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how do you tell if a guy likes you? Guys and girls can answer. im 13/f

At your age they usually do things like stare at you when they think you aren't looking. They may not know how to act around you, and therefore seem uncomfortable and a bit awkward in both speech and body language. Its a little difficult since it depends on how shy the guy is. Some will have no problem asking you out, or will try to get as close to you as possible. Others might even avoid you a bit to avoid the awkwardness.

Most of all however, if a guy truly likes you he will teach you how to use the advicenator "search questions" function, that will lead to a zillion other identical questions :D

Good luck.

Is there an exercise that burn more calorie than other exercises like you know hypothetically if you did five push ups and five sit ups and the pushups burned more calories than the situps if that makes any sense if not just ask and i'll see if i can explain it better also is poerwalking an running or jogging the best exercise for your legs like does it work best rather than other exercises?

I agree with the answer below. Cardio is the way to go if you want to burn a lot of calories. However to answer your question, compound exercises (those that use multiple joints) should burn more calories than isolation exercises.

Compound exercises use many muscle groups at once, and elevate your heart rate more significantly. This should translate to more calories burned within a given time period. Amongst compounds nothing beats squats, so thats where my money goes. In your example the push ups (compound) should do more than the sit ups (isolation).

For the second part of your question, I am not sure I completely understand. Powerwalking and jogging are primarily cardios. Their main area of effect is to strengthen your heart, to improve your general health and to burn calories.

You will of course build up some muscle on the legs with any of them. The more intensive the exercise, the more visible the muscle build up due to the ratio in the types of muscle fibres. So, running will have a more visible muscle effect than jogging which in turn should out do powerwalking. However if muscle pump is what you are after then resistance training is the way to go. Again, squats could be recommended.

Hope that was of some use. Good luck.

whenever i ask how i can lose weight in my breasts and in my arms, i get the same answer:diet & exercise. i know i can't target one specific spot of my body and lose the weight, but i would like to know the specific diets and exercises, and anything you can provide. details will be highly appreciated. im 16/f. thanXx in advance.

The reason you get that answer is because you cannot target fat loss to a specific area of the body. There is a lot of misinformation going around on this point (things like doing crunches to lose stomach fat, etc.). Humans are unable to do this.

The only way to lose weight is to have a negative calorie balance induced either by eating less or exercising more. As one can deduce, cardio, sports, and full body routines which burn more calories are more effective in this respect than area specific exercises.

Doing things that target an area will have two effects. You may build muscle on the area, and it may tighten it up a bit making it look as though you have shed some weight. However fat loss emphasis is determined by genetics unfortunately. All we can do is decide to lose or gain weight.

As for how to eat healthy, here are some quick tips. Eat frequent meals every 3- 4 hours. Eat balanced meals (moderate on carbs and proteins, low on saturated fats). Aim to eat about 500 calories less than you burn. Stick to nutritious non processed foods (e.g. chicken, tuna, lean meats, cottage cheese, rice, whole wheat bread, veggies, fruits, etc). Drink plenty of water.

Its not a lot more complicated than this. A steady cario (e.g. stair machines, jogging, eliptical, etc) of over 20 minutes done 3 times a week or so will keep your heart healthy. If you are able you can of course do more. However it is your diet that will make or break your efforts.

Good luck.

hi,im doing wieght lifting to get muscle to be a male model but what are some things i can do to keep doing wieghts every day..

Ok, your question is a little vague, so I will try to talk a bit about everything.

First off you should not be doing weights every day. There are many different kinds of split routines that you can use. You can do full body workouts, usually done 2- 3 times a week; you can do some sort of half body split, usually done 4 times a week; you can do a three day split (e.g. push, pull, legs), done 3 times a week; and so on.

Its a little hard to recommend something since I dont know whether you are a beginner or not. However, a full body routine is a fine way to condition the body. Even later it can be very effective for muscle growth.

First thing you got to do is to determine if your first priority is to gain weight (bulk) or trim fat (cut). Dont try to do both at once.

