltrops’ Jack whispered the command word, as his gauntlets gave him a good handful of them, subtly tossing them in front of him with an underhand throw, which had gone unnoticed by the Redeemer as they stared at the human with hatred.
Suddenly dashing forward to quickly close the remaining distance between them, the Redeemer roared as he charged Jack again, suddenly grunting in pain and stumbling as his full, heavy mass sent a sharp, painful spike straight through his armoured boot, causing him to lose focus as he looked down at his foot for just a moment to see what had happened.
A moment of distraction that Jack used to its fullest, as he quickly swung his axe down right at The Redeemer’s head.
However, the Ogar reacted with surprising dexterity as he used his forward momentum to avoid the full force of the axeblade, his metal helmet taking a glancing blow as he shoved Jack off balance, causing him to stumble. Quickly predicting what would come next, Jack dropped his axe on purpose as he prepared for a takedown attempt, dropping low and widening his stance as the Redeemer tackled him around the waist to try and bring him to the ground for a quick finish.
“There will be no salvation for you, human!” The Ogar growled through his pain as Jack was forced back by the Redeemer’s superior strength.
“Aww, did you miss me?” Jack taunted, holding on and walking back with the ever increasing momentum The Redeemer was building as he was pushed back along the dancefloor. “I saw your tantrum on the TV afterwards, didn’t know you were a bitch too!”
‘That’s it, asshole.’ Jack thought to himself as he felt his axe clip back onto his back. ‘Get mad. You showed me last time that you like to talk too much. I need to time this right…'
“Your blasphemy ends here Outsider! I shall smite you in the name of my King!” The insane zealot roared out in an enraged challenge.
With a roar the Redeemer pushed with much greater strength, forcing Jack to change his slow backpedalling into a full on sprint as he scrambled to stay on his feet, fighting to keep his grip above that of the Redeemer’s to maintain his control of the grapple for as long as he could as he was gradually being put off-balance, almost being lifted upwards.
‘I’ve got to hold on until the last possible moment…’ Jack thought to himself, as tables, chairs and people alike were battered to the side.
‘Now!’
As the wooden pillar supporting the balcony passed them in a blur, Jack shifted his weight to the left and relinquished the grapple, using the Redeemer’s momentum against him as he shoved the Redeemer off balance, as they smashed into the crumbling brick wall head first with an almighty crash.
As they stumbled back, yanking their head back out through the newly formed hole, Jack growled as grabbed the Redeemer around the top of one of his legs, yelling with effort as he was only just able to lift the Redeemer up and over him, slamming the Ogar down on the top of his head as hard as he could in a vicious suplex that gave a satisfying crack.
Growling with effort, the Redeemer pushed himself back into a crouch and looked up just in time as Jack’s foot smacked into the side of his head in a savage kick that cracked his metal helmet and dislodged one of his fangs. Roaring in rage and pain, the Redeemer got to his feet only to meet a flying knee that shattered his nose as his helmet cracked and dented with the heavy impacts.
“Redeem that you ugly cunt!” Jack growled, moving in for another strike as the Redeemer shoved him away, showing no signs of faltering as he slowly got to his feet, even after the devastating blows he just took. The Redeemer simply gave Jack a wicked grin of satisfaction, before it fell slightly upon seeing something to Jack’s side.
As Jack’s Ring of the Berserker vibrated again, he spun around to spot a large, lanky Vivren with several piercings in overt heavy armour grinning at him with malicious intent as she pointed a wand at him and cast a word of power.
Before he had any time to react, Jack’s entire body erupted in a wave of agony unlike anything he had ever felt before…
*****
“Fuck! Alora! Sephy? Chiyo? Dante?” Nika coughed as she got up from where the balcony had collapsed from under them.
Looking around, she could see even more patrons fighting around them, revelling in the chaos of the brawl, but she couldn’t spot any of her friends in the immediate aftermath, as thick dust plumed out from the wreckage below her.
