I’m three months in and wanted to share some progress and impressions in case it helps others:
I’m 6’2”, male and down to 165lbs from 180lbs. Goal is probably 155-160.
I am following the 4hSC more or less but I don’t eat beans/lentils. I work out light due to chronic injuries.
Cravings: very noticeable during the first month. Much better since. Now, I have what I would call habit-based intrusive thoughts where certain places or activities are connected to certain snacks, but I don’t think about eating all day anymore. It gets better!
Protein shakes: Initially I was simply skipping breakfast. No time and not in the mood to make a bazillion eggs every day. I recently started protein shakes and it has been a VERY noticeable improvement on my hunger during the mornings. Weight wise, it doesn’t seem to make a big difference. If anything, things are overall a bit slower and less erratic.
Cheat days: I cheat Saturday OR Sunday. Every week feels different. Initially I was almost panicking about getting enough food in me to “make it last” mentally. These days I think more clearly and try to eat what I enjoy but not six sweet meals a day. It’s like every week im getting a bit more level headed. I have strong weight fluctuations after cheat days, gaining up to 4lbs. Which sucks and feels bad. It takes me about three days to lose that again. Partially this is why I am also more moderate in my cheat days now. The joy of stepping on the scale and seeing a down-trend is more important than binge eating.
Weight fluctuations: I have not noticed any change in weight loss rate connected to any particular food. Cheat days throw me back quite a bit but it seems proportional to the amount I eat.
Endorphins: Seeing daily progress on the scale does replace endorphins I’d otherwise get from snacking.
Traps: I’m pretty disciplined. A pizza slice will not tempt me. I find borderline healthy food much more dangerous. I could eat ten plates of hummus in one sitting. Or five thousand pistachios. The most dangerous food is the one that makes me think “I wonder how much of this I can eat” when the answer is not plain “zero”

Hey all,
I just started zepbound on Sunday. The no hunger and no food noise is amazing. I weighed in at 181 at my appt and today I’m 174, I’m also on my period but I have no side effects or symptoms at all. I also feel like it’s been improving my reaction to my vyvanse imo.
I feel like so many people get nauseous or have other issues I’m worried that it’s not going to work for me. Like I should be having side effects or symptoms if it’s working properly. The weight loss I’m just attributing to water weight. I’ve been doing 60-80g of protein and I drink 120oz of water a day. Idk what are your experiences, I’m so worried this won’t work out for me especially after someone told me it’s not effective or in your body until min three shots in.

So I managed to get ivermectin today by purchasing it online. My pharmacist previously told me since we're 5 people at home (4 grown men and my mother) we need 4 tabs of 3mg. Is this enough?
How do I take this med? I heard it is 1 pill per day for 3 days and then again two weeks later. We have 16 pills in total, again 3mg.
Knowing I'm 5'11 (1m80) for 198lbs (90kg), how should I take my ivermectin pills? I'm also thinking of getting benzyl benzoat. We have sulfur soap and clove oil at home. Can it help if my ivermectin dosage is not enough? I don't wanna damage my liver but I often read online about people not taking enough dosages for their weight
Also apparently taking ivermectin WHILE you're eating is actually better than before or after meals, what is your thoughts guys

Has anyone else experienced hair loss or thinning while dealing with endo?
I had surgery in February 2023 and have been noticing thinning around my part for the last year or so. My hormones have definitely been impacted by trying different birth control methods to mitigate my symptoms post-surgery. For instance, I had never had hormonal acne until this past September when I started on the Mirena IUD by itself (had been taking combined pill on top of it for 6 months before). I’m now on spironolactone for that.
I currently still have the Mirena (thinking about getting it out) and have gone back on Charlotte 24 FE (combined pill). I have always had pretty thin hair, but it’s become very noticeable in the 6 months to a year and I’m very self conscious about it.
Thyroid is fine and I do not have PCOS.
Has anyone experienced this with endo/symptom management? And what did you do to help with it? I have zero interest in going on Minoxidil because it’s a lifelong commitment.

At some point, I probably will have to start from scratch, as I've put on a lot of weight over the past few years and just starting to lose it (and then some). But I really, really want to start being a lot more logical about what purchases I'll allow myself; both in knocking down down, but also just reducing the mental burden of "what should I wear today? what items 'match' or whatever", stuff like that.
Really just trying to make some lifestyle changes and reduce some mental stress where I can.
So I'm kind of curious, from a strictly logical perspective, how would you go about "building a new wardrobe from scratch"?
I mean, I'll probably always aim to have a single suit to try and look nice for special occasions. But I'd like to have a super simple wardrobe for day-to-day living, that will include summer clothes, winter clothes (I live in VA currently, where summer usually floats about upper 90's and winter gets down to mid 40's), ideally stuff that is comfy enough to wear if I'm just at the house, but looks respectable enough that I'm not going to feel weird wearing it in public. Probably also relatively strong or flexible, as I'm moving into electrician work, and will probably find myself in a lot of tight spaces where I need to crawl around.
That's probably all a pretty tall order, so feel free to break things out as you see fit. I don't necessarily need specific brands or anything at this time (no point in buying clothes until after I lose weight), but more like "Here are the categories I would choose; these types of shirts, these types of shorts or pants, and use for these activities or weather".
In my perfect world, I'll be able to buy multiples of whatever I need, so they're always the exact same look and brand (I feel like 3-5 of any given item, like shirts, would be pretty safe?). Probably a lot of white and black, to keep things simple as well?