If you are bulking it is vital that you eat a lot. You need a serious amount of protein, carbs, and calories in general. Keep it relatively clean, i.e. not KFC and coke. Stick to good foods like lean meats, poultry, eggs, rice, potatoes, etc. But you need a calorie surplus, and you need to eat very 3 hours or so.

Here is an article that discusses building up a diet based on specific requirements (there is a very easy to use calculator at the bottom that shows your protein requirements etc.):

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

Supplement with protein shakes and possibly creatine. Whey protein is absorbed very quickly, so its usually best to have a whey shake mixed in water right after training. Casein is a slower protein, more suitable before going to sleep.

The other thing you need to do, is to get plenty of rest. Thats when you grow. As a weight lifter you need more sleep than the average person.

Always remember how those three things go hand in hand. Training- diet- rest.

Now, in regards to training, stick to big compound exercises (multiple joint exercises). They are far more effective than isolation. Similarly, free weights beat machines any day. So, base your routines around squats, deadlifts, dumbbell or barbell presses (chest, shoulder etc), pull ups or pull downs, etc.

With just a few compound exercises you can hit your whole body, including stabilizer muscles, much more effectively than with hours of isolation (which also risk overtraining muscles). They also have a positive effect on your testosterone levels (particularly squats and deadlifts).

Thats more or less it. If you are a beginner I would really urge you to get a routine made for you by a trainer, or alternatively to find a tried and tested routine online or in a book. This will ensure that you get the most out of the time spent in the gym.

Good luck.

can i do u masterbation for around 10 times per day?is there wil and disadvantages for excessive masterbation?and what is right process and how to hold cock when doing masterbation?

There should be no physical or medical problems with masturbating very frequently.

The only concern that I have ever read related to this is that for some people excessive masturbation (to the point where it becomes a compulsion), might be a symptom of a psychological problem. I am however in no way qualified to discuss that matter.

However, again, there should be no physical problems other than perhaps soreness.

As for how to do it, I would rather not go into that aspect here. I will say that to my knowledge, there is no "right" way. Whatever one enjoys I suppose. A little internet research (may I suggest googling something like "male masturbation techniques" or similar), should give you all the different variations possible.

iam 24 yrs male.nevr had sex.i used to have masterbation frequently.Howmany times one can do masterbation per day?

There is no limit really. You can do it as many times as you want. There will be no medical negative side effects from masturbation.

theres these granola bars or nutrition bars that make you gain weight.
i want to see if it works because i think im really skinny. but i dont want those muscles that body builders have i just want normal you know
i want my arms to be not as skinny as it is now but my stomache is kinda fat and i dont want it to get bigger all i want to get bigger is my arms and legs
does it actually work like that
and if it does wat kind of nutrition bars work better

Ok, in the same way that weight loss requires a calorie deficit, weight gain requires a calorie surplus. When gaining weight you will (irrespective of your methods and diet) put on muscle and fat. The question is in what proportions.

If you train (particularly resistance training like weights) you will have a tendency to gain more muscle than fat. If you do not (still assuming a calorie surplus), you will gain more fat than muscle.

You cannot direct where the fat will go. You can to a fairly high degree determine where the muscle will go. Making your arms less skinny is an obtainable goal in weight gain. Ensuring your stomach does not get any bigger is not (though you can minimise it if you gain weight using resistance training). Once you have gained the weight you want, you can easily cut down and lower your bodyfat percentage if you want to.

Now, I totally agree with the answer below. Fear not weight training. The women that you see bodybuilding on TV, they have trained intensively for 10 years+, they have used scientifically engineered diets and a ton of supplements (not to mention in many cases steroids). You will not wake up tomorrow and feel bulky. It takes years and you will be in control every step of the way.

As for your granola bars, I dont know a lot about them but they seem as an ok way to increase your calorie intake. You need a surplus of both carbs and protein (only the latter will not be adequate). However, I would personally rather lean towards eating more proper food (though watch out that you dont overdo it on saturated fats).

