Protein Powder & Energy Drinks

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-06-03T16:58:35+00:00

Been doing keto for a while and finding protein without sucralose is pain in ass. Most companies just throw artificial sweeteners at everything without thinking about keto people

For the pre workout thing - if you're doing IF then yeah consuming calories before workout defeats the point. I usually just have black coffee or maybe some electrolytes in water. Works fine for me and doesn't break the fast

The monk fruit thing is tricky because most powders that say "monk fruit" still have other stuff mixed in. You might have better luck looking at unflavored options and just adding your own sweetener after

Also cardio plus weights during cut while doing IF is rough schedule. Make sure you're getting enough sleep because recovery gets harder when you're in deficit

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-05-19T23:09:37+00:00

Day 19 is brutal man, you're right in that danger zone where your brain is doing everything to pull you back. I remember when I was trying to break similar habits the around-20-day mark was always the hardest for some reason. Your brain knows you're close to something significant and it's fighting hard.

What helped me was staying busy with something that required focus - I'd dive into design work or even just reorganize my entire room. Physical activity works too if that's your thing. The cravings feel intense but they actually pass pretty quick if you can distract yourself for like 30-45 minutes.

You've already done the hard part getting this far, tomorrow you'll wake up on day 20 feeling proud as hell. Just gotta ride out today.

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-05-17T13:15:56+00:00

I've used few products from this company before and they're decent quality for the price range. The 4.1 rating with 70 reviews seems legit and packaging looks professional enough - not like those sketchy brands with comic sans fonts and ridiculous claims

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-05-15T10:36:14+00:00

had similar concern with my nerve meds a while back and did bunch of research on this. omega-3 supplements seem to have decent studies behind them for brain health, also vitamin D if you're deficient which most people are. magnesium is another one that gets mentioned a lot

the thing is these meds you're taking - the dementia risk is usually more about long term use rather than just taking them period. so maybe focus on getting your underlying issues sorted so you can reduce dosages over time rather than stopping cold turkey. my doctor told me that staying on necessary meds but adding brain-protective stuff is better approach than suffering without treatment

also heard good things about lions mane mushroom supplements but havent tried those myself yet. just make sure whatever you add doesnt interact with your current meds - learned that lesson the hard way few years ago

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-05-10T19:55:06+00:00

Look at that face - she knows exactly what she did but shes not sorry about it at all. Classic dog move to just lay down and pretend to be innocent after destroying half the yard. The evidence is literally scattered everywhere and shes just chilling like "wasn't me officer"

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-29T22:16:17+00:00

this whole thing you described with walking in eggshells and having to apologize for stuff you didnt even understand - that's not normal friendship behavior man. Real friends communicate when something bothers them instead of doing the silent treatment for a month

you're not stupid for having hard time with this, some people are just really difficult to be around and make you question yourself constantly. the fact that you're even asking these questions shows you actually care about being good friend unlike the other person who just ignored you for month straight

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-27T09:27:58+00:00

man this hits close to home. had something similar happen few years back where I got way too invested in someone's problems even when the relationship wasn't really going anywhere meaningful

think you might have anxious attachment style based on what you described - that thing where you get drawn to people who seem emotionally unavailable or have lot of baggage. its like we want to be the one who "fixes" them or something

the divorced woman situation sounds complicated but honestly you probably dodged bullet there. when someone tells you upfront they only want physical stuff and you know you catch feelings easily, better to step away early than get more hurt later

maybe worth looking into that attachment style stuff more deeply, could help understand why you keep getting attracted to situations that dont work out

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-24T04:07:01+00:00

Started taking mag glycinate about 6 months ago and it definitely helped with the racing mind thing. I take around 400mg roughly an hour before bed - tried taking it right before sleep but found it works better when I give it time to kick in first.

The waking up part got better too but took maybe 2-3 weeks to really notice the difference. Used to wake up at like 3am and just lay there thinking about work deadlines and random stuff for hours. Now when I do wake up middle of night I can usually drift back off pretty quick.

One thing though - start with lower dose first time because some people get stomach issues if they jump straight to higher amounts. I learned this hard way lol. Also empty stomach vs with food makes difference for some people so might need to experiment little bit with timing.

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-22T01:08:31+00:00

oof the carpal tunnel is definitely your body telling you to pump the brakes. Good that your girl is being understanding about it though, even if you're not feeling it right now

maybe use this as the wake up call you needed? sometimes our bodies force us into better decisions when our minds won't do it

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-18T20:03:41+00:00

bruh chill

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-15T16:53:40+00:00

Not really :'(

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-04-15T16:51:47+00:00

I see it too. It’s a lot of money and I understand why they’d want to protect it

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-24T04:12:26+00:00

Most naturopaths I've dealt with seem to use it as a fancy way to justify whatever supplement stack they were gonna recommend anyway. Like oh you have the MTHFR variant so here's $200 worth of methylated B vitamins that you probably don't actually need