‘At least the crew of the ship we’re meant to be travelling on are probably out by now.’ The Kizun thought to herself. ‘Can’t go back, the CorvMart crew will have moved on by now, so sticking to the original plan is probably the best move, unless we can steal a vehicle one of us knows how to pilot.’
Assessing the situation before her, Nika went for her bo staff, though made sure that her shotgun was well within easy reach. Though many of the people fighting around her looked rough, they weren’t attacking her or her friends, and until that changed they could make good allies of convenience, or for a smokescreen to give their enemies the slip if they had to run.
Though slaying as many of their attackers as they could would be preferable.
‘Best way to do that is link up with the others, we’re better as a unit.’ She reasoned, hearing an almighty crash. ‘Well, that’s probably Jack.’
Dodging a thrown bottle as a Squarri ganger missed their intended target - a pissed-off looking quadrupedal furry species that Nika didn’t recognise - before dodging a swing of a bat from a Xarak that saw her as an easy target. Quickly raising her staff she parried the backswing before cracking the other end of the staff across the reptilian’s face, knocking the rough-looking thug out as he collapsed to the ground.
Yet before Nika could think to move on from the conflict, she had to dodge out of the way using her tail as a large Balnath with some kind of cleaver-like sword took a swing at her. Recognising the sigil of the Regulator group Chiyo had told them to watch out for - a stern-looking demonic rune surrounded by a neon-red triangle - Nika parried the next sword swipe from the figure.
“Let me guesth, you want to get to the Outthider?” The Balnath sneered at the Kizun with a lisp so thick that in any other situation she’d have to stop herself from laughing. “I’m stho thorry, but we can’t let you have sthilly ideas like that!”
“Are you for fucking real?” Nika asked as she dodged to the side and put some space between them before quickly switching to her shotgun, letting loose a powerful blast that the Balnath was able to raise his shield up to block.
‘Skill like that? Probably the leader or an officer of some kind.’ The Kizun noted to herself. ‘No choice. I’ve got to kill him.’
“Yeah, I know that you’re finking! You fink my teef make me sound sthupid?” The Balnath growled, with a few experimental chomps. “Well these teef like to gnaw and gnasth on Kizun flesth!”
“Come and try it!” Nika snarled as she twirled her staff around her in a well-practised flourish, eagerly accepting the challenge.
The Balnath charged forward with lightning speed as it came at Nika with a series of feints, before swiping at her with a brutal overhand chop, using both hands. The Kizun was able to deftly parry with her staff, the kinetic modules battering her opponent’s grip to the side, though she felt the strength behind the blow and knew that the Balnath was stronger.
Still, she knew she could take him.
Ever since she was little she had roughhoused with her brothers and the local boys in fights around their ranch, and had learned the hard way from an early age that her gender and short build worked against her when facing her peers, so she had trained to be the strongest she could be, and learned to be quick and tactical to make the best use of that.
She had eventually kept up with the neighbourhood boys, using holds and precise strikes until her elders found out what she was doing when she was meant to be working on the ranch to help the family scrape by, and quickly put a stop to the shenanigans.
When she moved to the city, she only got better from there.
The tip of her staff thundered against the Balnath’s shield like the striking of a gong, forcing the larger being back as Nika could tell he was already tiring. Though she wanted to finish this fight quickly and get to her friends, she knew she couldn’t allow herself to give her opponent an opening, even as she sought to exploit an opening of her own. She had to be patient.
Her staff rattled against the shield again and again, as she felt her opponent’s defence get weaker and weaker, with the powerful force of her kinetic module focusing the strength of her strikes into a single point. Eventually something would break, his shield of his arm. Once his defences were finally down, she would go in swiftly for the kill.
Her opponent’s frustration won out as his shield shattered and fell to the floor, forcing him to attack Nika with a vicious two handed swipe. She blocked the strike handily, before the Balnath grabbed her staff, locking them in a clinch.
