Magnetic earings for weight loss

So I (36 m) Have been fluctuating over the last 3-4 years between 200lbs and 235 lbs. I gain and lose weight rapidly. But the most recent gain was the death of my father, and the most recent loss was from coming out depression surrounding that.
I was fired in February, and have been working out religiously with a personal trainer. So not just weight loss, but muscle gain, and I feel great and look great too.
I started working for the competitor in the same market, in a public facing position. One of my customers I've been dealing with for years, mistook me as being related to myself today! Lmao
I played it up and said yeah, I am related to him, he's my twin brother. I kept it up for about 20 seconds before caving in.
I have never been in a situation where my efforts have resulted in not being recognized as myself.
This just adds to my positive reinforcement that what I'm doing is working, people are noticing, and I need to make this time the last time I lose that weight.

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Hi everyone! I had my double prophylactic mastectomy , then expanders; and then the expanders were replaced with implants. I then had to have reconstruction due to capsular contracture and everything was great after the implants were replaced. My father passed away last June and I experienced grief induced weight loss which has caused drastic rippling and well, my breasts look terrible. Does anybody know if there is a limit on insurance covered reconstructions? I did switched from Aetna to United due to the company I work for being acquired, but I am mortified with how my breasts now look and not sure if insurance will cover another reconstruction. The plastic surgeon I went to is amazing, I have not schedule an appointment yet, but ideally I would like to go with much smaller implants. Any input is much appreciated. Thank you!! PREVIVOR STRONG 💪🏼💗

TLDR; hirutism getting much worse despite a reasonably healthy lifestyle, need advice on how to mitigate it!
Hi there, I'm 23, and I have known I have had PCOS since about early 2021 when I went to my doctor (again) sobbing about my acne (as it had never gotten better despite being on the pill, then doxycycline for a number of years). I got a pelvic ultrasound which confirmed the left ovary was far bigger than the right, and I assume my bloods showed high testosterone etc, but I did not really have much help/follow up from doctors.
I am currently on year two of a Mirena IUD, and I had Jaydess in the past. Periods are too painful & heavy to not have contraception in, although I haven't been off contraception since 2019 (wondering if Mirena is interacting with androgens? Might be worth getting off it to see how things go?)
To give a full picture of me - they suspect I have endometriosis, possibly on lower colon as I have had IBS-related symptoms since I was about 17, although I have struggled with OCD & a phobia for as long as I can remember (a very anxious wee child). I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2019. (The endo has not been confirmed as I have not had a lap, but ever since I've had an IUD in the pain has been very manageable). I do struggle with very irregular periods, I seem to only get a few a year which upsets me a little as I wish they were regular.
Supplement wise - I am currently taking an Omega 3-6-9 complex, I've been taking it for 6 months consistently and have taken it on and off over the past three years. I have introduced a 500mg inositol supplement into my routine also in the last 6 months after reading about how much it helps, although I have only noticed my hirutism getting worse. I'm currently the most active I have been in two years as I have been working a ski season again (did this mid 2022 also and I felt my symptoms were much better during that period). I regularly take a Magnesium biglycinate powder, and have been a longtime magnesium taker. Due to cannabis being legal where I live, I do consume edibles on a regular basis but I always eat the high CBD content gummies, as I'm not super concerned about getting 'baked', and I know it helps with inflammation & lowering stress.
Diet wise - I went dairy-free when I was 17, and slowly started eating it again during a trip to Europe, and during first year of university but I kept having IBS attacks so I went dairy free again in 2020, and have been dairy-free since then, although have slowly reintroduced it again as I moved countries and find I tolerate the lactose-free products here a lot better, along with some hard cheeses & butter (low FODMAP). I find I get ibs attacks less frequently. Anywho, I also have dabbled in low-gluten and vegetarian/vegan diets but found I couldn't get enough protein in as a highly-active person if I give up meat AND dairy so I dabble in the two intermittently to ensure I get enough protein. I've been getting more into learning about gut microbiomes and whatnot so have been making a conscious effort lately to eat more probiotics/prebiotics such as greek yoghurt, kimchi, saurkraut and of course my favourite, kombucha.
I noticed hirutism appearing possibly around the same time as the dairy-free ness but I do naturally have very dark brown hair, my eyebrows & eyelashes are naturally pretty much black, and I've always had darker hair on my shins and pubic area. I try to avoid processed foods, but I do have an affinity for cured meats (salami is just a handy protein snack), and candy (but I find I crave it a lot less - is this inositol?). Worth noting I have never dealt with hair loss, it is very thick and grows super fast, and it has been dyed to absolute shit (which surprises me).
I remember occasionally getting the odd super long dark chin hair here and there, and I've been either microblading or using hair removal cream on my upper lip since I was about 17, but my acne has always superseded my opinion on my hair or made it difficult to wax/shave so I used to just pluck. I have had a little snail trail/lower navel dark hair for a long time too, and even got electrolysis on it for a bit when I was at high school but it just hurt too much. I take to plucking it when I get bored so I usually stay on top of it.
In the past year or so, possibly longer, I have noticed my hirutism has gradually been getting worse, as the usual 1 or 2 dark hairs on my breasts/chest slowly spread as the hair seems to be getting darker. I am feeling rather down about this and I don't feel as feminine whenever I find it. I accept I have naturally very dark hair but I feel at a loss as to why it's getting worse. I'm currently on my second round of isotretonin, which helped my skin considerably the first time around, but I did it during the winter, so my skin was fully clear when it came to summertime (have always found sunshine + ocean help my skin so much), for the first time since I was a child I had clear acne-free skin! I'm hoping the second time will kill it off but maybe I'm not so sure.
Worth noting also I am a healthy weight (I think?? my waist size is 28-30 inches, hasn't changed for as long as I can remember, some periods in my life I've been more of a 25-26. Probably have a bit more fat than muscle but been actually enjoying being a regular gym goer at the moment. Not a huge cardio person anymore. Do a lot of skiing. I weigh about 70 kilos and I am 173cm tall. Have not been near scales in about six months though haha). Not sure about insulin resistance or anything else.
I have noticed the chin hairs getting worse and worse, and there are longer, darker hairs going all down my neck now. I've always been a fairly hairy person but it's kind of getting excessive at this point and I'm at my wits end about it. Does anyone have any suggestions for lifestyle changes/tweaks I could try to mitigate it? Any supplements that help?