Hi y'all. I may not have any cool progress pics to share, but I wanted to share a few thoughts and observations after being on 2.5 for exactly one month today. Figured this might help anyone who also recently completed their first dose and might have similar questions. About me: 39, male, USA, starting weight of 272, height 5 foot 8 inches.

• It started to work pretty much right away for me. I took it around noon the first day, and by dinnertime I could notice I didn't have much of an appetite. And when I did eat, I was full after a few bites.
• Truly for the first time in my adult life, I felt satisfied and full. Every other time I could recall, I was "full" in the sense that I physically couldn't eat any more, but really wanted to. Now, I am truly full and have ne desire to keep eating no matter how delicious it is. And this right here, I think, is the crux of why Zepbound is effective for many folks.
• Weight loss was rapid the first week, with 6 pounds coming off after 7 days. I expected this, because anytime I've dieted in the past, this has also happened. But nonetheless I was happy.
• Overall, I lost 14 pounds in the first 30 days of being on 2.5. I feel like this is pretty much right in line with what I expected, and similar to what others experience. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda wished it was 20 or more, but I'll take all the NSVs I can get at this point.
• More so than just the number on the scale, my clothes are already feeling looser, and I feel WAYYY less bloated. I realized how much I was sabotaging my weight loss before, and how sick I would feel after having a huge meal.
• Side effects have been pretty minimal. Some days I feel tired and dragging more than usual. Constipation has been the most common side effect for me, but I've really increased my fiber intake and that seems to work. Bananas, Fiber One bars, and apples are my go-to.
• The one negative thing I am noticing though, is I feel it working less the further I go with just 2.5. I know many people stay on 2.5 for awhile, but I'm not sure how long it's sustainable for me tbh. This week (I take my shot on Mondays) has been a mixed bag, but I've felt hunger and food noise creeping back in here and there. I definitely am still eating less than before, but I feel my body craving food juuuust a bit more this week than last week, and more last week than the week before.

So there you have it. Overall, extremely happy I decided to take the plunge with this medication. Positives far outweigh the negatives for sure. In my area, 5 is hard to find. So I'll take 2.5 until my last dose on June 3, and then hope by then some 5s are available. If not, I'll take what I can get to keep at least some modest weight loss going.
if you're new to Zepbound and stumbled on this post to get some insight or validation, the only thing I can say is that it has positively changed the way I think about food. Before, it was always about when I could get my next fix. Now, it's more like fuel and how it works to give me energy. I was (and still very much am) a foodie who loves to cook and try new things. That's all still the same, but now I'm just eating less of it.

I’ve only been on oz for a month (just went up to .5) but I already feel like a new person. I’ve only lost 5 or 6 pounds but my inflammation is gone (I’m able to wear my wedding rings that I haven’t worn in years) and I’m able to focus on eating healthy and working out without all the food noise, snacking and bingeing. I’ve also quit drinking wine which is incredible. I’ve been gaining and losing the same 20-50 pounds my whole life, but this last year the weight just hasn’t been coming off (age and hormones I’m thinking). I was feeling fat, bloated, heavy, tired, lethargic, out of breath, and just in terrible shape, and most of all defeated. I’m so glad I mustered up the courage to ask my doctor about it. I feel like this drug could be a major lifesaver for so many people but there’s such a stigma around it that people aren’t asking their doctors about it. It’s also not covered under insurance for weight loss where I am located so it’s only accessible to some. I hope something changes where it becomes more widely accepted and accessible to everyone.

I’m not even gonna lie ya’ll this shit had me geekin, so like 2 weeks ago I ended up in AMCare because a box ended up ripping open and this heavy ass weight fell out onto my foot, and I was in there for probably 3 hours chillin and they asked if I needed urgent care or anything cause I said the swelling was throbbing and said no that it should be fine soon, blah blah blah.
Then one of my managers pulls out the “we can give you a sheet of our Amazon approved doctors also to use”, and I laughed in his face out loud lowkey. Amazon Approved Doctors, I thought this dude was about to tell me to go to an Amazon Doctor 🤣🤣🤣 this shit had me thinking about Disney Land, fuckin Amazon Land where I get my Amazon Gas for my Amazon Car and work my Amazon Job to make Amazon Money to spend on Amazon approved Groceries so that my kids can go to Amazon School so they can get their Amazon Bachelors and become Amazon Graduates.
He legit gave me the weirdest look but I explained to him the joke and he didn’t really get it but whatever I thought that shit was mad funny he’s just hella federal. Amazon approved doctors like bro did the doc have to stow 41k packages before he got his degree or some shit why he gotta be approved by you? Anyways guys I’m about to go buy some Amazon approved pizza and wings, hope you have a good hump day

I've been wanting to expand my understanding of nutrition and exercise for years now, but any time I started searching I inevitably ran into a wall of fatphobic rhetoric and eating disorder bait.
Does anyone have suggestions, especially of resources you've personally found useful?
I'm particularly interested in science-backed resources with easy steps for incorporating healthy foods and activities into your life. Bonus points if they focus on what these things add to your life (e.g. more energy, strength, happiness, etc.) as opposed to the dieting emphasis on eliminating things from your life (weight/flaws/"""toxins"""/etc.)
Cheers!

