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Q: im about 5'3"-5'4" and i weight 140 pounds. i've been playing field hockey for about a month and its alot of running and sprinting and intense exercising but i haven't been loosing any weight. i've been eating pretty decent too. barely any junk food. why aren't i loosing any weight? how can i lose weight? my goal is 15 pounds but 20 would be even better :)

I used to have this same problem, same height, same weight. The fact is, exercising doesn't really help you lose weight. When you burn calories, your body GRUDGINGLY gives them up. I would suggest that you try to lose 1-2 lbs. per week by first beginning to cut off 200 calories from your usual dietary needs. Gradually cut off 500 per day. Eat at regular intervals, maybe 6 times a day, 3-5 hrs apart. Eat as little carbohydrates as you can, and cut out most if not all sugar. You can do 30-40 situps or crunches each day, I do them right before bed. Don't weigh yourself, or take a tape measure. Just do the steps above and lose weight until you feel comfortable. Remember, this isn't going to happen over-night, so take it slow. When you've lost the weight, go back to your normal calorie intake, and play sports if you wish. The weight will stay off, if you just remember: only a little sugar and a teeny bit of carbohydrates. Good Luck!!!

Q: is there any way i can make my teeth whiter, something that you can definetly see a difference, and straighter or somewhat straighter without braces? im so self-conscious about my smile and i never smile with my teeth cause i think its so ugly. thanks so much.

I use Crest White Strips every day, and they make a 100% difference. I don't know how much money you have, but if you can afford it, go with Invislines (SP?). You take them out when you want, and are totally clear. If you don't have a million dollars, just bite the bullet and get braces. I used to have braces just till last year, and the time seemed to fly by. Getting them on was extremely painful for me, but tightening was a breeze. I barely ever was self conscious of them. If you choose braces, don't be afraid to laugh and smile, but in pictures, I always made sure to not show my teeth. What also made a difference was that most of the people I knew had braces too; whether total nerds or the "pretty" girls in my school. Hope I helped.

Q: 15/f

I'm usually creative at writing (I'm in creative writing club at my school & I write stories a lot) and I'm really good at forming stories into words.

But at school, in Gov't class we have to write an essay for Voice of Democracy. It's a contest kind of thing that's really patriotic and they give you a broad topic each year that you can interpret and write something for in various ways. Well, this year is "My role in honoring veterans" I don't know if I can BS that...last year, my friend got a topic that's really easy to write about. But this one, I have no clue.

Veteran as in people who served in a war[s], right? The problem is that I don't know any veterans or how I "honor" them. I don't even know how to interpret the topic. I want it to be creative and not literal but all I can interpret it is in a literal way. Anyways, it can be fiction or nonfiction. I'll probably make up a story, but does anyone have suggestions as to how to interpret it and what I should write to relate to the topic? Thanks a bunch!

I'd interpret it as a work of writing that honors veterans from wars. I would write a historical fiction about someone who had something to do with a memorial fund or something and helped get the courage of the soldiers recognized. But that's just me. That's the way I see it, but I could be wrong, though I think I have a pretty good idea. Good luck!

Q: There's a pair of black flats with a stretchy elastic back, and a gold medallion on the front with a swirly-like design on the medallion. I don't have a picture, but if anyone as a picture and/or the place to find them, please answer!

The Steve Madden "Talli" flats. You can get them at Macy's for $80, but they're on sale right now for like $52.

Q: How do you hide your age on MySpace?

I won't answer this question because I believe that you are a sexual predator. I may or may not alert someone.

Sorry. I just assumed, and I hope you can see why I answered like that at first. : )

Q: I really wanna be wicca but my mom keeps acting like its a big joke!I search stuff about wicca everyday!It's so intresting!I asked my mom if she can search a wicca place nearby but she said I cant go to it!I REALLY wanna be wicca but i'm afriad to tell my grandmother because she's like a jehovah's witness and so am I but I dont wanna be it anymore!I seriously need help!

Whatever. It's a terrible thing to practice relgiously, and it's right for your mother not to take you seriously, 'kay?