I have had thyroid problems for 14 years but my periods have seldomly become a problem until late last year . My synthroid dose was upped because my TSH was too high on the previous dose . It was right after that when I started getting very light periods for three months . Ultrasound and bloodwork done , checked all the hormones and estrogen was slightly low and testosterone right compared to a few months prior and A1c increasing . In addition my T4 became too high over the reference range . I asked if the light periods were related to my thyroid and the endocrinologist told me no , a small dose change can’t cause that . The light periods were put down to my weight and my PCOS , which I’ve had symptoms of since puberty started almost 20 years ago and no significant changes in weight before the periods became light . When I told my endocrinologist that my periods came back in February she attributed to the fact that I’ve lost 5 pounds but that was when my body was over metabolizing and I had light periods , unexplained sweating , and drumming in my ear all due to over medication .
The only advice I’ve been given by the endocrinologist and the family doctor is lose sight and your periods will be better . They told me the same thing for last year when for some unknown reason my ALT spiked to 255 and I developed multiple food sensitivities in the space of a month . Even for fatty liver that is too high but they said it was only that . They did other liver tests and two ultrasounds found nothing else and blamed it again on my weight . Over the past year my ALT declined to 100 but it wasn’t due to weight bc that hasn’t changed . Only next week am I scheduled to see the liver specialist when my situation pretty much resolved itself
Getting no help from western medicine , I started taking the soy pills which had helped another family member with light periods . Took it for a month and heavy flow was back . I put that down to the synthyroid dose decrease after my levels were found to be too high . But then even on the lower dose , my periods became light again after I stopped taking the soy pills for two months , and missed completely for one month . Started taking it again in mid April and I just got my second heavy period of the year , the last one being February .
I am glad to have found something that , but does this mean that I have to depend on these pills for me to have a proper cycle for years to come ? Prior to the synthyroid over medication the period flow was never a problem , once in a blue moon I would get a light one but would resume normal flow the following month . Never several months in a row .
Is anyone else fed up with western medicine and weight being blamed for everything ? I am .

Hi everybody! I am currently in my weight loss journey (hopefully) during covid ish time I went through a really rough breakup of my long term relationship and I gained 40 kilos, ideally I want to lose all of it but I’m starting with small goals and told myself to focus on losing 10 for now then go from there!
Now my question is do steps matter as much as everyone says they do? For example today I went for a 60 minute cycle along the beach, but that means I’ve done hardly any steps today (nowhere near the 10,000 everyone says to do) but I’ve done 60 minutes of cardio so should I still be trying to get my steps in as well?
I’ll be honest I’m absolutely shattered from the bike ride alone, I’m overweight and unfit so I don’t know if I could stomach doing 10,000 steps on a good day. But I do love cycling!

due to Vuong Pham's complete control of the Vietnamese media. He censored all the bad news so what appear to the clueless general Vietnamese public is a shinny VF3 and other Vinfast cars as if they are normal cars from a normal car company. Not.
Here are the list of things Vuong Pham censored in Vietnam i.e. no official media is reporting these newsworthy facts and truth:
1/ Vinfast is not a normal car company: it is a company teetering on the verge of bankruptcy with an astronomical debt, $9.3B total and $5.8 short term, huge yearly loss of $2.4B, and only miminal real sale (about $450M in 2023) where 80% of total sale are stuffing to GSM.
2/ Vinfast cars are not normal. They are very buggy with 15 cases of VF8 with broken front wheels. With the low number of cars on the road, the rate is very high, highest among all car brands.
3/ Numerous battery dead problems.
4/ The news of the Pleasanton crash killing 4 people in a burning VF8.
5/ The real world's range of VF3 is only about 120-140km, where the fake range 210 is the unrealistic NEDC standard.
6/ The news of Vinfast did not pay rent to Stanford Mall for a year.
7/ The news of the two ongoing lawsuits: class action lawsuit and the steel lawsuit.
8/ Vuong Pham sold cars in Vietnam at a much higher price than in oversea market, despite only 3% special tax and no import tax for full cars (only minor tax for parts), effectively milking Vietnamese to subsidize oversea customers.
Vuong Pham is all out attack with a media blizt on the VF3 right now and is pumping stock VFS / VIC / VHM full force, hoping that the Vietnamese public is still under his spell due to complete media control that no bad truth can reach the public. North Korean style. The tiny VF3 brouhaha is his last attempt, the swan song of Vuong Pham. News about new plant in Indonesia, expansion to Malaysia, the Phillipines etc... will continue to churn out to keep the media from being dried, but of course, with no substance because Vuong Pham does not have the money and the cars are not competitive anywhere else.
Well, many of these Vietnamese people are just clueless, not their fault but due to Vuong Pham's censorship, and the number of people who buy a Vinfast car will be much less if they know the truth, that Vinfast is a technically bankrupt company selling a buggy car.
Poor Vietnamese living in a communist country with propaganda and censorship.
Well, in this sub, we know the truth, a tiny population of only about 3900 people vs 100M Vietnamese + 400M American out there.
Good to know the truth.
Mean while, time will do their force when it is due: Vinfast will crumble under the weight of ever increasing debts and loss.
Just a matter of time.

I’ll go first: I’m on my 3rd? reread of the series and I haven’t gotten this far yet but one of the last chapters in RoW “One Final Gift” makes me cry every time I listen to it. Eshonai fights so hard and wins her fight against Odiums influence, but losses her battle for survival, while swearing her first ideal. She has one of those rare moments of one heavily invested at the time of death and therefore, persists as a cognitive shadow for a few minutes after the end. Her short conversation with the stormfather is heart wrenching, he doesn’t lie to her but he does show her pity or maybe even mercy, and blesses her with the greatest gift she could’ve gotten, to see. To see it all in a rush as the storms do, ride across the land at the speed of the winds, becoming the winds. I’m happy her soul found peace before moving to the beyond. She deserved better than to die alone at the bottom of a chasm though, an honorable warrior and the great protector of the listeners, the great general who wanted nothing more than to see the next hill. I can cry right now thinking about it.
Bonus round: A few chapters before that I think, another moment that breaks me when I hear it, mostly thanks to Kate Readings voice. I love every time we get a scene with Lady Leshwi, and the moment Venli reveals herself to her, oh man it is a soul ripping one. The weight of the grief in her voice when she asks if the spren have come back to them, if they’ve truly been forgiven. Then she begs for knowledge of a dear spren she once knew and the sorrow in her voice struck me to the bone. Her whole world changes knowing there is a chance for an actual change, an end to the endless war and suffering. It’s everything I could ever want in a scene.
I’d love to hear some of your favorite moments and how they affected you! Even if they get talked about a lot!