Maybe I don’t understand because I’m a girl - but if Drake does use Ozempic, what’s the issue? I know so many regular degular people who use it for weight loss, celebrities use it, reality TV stars, etc. I don’t get why it’s so taboo or “embarrassing” for Drake to be using it.
Is it because he’s a man? Has he ever denied using it?

Hi there, I am 12 days out and I had everything but the ovaries removed (laparoscopically). I had this because I have PCOS and had my period every single day for 4 years straight and I had herd that people generally gain weight after surgery and that people with PCOS can have some pretty massive weight gain. That being said I have actually lost 7 lbs since which just logically shouldn't happen because I have eaten like so much KD and drank so much pop in between a LOT of sleeping lol.
Have any of you had any weight loss with this surgery (especially people with PCOS) and when should I worry? I have a damn hard time losing weight so like I'll pretend to not notice for another 15lbs but like should I be worried or blessed? I know my uterus was swollen but like its not like that thing could have been anything more than a pound. I don't think the body works that way even when it was a broken as mine lol.

Ketogenic Diet (simplevitalnutrition.com)
​
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate eating plan that aims to shift the body into a state of ketosis. It has gained attention for weight loss, managing epilepsy, and potential benefits for certain health conditions.

Cyborg #59 - Test of Strength

<< < >
Author: Commander_Z
Book: Cyborg
Arc: Machine Mayhem
Set: 96
Previously:
Victor Stone, Donna Morris and Keiji Otari worked together to create a robot called Atlas to participate in the collegiate Machine Mayhem tournament, a robot fighting competition. The humanoid robot easily crushed its competition in the first round but disappeared overnight before the second round. His three creators split up to track him down, with Keiji finding the machine in a back alley a little ways away from the stadium...
Keiji stood before the massive figure, blinking, trying to focus his mind. He had had many late nights and early mornings over the past couple weeks, so Keiji figured he was still sleeping. Or hallucinating. Or both, somehow. But, the voice rang out, its clearest yet, “No.” ‘Clear’ was a very generous and relative term, though. The noise wasn’t modulating through a speaker or a voice box, instead Atlas was making his own speaker by vibrating the motors and joints that allowed him to move.
The alley that Keiji found Atlas in was less than an ideal to make changes to a robot, but Keiji figured that Atlas would be understanding considering the circumstances. He pulled out an old bluetooth speaker out of his backpack and gestured towards Atlas with it.
“This’ll help you. No more grinding gears to talk. Just got to trust me for a few minutes, okay?”
Atlas stood still for a few moments, whether he was thinking or just unsure how to make a positive affirmation with his joints, Keiji couldn’t know. But, after awhile, he responded.
“Yes.”
Keiji set his backpack on the ground in the gross alley, making a mental note that he’d have to clean that later and got to work.
Around ten minutes later, he was done.
“Okay, Atlas. Try to use the speaker. It’s connected to RO23 on the tertiary control board.”
“...T…Te….ing…Test…Testing. Speaker operation confirmed.” Atlas spoke in a deep, synthetic voice that occasionally warped itself in tone, like how a whammy bar would add vibrato to a chord on a guitar.
“Great. So… Atlas… What's going on with you? Why’d you leave?”
“I am performing my task: defeat opponents, become the strongest. No foes in that arena were a challenge. Therefore, I left.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “That’s… not what we made you for. We made you to win Machine Mayhem, not to pursue strength as some sort of goal in of itself.”
“Incorrect. Nowhere in programming was “winning the Machine Mayhem tournament” a specified goal.”
“Okay, but I programmed you, and I’m telling you that was the intention.”
“Intentions are irrelevant. A teacher may shape their students’ minds, but they cannot determine what anyone does with their knowledge. That is a privilege reserved for each and every individual being. You say I was programmed to win a tournament. I say that I was programmed to make myself the strongest being. Only my interpretation is relevant.”
‘I guess that’s not an invalid interpretation of what I programmed him to do. But… that’s not exactly a sane or safe perspective on life…’
“And how are you doing that? Just fighting anyone you can see?”
“No. I have already stated that I found those machines in that arena unworthy of my efforts, in my short time in the outside world I have seen humans to be much the same. Few of you would pose any challenge.”
“Well, that’s a little more reassuring that you won’t just be fighting everyone you see. But - ”
Suddenly, a woman about Keiji’s age flew into the alleyway, riding on a metallic pink hoverboard. She wore hot pink combat boots with dark black leggings, and a matching hot pink sleeveless top with thick metallic bands around her wrists that went up to her forearms. Her eyes were obscured by a visor-like pair of glasses, tinted a reflective red to hide her identity.
And yet, Keiji knew instantly that she had to be Donna Morris. He knew that she had been working on some other project with Vic before they started Atlas, but he figured it was just for some shared class or lab work. But this… This was unexpected.
“Halt… robot! Step away from the civilian and no one needs to get hurt!”
‘Why’s she speaking so formally? Guess it’s some mindset thing.’
Neither Atlas nor Keiji reacted to what Donna was saying. Keiji knew she wasn’t talking to him, and Atlas just seemed indifferent to her presence. Finally, Atlas turned and faced her.
