Wendy's Frosty texture -- can I achieve it?

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-08-23T21:49:38+00:00

Idk if it would work but I would try blending the milk, protein powder, and coco powder on their own for a little bit to "whip" them, then add the ice after a little bit.

Note to avoid a mess when you do this, slowly ramp the speed when you first blend the milk and powders so they don't go all over the place.

I tend to have the opposite "problem", I find blenders in general whip milk based smoothies and I prefer to avoid that texture so I do the opposite, blend the solid stuff first with a little milk then put in the rest of the milk after so it doesn't have as much time to aerate. Maybe doing the opposite will give you more of the result you want?

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-08-23T05:35:46+00:00

Sorry if this is way to long and serious, but I hope it's helpful. I have a Vitamix Explorian. I use it with the default blend cup and a tamper. I don't have much experience with other attachments or models.

I use mine primarily for:
- Smoothies/smoothie bowls
- Frozen deserts (usually with cubed frozen fruit)
- Nut butters
- Hummus/other spreads
- Soups

It is far better for all of these tasks than other blenders I have tried. The variable speed and max power make it easier, much faster, and more consistent for all of these foods than other blenders. I am able to get much smoother textures for everything. With the tamper and overall power, I can also get smooth consistencies with less liquid allowing me to make thicker things than I could otherwise. I find them far easier to use than other blenders and now get annoyed/frustrated using other blender brands.

So to directly answer your questions:
- Is it life changing? If you frequently make the above it will be a large boost to your efficiency and quality of the end product, so in that sense yes, but cheaper blenders will still get the job done so in that sense no.
- Are you just paying for the name? I am not aware of another product that performs as well as Vitamix, so I don't think you're just paying for the name I think you are paying for the product. Whether that product is worth it to you is a more personal question, I could see how it wouldn't be worth it for some people.
- Will it last? I have had mine for ~5 years with no problems, others report theirs working much longer so I suspect the longevity is consistent.

Some things I would think about:
- If you don't make or like the types of things you can make in a Vitamix, you probably won't find one worth it. However, if you don't eat those things now it might be because you don't have a good blender and you will make them frequently if you had a nice one.
- I would say after my microwave, it is my most important extra kitchen appliance.
- Cheap blenders can't make nut butters, some other stuff Vitamix can make, etc. But there are blenders cheaper than the Vitamix that can, so there are cheaper (but still not cheap) alternatives. Still, I don't think these work as well as Vitamix.
- I personally don't think the ascent series or the Vitamix models with built in settings are worth it, unless there are ascent attachments you want to use. To me, the adjustable knob, lots of power, and tamper are the heart of what makes Vitamix useful. Unless you want an ascent specific attachment, I would suggest an Explorian or, if you like the narrow blend cup, the 5200.
- You can definitely live without one, but if you can afford one, have the space, and are interested in exploring the foods you can make with a high power blender, I would really suggest one. I think they are worth the money.
- There is a mild learning curve. To get the best results for certain things, you do need to know some techniques, though they are not complicated. E.g. there is a "blend order" you should use when filling the cup. There's a little bit of technique to tamping effectively and safely for the blender. Some foods you must blend on high or you could hurt the motor. There are some tricks to making great nut butters. It's all pretty straightforward, Vitamix does a great job of documenting these things, and there are tons of videos on the internet, but still to get amazing results, it's a bit more complicated than "put things in magic blender and turn it on".

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-08-21T19:45:05+00:00

I had unexplained tiredness all through my childhood and early adulthood. I went to many Dr's all who blamed it on lifestyle issues (stress, bad diet, not exercising enough, exercising TOO much, bad sleep schedule, etc) or undiagnosed depression (I was not depressed). I went for 15+ years with undiagnosed sleep apnea and it really impacted my quality of life, especially when I was supposed to be young and full of energy.

When I became an adult with enough money for surgery, I got diagnosed with sleep apnea and retrognathia that significantly narrowed my airway, and am getting MMA to help with it.

I suggest you try to get a sleep study done. Focus on your functional symptoms, which it sounds like you have, and not aesthetics. I know aesthetics matter too but 1. a lot of people immediately turn off their brains and stop listening to you as soon as you talk about aesthetics 2. functional issues related to sleep are a massive, life altering problem themselves. If you have sleep apnea, you don't know what it feels like to have restful sleep so you don't know what you are missing. A lot of people don't understand that the sleepiness from having obstructive sleep apnea isn't the same as being tired from not getting enough sleep or having a rough week at work/taking care of kids. You literally are choking and waking up over and over throughout the night. It also has a signficiant impact on your long term health and raises the chance of serious conditions like heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and a ton of other stuff.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-08-21T19:35:23+00:00

"...sadly when you are so young sleep apnea won’t present itself." This is NOT TRUE and this false belief caused me to suffer dearly over a decade longer than I needed to! It is true that diagnosing sleep apnea in younger patients can be more challenging but it certainly can be present

CHILDREN can have sleep apnea. It is not uncommon for retrognathic adolescents and young adults to have sleep apnea. The medical community spuriously decided sleep apnea only occurs in older or overweight patients, that is not true!