I'm here because i'm not really sure I'm getting the point of omad. The first time I tried it which was in March, I went from 209.2 to 203.8 in a week which was nice to see but then I gave up and gained the weight back. My diet consisted of anything but I ate it in a span of an hour. The time I ate wasn't consistent all the time.
On my second try in April, I went from 210.0 to 207.0 in 5 days but then I got stuck in the same weight. Again, the time I ate wasn't consistent and the only thing I changed in my diet was adding sparkling water, I drank it outside my eating window.
Basically I have a problem with knowing what I should be eating in that meal alone. In both my omad journeys I always ate a meal with some snacks. So maybe I shouldn't be snacking? Is it the inconsistent eating time? I don't know.
Starting Monday, which is May 20th, I'm starting my omad journey again and I wanna do it right this time. I hope the pounds really shake off this time in time for summer. I wanna have the confidence to wear swim suits and show some skin. Basically, I'm just asking what I should be doing and eating to promote weight loss, is there anything I can do to avoid hunger?

Gained weight a few months ago. It was mostly intentional and I didn’t feel too bad about it. But I have been feeling really low lately and I’ve been slowly back pedalling into full blown restriction.
I haven’t been able to restrict as low as I used to. I just can’t handle it, I get shaky, dizzy, and feel like I’m going to collapse if I eat less than my BMR, putting it down to age and length of ED. Currently eating about 1250 kcal a day, but I am also quite active day to day. I walk everywhere, and spend the majority of my day either on my feet at work, or doing house work.
My weight fluctuates have always been quite dramatic at a low weight. I will easily put on 1kg for seemingly no reason and then lose it the next day. Throughout my ED that as my weight got lower, and my weight loss slowed I would have weeks were I remained “stuck” in a 0.5 range and not budge despite restricting, and then weeks where I would suddenly lose a lot of weight. So I am wondering if that or what is happening now.
I am 3kg up from November ‘23 LW, I feel terrible about the gain even though (aside from some bloating) I don’t think I look visually that different, and most of my measurements are actually smaller than they were at my LW.
I must be in a deficit, I’ve had an ED long enough and for periods of time losing weight to dangerous levels has felt like my only skill. I am short and my weight is low but I don’t feel like 1250 kcals is enough + burning at least 200+ kcals a day through exercise is enough to maintain or even gain on. I am hungry, tired, in pain, and my brain is scramble from restricting. But despite my efforts, my weight won’t drop. I am so frustrated at my stupid body.
I am trying so hard to keep it together. I am an adult, I have responsibilities, I cannot give in to my self destructive urges and risk losing my job etc.
I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, I have been awake since 2:30am so I understand I might not be thinking that rationally right now. But I am actually so distressed by my weight. I stepped on the scale 30 mins ago and cried because my weight is up again! I just want to scream. I can’t take this much longer.

I find myself getting worked up and angry because of what I see online… And people’s views on not only bariatric surgery, but anything related to weight loss intervention (Ozempic and such).
I think we all want to feel valid, so I understand not listening to what other people think, but what I do see still bothers me. I’m down 70 pounds now since the start of March and every aspect of my life has gotten better. I walk/run 3 miles everyday. I haven’t cheated and have stuck to the instruction of my bariatric team to the letter. I look fantastic and quite frankly… I’m proud of myself. No being humble about it.
However, Instagram and TikTok’s algorithm have been feeding me more health related content lately, and when I look in the comment section for inspiration or stories or anything related… especially on Instagram… it’s overwhelmingly negative. Why is being overweight a demon that people seem to have little to no sympathy for… when other addictions get a pass, we’re treated like trash? There’s legitimate people out there who think we should bully and shame people into being fit. There’s a mindset that if you don’t do it like some influencer who followed some fad trend diet like 75 hard… or if you’re not this Goggins guy… or if you aren’t some super athlete… then you aren’t valid?
People are just… nasty. If you did anything to take control of your life that isn’t ultra traditional, then according to people online in certain spaces, you’re a cheater, fraud, undisciplined, and a quitter. I want to be as proud of myself as I can be, but it’s just depressing to me to see those things. It makes me question everything I’ve been through my entire life when it came to my weight. Other people’s opinions shouldn’t matter to me, but how can I be open about my surgery if this is how people act as soon as they’re veiled by online anonymity? How can I trust anyone isn’t talking behind my back about how I’m a fraud… with how many people act like that online?
It’s just upsetting to me. I don’t know. How do you tone those overwhelmingly negative voices out? For now… I deleted TikTok and Instagram. I don’t need to see that stuff anymore.
TL;DR - People are toxic online when it comes to sleeve or any other weight loss intervention, and that negativity is getting to me. It’s evoking a massive feeling of imposter syndrome.

Hi everyone! I have kind of a complicated situation I don’t know how to navigate.
After working with my primary care (PCP) for over a year on diet and exercise we have finally come to the decision to get on a weight loss injection. I’m in my husbands insurance through his employer (he works for the state). My pcp advised me to contact my prescription drug coverage company to see what medication they cover and when I reached out they informed me that the only way to get it covered was to sign up for the states “weight management program” and that once I got approved I would just have a copay.
Well, after looking into the “weight management program” it would appear that I have to agree to give the state access to my personal medical records AND I have to be one of the first 2500 people in the entire state to have applied for this program.
By the time I spoke with my doctor about getting on this medication the program had already reached its maximum of 2500 participants for the year. Even if it hadn’t though, I do not like the idea that in order to get a medication that my doctor has deemed medically necessary for me that I have to sign up for a program run by the state and share my personal medical information to be able to MAYBE qualify to have this medication covered.
When I explained this entire thing to my primary care doctor she stated that this is unethical and possibly even illegal. She isn’t familiar enough with the laws though to know for sure.
Is there anyone more familiar with insurance laws that could give me any insight into this? I can share the state if necessary/allowed, I just don’t want to break the rules of sharing identifying info about the other party.
TLDR: my husbands state employee insurance requires members to share their medical records and be one of the first 2500 people in the state to apply to their “weight management program” in order to get medically necessary weight loss medications approved through insurance.