“Giff me sthome help over ‘ere!” The Balnath called out, as Nika reached for a knife, forcing the Balnath to adjust his stance as she stabbed blindly, glancing off armoured plates before finding purchase somewhere, causing her attacker to grunt with pain as he shoved her back, holding her up against a wall.
‘Shit.’ She cursed in her mind. ‘He’s stronger than me, but all I need is a moment to take him by surprise and I can break away and kill him!’
She held strong with her arms, holding the Balnath back as his jaws snapped shut barely an inch away from her neck. He tried again, and she pushed back harder, the jaws snapping shut around nothing, but much closer this time.
He tried again, bringing his vicious maw even closer still…
‘Gotcha!’ Nika thought to herself, as she jerked her head forward in a headbutt, catching the Balnath by surprise and giving the Kizun the space she needed to bring her knees up to her chin, before kicking out as hard as she could into the face of the Balnath, knocking him back with a roar of pain, before he leapt forward with a side swipe that Nika used her tail to quickly dodge, before in the same motion she brought the tip of her staff round and smacked the Balnath as hard as she could, right in the face, the powerful strike shattering its lower jaw completely.
“My fathce!” the attacker got out, clutching what little remained of his lower jaw, before looking up in the next moment as they stared down the barrel of Nika’s shotgun.
“Plea-” They got out, before their head was obliterated in an explosion of dark, blackish blood as their body clattered uselessly to the ground.
“Fuck you.” The Kizun retorted. Using her tail to quickly clip the sword to the magnets of her armour, Nika could see more Regulators in the crowd heading towards the DJ booth. Quickly checking her weapons, she headed right into the brawl!
*****
“You don’t belong here, girlie!” the thug cackled as their cybernetic arm crackled with electric discharge.
“Replacto!” Alora snarled as she swiped her wand out, blasting her attacker with a sudden flash of light that sent him stumbling back, clutching at his eyes.
“Anyone else?” Alora asked, trying her best to channel Nika’s cool, calm demeanour, crossed with Jack’s intimidating presence as the cluster of gangers and mercenaries all looked around at each other for just a moment, before deciding that the Eladrie wasn’t actually that intimidating, as one tried to rush her with a broken chair.
‘Oh by the Mother Tree! How do those two do it?’ Alora cursed in her mind as she summoned her spiritual weapon - a spear of light - that she quickly stabbed at the fish-like Osi, gutting them in the stomach which quickly made them drop the chair, while Alora wisely moved to the side to get out of the vicious melee happening all around her. Where were the others?
‘I have to make sure they’re all right.’ the Eladrie determinedly told herself as she began casting another, more complicated spell…
“Attention all idiots!” The voice over the speakers sneered out over the ever-changing music that the DJ didn’t seem to have any control over. “We discussed this. Though the Outsider is a priority, you target the spellcasters first if you can! Must I do everything myself?”
Thrumming with sudden power, the turrets above them finally opened fire, shooting almost indiscriminately at the crowd below, cutting several of the brawling patrons down before they even knew what hit them.
Chanting and waving her hands around as quickly as she dared, Alora maintained her concentration of her spell, completing it just in time as the turrets finally tracked her as she summoned a great holy aura of light to cover herself that would give her the protection she needed, the Armour of Faith deflecting the lights of the laser turrets harmlessly aside.
A loud bark sounded out, and knowing Dante’s warning for what it was, Alora spun around to see two Regulators, who were both Vulstas fighting through the brawl to get to her. Unlike Rena, these two were males, both carrying plasma shotguns but unable to get effective shots off through the crowd. Not that something like that stopped them from trying…
“Stevarin!” she yelled out, pointing her wand at one of the two who was about to open fire on a downed ganger, as with a flash of yellow light their movements slowed, quickly freezing stiff as a board as they failed to resist the Holding spell, their eyes widening in sheer terror as the gang-mates of their would-be-victim set upon them in a fury with fists and clubs, before a spell cast from the rafters sent all of them clattering to the ground clutching at their minds.