You can use these bars as supplements, and you can also use weight gainer shakes as well. However, the bulk of your calories should be obtained by eating numerous meals, consisting of non processed nutritious foods, throughout the day. Every 3 hours is a good rule.

Good luck.

15/f (almost 16). Okay. so I have gone on a diet.

Nothing from any magazine or whatever..just a vegetable//fruits/less sweets/less food alltogether diet. It's working quite well and I see the pounds fly off.
But...I'm suddenly always starting to question what I eat. And I'm afraid it might be too much. Its getting to the point where I think eating is bad in all, and I don't eat for days. Because I'm afraid I might get fat. Even the fact that I take ballet at 6 o'clock each day doesn't help me get over this paranoia..

What can I do?
I understand people MUST eat lunch and have a good breakfast, but I'm always ALWAYS afraid I'll gain weight :( I've never been worried so much about this, in fact. I guess its just ..I like what I see when I look in the mirror.
Advice? :/

There are a number of reasons as to why what you are doing is dangerous. First off, in order to have the sort of weight loss that one can keep off in the long term, you need to eat frequently. Three meals is not really enough (let alone not eating for days), 4-6 is the recommended range. The problem with eating rarerly is that it has an adverse effect on your metabolism. This means that you will have an easier time regaining weight.

The second thing is, that through a starvation type diet (and in combination with eating very rarely), you will digest more muscle than fat. This is both unhealthy and counterproductive for long term weight loss (since muscle burns calories to sustain itself).

Third, it is particularly important that you get the right nutrition at your age. It is bad enough for an adult, but for someone who is still growing and developing, it is particularly harmful. It hampers your immune system, your growth, etc etc.

Now, one guideline which is fairly good is not to lose more than 2 pounds a week. This number should be lower the thiner you already are. If you are not overweight, you should (obviously) not be trying to lose weight.

You NEED to eat balanced if you want to have a healthy life. That means carbs, protein, and good fats in proper proportions. That means every meal. Stick to nutritious non processed foods like lean meats, chicken, tuna, eggs, grains, rice, oats, vegetables, fruits, etc. Remember your omega fatty acids which have to feature in small daily amounts (from fish, good oils, nuts, olives, etc.).

Well, thats the short version anyway. Best of luck.

Edit: Note that what I have talked about is the physical side of things. If you find yourself unable to control the psychological side (the need to be thin and not eat), then you need to seek help from a qualified professional.

Witch countries have acces to nuclear energy or weapons right now?
Where can I find out?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_powers

Enjoy.

Why are people against Jews. Not since the beginning of time, I am not talking about Egypt and Worl War II...

But why nowdays is everybody against them?

And why do the Palestinians attack them so offten?

Well the Palestinians and the Israeli have a land dispute going on. Following the second world war, it was decided to give the Jews a homeland. Since many Jews were already living in Palestine, and since they had a historical presence there, they chose that location.

Understandably enough, the local population did not much like the idea. Suddenly a new country was created in what they considered their land. They waged war against them and lost. With that victory, Israel expanded itself to cover more of Palestine (at that point it held about half the territory). Since then, there has been endless bloodshed.

The Israeli regard them as terrorists, the Palestinians see themselves as freedom fighters. The conflict has been further aggravated over the years by Israel continuing to colonise more areas, and the Palestinian groups targetting civilians. There is also resentment that the United States is keeping them in power, since without their support their state would likely have crumbled long ago.

Now that is the very short version as to why they attack each other. To be honest I was not aware that Jews were particularly more disliked today than in earlier times. Of course that could also vary from country to country. Generally animosity towards the Jews usually stems either from standard prejudice, similar to Nazi beliefs, or because of a dislike to the methods used by Israel.

i'm 16/f. i really like this guy who's a year older than me and i know he likes me too. we hang out at school some and after my soccer games. we've only been on one date - out to dinner after a game. he's not a christian, and i'm a very strong and dedicated christian. he's into partying. i'm not at all. he's already hinted about having sex, i'm for sure saving myself until marriage. i really like him, but is this too much of a risk for myself? i might be able to help him change for the better, but i might end up being brought down. i'm really not sure of what to do right now. any advice would be helpful. please give me some honest answers. thank you so much!