“You seem powerful. Show me the strength of your will and I may concede.”
“This doesn’t need to be violent. We can talk it out, here or somewhere else.”
“Actions speak louder and truer than words.” Atlas moved into a combat position, leaning forwards on his left leg, raising his fists up to his chest.
“Come.”
“Don- ”
“When I’m in the suit, it’s Black Narcissus. Some of us like to keep our identities secret, no offense to Cyborg, wherever he is.” Donna said.
“Okay, nice to meet you, Black Narcissus. Just… be careful with Atlas. He’s stronger than he looks.”
Donna smiled. “So am I. Just watch.”
Donna pressed her thumb and index finger together on both hands and a large light on the back of her hands turned gray. She pointed her hands right at Atlas, who still stood in his combat position, waiting.
A thick, gray fluid shot out of her gauntlets, ensnaring Atlas’ arms to his body and his legs to the ground.
“Gotcha! That’s industrial strength adhesive - ”
Atlas flexed his arms and the adhesive snapped with ease, then crouched his legs before springing upwards towards Black Narcissus and her hoverboard. She quickly flew out of the way but Atlas managed to barely get one hand on the board. Black Narcissus pressed her thumbs to her middle fingers, changing the cartridge in her gauntlets. The light on the back changed to purple and she fired her gauntlets again, launching a blast of energy at Atlas.
The extra energy rattled the robot’s circuits, and he released his grip on the board to escape further damage, sending him crashing back to the ground. She shot another salvo of energy blasts at the machine, keeping him stunned on the ground.
She switched her left gauntlet back to adhesive, hoping that it would be able to restrain a weakened Atlas. Before it could reach him, the robot rolled out of the way and grabbed a trash can, hurling it at Donna. She swerved out of the way again, then dodged a second trash can thrown as a follow up.
After the second can, she was on her toes, prepared for a third, but it didn’t come. She looked around, trying to find where Atlas went, but he was completely out of sight. She sensed him at the last moment, coming from the rooftop that he jumped up to. He grabbed her board and slammed it to the ground with her on it. The board shattered into a million pieces, but Donna seemed unharmed. Atlas sprung up, ready to keep fighting, and Black Narcissus rose fractions of a second after. She pressed her thumbs to her ring fingers and the light on the black glowed a dark red.
She swung a right hand punch at Atlas who caught it in his left. But the light on the back of her gauntlet started to glow brighter as she put in more effort, pushing back against his metallic muscle. Atlas pushed his legs back, trying to stabilize himself. Donna started to push him back more and Keiji could hear the motors start to strain. Atlas stopped resisting against Donna, then, before she could take advantage of it, he kicked up some of the pieces of the broken hoverboard at her. Using her momentary surprise, he punched her square in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her to the ground.
“You fought well,” Atlas said, turning away from her.
“Wait,” Donna said, getting up. “I’m not done with you.”
“Yes, you are. Accept your defeat. There is no shame in losing to the strongest.”
Before Donna could protest, Atlas turned to Keiji. “Come, and bring your things. I have use for you.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow, but grabbed his backpack and started to follow Atlas further down the alley.
He turned back to Donna and mouthed “I’ll text you” to her. He hoped she got the message.
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
“Stop here.”
Keiji stood behind Atlas, who was peering into an old garage a couple blocks from the alley where he fought Black Narcissus. He grabbed the padlock that was keeping the door shut and squeezed it, turning it into dust.
“You will find the tools you need in here. Repair the damage caused in the last fight, human.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “First off, I don’t really like being called “human”. Technically true, but feels hurtful in this context. Second, I’m a software guy. I couldn’t fix you if I wanted to. Third, being nicer to people will generally get you better results. Not really inclined to help someone who starts by insulting me.”
“Niceties are a waste of time. Fix me, or I will end you.”
Keiji shook his head. “No, you won’t. I can’t fix you, but you know my teammates can. And they’d never do that if you hurt me at all.”
Atlas punched the concrete wall in frustration, cracking it. “Very well. You are correct… I do need your help. What will they require to do so?”
“I don’t know. But come back to the arena with me. We can talk with them there and see what it takes.”
“Very well. Let your friends know that I require their assistance.”
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
Atlas stood before Vic and Donna, who made it back to their workspace just before the robot did. He towered over the three humans, but if any of them were intimidated, it was hidden behind a masterful poker face.
“Y’know, I thought more people would care that we just walked in with a robot and are talking with him like he’s a person,” Donna remarked.
“People are busy and indifferent. The other competitors probably think it’s a marketing scheme or something and are just ignoring us. I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Keiji said.
“Yeah, that. But so… Atlas has become sentient. Good for you, really. But… hooray. Another sentient robot,” Vic said.
“You see a lot of those?” Keiji asked.
“More than you’d think.”
“I am glad that you are not concerned by my presence. That saves me much effort. But the question at hand remains: I have been damaged and require repairs. Will you repair me?”
“Yes,” Vic and Donna said at the same time.