‘One of the enemy mages providing overwatch.’ Alora noted as she quickly looked up for any sign of them, but not seeing them. ‘Under a veil of invisibility no doubt.’
Feeling the dull impact of a shotgun blast dissipate harmlessly against her magical armour, Alora spun round to the other Regulator, cursing her moment of hesitation as the Vulsta drew a long knife with which to get in close with.
Remembering her fight with Izadora all those weeks ago, Alora waved her arms around quickly to summon a bubble of light to engulf her, before quickly following it up with an explosive flash that thundered all around her like a flashbang grenade, while leaving her unharmed.
As the light dissipated, she deftly avoided the blind lunge from the temporarily blinded Regulator, before jamming her spear into his stomach, using her reach advantage to dodge the desperate swipes he sent her way.
“Garrash!” Alora spoke a quick cantrip, using her affinity with life magic to channel poison through the top of her spear. Her already-weakened attacker quickly slumped to the ground as the debilitating effects took hold, but before Alora could pull her spear back, she was hit by a spell that came from above, disrupting her magic and causing her magical spear and armour to disappear.
‘Damn! It’s that mage above me!’ Alora cursed to herself as she quickly ran underneath one of the balconies, as the turrets chased after her with gunfire. ‘You want to hide in the shadows like a coward? I’ve got something to fix that!’
Quickly making sure there weren’t any immediate threats around, Alora quickly rummaged through her pockets for a wand of white crystal she had prepared about a year ago that still had a few charges. Casting quickly, she levelled it towards the ceiling and prayed to all the gods that she was aiming it at where the enemy mage was hiding,
“Glitasha!”
A spray of shining, sparkling particles of light shot out of her wand, puffing out to cover a good half of the ceiling, and as they began to fall to the floor and latch on to the people below, Alora spotted a huddled form by one of the rafters.
‘Got you!’ She thought with satisfaction.
“Ilthax! Get out of there!” The voice over the speakers warned, presumably the name of her target, but it was too late…
“Solaris!” Alora yelled, throwing her palms out in a thrust as a great javelin of light shot out of her palms. The enemy mage had barely moved before it impaled their centre of mass, sending what must have been a fireball spell way off target which blasted apart a huge, gaping hole in the back wall.
The invisible form of the glitterdust-covered mage slowly began to materialise as the blue-furred, ape-like Regulator clutched at their chest in pain, with wide eyes of disbelief at the spear of hard light that had gone right through their torso. As their flight spell dissipated, their lifeless body fell three stories from the rafters to slam down on the ground floor below.
“Nice one Alora!” the Eladrie heard the voice call from behind her as Nika came up next to her, the Kizun bleeding from a cut on her face. “Where are the others?”
“I don’t know. But we need to find them now!” Alora frantically told them as she took in the sheer state of chaos around them. Many broken bodies lay amongst the carnage, and though the Eladrie knew some would likely be still alive at the end of the night, she knew that many would not.
“You don’t need to tell me twice!” Nika agreed with a grim expression.
*****
First/Previous
Looks like Jack, Nika and Alora are holding on for now! But how long can they keep it up?
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My husband (48) is barely eating anything. He’s had trouble maintaining his weight for years and I told him to set a reasonable weight loss goal, he decided 50 pounds. He is dead set on losing a pound a day or close to that anyway. We’re both on a low dosage, him 10 units and me 20. It definitely helps with over eating and curbs cravings but he’s probably eating 400-500 calories a day if that. I’m serving home cooked (mostly home grown too) portion controlled meals and he’s still barely eating. It’s like he’s getting a high off of not needing to eat or controlling his ability to eat. I told him he’s not learning how to properly eat and he’s going to end up rebounding later. I’m eating 2-3 portion controlled meals a day and losing 1-2 pounds a week but he insists on this extreme fast weight loss. Is there anything I can say to him besides he might gain all the weight back later? Any health issues from this? I’m so frustrated… he keeps wasting his food I cook and I end up throwing it away.