Well, you assume your position is the correct one. He might find that to be debateable. However, I will try to take it from there. Is this a risk to you? Very likely. Often teens become influenced by the people around them. The more they are infatuated with that person, the greater the risk that they will influence their lives.

Will you be able to change him (without neccessarily saying "for the better")? Perhaps but somewhat unlikely. You might make small changes in his behaviour. This could go either way though, depending on how strong his personality is, how much he has thought out his current postion, etc.

Should you go out with him? Not if you want to remain true to your ideals. Even if you will not be changed, note that this will always be a point of friction between you. I guess that what I am saying is that it is unlikely that you will change him so profoundly that he will alter himself very drastically. Its possible, just very unlikely.

I cannot give you specific advice on how to act, since I do not share your beliefs. Being brought down is a matter of perspective. Certainly you run the risk of compromising your current position. Only you can judge if this risk is worth it or not.

In my opinion, if your goal is to remain true to your current beliefs without exposing yourself to a different position, I would say you should not persue this further.

15/f i'm inexperienced at dating guys or even getting asked out and 2 days ago, this guy professed his love to me online and said that he wants me to go out with him. and he kept on flattering me and i was like whoahh, you know? too much attention.

i don't like him. he's sweet but just not my type.

i didn't know what to answer him when he asked me out, so I said i'll think about it. and now he's assuming that i meant that its a maybe. that he has every right to hug me or do stuff.
its not a maybe. its a no.
i just dont want to break his heart. he told me the last girl who rejected him broke his heart. and he gave me all this bs about how im the right one, and how he can't live without me.

and i'm like : you're kidding right?
he wasn't.
i'm really confused. how do i go about getting 'rid' of him in a nice way? i'm so new to this..

and i'm beginning to think maybe i led him on :/

Well, I wish guys had the heart of steel that some people think we do. In reality we do not. You will break this guys heart, and it will most likely break very loudly. A number of factors will affect how long the pain will last. Sometimes its days, other times its years (and I speak from personal experience on the latter).

Now, that being said, you have to tell him. The sooner you do, the less painful it will be (even though it may be very very painful indeed). The only way to get "rid" of him is to tell him the truth. It will be better than lying in most cases, but it may still get messy.

When you do tell him, be honest, but remember that the whole thing about you being the only one for him... its not bs to him. Not at all.

Despite the nasty situation you are in, look at this as a learning experience. Next time reject the guy right away if you realise you do not like him. It will save you a headache later.

So, just to conclude, be honest and firm. Explain to him what you are thinking, and make sure he realises you have nothing against him as a person. He will still hurt a lot, but he will probably get over it in the near future.

Best of luck.

I have bronchitis. The only way to get better is to take these very strong antibiotics my doctor gave me. The only problem is, i have a sensative stomach and the antibiotics are giving me horrible horrible diarhea. I'm sorry if this grosses you out, I just need to know if there is anything I could eat or do that would ease me body's reaction to the antibiotics.

Here is a list of things to do to make your symptoms better:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MBC/content/MBC_6_2X_Diarrhea.asp?sitearea=MBC

In regards to the cause, the only thing I could dig up was that it can be a normal reaction. Avoid some of the foods that make it worse, and try eating some active culture yoghurt a couple of times a day so as to restore the normal bacteria to the digestive tract.

Good luck.

what are 'love handles?' fat on your thighs, butt? please tell me what that is, and how do you get rid of it. I know your suppose to stand up, i found so much stuff about it i just don't understand HOW to do it, so can someone PLEASE explain it to me step by step to get rid of love handles

and also what is 'cardio?'
thanks!!:)

Love handles refer to fat on the sides of your midsection.