Personally, I think "Wicca" is an anti-religious group that's morally wrong and a defiance to God, but that's nothing against you I guess. I think that Wicca is more like a craft, for entertaining (no cults or clans or whatever). If you think it's interesting and just that and not like a RELIGION, than for all means go for it. As a craft. As for a religion, I'd go for an individualist thing where there is no gatherings at any chapels, but you believe in God and Jesus as the son of God. Wiccan religious people are really actually quite insane and can go as far as cults where you cut yourself and accept Satan. Please for your spiritual safety, accept God and leave the thoughts of Wiccan religion behind.

Q: 14/f

I have really low self esteem. I care about everything and I don't deal with drama good. I seem to like running away from my problems and I show when I care which is bad I know. I don't know how to not give about everything not important I don't know how to not care I don't know how to let everything just blow by and I don't know how to stop stressing and worrying. I've gotten picked on because of my low self esteem people seem to know when I care so they seem to pick on me a lot more can anyone show me how to have more self esteem and how to just not care about what everyone thinks?

Lift your head up high and tell yourself the good things about yourself. If you particularly like your eyes or hair, look at them everyday and tell yourself "I'm pretty, I love me, and I love being me." Be confident and smile at anyone and everyone. Even if you have jitters, stand and sit up tall to portray how you want to feel: confident and happy. Talk to either your school counselor or local minister for advice. Take yoga and breathing classes. It'll make you feel so much better about you. You don't want to act like or be anyone besides you. Don't let any teasing get you down. Act as happy as you were before anyone said anything not-so-nice to you. Sports and after school activties are also another good way to feel good. Good luck!

Q: i had a best friend. she was amazing and i loved her (as a friend). we were like family. i'd stay at her house even if she wasn't there and her grandparents would always hug me along with their actual grandchildren. i was at her house at least 4 nights a week for dinner and i'd stay over at least one night every weekend. i wasn't clingy we were just very close. we knew everything about each other. that was in 10th grade.during tenth a lot of drama happened that i was involved in and a lot of people started to hate me for a false rumor but my best friend defended me the whole time because she knows i'd never lie to her. then the summer happened. one day one of my guy friends asked why i wasn't at one of her parties and i said because i wasn't invited. i was shocked that she didn't call me. i let it slide. then it happened again. a week later was school. i figured that 11th grade would be a fresh start after whatever happened. we have three classes together and she won't even look me in the eyes. i asked her one day if she was mad at me and she said no. then i told her that i had felt abandoned and all she said was "oh" and walked away. after about a week and a half she turned to me during one of our class(i sit behind her) and she started talking about her classes. we never used to talk about classes. i talked to her like nothing had happened. that was a week ago and we haven't talked since. i don't know what happened. i really really want to get her back. she's still important to me and her new best friend is changing her for the worse. please help me

You should definitely call her and offer to meet up somewhere like to lunch, or a shopping trip. If she says ok, talk to her about how you miss her and want to know why you aren't as close as you used to be on your get together. If she says no, talk to her about the above over the phone. Don't accept any short, dumb-act answers, even if you want to so you don't make her angry. In the meantime, make new friends so you don't seem too clingy. Ask her other friends and siblings if she has any if she's having a tough time with something. It could be less about you than you think. Good Luck!

Q: So we all know its bad enough going to highschool for the first time as a freshman because its a whole new experiance, but my parents decided to move during the summer so ill be going to a completely new highschool where i know nobody! So not only am im experiancing higschool for the first time but i wont know anyybody and i dunno how to go about these things. My sister reassures me that everyone always loves the new person which im sure is true. But since im starting school late im sure they all have assigned seats in classes and stuff and im kind of shy so its goin to be awkward walkin into the class for the first time because i dont know where ill be sitting and i hate asking teachers stuff, but will they know that im new? And also another thing is lunch i dont wanna be sitting by myself because then everyone will think im a loser. basically i need tips because im very nervous and i dont know what to do! Thanks!!