Hi, I’ve started taking rybelsus for weight loss 2 weeks ago and I haven’t seen much success, my body weight stays the same. First 10 days I felt nothing, but now i’ve started feeling a bit weird, because although my stomach feels full more like bloated, I still feel the hunger, expecially for sweets. In another two weeks my doctor told me to increase the dose for 7mg and I wonder if it’s going to eliminate my cravings for sweets. I also feel nauseous and hungry at the same time! Do you recommend any tips for that too? What’s your experience comparing those two doses?

I’m trying to look for a list of pros for Ozempic instead of so many negatives. Did your stomach issues or acid reflux resolve due to weight loss? Is your anxiety better? Anything and everything positive I would love to hear!

Hello, Im wondering how quick I should expect to see results. My currenr stats are:
5'9 for height
SW: 310 CW: 280 (-30 Lbs) GW: 175
Currently-- just got back to the gym, minimum x3/wk. Trying to start running again. The biggest goal rn is weight loss and getting to a normal BMI. Diet is being overhauled with a focus on protein and staying in a calorie deficit. What will be the best choice to hit a healthy BMI speedily but sustainably? No injuries or health issues. Blood work is on point.
Any thoughts and advice appreciated!

Hello! I just had my 4th shot last week of 2.5. I wasn’t hungry until day 6 or so and still wasn’t terrible. I have lost about 4 pounds, the last few weeks have been up and down the same 2 pounds. I’m not sure if going up in dose is the solution since my appetite is pretty suppressed, but I want to see more weight loss. I’m 47 so I know hormones are an issue too but if I’m not eating much, shouldn’t the scale move a little bit?! Any insight is appreciated!

Hello, Im wondering how quick I should expect to see results. My currenr stats are:
5'9 for height
SW: 310 CW: 280 (-30 Lbs) GW: 175
Currently-- just got back to the gym, minimum x3/wk. Trying to start running again. The biggest goal rn is weight loss and getting to a normal BMI. Diet is being overhauled with a focus on protein and staying in a calorie deficit. What will be the best choice to hit a healthy BMI speedily but sustainably? No injuries or health issues. Blood work is on point.
Any thoughts and advice appreciated!

Hello, Im wondering how quick I should expect to see results. My currenr stats are:
5'9 for height
SW: 310 CW: 280 (-30 Lbs) GW: 175
Currently-- just got back to the gym, minimum x3/wk. Trying to start running again. The biggest goal rn is weight loss and getting to a normal BMI. Diet is being overhauled with a focus on protein and staying in a calorie deficit. What will be the best choice to hit a healthy BMI speedily but sustainably? No injuries or health issues. Blood work is on point.
Any thoughts and advice appreciated!

Hi florists! I work in a soul sucking corporate job. I make a really good living doing so. But it’s unfulfilling. I’d rather spend all my time and energy on a business i started and nourished. I have been designing floral centerpieces for almost a decade and find immense joy in the process and seeing people happy to receive them. I also am planning for my wedding and have really enjoyed working my florist. I am considering starting a wedding floral business. My grandparents were entrepreneurs so i know the trials and tribulations and risk with starting a business. Not to mention opportunity cost of loss earnings. I make about $200k a year in tech. I live in san diego. Would you all mind sharing what kind of living you make as a successful florist? I obviously know the ramp is long before profitability and i won’t make anywhere near what i am making now. But is it at least a livable wage? I’d like to say just making flowers is my passion and that’s enough, but you can’t pay the bills on passion alone. Thanks for the honest chat.

Ok, i know that this is going to sound a little ✨dependent✨, and maybe I am, but I really hate the idea of having to give up alcohol in order to lose weight - but, so far, it seems to be the only way weight loss works. I pretty much cut out all alcohol in April, both to save money and lose weight, and I went from 153 lbs to ~145. In the weeks since, I am down to 141.5. And while I am happy with my progress, I can’t help but think that my weight loss must be slowing down because I’ve been increasing my nights out. And I know it’s not the calorie count of the alcohol alone - I’m not drinking massive amounts, and I am factoring it into my overall deficit 1(1200-1500, joys of being 5’2), but it seems like my weight loss completely comes to a halt after a night of drinking. I hate that we’re coming into summer, a time where I usually end up going out a lot more, and I’m planning on moving to a new city in a month or so, which means I’ll probably have much more socialising to do. Anyone experience this as well? I know it’s not the biggest deal in the world, but I don’t really want to cut out alcohol completely!