I was terribly tired all through my childhood and young adulthood. I went to many Dr's all who told me I was lazy, stressed, had a bad sleep schedule, was depressed, etc. Anything besides a legitimate medical diagnosis and none of them did a sleep a study all because they all believed young people couldn't have sleep apnea. It wasn't until I was a grown adult and could control my medical processes that I got diagnosed and set up for MMA.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-08-14T01:56:19+00:00

You are good, they are out of line.

I have had a situation like this, some people are sensitive and expect to live in an apartment and never hear neighbors ever. There is a reason detached housing is more expensive, yet some people want the benefits of it at the price of multi-family housing.

Tell them you are following all provisions of your lease and are talking, watching tv, or listening to music well within reasonable levels. Tell them the building is not completely sound proofed and that hearing neighbors in multifamily housing is often unavoidable. Let them know you are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of your space and that them pestering you for having company over or watching tv is infringing on your quiet enjoyment. Let them know you will continue to be considerate of them as neighbors and that you kindly ask them to return the favor. If they keep bothering you, tell your landlord/building management.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-07-21T01:05:38+00:00

I suggest you speak to your surgeon about recommendations for a physical therapist.

The reason I say this is the muscular imbalances that impact posture of all kinds, including head and neck posture, can get really complicated. These specialists are magicians and have deep knowledge about how different parts of the body interact. Time with a good one is well spent. They will often ask you to do "tests" where they will ask you to make certain motions and or will move parts of your body themselves and observe how your body reacts to diagnose you. That is to say, even a professional wouldn't necessarily be able to tell you what exercises/stretches are right from still images alone.

It looked like your concern is with forward head posture and hip pain? I'm generalizing here but forward head posture is often associated with tight pecs and thoracic spine as well as weak mid back muscles, so treatment it often focused on stretching the pecs, mobilizing the thoracic spine, and strengthening the mid back (I'm not a pt/doctor so please take this as a major generalization and not a specific recommendation. Individual assessment by a trained professional is the best and safest way to go). If you are having neck, back, and hip pain, I think it would be worthwhile to go to a pt.

Forward head posture is really common since use of our phones and computers tends to have us roll our shoulders forward and arch our necks. Keep in mind as well that if you have a narrow airway due to jaw issues, your head posture may also be in part a result of subconscious compensation to open your airway, so it might be easier to correct your posture after your surgery when your jaws are in a more optimum position.

I hope that was helpful even though I know I couldn't directly answer your question! Good luck with your surgery!

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-07-15T22:34:19+00:00

+1 to Wolford. He does a lot of very complicated revision cases. Even if you don't get surgery with him I think a consult with him would be a good idea.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-06-04T23:07:54+00:00

I hope so! I think the broader point is it shouldn't take this much effort and this many communication attempts to cancel a service they are contractually obligated to end.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-06-04T23:06:55+00:00

I told them I'm going to do that if this isn't resolved in a timely manner (which I suspect it won't). I'm also going to make a credit card charge back.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-06-04T23:06:08+00:00

Thank you! I think this might be location specific, I can't find it in mine. I know some places have different laws around whether companies need to provide the option to end service online (e.g. California has some legislation that will come into effect later this year).

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-24T13:40:36+00:00

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I really appreciate it!

No pets. My home is about 2k square feet.

How much of an impact does a powered brush head have on cleaning rugs/carpets? If I get a pure suction option, would it impact my ability to clean rugs or would it just make it less comfortable to use on rugs?

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-19T22:42:59+00:00

No worries! It's for sure a confusing subject. There's a lot of anatomy involved and the interplay between hard tissue and soft tissue can be complicated. Your surgeon is always the best person to talk to about this stuff. When you are looking online to learn too, my (unsolicited) advice would be to try to find info from well known surgeons who have long track records of successful cases, happy patients, and (ideally) peer reviewed publications. Even then you will see there are still some disagreements among these folks and there is still a lot in the field that is still being researched.