Your sister's right. Everyone DOES love a new student; it gives them someone new that they don't know anything about and a chance to get a new friend. My friend Gracie was new last year, but we just immediately talked and made new friends with her the minute she walked through the door. Tip #1: Be confident and smile. No one likes a grump that slouches over like they'd rather be somewhere else. Act like you want to be there, and everyone else will want you to be there too. By the time the lunch bell rings, you will have made new friends and you should have an invitation to a table. If you don't you can sit a table where you know at least one person from your class, and people are always nice to new people. Be nice and sociable back. You'll be absolutley fine; everyone else is going to have jitters too.

Q: I never knew that I become bisexual I never thought of women in a sexual way before I meet my best friend Jane 7 years ago. It was a big shock to me that she is my only first crush I ever had in my life, yeah I had pervious boyfriends in high school but I used them to get over her, I didn’t like the fact I was doing that to them so I broke up with them. I only told my older sister and my friend Josh too. They are supportive to me and try to help me when I ask questions. I told Jane about how I felt about her in our senior year she didn’t say much but was shocked. After we graduated I was busy with work and junior college same with her too, we are good close friends and we hang out with each other and others too. I still like her and I was always reading her body language to see if she likes me back. What I read was mixed singulars she is a touchy person who leans on me some times.

Last year she told me some guy in her class was asking her out I sat and listen but inside I felt a bit jealous I ask her what she said to him and she said “no I am not ready for a relationship at the moment.” after that conversation the next day I was trying to recall that day I told how I felt about her, I was trying to remember what she said about it. But nothing Jane didn’t say anything about it So I was struggling to find out how I can talk to her I was tying to speak to her on the phone or face to face about it but I freaked out, I even wrote a letter to her about it but it she didn’t received it cause she didn’t respond. I wanted to ask her “why did you seem okay when I told you how I felt about you?”, A year past and my friend Josh told me to step up and ask her, but I still couldn’t tell her, so in May I ask her to go online the chat room to have a chat, and so she did, I told her everything of myself and how I didn’t like myself for who I am, and when I ask her “why did you seem okay when I told you how I felt about you?” she said “I am fine with it before I was shock but now I am fine not that I like you in that way cause I don’t know what gender I like but yeah I am fine with it” I was glad to hear her reply and I went on explaining myself to her, I was kind of relief of getting it off my chest.
In July I knew I had to move on but then I knew it will be hard for me to get over her cause I liked her for so long but I had to. We still hang out as good friends and with our other friends too.

On the 4th of July I went over to my sister’s house party, she told me that her room mate Tiffany was trying to hook me up with her brother Mike. I talk to him and played pool he is cute and nice but I didn’t feel any sparks between us nothing happen at all between us but it was nice of a friend to try to hook me up with someone it was funny and flattering. Next week I told Jane about it on online chat room Jane’s response was unbelievable. She replies “I don’t know if I should be happy or pissed” I reply “what?” Jane “I guess time will tell for the both of us” I reply “what?” Jane “what do you mean what?” she then said she had to go to bed and I said good night, she logged off. I couldn’t sleep that night and I ask myself “was she jealous?” I send her an email and ask her if she was jealous. I was pissed that day because now she was making me confused and was messing with my feelings. She wrote me back and said “I don’t think its right to force someone into a relationship (even if you to did not talk much.) I don’t no if that’s how you saw it or not, but that is what I saw when you told me about it. And I did feel jealousy yes, I felt the same when you were going out with your last two boyfriends.”
She explained that she might feel left out if I have a boyfriend and she is afraid that we won’t be close anymore.
I didn’t know what to say but I told her that I can’t respect myself and I am not ready for a relationship. Not with the same sex (I didn’t tell her that), I might be moving next year to a different state with my parents and she said she is not happy about that either, but I have no choice because I don’t have enough money to have my own place. I want to clear my head and to help myself to respect myself she said that “people tell me that moving away is not going to help. But if that’s what you think you got to do it then do it and let no one stop you it may let you unwind a little”. She is right about that but I have no choice, if I did I will stay.
I told her I didn’t like the fact how she might like me back because I didn’t want her to be mixed with my depression of not respecting myself. Jane didn’t say anything, but I was thinking she might just didn’t want to be the third wheel as I was going out with someone and pay addition to some guy than her. But I will never do that. I do want her and I know I will never forget about her either because I think of her everyday. Now today we are still talking and hang out too. I don’t know what to do now I want to be with her but I can’t respect myself, and I want to know if she does like me back more than a friend. But I cant step up to talk to her face to face I get all red and I studier so I think it be right to write her a note. what do you think I should do?