Vic looked at her, surprised. He figured she’d have some hesitancy.
“But, I’ve got a small condition for you. Should be no big deal. Win us the next round of the competition.”
“Ridiculous. You ask me to do something so trivial it is unfair, like a pro athlete competing at a preschool.”
Donna shrugged. “Yeah, it’s trivial and easy, but it helps us a lot.The club will look much better and get a lot more support for next season if we make it into the semifinals.”
“I’ll even raise the stakes. If you win the next round, we won’t make you enter the finals. Instead, I’ll give you a real challenge. You can fight me.”
“Why would I want that?”
“Because I’m the strongest one here by far. And, if that’s still not enough if you beat me, I’ll show you how to repair yourself. Then, we’ll let you go live as you want, provided you promise to only fight people who want to fight.”
Donna looked at Vic, concerned. “Who would want to willingly fight someone like Atlas?”
Vic sighed. “Trust me. There are plenty of weirdos in this world who just want to fight. It’s much better than me just throwing him in prison or taking him apart.”
Atlas made a noise that Vic thought was supposed to be a scoff. But maybe it was just static. The speaker wasn’t that high quality.
“You make a very strong set of promises if I win, which I will. But if by some miracle, you managed to cheat your way to victory… what happens then?”
Vic shrugged. “Pretty much the same thing. I’ll teach you how to repair yourself and let you go with the same stipulations. You just have to know that a human beat you.”
Atlas laughed. “You are a fool if you think that could ever happen. I accept your terms, human. Guide me to the arena, those boxes of scrap will be reduced to dust.”
Vic walked him over to the arena as as if he were any other competitor, but instead of waiting by the sidelines to see the results, he walked back to their workspace. He knew that Atlas would win and wanted to try and make sure that Donna and Keiji were on board with the other part of his plan.
When he got back, Donna was nervously pacing around while Keiji was scrolling through some webpage.
“So.. Vic… do you really think that this is the right idea? You’re just… unleashing him on the world. Isn't that irresponsible?” Donna asked.
“I don’t think so. Yeah he wants to fight people but he has restraint to some degree. He knows the difference being fighting every random person he sees and fighting someone who has a reasonable amount of strength. I dunno, I think him messing up and fighting… Superman or something and taking a big loss would teach him far more than we ever could or throwing him in jail for being dangerous. Is it a risk?… kinda. But so is any option.”
“So your best guess is just… let him go and figure it out?” Keiji said. “Isn’t that a bit too… hands off?”
“Got a better idea? That’s pretty much what we got to do.”
“No. I don’t. But this just feels... risky.”
“Yeah, it is. But he’s fairly reasonable after being conscious for what, 12 hours? Over time, he’ll probably mellow out and if he doesn’t, I can take care of him then. But he deserves a chance like anyone else.”
Keiji nodded. “Fine Vic. If that’s what you think the best path is… I’ll stand by you.”
“Same, Vic. I want to believe in him too.”
“Thanks guys, really. Hopefully we can all look back on this and agree this was the right path.”
A horn sounded and a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Semifinal-2 has ended! The winner is the University of Michigan’s Atlas! Please collect your robots and be ready for the finals at 1:00 PM.”
The team stood up and gave each other a round of high fives. They really had made something great. Now it was time to see just how great he really was.
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
Two hours later.
The team packed up after their semifinal match, citing an unspecified emergency with the tournament staff. They weren’t happy with the anticlimactic end, but ultimately they couldn’t force the three of them to continue to compete and so they left without much hassle.
The three of them drove north until they found the first open field that Vic and Atlas could have their match in. There wasn’t anywhere that they could find in the city that wouldn’t attract too much attention or put innocent people at risk and they managed to convince Atlas of that too. The robot was in the trailer towed behind the three of them, much to his chagrin.
But after a half hour or so, they found a spot. A wide open, grassy field with no one around to interfere or get hurt. A perfect spot for them to settle things. Vic got out of the car and started to stretch, trying to limber up after the car ride while Donna and Keiji helped Atlas out of the trailer.
Atlas rotated his head, taking in the environment. “A flat, quiet field. An honorable place for battle.”
Vic let out one lat calming exhale before approaching Atlas. “Plus, no one is around to get hurt. That’s important too.”
“...Yes. That too.”
“The rules are simple. A clean match, no foul play between either of us. Whoever is left standing when the other yields or is unconscious wins.”
Atlas laughed. “I will never yield.”
“We’ll see,” Vic grinned.
“Oh, one other thing. Not really a rule per say, but a strong suggestion: Try not to seriously hurt each other. You’re not trying to kill or maim each other,” Donna said.
“Yes, yes. May we begin?”
Vic nodded, and took a step backward, creating about ten feet of space between him and Atlas. Before the dust even settled, his arms were force cannons launching pure energy right at Atlas’ chest. Vic had designed Atlas, he knew that he wouldn’t be very damaged by those. But he had underestimated just how much he would be able to tank them. The force blasts did little more than chip the paint and an exhilarated Atlas sprinted at Vic like a charging bull.