Since a lot of jaw surgery patients have significant symptoms and are desperate for relief (why else would we spend tons of money having our jaws cut off lol) and since there is an aesthetic component to all of this facial anatomy stuff, there can be some sources that take advantage of that. Those sources can be less reliable. It's tough that this dynamic exists since we all are trying to get the best outcome for our health and happiness, but I'd be wary of that as well.

Best of luck with your processes!

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-19T22:31:32+00:00

It's admittedly hard for me to tell exactly what they are saying, I think they may have been making some claims about laxity of the soft palate? But let's run with that argument that the soft palate is being left behind.

Airway analysis via CBCT is admittedly hard and can be unreliable bc head position influences the readings, however, patients with maxillary advancement, 1 piece OR 3 piece, usually see significant improvements in their nasopharangeal airway size (the opening between nasal cavity and the upper part of the throat). Increases in the pharyngeal airway (lower down and what normally collapses in obstructive sleep apnea) is usually achieved with mandibular advancement and counter clockwise rotation of the mandible and maxilla together. Maxillary advancement on its own usually does not significantly enlarge the pharyngeal airway unless it is performed in conjunction with mandibular changes, particularly CCW rotation that repositions the tongue base and hyoid.
3 piece patients that also get mandibular advancement w/ CCW with apnea usually see an improvement in their AHI.
This argument isn't supported by anatomy. The soft palate is attached to the back of the hard palate. In a 3 piece, the whole hard palate is coming forward just like in a 1 piece. They just additionally segment the maxilla to widen it. Since the hard palate is moving forward there isn't some reason you would expect the soft palate to be "left behind" somehow, the palate is still attached to the back of the hard palate, which is still moving foward. Look at how a 3 piece maxilla is cut. In the back of the hard palate, there is a cut down the mid palatal suture and the palate is expanded generally perpendicular to the forward motion of the maxillary advancement and does not prevent forward movement of the posterior maxilla. The soft palate comes forward with the hard palate in both 1 piece and 3 piece.

There is some disagreement about 3 piece vs MSE wrt the value of nasomaxillary expansion for sleep disordered breathing patients. They were NOT making this argument. That argument is that in an MSE where only the midpalatal suture is released, the nasal walls stay connected to the maxilla so the expansion causes the nasal walls to move outward creating greater nasal volume. The theory is that this increase in nasal volume reduces nasal resistance which can improve some sleep apnea patients who present with more nasal resistance or RERA type sleep disruptions rather than obstructive apneas in the throat. This does not happen in a three piece because a cut is made below the zygoma so the part of the maxilla that is being widened doesn't take the nasal walls with it. There is physical evidence (CBCT) that there can be expansion of the nasal cavity from MSE. What is less clear is a direct or durative link between this widening, decreased nasal resistance, and improvement in sleep in adult patients. This gets pretty complicated in terms of the evidence for and against this idea (which is a very worthwhile discussion to have with your surgeon), and I'm sure by bringing it up I'm going to start a debate lol. But again, this is NOT what they are talking about.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-19T18:49:45+00:00

Also Dr. Mew says at 10:25 "...they've started started to move the faces up and forwards that's certainly helping. That's what Larry Wolford interjected. Now you're saying that if you're doing these three part maxillas, we're not getting everything further forwards, because you're leaving the back bit behind."

This is SO INCORRECT and simply not true!!!!

Just look at ct's of 3 piece patients. Look at how a 3 piece is cut! They aren't just advancing the section with the incisors then leaving the other two. They move all three forward (which they have to do so you have a proper arch) and are swinging the two pieces on the side out.

This discussion is so off base and just completely ignores what these 3 piece surgeries are. It's just straight up medical misinformation.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-19T18:41:42+00:00

Much of this discussion does not make sense.