You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are. And you can't help falling in love with your best friend. That happened to me too, I fell in love with my friend and got my heart broken. She was acting angry because you seemed clingy and pining for a closer relationship, and she was nervous because she probably hasn't ever known anything but heterosexualism and didn't know if you were going to do something odd. I felt like that too until I underwent an acceptance program. If you're willing to let time wash away your affection, tell her that and she'll understand. Here's some steps:
1. Stay away from them for awhile. Don't completely and totally ignore or hate on them at all, just don't go out of your way to hang out with them. If you see them around be cortual and polite and kind. But other than that minimal contact.
2.When YOU are ready to see them again. Invite them out for something semi-casual and just hang with them. Remember the big three: be desireless (woman particularly can smell agenda like poop on a shoe) be excellent (do something really cool in front of her or around her) and be gone (let her call you).
3.Make a list of why you should not be 'lovers'. Is your friend in another relationship? Do you want the same things out of life / a partner / the future?
4.Talk to your friend. It's always better to talk it over than keep it inside. Sit your friend down and have a heart-to-heart, let them know your feelings in a calm, rational manner - don't get crazy or cry or look too desperate!
Give your friend time to consider what you just told him or her. You just shared your innermost feelings with this friend - you know your friendship is on the line. But you've also rolled the dice, gambling that your friend might have similar feelings for you. Either way, your friend needs time to process what you've told him or her.
5.Allow your friend to discuss it with you without pressure. It is okay, though, to let your friend know how hard it was to talk to them. Try to both push and hesitate in your words, adding phrases like "I know this is awkward, but..." and also "Of course if you don't feel the same way, it's perfectly okay. Don't feel bad, please."
If they rebuke you politely enough, get out of there as quickly as you can, then grab a pillow and cry over it. Or just find some way to express that emotion. Don't smother it under some corner of your heart.
6.Try to be happy. Remember, if they're happy, you should be too, if you really love them, no matter what they decide. Being depressed all the time won't make either of you happy, and distancing yourself will ruin your best friendship.
7.Most important step! Accept the reality that you will remain friends, suck it up, and move on. Hard, maybe, but it has to be done sometimes.

Q: Since my little brothers have been in school my mom keeps quick snak foods (junk food) around. I feel like I am always hungry and I wanna lose weight but how can I do this with my little brothers being around with there junk food?

Ask your mother to buy healthier foods for the whole family including your little brothers. Many parents think that because children are young, junk food won't affect them. Some better choices are granola bars, apples and bananas, flavored yogurt, and natural cookies. Look for foods without high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring or high levels or trans or saturated fats. Explain to her the health risks for you and your little brothers.

Q: if lets say you smoke 2-5 cigarettes a day how many days does the nicotine stay in your system? and how can test find out if you have it or not? and what kind of test is it usually? peeing? can they trace it within a couple of days?

If you had to get a nicotine test by your parents or the school, and you're worried because you HAVE been smoking, shame shame shame. Nicotine is more dangerous than certain poisons and contains TAR. Can you believe that? Tar? I would fess up and get help immediately with a school guidance teacher or different pro-health organizations in your area. Please do so, for your health and well-being.