Cardio is short for cardiovascular exercise, which refers to exercise types that are particularly good for your heart and circulation. Cardio is one of the most important things one can do for weight loss. Generally cardios involve steady exercises at medium intensity for longer periods of time (e.g. jogging or biking for half an hour).

Now, the ONLY way to get rid of love handles is the same as the only way to get rid of any other fat. General exercise (mainly cardio) and diet.

You need to expend more energy than you consume, so as to start losing weight. There is no way to do area specific exercises to get rid of love handles (or any other fat stores). Human bodies simply do not work this way despite rampant myths on this site.

Here is the wikipedia article which pretty much sums it up (you can also follow the link to cardiovascular exercise for a more in depth look at that too).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_handles

Im a kind of person who stresses out aloott. and im only 13! i worry about evveryything, even when i dont even know it.
I worry way too much, and i guess thats why i stress way too much.

I meen; i even got told that from the guy i like!
How embarassing.

I need to change.
I need to start enjoying my time as a kid
then stressing every minute of it .

Now my problem is; HOW AM I GOING TO DO THAT?

How do i handle drama?Stress, i want to be a relaxed person and not be known as a low self asteem person.

I REALLY NEED AS MUCH ADVICE AS NEEDED.

ALOTTT.

-worrybug.

I used to have a tendency to stress out too much as well when I was younger. I still do to some extent, but I have managed to control it quite a bit. Some people are a lot more prone to it I suppose.

The thing you need to do is to try to teach yourself to put things into perspective. Most often the stressful things that occur do not really merit the reaction that we give them.

Try to visualise the bigger picture. How will this event (that you are stressing about at a given moment) affect you in a few months? In 5 years? In 9 out of 10 cases in 5 years this will at most be a distant memory (for the last 1 out of ten, i.e. something that will affect you a few years down the line, you should allow yourself some worry).

Drama is really a matter of perspective. Particularly teen dramas tend to come and go on a daily basis. Trust me when I tell you that these things will have virtually no impact on your later life. Knowing this, or rather believing this, is the first step to being able to approach them calmly.

Its a little like surfing. You just have to go with the flow, steering yourself in one direction or another at any given moment.

On a more practical note, physical exercise (sports, cardio, etc) really helps as well. It improves your body's short and long term ability to handle stress physically and psychologically.

Good luck.

hi, so i have a research paper that is due in a few days on school nutrition and obesity, but i have NO clue how to write a research paper and ive tried looking it up on google and nothing has helped me. so basically, i was wondering if anybody had any examples of research papers or something i can look at?..dont worry i wont copy and paste them as my essay..i do my own work, but i just am confused on how to do this!
thanks!

Looking at a bunch of research papers can be a bit confusing since one can get lost in the specific subject. Much easier is to understand what the main components are. Then one can always modify the structure a bit to fit one's own purpose. Essentially a research paper will be generally structured something like this:

Introduction: This is where you identify your main research question. This describes what you wish to investigate through your paper. It should be clear and well defined as the entire assignment depends upon it. The more specific this is the better the paper will be.

Methodology: This describes how you plan to obtain information and organise the analysis. This includes everything from sources of information to statistical analyses used to organise the data (if applicable).

It might prove easier to also divide your research question into sub categories. E.g. if your research question deals with an evaluation of the impact of nutritional values of lunches on obesity, your sub questions might be: What are the nutritional requirements for an average child?, How do school lunches impact on overall daily nutrition?, How have nutritional values of school lunches changed?, What effects have been noticed from these changes?, etc.

Basically these should all be steps along the way to answering your main question. This enables to you properly structure research data, and to have an easier time to arrive at conclusions.

Findings: The next step is to gather information. Look at your research question(s) and try to gather all the relevant facts and figures that might be relevant. What information you need should now be easier to determine if you have formulated a good set of goals.

Discussion: Here is where you combine the facts and figures in arguments. You can tie in your findings directly with the sub categories you outlined in the methodology and begin to answer the questions one by one. The discussion should leave you with a set of mini- conclusions based on your findings.