Age: 22
Sex: F
Height: 5’1”
Weight: 164 lbs
Race: hispanic
Duration of complaint: 3 months
Location: abdomen
Currently have high cholesterol. bad cholesterol count of 103 according to my primary care.
Current medications: metoclopramide 5mg. sertraline 25mg, pantoprazole 40mg
i’ll include pictures of some tests that i’ve had done in the comments if i can.
Gonna try to include as best of a description of my symptoms as i can, i’ll also try to edit anything if it makes my description better.
this all started 2 months ago. literally the last week of february. at the time i wasn’t on any type of medication. nothing changed in my eating habits, except for the fact that i’d had panda express for the 1st time ever starting in february.
i became constipated suddenly one afternoon and this continued for a week. went to the doctor and i was sent to get a ct scan. but obviously, i’m not familiar with medical terms. from what i understand, there’s evidence of slow transit through my small bowel, but don’t know where or why exactly.
symptoms include: constipation accompanied by side and abdominal discomfort/aches/ pains. my upper abdominal area aches a lot some days. it feels as if the area right under the breast bones wants to cramp up. i feel burning in my stomach and abdomen too. gas is hard to pass somedays and feels trapped. i also have upper back aches. doctor told me it’s because of my small intestine. i also have lower back aches as well, but was told it could be because of kidney stones i didn’t even know i had, but just thought i’d mention this. i have diarrhea (once i went and it was very watery,) loose stools, stools with mucus of varying shapes and consistencies. the mucus on my stool is clear and white and appears like strings on my stool. sometimes i’ll have a semi normal movement, but with mucus. sometimes my stool will be thin, in small pieces, or just very loose even after a “normal” bowel movement. other times i’ll go but it’s just mucus. all my stools are also slimey in texture from what i can tell. also, everytime i wipe my stool it’s yellow in color with mucus and/or clear fluid.
also, not sure if this has to do with my current condition but have been wiping light red blood after i go, both with my more solid stools and loose ones. in one instance i even wiped only blood. there’s also been times where i’ve seen streaks of blood on my stool too. clear fluid also seems to be leaking out of my anal area…. clear mucus sometimes too. the mucus that comes out sometimes has pieces of stool/liquid that is the color of my stool. even with the supplements and meds i’ve been given i’m lucky if I go even once a day now, but constipation is getting worse in my opinion.
in late march/early april i started to experience nausea, heartburn, acid reflux, and severe loss of appetite. all of these symptoms have persisted since. i no longer eat any of the food i used to. i can’t eat fast food or meat any more. i’m sticking to fruit, no citrusy fruits, crackers, soups, and cereal with almond or lactose free milk. even with these changes in diet my symptoms have persisted.
i eat very little because i just don’t feel hunger like i used to at all. even if i do i find that i get full very easily. i’m bloated after i eat as well. also, like i said i’m constipated so my bowel movement are little to none.
i currently still have all of the symptoms above and they don’t seem to be improving.
in a addition to a ct scan i’ve gotten tested for a blood infection, negative. celiac disease blood test came back negative. stool test for h pylori came back negative. a test to find if there was any blood digested and present in my stool came back negative. a stool test that was done to measure levels of fat in my stool came back indicating normal levels of fat in my stool. i also got an ultra sound for lumps that appeared on my abdomen but it was found that they were just fatty lumps. i also got an endoscopy in late april where 3 tissue biospies were taken. apparently, the 3 things they tested for all came back negative. other than a bacterial infection, i have no idea what else they ruled out. i’m not even white sure what bacterial infections they ruled out.
honestly, i’m getting more questions than answers at the moment and just want to know if there’s any more testing that i should ask for. what could possibly be happening to me and why?

