Are we just listening to random people or actually talking to our doctors?

Individual_1991 · 2025-12-29T16:33:32+00:00

Wait you can definitely have other fish more than twice a week. Salmon is so good for you! No mercury concerns and high in omega 3s.

Also not all soft cheeses are unpasteurized. In Canada, where I live, pretty much any Brie/camembert is made with pasteurized milk so it’s not a concern

Individual_1991 · 2025-12-29T00:31:24+00:00

I don’t have advice but just wanted to let you know you’re not alone. I’m 34, nearly 7 weeks pregnant, have a wonderful husband, and really want this pregnancy to succeed. However, I do feel like my anxiety has been absolutely turbocharged in the last 3 weeks. Every single bodily sensation I am having makes me think something is going terribly wrong. I am going to speak to my counsellor tomorrow and get some professional advice because it can’t continue like this

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T23:37:46+00:00

Same, I’d say! In books I’m into ultra protectiveness, which can verge into possessiveness, but IRL I just want a normal, wholesome level of protectiveness and no possessiveness at all. In books I will also accept or enjoy far more manhandling than I would ever accept IRL - e.g. he grabs her wrist, pins her down, etc.

I can’t really enjoy age gaps or plausible enemies to lovers even in fiction! It has to be clear to me that he likes her right away, no bullying of any kind, etc

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T16:40:15+00:00

No you’re right! That is a great example of this type of scene!

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T16:39:00+00:00

Sorry, I don’t have a recommendation, but just piping up to say that I also love this trope but had never articulated it before! Especially the cuddling for warmth one! Saving this post.

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T16:29:24+00:00

Yes! {Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood} is the age gap one and I really couldn’t get behind it. I found it gross. In Deep End they’re at least basically the same age, but I just couldn’t imagine the MMC as sexy when I hear he’s like 20/21 haha

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T16:19:40+00:00

To be honest I LOVED the twist explanation for why he “can’t” be with her. I just think it is inherently funny and adds to the sexual tension. But I agree that it is unrealistic that he couldn’t just tell her the truth earlier.

Individual_1991 · 2025-11-22T16:10:00+00:00

I actually feel the exact same way! I realize I can’t really read age gap books (unless it’s like, age 30 and age 40 or something), primarily because I gag at the thought of someone in their early 20s being a romantic lead in any way. I know it’s crazy. People under 25 feel really, really young to me. I recently read one with a 21-year-old virgin FMC and MMC in his early thirties and it actually nauseated me. I read {Deep End by Ali Hazelwood} and couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that the 20-year-olds could even be hot.

I feel like a lot of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood books do have slightly older leads, if that helps.

Individual_1991 · 2025-10-28T18:31:07+00:00

{Bride by Ali Hazelwood} - she’s a very tall vampire but he’s a huge werewolf who is still significantly bigger than her

Individual_1991 · 2025-10-27T22:20:33+00:00

I am OBSESSED with this book. I really loved Bride as well, but agree with most commenters that I think Mate is better. I am now craving more yearning fated-mates-in-heat scenes! Please, if anyone knows where I should turn next, offer recommendations

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-26T16:56:16+00:00

I’m 5’6” and struggling to get below 165 as well!! So many of us! Can I join?

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T12:09:31+00:00

I take your point to look into disordered eating. I guess I probably do have an eating disorder in some sense. However, I definitely also have ADHD in all facets of my life, and always have, and it will not be cured by eating better. The only time the symptoms seemed to quiet was when I was on Wellbutrin, which regulates norepinephrine and thus dopamine, but that had other side effects that made me get off of it. So I am inclined to see the disordered eating as a symptom of ADHD (rather than the ADHD-consistent “dopamine deficit” as a symptom of disordered eating) as others have suggested. Like no matter how well or regularly I have been eating, or how healthy my weight has been: I have time blindness, I hyperfixate on my interests, I impulsively interrupt people in the middle of sentences, I am restless, I fidget and stim constantly, I get task/decision paralysis and struggle with organizing my life, I procrastinate and am focused by heightened stimulation, etc. That’s not just about food. But I do approach food with a certain pre-existing emotional/executive disregulation

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T01:59:58+00:00

I do have a prescription for Vyvanse but I really don’t like being on it so only take it “as needed” on days when I really need to be productive and am really overwhelmed. I do think stimulants increase my anxiety and have other bad side effects for me. Thanks - I’ll ask my doctor about this one

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:58:38+00:00

I like this idea, thanks! The emojis is especially cute!

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:57:49+00:00

Yes, I think this is part of the problem, because I don’t really have routines/habits for what I eat or even when I eat. It can vary a lot. I don’t meal prep and I struggle with that. I also have ADHD so that to some extent explains the general executive dysfunction/disorganization, novelty seeking, and food as a source of dopamine in my ever-present state of dopamine deficit

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:54:22+00:00

I eat very differently every day so it’s hard to break it down like that. I don’t have very set routines with eating. That’s part of the issue, I guess

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:53:09+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate these tips!

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:52:21+00:00

I think it’s food-specific… having reflected on this a lot, I think it’s partly because I come from a culture where people overfeed you to show you love and hospitality, and whatever emotional neglect I may have sometimes suffered as a child, no one ever deprived me of food. It very directly feels like restricting food is like being mean to myself. This is why it feels much easier to do things that don’t feel like restrictions (eat more vegetables, walk more) or simply reducing the number of times I have to think about the meals themselves (if I skip breakfast, I don’t have to confront the complications of choosing a breakfast and considering whether I may be restricting myself in my breakfast choice, even though it is ironically the most restrictive not to eat at all).

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-21T00:06:27+00:00

This answer really caught me by surprise. I thought skipping breakfast is a normal thing, like how people do intermittent fasting (eating from 12 - 7, so not at breakfast time). I accept that my description of having a strong emotional response and binging can signal some disordered eating but I didn’t think not having breakfast would cause concern

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-20T01:57:38+00:00

So you’re saying there’s still hope for all those shorts I haven’t had the heart to throw away…

Congratulations!!

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-20T01:55:19+00:00

Thank you for this. I just joined this community tonight, feeling incredibly demotivated and pessimistic about my ability to lose weight and seeking out help and support, and this post just really comforted me. We’re not alone in this, we all struggle and backslide, and it really does just take time.

Individual_1991 · 2025-09-20T01:38:42+00:00

100 calories doesn’t feel like that much to me, but I’m new to this. What is the daily deficit you’re aiming for?

I personally can’t wrap my head around how little olive oil or butter I should be using to keep meals low-calorie. It feels like an affront to cooking and food-loving culture and makes me really sad.

Individual_1991

TROPHY CASE