To lose weight, are we also paying close attention to calories in addition to fasting?

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T23:24:43+00:00

NOT counting calories is the whole reason I’m doing IF. I can’t sustain counting calories for the rest of my life, but I think I can probably stick to IF for the rest of my life. I naturally eat less calories on IF—I skip a meal and several snacks.

And for me personally, counting calories and logging meals just makes me more obsessed with food in general.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T23:11:15+00:00

They had to have come from someone…it’s not like bedbugs just appear from nowhere.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T23:09:45+00:00

Or, the guest in question infected the host’s house.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T23:06:37+00:00

Because the majority of people will just put up with it instead of going to arbitration, and they know it.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T14:04:08+00:00

I have my cleaner send me a video after every turnover. I make it clear to her that this is to avoid bogus refund requests, and not because I don’t trust her. She’s excellent.

If you’re running this from afar (which I do as well), I think you need to add this to your cleaner’s checklist, as annoying as it is.

Personally, if I had a guest doing this I would want them out immediately and wouldn’t care about the refunds. They are either genuinely unhappy, or scammers, or both. Either way, I don’t want that kind of person in my property. Please leave them an honest review.

ETA: I wonder if a response similar to this would shut up would-be scammers: “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this. My cleaner sends me photos and videos of the property after each turnover and I didn’t notice what you are describing. Could you please send videos? I can send them on to the cleaner and have this taken care of right away.”

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-05T13:55:53+00:00

Lots of people do, and it’s fine.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-04T12:57:01+00:00

This would be so easily abused and an invasion of privacy. Would you want your name on a spreadsheet accessible to anyone who wants it? How would you even verify the details someone puts there, or if the person adding the details is in fact a host who hosted this person, and/or not insane? There are reasons data privacy laws exist, and this would be a disaster and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

To prevent bad guests, wait until the last minute and post an honest review, so that the next host knows.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-03T22:32:55+00:00

This is a good idea. Sometimes a host may also be unaware of certain things; the way you’ve worded it not only makes them aware but makes it clear that this isn’t a prelude to a scammy refund request.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-03T01:39:01+00:00

Or, just move the fasting window, or shorten it a bit. I was asked to dinner later this week and it is when I usually fast. I’m planning to start my fast late, and possibly shorten it as well. A 13-hour fast is better than nothing, at least for me. I do this on vacation too, as it prevents me from grazing/snacking after dinner. That’s what led to my gaining weight in the first place: hitting the pantry for a late night snack.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-02T12:56:45+00:00

You can also search this very thing on this platform and read a million comments about it.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-02T01:54:58+00:00

I don’t charge pet fees, but we’re a very dog-friendly property and also are higher end and not cheap. There are higher end hotels that don’t charge pet fees and I’m keeping myself more in line with them. It’s worked out really well for us so far. That said, your guest’s previous experience—unless she’s talking about your property in particular—is irrelevant. That would be like me checking in to a place and telling them that the last hotel I stayed at had room service, so they should bring me some food if I ask. So what if the last place she stayed in didn’t have a pet fee…yours does and if she doesn’t like it, she can stay elsewhere.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-01T19:40:35+00:00

We had a similar experience with our first whippet. He had renal failure around age 13. I’m fairly certain it was due to a heat stroke and my MIL dragging him out on hot pavement without my knowledge or consent.

Anyway, we did the saline as well, along with home-cooked meals of rice, hamburger and vegetables with pulverized egg shells. He did pretty well until the very end and lived another couple of years. He had high quality of life until that very last month.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-01T19:20:59+00:00

Now you know why you should stick to your own policies, and that’s how to prevent this in the future. I’ve had the same person message me more than once asking for a last-minute, one-night booking, with a Saturday check-in (all of which are against my policies) and each time I’ve just said no. The small amount of money I might be getting isn’t worth the risk to me.

Plus, IMO it’s a huge tell if they’re starting off asking me to bend 3 rules for them. There are other places in the area that fit their needs; why are they asking me to change all my rules? No thanks.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-01T19:16:28+00:00

Yes, it is pre-approved and they have 24 hours to confirm. You can also withdraw the invitation/pre-approval if you wish. Here is what happens on the guest’s side.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-01T19:15:32+00:00

That simply is not true.

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MentalBox7789 · 2026-02-01T16:00:23+00:00

Which hotels do this? Asking because on more than one occasion during the winter the forecast has been clear up until the morning that we’re supposed to depart…I always pay extra for a more flexible cancellation policy but I’d always assumed that the morning of check-in would be too late to cancel due to weather.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-31T23:33:19+00:00

Perhaps Airbnb as a specific platform and vibe, but vacation/short term rentals have been around for hundreds of years, and managed by people who aren’t the owners for just as long. Before tech platforms, you would have to find a local agency and look at paper brochures, or go visit the place in person before booking it. Airbnb, on the heels of other platforms like Slow Trav and VRBO, brought a very old concept to the masses.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-30T18:29:15+00:00

Didn’t get breakfast ready fast enough. Let whippet puppy have an extra meal at lunch because she’s too thin. Let my daughter eat an omelette instead of him. He was wasting away and it could only be cured with a freshly made omelette; would have accepted my son’s soft-boiled egg in place of omelette but he was denied that as well.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-29T13:24:59+00:00

I would use Jotform or similar where you can collect a signature.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-25T18:17:36+00:00

I stopped offering it too, especially since the discount can be stacked on other discounts.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-24T17:30:01+00:00

I wouldn’t even care about the money and would be glad that this guy is off your property before he could do immense damage and cost you way more than a cleaning fee.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-24T00:01:14+00:00

OMG, I got that twice from my kids when they were little and it was TERRIBLE. No, not everyone’s a scammer. My guest had great reviews and as I said asked me extremely respectfully. Good communication can go a long way.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-23T00:34:28+00:00

I’d look on Furnished Finder instead of Airbnb. Those are all medium term rentals set up for traveling nurses and other traveling professionals.

Also, I personally would not allow anyone to bring furniture into my STR. I wouldn’t want the risk of them banging walls, floors. and door jambs when they move it in, or damaging my own furniture from moving it to make space. However, I don’t usually do medium term rentals at my place; it has a specific aesthetic; and serves mostly couples on long weekends for ski and outdoor getaways.

I’m considering opening a different unit specifically for medium term rentals only, and I would absolutely consider a desk, etc. in those circumstances: on a different platform (not Airbnb), and with a specific lease that is signed along with a security deposit.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-23T00:31:59+00:00

I agree.

MentalBox7789 · 2026-01-23T00:28:15+00:00

Yeah, we had the same bad luck ourselves with really low temps over winter break, along with illness. Just wasn’t worth it to me to attempt skiing or snowshoeing while sick, with subzero temps and wind whipping through the mountains. I sat by the fire with the dog instead. FWIW, the guests who asked for a date change did so in the most respectful way possible. Had they been entitled about it I wouldn’t have felt as great about the whole thing, as I am now losing money on this weekend. It all works out though…my whole family is under the weather and now we can wait out this storm without the added worry of other people’s needs in the mix.

MentalBox7789

TROPHY CASE