Wheat is the basis of our diet. World Celiac Day, May 16, is an opportunity to take stock of its involvement in several pathologies. Wheat allergy, gluten sensitivity or intolerance, how to navigate it? A gastroenterologist helps us see things more clearly.

Celiac disease (gluten intolerance)

Its causes
This autoimmune disease specifically linked to gluten (notably gliadin ) occurs in a genetically predisposed area . We also talk about gluten intolerance.

Its symptoms

Celiac disease can begin at any age, including in the elderly (20% of people affected are over 60 years old) and affects women more frequently than men.
The diagnostic assessment is less and less often carried out (less than 20% of cases) in the face of classic manifestations: weight loss, bloating, diarrhea, deficiencies, etc. It is most often carried out in the face of non-specific digestive symptoms, symptoms extra digestive (sterility, alopecia, early or severe osteoporosis, recurrent mouth ulcers), or even biological abnormalities (iron deficiency anemia, liver problems, etc.).

The treatment

Strict exclusion of gluten (wheat, spelled, wheat, kamut, rye, barley) for life.
Oatsare tolerated if they are certified gluten-free .

Wheat allergyWheat allergy

Its causesIts causes
Different proteins contained in wheat can cause an allergy: albumins, globulins and gliadins and glutenins (gluten proteins).
Its symptomsIts symptoms
In infants, it can manifest in a chronic form, such as enteropathy, with symptoms similar to those of celiac disease: weight loss, abdominal pain, bloating. ..
In children, various symptoms occur within 2 to 4 hours after ingestion, often within the first year of life. They are similar to those of a classic food allergy : burning and itching in the mouth, rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, skin rashes, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and even in severe forms anaphylactic shock.
In adolescents and adults, wheat allergy generally takes a particular form which results in symptoms which only appear when the ingestion of wheat is associated with rather intense physical effort, or after taking alcohol or anti-inflammatories. They are varied: digestive disorders, generalized urticaria, difficulty breathing, even anaphylactic shock.
The treatmentThe treatment
In children: elimination of wheat, rye, barley and oats. After the age of 16, 96% of adolescents become tolerant and recover.
In the case of exercise-related allergy: no consumption of wheat in the 4 to 5 hours before or after significant physical exercise.

Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (gluten sensitivity)Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (gluten sensitivity)

Its causesIts causes
It has no clearly defined basis at the moment. The following are implicated: gluten, ATIs (amylase/trypsin inhibitors) and fructans (which are fermentable carbohydrates falling into the category of FODMAPs.
The diagnosis is only made after elimination of wheat allergy and celiac disease.
Its symptomsIts symptoms
Sensitivity to wheat combines:

• digestive signs :abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating, etc.,
• extradigestive signs :significant fatigue, particularly after a meal, joint and sometimes muscle pain, skin rash (eczema, etc.).

The treatmentThe treatment
After the elimination of celiac disease and wheat allergy (essential condition), start with a strict gluten-free diet (wheat, rye, barley, oats) for 6 weeks, to confirm the diagnosis in case of disappearance of symptoms.
Then, reintroduction, starting with foods containing traces of gluten and, depending on tolerance, with very gradually increasing quantities, each person having to find their tolerance threshold.

