:iagree: I only wear titanium jewelry in my piercing. Titanium is duller in color than sterling silver, but it is dirt cheap. :)

Thanks! I'll spend some time reading it tonight, and I'll get back this thread with thoughts tomorrow.

Good for you for turning down the Lipitor! Though it does reduce cholesterol, statins have never been shown to improve long-term outcomes for women. (Think about that. The implications are disturbing. All the risks of side effects, but no measurable benefit? The fact that statins are still marketed to women is unethical, plain and simple.) There's a large assumption in what you wrote above, regarding what healthy cholesterol levels are. It appears that "healthy" cholesterol levels aren't the same for men and women. Who do you think the earlier research focused on? Yeah, men. Also, the measurements a typical physician does are not as informative as you might think. HDL and triglycerides appear to be the most important numbers, and yet physicians still freak out about LDL. Only LDL subtype analysis tells us whether our LDL levels are okay or not, but very few patients get that kind of testing unless they demand it. I don't doubt that you changed your lipid profile and BP when you lost weight. Keep in mind, though, that what you observed was a correlation. Your experience does not prove causation. I'll bet that the weight loss itself had little to do with it. Rather, your BP and lipid profile improved because of the lifestyle changes you made while attempting to lose weight. An example: sugar and simple carbs send your trigs sky-high, they depress your HDL, and fructose (the molecule that makes caloric sweeteners sweet) is notorious for raising BP. So cutting out soda (or other simple carbs) will bring your blood lipids closer to "normal," and it will improve your BP, but those improvements had little or nothing to do with weight loss. A second example: exercise will improve lipid profiles and lower BP, even if no weight is lost in the process.

To me it means a diet high in simple carbs and high in refined vegetable oil. It is also a diet highly reliant on wheat, corn, and soy, either as main ingredients, additives, or as livestock fodder.

I disagree. There's plenty of current research, as well as re-analysis of older data, that has found that a "normal" BMI is not correlated with the best health and longevity. Again, for men, the story may be different. Would you mind referencing the specific studies you're referring to here, so I can take a look at them?

Walk everywhere is a big one. Another one (perhaps mentioned already, haven't read whole thread) is that supermarkets are a lot less overwhelming. You aren't assaulted by 50 different brands of bread and 100 types of breakfast cereal. Fresh, whole food has a much larger footprint (produce, meat, dairy, eggs) in stores. Food advertising is less pervasive. Eating out (whole meals) tends to be more expensive, so you do it less. Oh, and more people smoke. That helps suppress appetite. ;)

I agree, to an extent. But I think reduced calorie diets only correlate with longevity/health. I believe they may be sufficient, but I also believe they're not absolutely necessary. Personally, I think the key is getting insulin down as low as reasonably achievable, along with modifying diet and lifestyle to minimize chronic inflammation. Both of these things can be accomplished by deliberately reducing calories. However, I believe there are other strategies that work just as well or better, and have fewer side effects. (Unfortunately, reduced calorie diets make rats and people grumpy, and they also lower libido.)

How do you reconcile this with what Tigger posted? How can anyone claim that under 25 is normal for women if longevity and health are maximized at around 27 or 28? (The story is different for men.) I haven't yet read it, but this newly published book seems to address the topic: Why Women Need Fat. The Look Inside feature on Amazon suggests that Chapter 6 is most relevant, if you want to skim a few pages. Here's a quote from an interview with the author: (bolding mine)source For the record, I'm not arguing this position out of denial [regarding a need to lose weight]. Actually, I could probably stand to gain some weight. ;) I consider my current BMI aesthetically pleasing, but I'm not convinced that it is good for my long-term health.

Yes, me too, but I'm conflicted. Though most reviews of the KK are positive, there are an alarming number of reports of the device failing around (or even before!) 12 months. Reports of dealing with Amazon CS are not terribly encouraging. With careful handling I'd expect an e-reader to last 5 years. Anything less wouldn't be worth it to me, so those reviews make me nervous. The other helpful tidbit I got from reading reviews is that a SquareTrade 3-year extended warranty is a better deal than the Service Net extended warranty Amazon advertises on the KK product page. Also, the Audible subscription is only worthwhile for us if I'm using it to get the Hakim audiobooks. However, I'm still mulling over using the concise Hakim books, and the audiobooks wouldn't line up with the concise edition. What to do, what to do....