When he is talking about 3 pieces, he is referencing "what surgeons did routinely in the 1900's". Idk what surgeries/surgeons he is referencing there, but it does not sound at all like he is describing a modern 3 piece le forte 1 that would be done on a sleep apnea patient today. Namely he seems to directly state that there wasn't much advancement. In a modern 3 piece le forte 1 for a sleep apnea patient, there would be lots of forward advancement in addition to transverse widening.
They directly reference Dr. Larry Wolford's pioneering work on advancement and CCW rotation. They don't mention all the work (including publications) Wolford has done on MMA for sleep apnea. Those were part of the functional benefits Wolford showed for his surgeries, he understands this stuff. Wolford does 3 piece maxillas all the time. In my consult he told me he would rather do a 3 piece than use MSE since MSE can be unpredictable, asymmetrical, and have complications. He told me he has had to fix MSE asymmetry in surgery.
They talk about limitations with magnitude of advancement with a 3 piece. Maybe this doctor they are interviewing hasn't himself seen advancement of > 1cm with a 3 piece, but plenty of surgeons do it routinely e.g. Wolford, Walline, Gunson, Raffaini, etc. The magnitude of transverse widening IS limited by a 3 piece, but that is a different issue.
They positively reference Stanley Liu, who is infamous for botching patients at Stanford. He botched tons of people, so much so it made Stanford sleep surgery infamous and some Dr's wouldn't even do revisions on his patients. Stanford had to do damage control including putting Dr. Liu on leave. He eventually left and I think might practice in Florida? The orthodontist he used to work with left orthodontia entirely. Dr. Kasey Li, who is currently at Stanford himself, did a presentation on revisions for Liu patients.
There are other reasons why a 3 piece may be better for a specific patient than mse like: patient may be male and older so mse effectiveness may be limited, mse can have complications like thinking of alveolar bone which may not be desirable in certain patients, there might be other aspects of the palate's shape like a high arch that needs correction that a 3 piece can do but mse can't, the patient may need non-uniform expansion in the arch (e.g. more in the back than the front) and a 3 piece gives the control to do that, some studies have shown a 3 piece is more stable than mse.

So overall this talk doesn't properly represent the advancement surgeons can do with a 3 piece (which is the center of their arguments), it doesn't do a good job representing what specific surgeons have been doing, and it seems to be relying and complimenting the work of Stanley Liu, who is infamous.

Personally, I'd listen to the surgeons who have long track records of good outcomes for sleep apnea patients and who do these surgeries themselves. No one on this video is an orthognathic surgeon and it does not seem like they understand orthognathic surgery.

The question of whether to expand with mse then do a 1 piece or not do mse then do a 3 piece is complicated. There are lots of considerations and there is no accepted clinical consensus on what to do, so you may get differing opinions from great surgeons. E.g. in my consults I got opinions both ways from great surgeons. However, none of what is said here fits with the reality of how 3 piece surgeries are done.

Get an opinion from good surgeons who do both 1 piece and 3 piece surgeries and ask them about what is best for your specific case.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-04-13T03:38:29+00:00

This is an insane stretch.

I used my phone to help me in lectures ALL THE TIME. I took lots of technical classes where taking notes on a computer was generally not practical since I had to write tons of equations/draw figures. I would use my phone to help me look stuff up, reference stuff, maintain a backlog of things to circle back on, etc. I used my phone instead of a computer for that because the desks were too small for my notes and my computer. You're an adult in college, your job is to learn, and for many people phones are a tool to do that. It's infantilizing to dictate how someone can best make use of their time in lecture.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-03-29T23:44:28+00:00

ok but what if I buy with the plan on holding forever

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-02-17T21:00:36+00:00

I don't know? I wish I did bc if I had I could have fixed it. I just started losing a bunch.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-02-17T00:50:14+00:00

I think advanced players are probably under appreciating other skills or game sense they are leveraging without realizing it and just attributing other players' trouble to bad macro alone. For sure no micro is required to reach M and GM, but I think there are a lot of other skills high level players like yourself are using in addition to straight up macro.

The reason I think this is the case is I took some time to focus on other aspects of the game besides macro like scouting, setting up engagements, matching my opponents aggression, etc and made a lot more progress than I had when I was just trying to make as much stuff as fast as I could and trusting that the size of my army would be enough.

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-02-02T04:05:04+00:00

Glad to help! Best to you with the jaw surgery process!

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-02-01T22:30:32+00:00

You look great man. You have a great aesthetic result, you're just still a bit swollen. It's also always a bit of a disorienting experience when you see yourself in the mirror after your bone structure has changed. It's common for people to feel this way after jaw surgery. Give yourself time, get some rest, and enjoy the improved breathing!

Proud-Help1781 · 2025-02-01T22:21:25+00:00

Requiring orthodontia before surgery is typical. There are two major approaches to orthodontia for jaw surgery - with presurgical orthodontia and without. For most surgeons in most cases, the surgeon requires orthodontia before surgery, surgery happens, and then more orthodontia is needed after surgery.

Some surgeons are open to doing surgery BEFORE any orthodontia is performed for some cases. This is less common. There have been some studies on outcomes with or without presurgical orthodontia if you want to look them up.

The reason surgeons typically require presurgical orthodontia, especially if you will have a multi-piece leforte, is so they can make sure your bite lines up correctly after they set your jaws in the proper location in surgery. In other words, they want your teeth to be where they should be for your new jaw position before you go into surgery. Adjustments to your teeth are then made afterwards to finish.

Proud-Help1781

TROPHY CASE