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Suzanne thought it was absolutely brilliant of me to put books on a flash drive for Sun. She explained that Sun wasn’t as sophant (her word, not mine) as she might seem, more of a repository of information, but she was fairly intelligent. It was how she was able to connect Andrew being in pain to the fact that I was friends with Andrew, and that I would want to know that he was in trouble. Apparently some of Sun’s species had given some ‘wisdom’ to others in the past and it had made its way into mythology.
The key fact was that she was not smart enough to protect herself and her kind from the clever, organized poachers. With that information in mind, it was fascinating for me to think of how Sun took in and organized what she learned. It was almost as if she was a walking, talking library.
On the topic of tours, my first one went wonderfully, and I’m almost hoping Suzanne lets me do more of them. I know not all the tourists are going to be as awesome as these people were, but Suzanne gave me a lot of slack when it comes to dealing with them. She actually said that being a smartass is not grounds for dismissal, and that if I’m sarcastic or facetious to guests who are being ‘daft’ and they complain, she really doesn’t care. Is this the perfect job for me or what?
There were four guests in this party, two adults who were sisters and two children of one of the women, brothers aged thirteen and seventeen. The tour was a birthday gift for the older of the boys from his aunt, since apparently he was passionate about animal protection and conservation.
When they arrived at the front gate, I was sitting at Andrew’s desk, going over the booklet of information one last time. When the visitors pressed the button that sounded the alert buzzer, I tucked away in a drawer and let them in. I did have a cheat sheet with information about the animals on my phone just in case, a brief notation of each of them and which enclosure they were in, but I really didn’t need to use it.
Exiting through the front door, I saw them walk up the path toward me. “Hi, I’m Ripley,” I said, holding out a hand toward the woman closest to me.
She shook it firmly. “I’m Denise. This is my sister Carla and my nephews, Wesley and Jason,” she said, motioning to each of them in turn.
“I heard it’s your birthday,” I said to Wesley, giving him a smile. “You’re interested in animal conversation?”
“Back where we live, yeah,” he said, nodding. “The animals that you’ve got here are incredible. I can’t wait to see them.”
“Well, I can’t wait to show them to you,” I said. “Right this way.”
I led them on the path around the building, toward enclosure one. Despite the horrific memories of the animal killing Stanley’s friends, I knew it was just an animal, and I had to push past my feelings on what had happened. Keeping a small smile on my face, I motioned to the enclosure. “Fiercely territorial and amazing hunters, despite their large size, they’re arboreal and known to dart from tree to tree with barely a sound. This is one of only about two thousand left in existence.”
“Two thousand, three hundred and fifty six at last count,” spoke Wesley, his eyes on the trees.
I blinked, surprised and impressed. “Well that was fantastic. Do you plan on stealing my job when you graduate?”
Wesley looked at me with a grin. “Nah, everyone knows Suzanne only offers humans this gig. And I want to help animals like this one get off the endangered species list. The zoos are great for awareness and fundraising, but then the money has to go somewhere. I want to be doing the real work.”
“That’s really great,” I told him. “I wish you all the best in that career path.” At that, we saw the animal climb down from the tree, wandering a few yards from the tree line. This was because 90% of the time, when humans were at their enclosure and making noise, whether it was speaking to each other or calling out to the animal, it was someone bringing them prey to eat. Or, in my case, enrichment toys to play with.
“Whoa,” Wesley whispered.
“How close can we get?” spoke up Jason.
“The warding starts at the fence,” I told him with a small gesture. “So, just there.”
Both boys wandered closer and I glanced at their parents. It seemed that Suzanne’s zoo had a serious reputation for high quality invisible walls, because they didn’t look worried in the slightest about the boys being hurt or killed.
“They prefer dense forest as their home and have been known to make their nests in trees up to twenty meter in the air,” I continued. “And when hunting, they’ve been seen dropping eight meters straight down. They have incredibly dense yet flexible musculature, which allows them to tackle their prey without injuring themselves.”
There was more information about the animal that I continued to rattle off, though Wesley chimed in at certain points with the info I was about to convey. That was highly entertaining and very cool. When I’d been in school, I’d never met anyone who had my level of passion about endangered animals. I wondered if things were better where these folks came from, but realized that considering there were so few of these animals left, I guessed not.
The animal paced a little bit, seemingly waiting to see if we were the kind of humans that came bearing food, before deciding we weren’t and climbing back up into the trees as easily as I would climb some stairs.
As we moved onto enclosure two, Jason spoke up. “Are there any animals here we can touch or feed or something?”
I sighed inwardly before slowing to a stop. “Well, can you show me your hands?” Jason looked bemused, holding out his hands. “I mean…they both look like they’re in great shape. You can stand to lose one.”
The two women chuckled and Wesley smirked as Jason shoved his hands into his pockets. “Very funny.”
Grinning, I started walking again. “The animals here are all carnivores and all predators. You get to see them, but that’s it.”
“Alright.”
When we reached enclosure two, I started on my next spiel. “We’ve got three reanimated dead in this enclosure,” I spoke. They were just coming out from the trees as we arrived, presumably having heard our approach. “Marissa, Connor, and Bradley. They were donated by families who knew where they would be exhibited. Their next of kin, whoever they are, can’t stand the idea of putting them down. But we need to make sure they don’t have access to corpses, because one of them plus one corpse equals two of them.”
“They eat flesh though, don’t they?” Wesley asked.
I nodded. “Oh, yeah, but it’s from bodies that have already been dismembered. There’s no chance of them being affected by the transformation because it’s all parts.”
“Oh, got it.”
The creatures with blueish-white skin had superhuman strength, which is why they qualified for the security of Suzanne’s zoo. They also were likely the source of any Earth tales of people being brought back to life as zombies, specifically draugr, according to my research. They smelled like rotting flesh, so even as I kept talking about them and giving a background to the people they used to be, we were quick to move on once Wesley had gotten a good, long look at them.
“Enclosure four’s animal is a vampiric spirit. He’s a small, hairy humanoid creature with pointed ears. He wears a hat, and if he somehow loses it, he freaks out,” I said.
“They eat horses,” Wesley noted. “Also anything that gives them the chance to sit on it, usually catching them by surprise while they’re sleeping.”
The creature came out from the brush, giving us a suspicious look. He wasn’t in his humanoid form though; for some reason, he’d chosen to shapeshift to a dog.
I nodded. “Yep, indeed. Once the prey is dead, then he’ll eat it, and he has a voracious appetite. We have two wolves and two bears in the forest, which is one of the reasons I’ve got some self-defense items,” I said, patting my belt where my pepper spray (rated for bear) and my taser. “But the wards keep them out of this area of the zoo, so it’s really not much of a worry. It’s also a known shapeshifter, preferring the form of a dog, as you can see, as well as a cat, a snake, or even white butterflies, though the last one is rare.”
“The white butterflies are supposed to be a sign of good luck,” Wesley said, glancing to me. “Too bad we got the dog.”
“Yeah, otherwise you might be able to talk your mom into getting scratch-offs on your way home, huh?”
Wesley smirked at me.
The next enclosure was Spike, and he was waiting for us, dripping wet from having just emerged from the lake. I gave the introductory information about him, which included his propensity for eating animal eyes, nails, and teeth. “Recently, I’ve given him some enrichment activities, and I learned he likes artichokes, pecans, and hazelnuts,” I said, taking a bag out from my cargo shorts. “Wesley, do you want to toss this bag into the enclosure?”
The boy’s eyes widened and he nodded excitedly. He took a look into the paper bag before wrapping down the top to make sure nothing would fly out. Then he chucked it underhand past the fence. It landed a few yards from Spike, who waddled over to it quickly and tearing the bag open, spilling out the prizes inside. As the animal ate the pecans and hazelnuts, Wesley asked, “How’d you figure out he likes those?”
“It’s not all about taste,” I told him. “It’s mainly the difficulty of getting them out of the shells. He’s used to having to work for the parts of his prey he likes the most, so this mimics that activity, and he enjoys the process. I tried a bunch of different foods to find a few he liked.”
“Cool,” Wesley murmured, staring at him.
We watched Spike eat until he’d finished and then he went back into the woods, leaving us to move onto enclosure five. Japanese camellia were plentiful here, a type of pink flower, and that was because they grew anywhere near one of his species made their den. “This girl spends most of her time in the lake also,” I said, as the creature made its way toward the fence separating us from it. “But as you can see, she’s just as curious as the rest about what we’re doing here and whether we have food for her. She eats fish mostly, but she also regularly gets live prey.”
This creature was a spider-like monster, having six legs with long claws on each, and the head of an ox with two sharp horns. She was capable of shapeshifting to look like a human, but I guessed that she wasn’t fond of it, since I hadn’t yet seen her in that form.
“She prefers the easy way of catching prey, so to speak, by hiding in the lake and pouncing when something comes for a drink of water,” I explained. “Apparently humans are some of her favorite prey. She has an advantage of being able to spit poison, which often hits her prey in the eyes. But it’s usually used in defense rather than offense, since it secretes a limited amount.”
“What kind of animal would even go after something like this?” Jason asked, staring at her.
“Never discount one of its own species when you’re thinking about what might attack an animal,” I replied. “There are places that are breeding all of the animals here, but competition for mates is common. That means an advantage in a fight, like poison or venom, can make or break who the winner is.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
“It can’t spit past the warding, right?” Carla suddenly asked.
“Oh, no,” I assured her. “We’re fine. The wards wouldn’t let anything cross over.” She nodded, appeased.
The animal in enclosure six was the ginormous seal-hippo, Fiona, and she was looking at us as if she was imagining sprinkling us with herbs and spices and stuffing us in an oven. “This girl is one animal I’m going to work on enrichment activities for next,” I told them. “She prefers to feed on crayfish, though she’s happy to eat any humans that wander into her territory. She’ll even make a sound like a baby crying to reel us in. I’ve heard it a bunch of times.”
“Can you get her to make the sound?” Jason asked, perking up.
I grinned. “Not on command, sorry.”
“What enrichment are you thinking of trying?” Wesley asked.
“Possibly food placed in puzzle feeders,” I told him, “since she has claws that are pretty dexterous. Maybe a piñata made out of newspaper with flour inside, or a scarecrow that mimics a human.”
“Awesome,” he muttered.
After a little more educational tidbits, we moved onto Yui’s enclosure. “What is that?” Wesley asked, smiling.
“I got Yui the closest thing I could to a ping-pong ball,” I replied. “She quite likes it.”
“That’s so funny,” he said as she came out of the trees in her spider form. “I mean, the idea of her being a bloodthirsty hunter who seduces men to their deaths and eats them alive, but then on the other hand, she likes playing with something like this.”
“It is a little funny,” I agreed. “But when it comes down to it, all the animals here enjoy activities besides hunting.”
“She can shapeshift to look human, right?” asked Jason, trying to be casual about knowing something factual like his nerdy brother.
I nodded. “She looks like a woman from a region of Earth called Japan. And she’ll use strategies like holding out a hand to shake to get you closer. She tried that on me when I first got here but, as you can see,” I said, holding up my hands and waving them, “I didn’t fall for it.”
