Oh, that makes sense. My doctor did test mine, but she warned me that the test is just a snapshot, and that the levels can fluctuate wildly from day to day.

I have a Misfit and I really like it. It's super simple, just counts steps and sleep. But that's all I need most of the time. I like that it's waterproof just in case (even though I don't swim - I am a clutz, so you never know!) and I know this isn't the most important thing, but it's cute too. (I bought the gold one. :) ) My husband and I also have Garmin GPS watches. He uses his all the time because it tracks heart rate, location (it maps your route for you), speed, all kinds of stuff. I only use mine when we go for a hike that is new territory or longer than usual or otherwise different in some way. (ETA: we don't have the Vivosmart, though, so I'm not sure how that compares. Sorry!) If you want a lot of detailed information, Garmin is great. If you want to keep it really simple, the Misfit is great. Obviously FitBit must be pretty good overall, because they are hugely popular. I bought the FitBit Surge and was super excited about it even though it was bulky on my small wrist, and far from pretty. But it was a piece of junk that never worked right. A $250 piece of junk! I returned it and was disinclined to try again, even though I know my experience was probably atypical.

I've been advised by more than one doctor to take fish oil and Vitamin D, so I take those. I think the evidence for those is pretty compelling. I live in an extraordinarily sunny place, and even so my family doctor told me that he went through a time when he routinely checked his patients' Vit D levels, and since everyone he tested was deficient, he stopped bothering with the test and just started recommending the supplement. So I figure that if even people who live here, at high altitude with bright sunlight 360 days a year, can be deficient, probably everybody could use Vit D. Those are more for long-term health, so I don't expect any noticeable short-term benefits, and haven't found any. I've tried other supplements in the past, and gotten zero results. My theory is that unless you are deficient, you're not going to be helped by supplements. Herbs never did anything for me either. Nor did the incredibly overpriced "superfood" supplements that I tried. Cutting sugar out of my diet has been the single best thing I've ever done for my health. I think foods are more powerful than supplements: I tried probiotics for chronic digestive problems, with little to show for it. I cut out grains and started eating more fermented foods, and that made all the difference. So, I'm a skeptic. But this might help - this is an interactive chart that shows you what (if any) evidence exists for various supplements: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-supplements/

You can have your hormone levels tested, if you really want a definitive answer. I think the skipping periods thing, like redsquirrel mentioned, is the simplest way to know. Also: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/perimenopause/basics/symptoms/con-20029473

You will most likely feel profoundly better either tomorrow or the next day. Your body has run out of glycogen stores, and it's making the switch to burning ketones instead of glucose. Right now, you're running on empty. But you will feel better soon. And increased electrolytes (especially sodium) are very important on low-carb. For me, if memory serves, it's days 3 and 4 that stink, and day 5 and beyond that makes it so worthwhile! So hang in there. :grouphug:

Usually 100-150, but tonight has been quieter than usual. Only 80 so far, and I don't expect many more at this point.

Are you on a low sodium diet, or any medications that could affect electrolyte balance?

TechWife, thank you for the correction and explanation. I can't claim to understand all of what you've said, but I'm working on it! :) That part I did understand. One of the few things! :)

Oops, yes, I didn't do a great job of thinking through my analogy there. I certainly agree with you that the glory and the gratitude for all the cleaning up belong entirely to God. It is not something that can do on our own, we cannot hope to accomplish it without his help. But I do believe that he gives us a choice in the matter. We have to approach Him and say, "Lord, please help me get myself cleaned up." Or we can walk away from Him and let the image get further sullied. Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt there, and understanding what I meant despite what I actually said! :) I will certainly defer to your judgment on that, since I am not very familiar with the doctrine in question.

Thank you for this! I appreciate the help. :-)

We do believe in the fall, and in a tendency toward sin, or a vulnerability to it. I hope I am chosing the right words here, and I trust that one of the other wiser and more knowledgeable Orthodox ladies will jump in here and help me if I'm getting this wrong! I think that the difference we are talking about here is one of degree. Forgive me if this analogy is overly simplistic, but the way I heard it described once is that we Orthodox believe that the image of God in which we were created got damaged or obscured by the fall, like a picture where the ink got smudged. But the basic image is still there, and it's still discernable. We can choose whether to "clean up" that image and make it closer to the original, or to give in to our sins and obscure the image further. I think that Roman Catholics and many Protestants would agree with this, yes? I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that the difference in viewpoint really comes in with those churches in the Clavinist/Reformed tradition. I'm not sure, and I don't mean to put words in anyone's mouth, but "total depravity" to me sounds like the fall completely obliterated the image (any image of God could certainly not be totally depraved, right?). So my impression is that the Reformed churches view the fall as causing damage on a different scale than what the Christian east would claim, total destruction rather than mere damage. Is that correct? (Help...?)

I just wanted to thank you for your post, because I did find it very interesting and helpful. As someone who was raised Jehovah's Witness, then was atheist/Buddhist for most of my adult life, and then became EO Christian about 5 years ago, I find these discussions fascinating. Having never been in a mainstream Protestant church, I'm not always familiar with the whys and wherefores of Protestant belief, nor am I well versed in the differences between RC and EO either. So I appreciate the opportunity to learn.