Q: okay..well this is going to be long. but whatever. i was with this guy from like the middle of june until the end of july and we had to end it bc he got into trouble with the police or w.e..anyways i still liked himm and he still liked me..we live like 45 mintues away from eachother to..and like a few weeks afterr we ended it before i texted him and told hinm i missed him and i said i knew it wasnt going to work but i just had to tell him that..then he said he will try and make it work. so we started talking and this time he was like the sweetest guy ever. we made a promise we weren't going to hurt eachother at all and idk he was just like perfect this time..then last friday night he got drunk and did some stuff with a girl..he told me about it on sunday and he felt bad but he said it didnt mean anything. idk if i sohuld believe him or not..ahh please help.=/

You should stay away from this guy. I dont know how old he is or what, but I wouldn't date a guy who has had police trouble, drinks AND has sex with girls while he is drunk. That is really bad behavior. If you really want to be with him, tell him that you want him to stop drinking, partying and having casual sex. And to never ever get in trouble with the police again. Don't date him till he complies, and if he won't then he doesnt care about how you feel and you shouldnt date him.

Q: 16/f...yea so my hairs always been long, and brown with blonde highlights..i need a change because you know...it gets boring..I've asked people what i should do and half of them say i should get it darker...and the other half says..lighter..IDK what to do...errr...any tips at all would be very helpful..like what color, and how short the cut should be..thx in advance..heres a pic..if i doesn't show up let me know. thx! =]

Well the second link didn't show up... If you're brunette and you don't want TOO much of a change, go with a warm chocolate or almond. If you like blondish better, I would suggest a glossy nutmeg with golden undertones or a strawberry blond... I'm really only saying that because I really like strawberry blond. Try these links:
http://www.cbseven.com/Images/blog/december06/newdo.jpg
http://www.theatrebayarea.org/images/headshots/22908_headshot.jpg
http://www.carrycompany.com/Barron.html

Q: what are some good movies that take place in france, paris to be more specific. i don't want a french movie with english subtitles i just want it to take place in paris. i've already seen le divorce and before sunset. i liked those. any suggestions?

Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources
Gazon Maudit
Le Retour de Martin Guerre
La Cage Aux Folles
Delicatessen
La Belle et la Bete
Jules et Jim
Diva
Jesus de Montreal
Not all of these are set in Paris, but they're all like the best French films. Hope I helped!

Q: Is there any way to make a black eye go away faster?

well you can put vinegar on a cotton swab and rub it on the black eye but do not get it in the pupil of your eye..i did this and my black eye was gone in about 3-4 days

Q: I'm not going to go into detail, but there's this guy who really seems to think that I'm going to wait around forever for him. Newsflash: I'm not. Basically, he seems to think that I'm just going to be his loyal princess, or whatever, but he seems to get alarmed when it looks like I'm distancing myself from him.

I wanted to get the message across to him without being overly rude, so today, when I passed him (I usually strike up a conversation FIRST) I said absolutely nothing.

I saw him do a double take, almost like he was waiting for me to say something, and when I didn't, he was like "What the fuck?"

I've tried this before, and the next day, he actually took a different route to class to avoid me.

Do you think this will help him appreciate me? I know you're probably going to say "Why don't you talk it out with him?" Let's just say we aren't at that point yet.

Any other suggestions are helpful.

If you're on your way to class, a simple "Hi" or "Hello" is good enough. You can talk to him other times. Make it seem that you like his company, but not every minute of the day. You don't have to ignore him, and he may expect you to talk to him first because he's nervous to talk to you first. I would be a bit upset too if a friend of mine decided not to say hello passing one day. My assumption is that he thought that you were angry at him BECAUSE you refused to speak to him after your regular conversations in the hall. You don't owe him anything more than a simple hi at those times. That should get your message across. Good Luck.

Q: I have pretty thick thighs/big butt. It think it runs in the family, if that's possible? I'm a size 11 in jeans. Last summer, I ran every single day, and while my stomach got flatter, my thighs stayed the same exact size. I was wondering what exercises to do that would tone my thighs and butt?

Ah, the old my-thighs-rub-together-and-give-me-a-rash problem. Unfortunately, along with the hips, stomach, and back of the arms, the inner thigh is a traditional problem area for women. And again, unfortunately, there simply isn't a particular exercise that will make fat disappear from your inner thighs as opposed to your stomach. The inner thigh is where you happen to store fat. On someone else it may be the hips or gut.
Another popular misconception is that you can replace fat with muscle. The only thing we can do is try to influence their size. Reduce your body fat and all of your fat cells will be smaller, including the ones located in your inner thigh area. When you build muscle, you increase the size of the muscle fibres you already have, but you don't add new cells.