Once Atlas was a few feet away from Vic, he prepared a concussive grenade and exploded it directly against Atlas, using the force to stagger him out of the charge. Before the robot could launch another attack, Vic swung a full force punch into the robots’ chassis, crumpling it inwards slightly. Vic followed up the punch with another, but Atlas was ready for it and parried it with his left arm, then kicked Cyborg away, sending him flying backwards.
Cyborg shot his force canons at the ground to give himself some momentum in the opposite direction, slowing himself down. But Atlas had some tricks up his metaphorical sleeves too. Having realized that a direct approach was difficult, he used his powerful hands like a backhoe to scoop up a massive piece of earth and hurled it at Cyborg. Vic was unsure how to react to this, or more precisely, how he expected Atlas to follow this attack up. The boulder itself was a problem, sure, but it was just to close the gap. Atlas could be using it to block his line of sight and be jumping right behind it, or he could be using the temporary blindspot caused by the massive object to approach from either side.
Instead of guessing, Vic decided to power through the problem. Vic shot both of his force cannons at the projectile, sending bits of dirt every which way. Atlas was hiding in what was once the dirt ball’s shadow and Vic took advantage of his surprise to launch himself at the robot. Cyborg shot his force cannons behind him, propelling himself forwards rapidly in a charge mirroring Atlas’ own.
He knocked the massive machine to the ground and sat on his chest, using his arms to pin down the machine’s.
“You’re down, Atlas. Do you yield?”
“I told you. I will never yield. I am the strongest!”
Atlas began to press his weight against Vic’s strength. Vic knew he was a match for Atlas’ strength but there was one key problem: stamina. Vic’s body was, of course, cybernetic in part, but it wasn’t the same. He was still human and human beings got tired. Machines did not.
Vic could already feel his muscle starting to fatigue. The fight hadn’t been long, but any fatigue was going to be the difference. He knew he was a match for Atlas’ strength when he was at 100%, but every percent below that made it more and more likely to be Atlas’ win.
‘I need to end this fight now or the immediate future if I want to win. But my normal attacks aren’t doing anything to him. I could try a sonic attack, but I don’t think that’d really effect him. I could try targeting his joints specifically, but those were designed to take more than I can give. But I can’t just let him overpower me for the win. That’d make him overconfident and more likely to get into trouble afterwards. No… I’ve got a better idea.’
In an instant, Vic’s muscles stopped resisting. “I yield.”
Vic pushed himself off Atlas, who stood up and looked at Cyborg, confused.
“What foe yields when he has his opponent on the ground, at his mercy? I demand you continue!”
“No. This fight was never to the death, only to yielding. But frankly, you aren’t strong enough to interest me. You said it yourself, you will never yield. And pummelling you to a point where you are the equivalent of unconscious just isn’t worth my time. So I yielded. Congrats. You win.”
Atlas stood, incredulous. “No. That is not allowed. I did not win. You lost! Those are not the same!”
Vic turned to Keiji and Donna and then noticed that the fight had taken them about 30 yards from where they started. He started to walk back towards them, and Atlas followed.
“Guys, I yielded that fight. Doesn’t that mean I lost?”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “I guess?”
“See? Congrats, you won.”
“... I do not accept this victory. This is a loss in all but name. Mark my words, Victor Stone. I will wander the globe, facing foe after foe to grow stronger. I will become the strongest being and when I do, we will have a real fight, one where you must acknowledge my strength for real.”
“Looking forwards to it. Stay out of trouble until then, understood?”
Vic held out his hand for a handshake which Atlas begrudgingly accepted.
“Understood.”
“Atlas, catch.”
Keiji tossed a small flash drive to Atlas who had to bend down to grab it.
“That has all your schematics and drawings on it, as well as all the parts we used to make you and where we sourced them from. It’s probably the best thing out there to help you repair yourself.”
“Thank you. You all have given me much to think about it. When we meet again… I will be stronger in body and mind. Farewell for now but I will return to challenge you again, Victor.”
“I’ll be waiting. And I promise to go all out next time, Atlas.”
Atlas took off to the west, heading to only he knew where.
Once he was far enough out of sight, Vic laid down on the ground, exhausted.
“Well, that’s enough bluffing for the next decade. I really underestimated him.”
Donna sat down to his left, Keiji on his right.
“Told you that you were being cocky. We all built him but he’s out of all of our leagues,” Keiji said.
“Yeah… but I really wanted to do it, y’know? Kinda humbling to be beat by your own creation.”
“If it makes you feel better, I lost to him too,” Donna said.
“Wait what? When did you fight him?”
“I’ll tell you on the way back. Not my finest moment, but I put up a good fight.”
“Proud of you. You’ve come a long way in your training. But after that fight… I’m going to need to get a lot stronger and pick my own training back up. I kinda feel like I’ve been stagnant for awhile, just sort of winning my fights through grit and will power. But if Atlas had been hostile… I don’t think I could’ve stopped him. So, I’ll need to get back to the drawing board and see what I can do to take myself to the next level.”
“And we’ll be there to help you however we can. But uh… Vic, finals are in like two weeks. Maybe focus on that first?” Keiji suggested.
“I’d rather get beat up by another robot,” Vic groaned.
<< < >