Thanks for all these great suggestions! :-)

I have cookbooks, I use Linda's Low Carb (website) a lot, I have some recipes that I very neatly printed out on large-sized index cards, recipes that I scrawled hastily on a post-it note, recipes that my mom gave me in her lovely-and-yet-not-easy-to-decipher cursive, and so on. I really want to get all of the recipes that I'm likely to use again into ONE format and one location. And it would be especially nifty if that format made it easy to email a recipe to a friend. I have an iPad, so if there's a nice app for this purpose, that would be super. Any suggestions?

Good points, Cat, and I completely agree!

Yeah, I probably should have clarified that a bit in my post. I prefer lighter shoes, too, and I wear minimalist running shoes for most of my shorter hikes, trail running shoes for my longer hikes. (I only wear "real" hiking boots if it's deep winter and I'm going to be trudging through snow and ice, or if it's especially rocky terrain.) But I would not assume that most people's feet and ankles are up to that task. I mean, I realize it comes down to a matter of personal preference, but that's why surprising a group of people with a 13 mile hike isn't a good idea. They might have worn different shoes if they had known what they'd be doing that day. I have my gym sneakers, and then I have my trail runners - VERY different shoes. Plus, if some in the group were completely inexperienced, they might not have any idea what kind of shoes would serve them best. And a really long hike is not the ideal time to discover "I should have worn more supportive shoes" or "these boots are too heavy". So, yes, I agree with you that not having hiking boots does not mean automatically that it will be a disaster. But not having the right shoes for you for the type of hike that you're going on, that's problematic.

As described, I would assume ALL of the students would have difficulty with this task, because they were not prepared for it. Hking ten or more miles isn't something you just do on a whim. It takes planning and preparation. Sneakers are not sufficient for 13.5 miles of somewhat strenuous mountain terrain. If you set out on a hike like that with only one pair of socks on, and no moleskin, Body Glide, or bandages, you are going to be in a world of hurt. Not to mention, if you don't bring sufficient water and food, someone could end up in a medical crisis. Where I live, people die when they go hiking without enough water. Also, as others have mentioned, hiking is its own sport, so even if someone is in good shape, if they aren't experienced with hiking, it's going to be hard.

It could be a "phase" (as my mom would say) or it might not. I remember disliking my name when I was a pre-schooler. I'm 41 now and I still dislike it. So I think that if it were my daughter, I would encourage her to try out the name of her choice, but I wouldn't make any legal, lasting decisions until she's older. The name that I would have chosen for myself as a preschooler is NOT the same name I would have chosen as a young adult! :lol: I realize your daughter isn't a preschooler of course, but she might still find that her preferences change over the next few years. As someone who has always disliked my own name, I like to think I would be sympathetic if my dd didn't like hers. But I know it would be tough if a name you chose lovingly and carefuly was rejected. I know that my mom was always a bit hurt by the fact that I don't like my name, because she thought it was so beautiful. From my point of view, though, I certainly never intended it in any way as a rejection of *her*, I simply felt that the name wasn't me.

Oh, that's funny about your own husband mispronouncing your name! Oh my. :lol: My husband likes my name, though (don't ask me why!) so I think he'd be less supportive of me changing it. I've mentioned to him before that I always felt like I should have had an M name instead of a G name, and he clearly thought I was being very weird. But once when I was in one of my very weird moods, I asked my daughter if she didn't know me and was meeting me for the first time, what name would she think suited me. And she chose an M name! :lol: So, see, I really WAS supposed to have an M name, but my parents goofed. (And for what it's worth, I didn't think you were making a dig at trans people.)

Aw, thanks for being the first person to EVER say anything remotely positive or encouraging about the idea! You made my day. :D But alas, I think after more than 20 years together, my husband would be slightly resistant to the idea of calling me by a new name. :lol:

I have always disliked my name and wished for another one (though I must admit, not always the same one!). I've always felt like it didn't "fit", like it's not really my own. I wish that I had gone ahead and changed it years ago, when I first thought about it. But I didn't, because everyone discouraged me, and now I feel like it's too late. So, since not one single person encouraged me, I'm going to encourage you! Go for it! For something as deeply personal as one's name, I don't see why any of us should be stuck for life with something we don't like.

Febreeze? I've put unscencted Febreeze in the fabric softener phase of the wash cycle before and it really helped. But this was not a delicate fabric, so take that for what it's worth.

I only read Wuthering Heights recently, but I have to say it doesn't surprise me terribly that the mind that came up with that story would also be capable of punching a dog in the face. I felt like I was being punched in the face the whole time I was reading it. I only forced myself to finish it out of a grim determination not to be defeated by it. On the other hand, though, I love the works of the other Bronte sisters! :lol: Go figure.

Thank you for explaining this!

Is there increased radiation exposure with the 3D/tomosynthesis scan?