The boys both laughed as they got closer to the fence, watching her slowly pace near the trees.
Next was Sun, but she didn’t make an appearance as I spoke about her species. “Well…unfortunately we can’t guarantee that every animal comes out to say hi,” I sighed. “But…oh wait, here she is.”
The green lion with several horns and many eyes along her flank came out from the forest. “Hello,” she spoke.
“Hi, Sun,” I replied. “We have visitors.”
“What’s that?” Wesley asked suddenly, pointing at the small plastic bag that was still where I’d left it.
“Oh! That is Sun’s enrichment,” I said with a smile. “I put dozens of books on a flash drive and found that she can read them just like she’d read a shelf of books.”
Wesley’s eyes widened. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve read about anyone trying that before. That’s really cool.”
“The books are new and interesting,” Sun spoke, drawing our attention. “I’m grateful for them.”
I nodded to her. “You’re quite welcome.”
The next animal, unfortunately, wasn’t there, and we waited around for ten minutes as we discussed him. He was large and reptile-like with red eyes, with its hind legs and tail making him look vaguely like a kangaroo. Then, enclosure ten was a terrifyingly disturbing creature, the not-a-centaur with no skin, that I’d only seen a few times while walking my route. It gave a good demonstration of its ferocity, showing its sharp teeth and snapping at us a few times.
“I’m thinking of trying salt licks and other horse enrichment like a big bouncy ball,” I told Wesley, whose eyebrows went up at that. “Maybe give him more things to forage like scattered grains or a box filled with pinecones and seeds. Foraging is a huge part of a horse’s life in the wild, and humans have to do a lot of activities like that to keep pet horses busy. Of course, he also loves the little salt-water lake that was built for him.”
We spent some time looking at the animal before moving past our last stop, the empty enclosure of the animal was stolen. Carla glanced at me with a sad smile, knowing what had happened, it seemed. I gave her a nod as we continued on our way, walking into the office. “So, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves!” I said with a smile.
“That was the coolest birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” Wesley said, looking to Denise. “Thanks so much, seriously.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said with a nod. “I’d never been here before, and knew I’d find it fascinating. Thank you for the educational aspect,” Denise said, glancing at me. “I learned quite a lot.”
“Happy to hear it,” I said, returning the nod.
As I escorted the guests out of the zoo and locked the door behind them, I reflected on how much I’d changed. The first time I’d seen Yui’s tarantula form, I’d nearly passed out from fear. Now here I was, walking tourists around like it was no big deal. Humans really can adapt to anything, it seems.
That afternoon, Suzanne had texted me that she was coming by after my shift, and I met her in Andrew’s office, shutting the door to the security room behind me. “How’s Andrew?” I asked first thing.
“He’s doing well,” she said with a wide smile. “Back on non-hospital food. He’s allowed to order food on his phone, and to hear it from him, that’s the best news he’d received in a long time.”
I chuckled. “I guess some clichés are true for a reason.”
“Indeed.” She took a breath. “All right. Ripley…I would like to discuss something with you.”
My face went slack at the serious tone in her voice. “I’m not… Am I being fired?”
“What? No!” she exclaimed. Then she chuckled softly. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just, here, let’s have a seat.” Suzanne walked over to the couch and sat at one end, and I took the other. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve kept from you, that I wanted to keep from you until you found your sea legs here.”
“Well…I have,” I said with a nod. “So, what is it?”
Suzanne took a breath. “I knew your mother.”
The words hung in the air for a moment before making their way to my ears. It was a perfectly logical sentence, and yet it didn’t make any sense. “What?” I finally managed.
“When you graduated college, I decided to move the zoo from Italy to within driving distance of your home,” she said softly. “Near enough to your town that you’d see the advert. We ignored any other applicants and I hoped you’d apply. Actually, I expected you’d apply. Not just for the money, but considering the field you wanted to go into. As soon as I’d found out your major, I knew.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said, holding up a hand. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “How do you know Patricia?”
“She owned the zoo before I did,” Susan explained. “Fourteen years ago…she was working to track an injured animal that we could bring into the zoo and she was killed by poachers.”
My heart calcified in my chest and a lump lodged in my throat. As my breaths became shaky, I stared at her in shock. “She…she’s really dead?”
“You suspected?” she asked softly.
“It…” I swallowed hard. “We had her declared legally dead after…I don’t know, seven years I think. My dad wanted to go after her for child support, but the police said…they said they couldn’t find…” Tears came to my eyes and I blinked them back before I met Suzanne’s gaze. “She owned the zoo?”
Suzanne nodded. “It was her baby, you’d say. When Patricia passed, I inherited it, which we’d discussed beforehand, a legal just-in-case that I never expected her to need. I’m under the impression that you were told she went to Africa for her photography career, but she was in fact going to remote areas back in my home world almost every time.”
“But I-I saw the photos,” I said, my eyes narrowing. “You’re telling me she put on a show of getting pictures that someone else took for us to see every time she visited? Did my dad even know?”
“I suppose that’s an accurate way to put it, putting on a show. And no, your father was never told. It’s not the way of things to tell humans unless it’s necessary. I won’t bore you with the details, but us and humans, we’re distant relatives, so we can still have children. But it wasn’t planned. Your mother fell in love with your father despite herself; she hadn’t meant to find love. Then she became pregnant with you and…well, the rest is history.”
“I think she had a different definition of love than the one I have,” I said tightly. “You’d think she’d have put her survival as more of a priority. Put being with the man she ‘loved’ as a priority. Her kids needed her. I needed her. She signed up when she became a mom. She could’ve screwed up all the time but she couldn’t even manage that one job: be there. When I was in the hospital, I kept thinking, ‘Where is she?’ and now you’re telling me that she put these animals above being there for her kids, and this whole time she’s been dead.”
“The hospital?” she asked, furrowing her brows.
“Never mind,” I said tersely, averting my gaze.
Suzanne hesitated before she nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss, and not just for her death, Ripley,” she told me. “Patricia was…well, a ‘free spirit’ would be putting it gently. She always assumed the world would be there for her whenever she needed it.”
Staring at her for a long moment, I shook my head. “Why? Why come here and hire me?”
“I thought that would be obvious,” she said, smiling. “Your mother was so passionate about this place and once I found out your college major, I figured you would be as well.”
“Did you know that I hate her?” At that, Suzanne’s expression froze on the edge of shock. “She…she left us,” I whispered. “Didn’t tell us who she was or what she really did for a living and gave us no closure. And even when she was here, it was just visiting. Her real home was her work. She could give me all the presents she wanted, but even when she was here, half the time she was still on her computer doing work. It’s not like that stereotype of never making it to my tennis practice or something; it’s that it always felt like she was only partially here, even when I was sitting next to her. I don’t even know if I appreciate her turning me into a wildlife fanatic because it…it…makes me feel like I’m close to her in a way that’s just infuriating. She loved the animals more than she loved us.”
“Oh, Ripley-”
“Don’t,” I said, shoving myself to my feet. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”
“I wasn’t going to,” she said quietly. I pursed my lips. “I was going to say that I’m sorry that was the case. Your mother was…flawed, just like any other person. She had two loves in this world: her family and her work. And often, her work overcame her, her zeal for environmentalism getting in the way of being a good mum. She left your father trying to fill the role of two parents, holding your family together. You and your brother and your father, you all deserved better than that.”
My lower lip quivered but I bit down on it hard. It would’ve been a lot easier for me if she’d been speaking from a place of clueless reassurance about all this. But everything she said was making sense and that meant I didn’t have someone in front of me to be angry with.
“Why didn’t you tell me when Andrew hired me?” I sighed, sitting back down on the couch.
“Well, like I said, I wanted you to find your sea legs,” she said with a small smile. “I didn’t want the truth affecting whether or not you wanted to work here, whether you wanted to stay here after finding out about what the animals are. It would’ve complicated things, the emotions you’ll have to work through now that you know the truth. Whether or not you decide to give another tour, you also know what they’re like. That’s the benchmark I wanted you to reach before you found out about who you are.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who I-” My face went slack. “Wait.”
Suzanne nodded slowly. “You’re only half human. Your brother too.”
The room seemed to tilt on an axis for a moment. “That means I’m also half…what?”
“We call ourselves Eldritch, these days,” she replied.
My eyes bugged out. “What?” I exclaimed. “So you’re all, like, gods or something?”
Suzanne burst out laughing. “Oh no, goodness, no,” she chuckled. “It’s just a word. We live in a very different world from this one, and a few generations ago we discovered the word and it made its way into our lexicon. But it does mean you can see all the animals. Indeed you did, on the tour you gave.”
“Wait, no, I had the glasses that…” I stopped. “Did those glasses do anything?”
She gave a sly smile and shook her head. “Not a thing. You made incredibly quick progress, and then when it came time for the tour, all you needed was to expect to see the animals, and you did.”
Genetics. That’s what Andrew had said during our interview, that part of how many animals you could see was determined by genetics. I guess having a mother who was originally from the other dimension gave me all the genes I needed to see everything here. “Could I…visit your world?” I asked tentatively. “You said that my mom took photos of the animals there. Could I…” My voice trailed off, not even sure if or how I wanted to finish that sentence.
“Those who are half human, especially those who are raised on Earth, don’t come visit,” she said gently. “I could show you some photos of other animals, and I could loan you as many books as you’d like, but it’s simply not a place where you’d be safe.”
“Oh,” I said, leaning into the couch cushion as I pictured the animals in the zoo. “Yeah, actually that…makes sense.” I paused. “So, what now?”
“It’s up to you,” she said. “I wanted to wait until I was sure you were comfortable with your position here, and then put the ball in your court. And so it is. What do you want to do now?”
What did I want to do? It wasn’t that difficult a question, just a deep, serious one.
I wanted to thrive, as the animals did. This is my enrichment now, working at an incredible, wonderful, terrifying zoo. The experience so far hasn’t been perfect, and I know there are risks, but life isn’t about staying safe. It’s about learning new things and making a difference in the world. And, if you’re lucky, having a job that’s something really special.
​
THE END
​
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So, I’m trying to come up with a fictional term for a scientific process/study in a story. I’d like it to have a Greek etymology, and for the basic meaning of the term to be ‘to know using light’ or ‘to come to know through light’. So, I’ve determined it should have ‘phos/photo’ in it and the word ‘ginosko’ which is a less cerebral and more intimate type of ‘knowing’ based on what I’ve read, which is perfect for the story. But from here I’m stuck. The term ‘phos/photoginosko’ lacks verisimilitude to my ear, and maybe more importantly, it sounds like a noun and doesn’t read like the name of an act or process in the way of, say, photography, phosphorescence, photosynthesis etc etc. I feel like there might be something Im missing with how Greek conjugates too (I do not know Greek so I’m at a loss on this one.)
I’d love any advice on how people think this word could be constructed to make it sound legit, or resources that would help me construct the word on my own. Thank you!