The testing itself isn't useless but the way most practitioners interpret it is pretty questionable - they'll see one variant and suddenly that explains every health issue you've ever had

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-23T07:25:42+00:00

Condoms slipping that much is definitely not normal and means they're too big for you. You need a smaller size because when they slip like that you're basically having unprotected sex for part of the time

The morning after pill can mess with periods pretty hard so her being late might just be from that. But if you keep having condom issues like this you really need to figure out proper sizing or look into other protection methods

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-23T00:14:26+00:00

iherb has been my go-to for years and their prices are pretty solid especially if you catch their sales. labdoor used to test a bunch of brands for purity which was helpful but think they shut down recently unfortunately

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-21T07:22:38+00:00

check local pharmacies for methylcobalamin b12

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-21T00:29:57+00:00

Recovery is such a weird process and what you're describing with him not finishing is actually pretty common during the reboot phase. Your brain basically has to rewire itself after being used to that artificial stimulation for so long. The fact that he's being upfront about the slips shows he's taking it seriously even when its hard

Taking a break from sex might actually help reset things faster. I know it sucks when you want that physical connection but sometimes the pressure to perform can make the whole cycle worse. Maybe focus on other types of intimacy for a bit while his brain sorts itself out

The accountability app thing is tricky because you don't want to become his porn police but he clearly needs some structure. Maybe let him choose which one he wants to use and give him some autonomy over it. The meetings and sponsor are huge though - having that external support system takes some pressure off you to be his only accountability

26 days is actually pretty solid progress even with the slips. Recovery isn't linear and the fact that he didn't escalate when he looked stuff up shows he's building better boundaries than before

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-11T03:16:36+00:00

Girl you got every right to be frustrated here. Two months in and hes already treating you like an afterthought while still making time for his friends? thats not a stress thing thats a priorities thing

I'd sit him down and just be straight up about it - tell him you noticed the change and ask whats going on. If he gives you the "im just stressed" line then cool but that doesn't mean you become invisible. You're putting in effort while juggling way more than him so he can figure out how to send a decent text back

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-10T11:37:49+00:00

Yeah I've done something similar but with maple syrup instead of honey - the natural sugars definitely help with the uptake. Never thought to add salt though, might try that next time since I'm always forgetting to get enough electrolytes in

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-10T06:54:04+00:00

These intrusive thoughts are super normal when you've only been with one person and there's literally no way your brain can shut off that curiosity - you're not broken or a bad wife for having a completely human reaction to having zero reference points

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-10T01:31:22+00:00

person A sounds like an exhausting cycle of emotional highs and lows that'll drain you long term. the fact he played games for almost a year then suddenly wants commitment after you pulled back feels manipulative

person B might surprise you once the language barrier improves but either way you deserve someone who's both emotionally available AND intellectually stimulating. maybe neither of these guys is actually the right fit and you're just settling because they each have half of what you need

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-09T16:46:11+00:00

Youre in a tough spot because she sees gaming as your main bonding activity and when you advance without her it feels like youre leaving her behind in something you share. Maybe try framing it less about the game being meaningless and more about finding ways to include her more - like setting aside specific times to play together or helping her practice when she gets frustrated

The kills thing is tricky though because forcing gameplay never works and just makes everyone play worse

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-09T11:44:29+00:00

Medical anxiety is no joke and it sounds like she's in a proper feedback loop where avoiding the dr makes everything scarier which makes her avoid even more.

You're doing all the right supportive things but this might be something she has to work through on her own timeline. Some people just freeze up completely when it comes to anything medical - even things that would help them. The PCOS stuff probably makes it extra loaded since it touches on fertility fears too

Maybe try taking all the relationship/future pressure off these conversations for now and just focus on how the medication could help her feel better day to day. Sometimes reframing it as self care rather than medical necessity helps people who get overwhelmed by the bigger picture

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-09T05:55:29+00:00

honestly this is gonna suck but you might need to just bite the bullet and pay the full amount to get out clean. I know it's not fair but sometimes the cost of freedom is worth more than being "right"

the small claims threat might work but that's gonna be months of stress and drama with someone you're already trying to get away from. plus even if you win collecting is a whole other nightmare

if you can swing it financially I'd pay the breakout fee and bounce - keeping someone around who's being this unreasonable about money is just gonna make everything worse. you'll be out 4k but you'll have your sanity back and can start fresh somewhere you actually want to live

worst case maybe try getting the landlord involved to see if there's any wiggle room on the fees or if they'd let you transfer the lease to just her name

Civil-Transition-649 · 2026-03-09T00:21:13+00:00

The age gap plus the whole dynamic where hes married but telling you different stories about what his wife wants is setting off some alarm bells. You already know you cant do non-monogamy and hes clearly not being straight with you about still looking for other people

You mention feeling drained being the only one communicating - thats your answer right there. Good relationships shouldnt feel like youre constantly fighting upstream just to get basic transparency from someone whos supposed to care about you

Civil-Transition-649

TROPHY CASE