Hii I apologize if this isn't quite the right sub for weight loss questions, but the community is so nice and I'm not sure where else would be safe to post as it does relate to my transition a little bit. Also it is a little lengthy so there is a quick TLDR at the bottom. Though the context of the full post may help with more useful answers. Either way, thank you for your time!
So Jan 1st of last year I weighed myself and saw I was 245lbs. I then made it my goal to work on myself physically and mentally that year. It was around this time that my egg started cracking and that spurred a desire to actually care about my body for the first time in my life and I actually made significant strides in losing weight. Between Jan and Oct of last year I lost about 85-90lbs by intermittent fasting(I only eat between 12pm-8pm except on rare occasions like parties), eating less (partially as a result of fasting), and eating healthier.
I completely cut out fast food, sodas, and highly processed snacks except on very rare occasions. I also rarely drink alcohol now, maybe once a month (if even) at a party. My dinners consist of a balance between a fish portion or half of a baked chicken breast - some baked, roasted, or sautéed veggies (lots of broccoli), and small portions of rice. Around noon I typically have some oatmeal and a fruit like a banana or blueberries/strawberries and sometimes some greek yogurt if I'm still hungry or after a workout (which I often have an apple after). I pretty much only snack on lightly salted popcorn, fruits, and trail mix (I have an omega-3 mix and a monster mix which is a bit sweeter to try and sate my sweet tooth).
I also exercise at least 4-5 times a week. I go out for a jog/walk for anywhere between 1-2 hours most days and then follow up with mostly lower body workouts, as well as some core. I tend to do 100 various squats, I do deadbugs for a minute, leg lifts, hip bridges, deadlifts, and a 2-minute plank. I tend to mostly rest every other day. Recently, due to a doctor recommendation, I picked up 5lb free weights and added some high rep-low weight upper body workouts to tone on opposite days of my lower body workouts, as my doctor advised this might help with the weight loss.
My doctor also advised that I might be stuck around this weight, as she noted that when a lot of people lose weight very quickly, they tend to hit a plateau. She said when our bodies are used to a high weight, there is a limit to how much we can lose in a shory period of time. I imagine this is due to the fact that (I read somewhere) working out doesn't destroy the lipids in our bodies, it simply shrinks them down. I've read that it can take a long time for those shrunken lipids to actually disappear, so there is a limit to how much you can lose in a given time period since the lipids aren't entirely gone. Not sure how accurate this is, but I'm hoping it just means over time I will slowly be able to lose the remaining fat.
Due to all of this I went from that 245lbs and now float around 155-160lbs. The problem is that I have been stuck here since around October and haven't been able to get below the 155lbs at all in all this time. My goal is to hit around 140-145lbs and aim for a more flat tummy, which seems to be the biggest holdout on my body. I want to lose upper torso mass and belly fat on the front and sides, but nothing seems to be working. For reference, I am 5'7". Once I start E I plan on adding a little weight over time to help put fat where I want it to be (but not get overweight lol).
I wanted to make this post to see if anyone has any suggestions on what I could change or add that might help me get further results. Or do people think I may have hit that plateau I mentioned above and it will just take a long time of continuous effort to get rid of those lipids? I'm starting hrt soon so hoping the change in fat distribution will make it so the remaining male fat will be easier to lose since new fat will go elsewhere.
TLDR: I lost 90lbs and have been stuck around 155 for roughly 7 months - looking for advice to burn more fat and get rid of belly fat on front and sides to hit my goal of aroind 140-145lbs. I am 5'7"
Thank you all for your time, I appreciate you!

My NOOM subscription expired today. It helped me reach the goal I targeted, and while I'm still looking to loose more, I've worked through nearly all the lessons, and don't see the need to continue paying...instead looking to use the free option.
As of yesterday, the last day of my paid subscription, my calorie Weight Loss Zone BEGAN at 1790 (often up around 2050 after my daily exercise) with the top end being around 2,500. I would typically go just over the minimum of my zone each day, so I know I'm remembering my numbers.
Today, the first day of my free use and the Weight Loss Zone starts at 1,560! A little more than 200 calories less...and it tops out at 2,070.
As I've gone through my journey, I would notice the bottom end slowly lowering, but never a jump like this. My weight hasn't fluctuated more than 2-3 pounds for the past few week, so I know nothing happened that would warrant a drop like this.
The only thing that's changed is I quit paying...and now I'm getting different numbers. I'm not afraid of going in on lower calories, but I am afraid of not eating enough calories to get into my zone.
Anyone know of what could cause this? I've double checked my info in settings, and it's all correct. Welcome any thoughts.