Yall are gonna get tired of me I swear 🤣
Anyway I was wondering if anyone else has seen this particular side effect.
Before my extractions I was CONSTANTLY craving sweets and junk and damn near never quit eating because I was constantly hungry. I also battle pcos so that was not a good thing for my blood sugar.
Well tonight I noticed that it was 10 o'clock pm and realized "I haven't eaten since 2pm." I had this issue several days ago where I literally forgot to eat. And anyone who is familiar with metformin knows why this is bad and what happened the next morning after my night time dose. 😬.
I have not been hungry since having this done and while it is leading to the weight loss my doctors keep harping on me about, it can't be healthy to just forget to eat lol... Right?
And it isn't a matter of not being able to use my dentures because I learned how to eat without them. I just literally forget to eat. Today I've had 1 full meal and 4 chicken tenders. That's it. So is it just me?

I had gallbladder removal surgery on May 8th. It's now May 18th. And between that time frame I have gained 9 pounds.
I am 34 Female, had gastric sleeve surgery July 2020. I went from 420 to 296. April 2023 I started a weight loss injection, and unfortunately my insurance no longer covers it and I discontinued it Mid April this year, after having lost another 60 or so pounds (before this weight gain) over the course of the year. I still have another 54 or so to go for my personal goal of 180 (it's still considered overweight but my stature would look disproportionate).
Anyways. I weigh in on Saturday mornings first thing then the scale goes away for the week. Every 4 weeks I do fluctuate up a pound to three because of PMS incoming. I weighed in on May 4th and was up 1.8lbs from prior week but It was the 4th week rough area. Then I had my surgery. I weighed on May 12th, and was up 5.1! The 12th was not my Saturday so I weighed again today, May 18th and I'm up another 4.0lbs! How!
I'm indulging in some comfort foods. Yes. But also cold cut things, veggie tray stuff, meat tray things (family brought in stuff for ease of eating for my family since I'm out for now). Even at my highest weight I wasn't gaining 5 pounds in 6 days!
I know I just had surgery, and some of it is my PMS (hasn't started but the effects come rolling in and last a week or two before falling off), but not to this degree. I've never gained weight this fast. Reviews even coming off of a weight loss medicafjon doesn't even reflect something THAT rapid. I'm 10 days post op. If it's due to surgery would I not still be going up in weight by now? Wouldn't it have subsided and evened off by now?
I need guidance on this. Is this normal? To fluctuate this much, thos upwards, 10 days post still? After all I've been through, and done as well, that I'm terrified I'm gaining this all back. It took my a year to lose 60 pounds and In 10 days I've gained 1/6 of that back!
Is this normal? To still see weight be going up like this? Does it stop? How long does it last if so?
I havemt been the most sedentary. Doing things more than I probably should be already but I've been moving around a lot. Not just sitting. Taking diuretic medication to help fluid. I had twins in November 2020. In 8 months time I only gained 30 with them. So this is absolutely insane to me.
Help?