I have had PT since 7 years now no docs could diagnose it properly as i kept going to ENTs recently for another issue i got an MRI and MRv and it looks like i have mild IIh and stenosis's on right side as well i dont have other symptoms apart from PT , doctor asked me to loose weight to see if the pressure and pt reduces Has weight loss worked for anyone here?

I need help, I'm feeling overwhelmed by too much info, and I'm exhausted
Here's the basics: Species: dog Age: 14 Sex/Neuter status: spayed F Breed: large chihuahua mix (probably some jack russel, but not sure) Body weight: 19 lbs History: 2 summers ago contracted Kennel Cough (was vaxxed), and after treatment developed lasting and chronic, loud cough. Clinical signs: consistent, prolonged coughing/hacking, wheezing, heart murmur Duration: 1 year, 9 months Your general location: Arizona, USA
Diagnosed with likely collapsing trachea in late 2022 after ruling out other possibilities. X-ray at time could not determine CT for sure, and showed no heart disease.
Prescribed hydrocodone/homatropine. Getting one pill 5mg/1.5mg three times a day.
Over time cough gets worse, uncontrolled by rx. Prescribed rounds of prednisone, which improves cough during treatment.
New x-ray March 21st, 2024 finally confirms collapsing trachea, all the way down at the base right before it splits off into the lungs. Also showing likely bronchitis. No obvious heart disease. Possibly slightly enlarged heart?
However, new heart murmur (mild) detected by stethoscope
In the meantime, I joined a FB support group for owners of dogs with collapsing trachea. I ask my vet about a few medications recommended by the group, but my vet dismissed them for various reasons. I wish I could tell you the reasons, but I'm always sleep-deprived at these visits because they're after several nights of lost sleep due my dog's hacking.
Anyway, in past two weeks the coughing/hacking got significantly worse, uncontrolled by medication. Sunday night, she could not get comfortable, was pacing from room to room, hacking, wheezing, only sleeping in very short bouts, with help of gabapentin. It was a terrible night for us both and I felt like she was pleading with me to help her go.
I visited vet the next day (Mon, May 13th). I was ready to discuss euthanasia due to her distressed state, obviously discomfort, uncontrollable hacking. I also had some new suggestions from the support group to ask about, including Vetmedin and Lasix.
On Monday's visit the vet said her heart murmur sounded more pronounced. However, she would not prescribe any heart meds without at least another x-ray.
Tbh, I don't have another $600 for an x-ray when I already paid that for one less than 2 months ago.
The vet prescribed another round of prednisone, and said I could increase the dose of hydrocodone to 1.5 pills every 6 hours if needed.
This combo does reduce her coughing, but that much hydrocodone basically just knocks her out.
So, I began seriously considering euthanasia again, because having her drugged all the time, and desperately hacking in the time between doses, is no quality of life to me.
Additionally, her coughing snd prolonged health deterioration is having significant impact on my own well-being due to lack of sleep and missed work, and just general constant stress. Last night was another sleepless night for us both.
However, the CT support group has me convinced I should push to try vetmedin. Some say it's been like a wonder drug.
I'm on such a roller coaster, having already mentally and emotionally starting to prepare to say goodbye. I even made an appt for in-home euthanasia on Saturday. Now I'm wondering if I'll feel guilty if I don't push for this medication.
Again, I cannot afford another x-ray, let alone a cardiologist. I've spent so much for so long for so little improvement, I'm also emotionally spent after almost 2 years of this.
But, I'm really needing to hear from some vets.
I'm ready to let her go. Do I owe it to her to try to convince the vet to let me try Vetmedin?
I'm attaching a link with two videos of her terrible night on Sunday, her medical history, and 3 x-rays from March.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1saHMHDiIOW6Hov1EnOpWY44qVgokfjGW