Conclusion: Here you tie in all the findings and mini- conclusions derived above, so as to answer your overall research question. Your focus now is to state how the trends/ findings/etc relate directly to the specific goal of the paper.

Any recommendations would follow here as well. This may be beyond the scope of your paper, but you may wish to arrive at a set of recommendations. These could include measures that must be taken to ensure proper nutrition (e.g. maximum saturated fat content in lunches, or availability of non processed foods, etc.). This all depends on how you phrased your research question.

When you have finished the paper, then go back and write an abstract (i.e. a short summary of the entire report, usually about half a page or so). Do this only when the report is complete, and then place it at the beginning of the paper (before the introduction).

Note: All actual examples I gave are straight off the top of my head.

That is more or less it. Good luck.

13/F

I posted a question before about this and I've been depressed for several days now so... What's wrong with me???

Depression is really normal for kids your age. Its not that uncommon later, but in the early teens you have havoc with mind and body.

Now (if I am to give my totally NON professional outlook), there is the kind of teen depression that is totally superficial, there is that kind that hurts quite a bit but passes, and then there is the serious clinical depression.

If you are seriously depressed and it does not pass, and it interferes with your work/ life, then you need to seek help from a professional. Everyone is prone to depression and that is nothing to be ashamed about. So, as others below suggested, if it persists and it seems serious do seek out qualified help.

Otherwise just be aware that many other teens go through the same thing. I certainly did. In most cases it tends to pass.

Good luck.

So I'm in my first year of college. I've met lots of new people. The only friends I've made consist of my roommate and suite mates. I have met plenty of acquaintances around campus that I chat with occasionally, but that's it. My question is, how can I find people to actually hang out with instead of just people to talk to? How do you know when it's okay to ask someone if they want to get together and hang out for the first time?

I have no problem talking to new people, I just have issues finding people I can actually hang out with (i.e. go to the movies, go out to dinner, go bowling, etc.).

My main problem is that I don't drink. It seems like all the people at my college like to do is drink drink drink. And I'm not like that. Sure, I've been to a couple parties, but all I do is stand in the corner while everyone gets wasted and plays beer pong.

I went and got an office job on campus in hopes that I would get to know a few of my co-workers as friends, but since my job involves being on the phone all the time, I cannot get to know any of them as much as I would have hoped. I joined a couple academic clubs, but I can never attend the meetings because they conflict with my classes. I always go to the library or the campus cafe to do homework so I can be in public and maybe meet someone there, but it never happens.

I seriously don't know what to do anymore. I end up going home nearly every other weekend because I have NOTHING to do at school. How do I make some friends? I thought it would be easy, but I seriously can't. It's starting to make me depressed because I end up just sitting around in my room.

Well, first off let me tell you, I know what it is like. I have been in some rather similar situations, though mainly at a younger age than you are now.

First off, do you play any sports? The academic club idea is along the same line, but I find people tend to bond better in sports (and particularly team sports). If you do, see if you can join a team. Maybe its not just sports, perhaps its competition in general (I remember I made a few close friends on the chess team of all things), but its amazing how that can bring people together. It probably goes back to our caveman days :)

Now, in regards to when to ask someone to hang out. I agree with the columnist below, there is no set time. You just have to ask. Make sure that you guys have some common interest though. It makes asking a lot easier. "Want to meet up this weekend, get some pizza and...", or "Want to take a game of whatever on Saturday" sounds a lot better than "hey, lets hang out". Whether its movies or sports or games, common interests are often the start of friendships.

In light of the last advice, I would really try to find some clubs that you are interested in, and that you are also able to attend. Find something you really like though, nothing shines through more than genuine enthusiasm and passion.