Week 7 and currently on .5. I haven’t had many side effects. I had a slight amount of appetite suppression but that has gone away over the last two weeks. My weight reached an all time high and I weighed in at 240 lbs when my doctor recommended I start this medication. My current weight is 234. I was 236 when I took my first dose of .25 seven weeks ago. At what point or dose does this medication actually work? For context I have a lot of weight to lose to be back in a healthy BMI range. My doctor wants to see me at 140 lbs. Other posts have said to expect more weight loss initially if you’re significantly overweight. I’ve seen none whatsoever. Anyone else have experience like this who didn’t start to see the meds were working until they started at 1.0? I assumed if it was working I would lose a bit more in the initial month and then about 1 - 1.5 lbs a week. Anyone notice it not working and then change the injection site and suddenly see results? Maybe it’s because I’m injecting in my leg should I try my abdomen? Advice needed…

21F
Weight: Unsure, within 150-160 range.
Height: approx. 69in.
Medications: Adderall XR 30mg
Past medical history/context: - Childhood diagnosis of chronic UTI’s (ages 4-10, tapered off but restarted around 15, stopped for a final time at 18. Have not had issues since) -suspected endo, was never diagnosed. My mother was diagnosed with it when she was young and it only corrected itself after her first childbirth. -History of irregular, very heavy and painful periods that have gotten worse over time. -premature labor at 36w gestation due to ICP, emergency c-section with mild complications (uterine atony and mild blood loss). -painful ovulation with severe stabbing pains only ever on right lower abdominal cavity (right iliac fossa)
I’ve been struggling with very intense periods since the very first one I had. They usually vary in length, some have been up to 2 weeks long with consistent heavy bleeding and severe cramping (no clotting), others will be as short as 5 days with the same intensity of symptoms. I have had painful ovulation for just as long. I get a very sharp pulling sensation only on my right ovary consistently, which sometimes rivals my menstrual cramps in terms of pain level and frequency. It’s common for me to be unable to walk or fully stand/sit up due to the severity of these issues. Applying pressure to affected location on right side or stretching causes pain to increase. Episodes of these symptoms occur often throughout my whole menstrual cycle- but is more severe during ovulation and menstruation.
I’ve tried just about everything that doctors and friends have recommended over the years to help with the pain but nothing usually works. To be quite honest, I’ve been quite neglectful with seeking care for this issue. I get yearly checkups with a gynecologist every year and have since I was 11. The first gyno I had brushed most of these concerns off, even when my mother stepped in to advocate for me. She wrote me a script for 800mg of ibuprofen, Xulane patches, and then told me it should get better with age and that we could revisit the conversation after my body adjusted to the birth control. It never did and I eventually changed providers, but the next one also told me roundabout the same thing. I never pushed it further and prayed that it would get better like I was told. I got pregnant, had my son and hoped that this would cause the pain and symptoms to clear up, but my periods/ovulation just became even more irregular and painful as time went on. I’m now almost 21 months post c-section and finally taking the leap to see a specialist to get this addressed and be given the medical care I need.
Point is, can a physician weigh in and share some insight on a similar experience they have or any thoughts/hypothesis, etc.? Any specific recommended tests, scans, blood work, etc. I maybe should bring up with my new gyno? Any input is appreciated.

Hey Guys, I've been lurking for a while. This is my second time doing keto on a long stretch for weight loss (my first time whilst lifting and tracking properly). I've gone from ~156kg to ~142kg and from ~33% to ~26% bodyfat (Navy) over the last 38 days ( eating ~1500-1800 cals, 200g protein and <30g carbs) which has been great. My first goal was 25% but I've realised it doesn't look as good as I expected, and my brother had orginally told me to shoot for 20z Knowing myself, I eventually want to reintroduce carbs into the mix for the long term after my diet weight but I have a few questions and would like some advice:
1) I finish my finals next Thursday. For the following week and a half, I have a decent bit of partying/events (and maybe even a weekend away later in June) where there's gonna be a lot of carb-heavy palatable food as well as alcohol, and being aware of Diet Fatigue, I'm still unsure as to whether I should power through it and stay consistent till 20%, start maintenance at 25 and use the opportunity to flesh out a new set point or even keep the deficit going but with carbs back in the mix.
2) When I do go back on carbs, be it sooner or later, how should I plan out my "return" so that I don't crash and feel ill (last time I ate a takeaway and was bedridden for a day after), but also so that I don't rebound like I did the first time?
Thanks for your time guys