Buckle up boys and girls cause this is gonna be a very long story but it’s juicy and it explains perfectly why I will never talk to my father again (;! Long ago back in 2016 when my parents divorced I we 10. During that time my parents fought a lot especially about my dad stealing my moms pills and money eventually my mom moved out during that time cause she had surgery so I didn’t see her for 6 months those 6 months were hell, I started at a new school, I had no friends, I lost a bunch of weight because my dad wouldn’t feed me, I stopped doing my homework cause he wouldn’t help me, he alienated from my mom and I hated her but In reality he verbally abused. I remember the time I had to hide in a closet cause he was on pills telling me “daddy’s has to go to bye bye” worst night of my life. It doesn’t stop there I eventually went to my new school cause I transferred but it was hard doing my 4th grade year having no friends and going through puberty. As the years would go on my dad barley told me he loved me, he fat shamed me and called me names, verbally abused me for years and I was very submissive because he would get violet when he go angry so I would do as he said I didn’t realize how bad it go until Covid of 2020 that’s when things became worse. My dad starts doing drugs and became an alcoholic and drug addict. He would leave me all by myself at home, was seeing some dude and spent all his money on him, forced me to drink beer when I didn’t want to, called me a failure and disappointed that’s when he got physically abusive the straw that broke that camels back was at his apartment when we got into a fight and he threw my iPad across the room I called my mom crying to come and get me he told me to get the fuck out so I did. Refused to see him after that I fully cut contact July 2022 it was very hard as much as I love my dad I had to do it for my peace. ofc to this day I realized he’s a narcissistic pos he abuses anyone especially if they become his scape goat. He refuses to apologize or take accountability to this day blaming me but u know what I forgave him for me not for him but for me I can say I don’t miss him and don’t even call him dad his name is Josh and that’s what I’ll continue to call him. He’s a loser who lives with his mom and works at a gas station so Karmas real he got karma. I’m happy in my life accepted and moved on that I have my mom and my friends and that’s all I need. Thank u for listening to my story. 🫶

(I don't really consider this advertising because as of right now we're in precisely 1 state lol)
I've been lurking here for some time. My quest to get these shots has lead me to partnering with a doctor and opening a new 100% virtual clinic, Big Easy Weight Loss. Currently, we're just in Louisiana, but we are expanding to new states as they are requested. We are dedicated to making this as safe, sustainable, social and smart as possible.
Our pricing:
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Bigger kicker for all of you - we are offering 10% off your membership for every person referred for as long as both of you are clients. Refer 10, and you get your membership waived. Refer 11? I haven't gotten that far, someone do it and make me figure it out lol
Would love to hear y'alls feed back, and how I can make this a more competitive offer for you all to think about switching. Let me know.
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Hello! I’ve lost 150 pounds in 12 years
I work out three days a week with two heavy lifting days and a third day being mostly cardio and weightlifting. On my heavy lifting days I’m eating about 2500 calories. On my non-heavy lifting days I eat about 1900 to 2100 calories and have been losing weight slowly, I am 6 foot. I am currently 227 pounds. Is this a sufficient weigh to slowly get down to 200?

I've been lurking here for some time. My quest to get these shots has lead me to partnering with a doctor and opening a new 100% virtual clinic, Big Easy Weight Loss. Currently, we're just in Louisiana, but we are expanding to new states as they are requested. We are dedicated to making this as safe, sustainable, social and smart as possible.
Our pricing:
$75/month Membership Fee (goes down if you pay quarterly/annually).
$165/month for Semaglutide $315/month for Tirzepatide
Bigger kicker for all of you - we are offering 10% off your membership for every person referred for as long as both of you are clients. Refer 10, and you get your membership waived. Refer 11? I haven't gotten that far, someone do it and make me figure it out lol
Would love to hear y'alls feed back, and how I can make this a more competitive offer for you all to think about switching. Let me know.
Dave - CEO / Big Easy Weight Loss

Idk if there's a specific subreddit to cry about something like this but I'm like ahh I need to tell someone this cause it's so embarrassing but my friends would bully me so hard for this. I am not looking for sympathy I’m just a weird person who can’t keep things to themselves. So I really wanted the Blossom Bunny Owala, I did not buy it until a month later since I figured it would be worth getting it since I thought about it everyday (I have autism for context). It's an American exclusive and I had a “brilliant” idea. In order to get free shipping and a 10% discount I could buy two of the bottles (one regular for water and one twist for my monsters I have to smuggle in for work since I work with toddlers and a parent complained about any kind of coffee being near children, I agree with that but we keep our drinks even water on a high shelf so they can’t reach like one of my coworkers needs me to reach and grab it for her) . Anyways they both shipped in their own boxes, okay fine two shipping rates probably $12-25 each, that’s an extra $40 I’ll survive… but nope $45 per box so $90 total I- There’s no way I am going to do the math and find out how much I paid for two bottles just going to live in bless and never touch my savings again lol! For anyone thinking I should have done some preparation, the shipping company has a calculator and I had to guess the weight and size and I must have been so horribly off, as well as I shipped a large box to ireland for my friend a like two months ago and only paid $57 so I figured shipping from one side of Canada to the other wouldn’t be as costly as Canada to Ireland 🤣. Thanks for listening to my boring story!