Now, a note on drunk people and parties, something I can definately talk about from experience :) The thing they stay away most from is someone who is uptight. By no means am I saying you, or anyone should drink. However, if you do go, take on a loose carefree attitude. Join in the fun as much as possible, and leave as many of your not so important inhibitions at home. Make jokes, even if they are a bit daft. Parties are a time to say what the heck. Drunk guys dont mind socialising with sober guys if they feel you have energy and enthusiasm. Thats my opinion anyway.

Well, thats all I can think of. Hope this is of some use to you. Best of luck in finding some friends :)

I need help... Today I went to my religion classes so I could get prepared for my confirmation. Today was my first day but I noticed something about myself. My knowledge of religion is weak. I don't know why. I went to a catholic school for 6 years straight and that helped me become a Catholic. After that I got into a good public school and that's when I learned a lot of things. So really science interfered with my religion but I didn't get offended I was actually amazed maybe there couldn't be like a God who started life but science did. But I decided to become Agnostic so I could search for proof of a God or proof of no God. But then my weekly church going seemed to stop not because I didn't want to go it just that things are changing and going there seems timely impossible. So my belief in God began to diminish. So right now I am like half Agnostic and half Atheist. So really my first class just made me realize that my knowledge of religion is weak and I don't know what's this feeling I am feeling. It feels like disbeleif or disappointment in myself and there's a little fear because what if there is truly a God and there's a saying that the lord see's everything so what if my thoughts are offending Him? I just don't know anymore because I also get the feeling that religion doesn't really seem to interest me anymore or matter. I just like want to be a normal person and I heard that people can do that, just live out their lives and not believe in anything. But the thing is my family is like all catholic and they all believe in God but I seem to not to or not know if there is one. I don't wanna tell them my situation because they might not accept my changed path or I might feak them out. I think I know they won't accept my changed path because they already won't accept me for who I am (Goth/Emo. Ugh... this is just too much and maybe too much for you advice givers to read. Sorry. I just need some advice...

People most certainly can live normal lives without necessarily believing in something. There is absolutely no reason why they should not be able to. Now, I am not saying it’s wrong to believe in something, rather that it is not a prerequisite for a happy, ethical life.

Personally (and this part is my own biased opinion) I think it takes an enormous amount of strength to doubt something that one has been taught to believe. Particularly when family and school are concerned. I also certainly do not think that there is anything wrong with demanding proof. In any claim, anything at all, other than religion, one is expected to provide proof. It is not unreasonable at all to ask for it.

The one thing that humans are incredibly poor at dealing with, is admitting that they do not know something. Somehow people fear that concept. That is why no matter what time period you look at in history, they always "knew" everything about everything. Of course, every aspect their science did not cover, they made sure to have a deity that would.

What I am getting at here is that there is nothing wrong with admitting that you do not know. In fact it will help keep one's mind open and eliminate bias. Don't feel forced towards making a decision just because people around you have firm beliefs. Arrive at the answer at your own pace, and if that answer 20 years from now still remains "I do not know", then that is also perfectly fine.

Finally, I would also recommend that if you do decide to explore the subject that you take the time to look at all sides. Too often (and this is not limited to religion) people just listen to one side of the story and make a decision.

Well, that’s more or less it. I hope you manage to come to terms with all of this. I don't really dare advise you on how to deal with your family, since there are so many factors involved there. All I can say is that whatever you choose to believe or not believe, make sure its your own decision.

Good luck.

i really need to know a good way to get rid of love handles and arm fat and legs... and please don't just tell me workout and eat healthy.. i do eat healthy and workout already on a daily bases... i need CORE workouts for those areas. so please help.

The problem is that core workouts for those areas will not get rid of the fat. You cannot spot reduce fat, so the only correct answer (hate it if you will), is eat healthy and exercise.

If you are eating smart, and you are exercising, and you are not losing weight, that means you are eating too much. Decrease you calories (of course maintain 5 small balanced meals a day, etc.) or increase your exercise level until you begin to lose weight.

All humans work the same way. A muscle does not own the fat around it, so exercising it will not reduce fat percentage from a specific area. All it will do is train the muscle, making it stronger and bigger.

Good luck.

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