The issue of 3G or not for the Kindle Keyboard is moot (ETA: unless you're buying used); Amazon no longer sells the non-3G version.

Next time consider shrugging and saying, "I don't know. Feel free to dig up a scale and a yardstick." :)

:iagree: Another vote for a second opinion. I'm no fan of running/jogging, but if I was, I'd ask for a specialist's opinion before giving it up.

Maybe a membership, like to a museum or aquarium?

A great book for anyone interested in the problem and possible solutions: Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer From Publishers Weekly's review:

Nah. The Epi-Pen side effects are the same whether or not the injection was necessary. The side effects can be unpleasant, but they're not life-threatening. source

Well...you did ask for candy, so I think accusing him of sabotage is a little harsh. ;) It might be safer to procure your own cheat foods from now on. In our house, when that kind of thing happens it is often a communication issue. When you said, "Honey, could you get me a Snickers bar?" maybe he 'heard' this: "Honey, could you get me a Snickers bar? I've decided to put off trying to lose weight for a while longer."

Straight honey is as effective as OTC pediatric cough remedies: link. However, we do not suppress productive coughs at all during the day, because we figure there's a good reason to get that stuff out of the lungs. If the lungs aren't clearing faster than they're getting gunked up, pneumonia may develop. During the night we will give honey, but only after encouraging the child to sit up and cough up as much gunk as possible. Uncontrollable dry, irritated coughs get honey regardless of time of day.

I do understand the difference. However, many people mislabel introversion as shyness, which is why introversion has come up over and over again on this thread. Does that make sense? Of course it is reasonable to help a child (introvert or extrovert) deal with true shyness, especially if it causes the child distress. However, it is NOT reasonable to expect an introvert to change his/her personality and become a small-talk-loving social butterfly. I don't care who says it is an advantage. The attitude that introverted behavior can confer a lifelong disadvantage devalues the innate strengths that introverts bring to the table.

That thread is dated 2009. The information within it is very much out of date. The thread I quoted from above is from September 2011.

It has since been clarified that this is incorrect. The PayPal reps who said this were in error. If I recall correctly, earlier this year some WTM posters reported receiving an email from PayPal clarifying the allowed use of the Personal tab. Ah, found it! Link Furthermore, when using Personal PayPal to send payment, the buyer gives up all ability to dispute the transaction if an item is never sent or is not as described.

:grouphug: Give him time. I bet he'll feel differently after the shock wears off.

Very good point. I usually attend those kind of things anyway. But given the choice I prefer an activity that will allow me to spend time connecting with my friend and her family. At a birthday party, I go knowing that I'll probably spend the whole time making small talk with my friend's friends.

She cared enough the first time to get a gift, even though she didn't attend. The second time is a legitimate excuse. (And I hate when that happens to us!) The third time doesn't sound suspicious either. Even 9 to 5'ers end up needing to work on weekends once in a while (ie. inventory, project deadlines, etc.). I'd give it at least a couple more tries. If transportation comes up as a problem again, could you offer a ride?

He settled on the verb tense most commonly used in writing. I'd consider it a good thing that "became" sounded more correct to him than "becomes," because it lets you know that he (albeit subconsciously) recognizes that convention. However, since accurate dictation is an important skill, I might point out the difference and briefly discuss verb tense choice. And in future narrations, I might ask my child if she's happy with how the verbs sound before dictating the final narration.

Perhaps you don't mean it this way, but this sounds like an extrovert telling an introvert that his/her way of interacting with the world is wrong. As mentioned before in this thread: The fact is, introverts have their own set of strengths. It can be awfully tough to nurture and value those strengths when being told that you're going to fail or be "at a disadvantage FOR LIFE" if you don't assimilate.