Hi all. Just found this sub. I was officially diagnosed last month when the MRI results came back. It all started for me after my TBI 8 years ago. I've been through many working theories of what this might be: vestibular migraines, inner ear infections (like the part that looks like a snail). Diagnosis wasn't easy as my hearing loss is already permanent (I was in a coma and awoke from that with a unilateral hearing loss, of course it was the side affected by Meniere's too), and all symptoms persist for upwards of a week at a time.
I'm on Betahistine for the dizziness, and it's amazingly effective. But has anyone found anything that helps the nausea or headache? Advil and gravol don't touch it

I am in desperate need of some thong suggestions for my aurola shorts. I used to just wear nothing, but I’ve noticed that after some serious weight loss I’ve got camel toe I’m constantly rearranging. Now with my dark teal color that’s whatever, but i just bought two XS shorts in light colors and like it is showing all the goods. Do any girls have any brand suggestions or tips for what i can weado to make this not as noticeable? I know some of y’all don’t care, and that’s totally fine, but it’s so tight you can see my unshaven area, and i just can’t have that. If this is the wrong sub for this, please let me know.

Hi all, I’m looking for some positive stories and kind words. I just started merformin for PCOS and am feeling down. It has been only two weeks, and at first I was very excited to see weight loss in the future, but now I’m feeling like maybe I was expecting miracles. I have been heavy my whole life, and quite frankly l’m tired of it. I go for walks regularly, am active, and I don’t constantly eat junk and yet I’m at the heaviest I’ve ever been. I know it’s too soon, but I’m worried change won’t come. I’m thinking about my weight 24/7 and no longer love my body. I know two weeks is nothing, I’m just ready for this.