So let's talk about reducing fat in general. Some of the major themes are:

Don't diet. Rather than trying the latest fad diet or skipping meals, just reduce the total amount of calories you consume daily. If you consume the number of daily calories you need, you will maintain your current weight. If you reduce this amount by just a couple of hundred calories a day, it will create a deficit between the calories you take in and the calories you expend. You can trim fat from your diet, but make sure you’re still getting around 30% of your calories from fat.

Burn calories. Reduce your daily calorie deficit even more by increasing the amount of time you exercise over the course of a week. Aerobic exercise (walking, cycling, rollerblading, swimming), performed three to five times a week for 30-60 minutes can help you increase your daily calorie deficit. The obvious reason that this is beneficial is that when you've burned more calories than you've taken in, your body gets the other calories it needs for energy from the fat already stored on your body.
If you have access to a gym, leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses, and the abductor/adductor machine will work your legs. If no equipment is available, squats and lunges, performed while holding dumbbells in your hands, will also give your legs a great workout. (**Tip: the wider you position your feet while doing squats or using the leg press, the more you'll recruit your inner thigh muscles).

Walking, cycling, in-line skating, and using a stepper are all ways to get your aerobic exercise done and give your leg muscles a great workout. Good luck!

Q: Today was my second day at my new high school. Everyone else has already been there two weeks. My homeroom teacher had a volunteer show me where my locker is. He was so cute and nice and geeky; like 5”, freckles, mousy brown hair (lets call him “Tom”).

Later during lunch, my buddy asked me if I was going to homecoming; I said I don’t know.... She exclaimed, “I’ll fix that!” And despite my protests she went off in search of a date for me. After lunch, this guy walked up to me and asked if I would go to homecoming with his friend. He pointed out the guy, and then I realized it was “Tom” and he was staring at his feet.

I said I’d get back to him tomorrow about that, I have no clue what I should say! HELP!

Go to your homecoming with Tom. It will so help with his self-confidence as well. You don't have to dance with him all night, just a few dances. You should carpool a limo with your friends to feel more comfortable. If you do decide to go with him, you can "officially" go with someone else in your carpool or meet up with them. Explain your situation to them kindly and ask them to be nice. If you really don't want to go with him, find a girl that doesn't have a date and introduce them to each other. You'd be doing them both a big favor. Good luck!

Q: does anyone have the lyrics to quiet company's "husbands & wives"

Two broken hearts lonely looking houses where nobody lives
Two people having so much pride inside, neither side forgives
Angry words spoken in haste, such a waste of two lives
It's my belief that pride is the chief cause of decline
In the number of husbands and wives
A woman and a man, a man and a woman, some can and some can't and some can't
Two broken hearts lonely looking houses where nobody lives
Two people having so much pride inside, neither side forgives
Angry words spoken in haste, such a waste of two lives
It's my belief that pride is the chief cause of decline
In the number of husbands and wives
A woman and a man, a man and a woman, some can and some can't and some can't

bio

Happy 2008! My name is Dana for those of you who don't know, and I obviously love to give advice, because if I didn't, I wouldn't be here. I will pick at anyone who doesn't bother to capitalize their "I"'s or the beginnings of sentences. Proper grammar and spelling is very important to me. bcuz it Just loooks soooo sloppie when u type lyke this. So a word to the wise, and for the majority of you that it doesn't apply to, think about it, and watch yourself. Second of all, I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever write something that is not true. So therefore I am always right. So stand down and accept it. (Note: that also means that my "opinions" are actual facts. At least the ones I bother to write.)

Never ask me anything about how fat you are or love life. Cliched, I know, but I am heartless when it comes to the truth. If you don't know what to do with your cheating boyfriend that you still love, go ask someone else since I could not care less. Seriously.

Have a nice day!
Love,
missbananafontana

Favorite artist so far: Bob Marley
Favorite movie ever: "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
Favorite actress: Grace Kelly (as you can tell)
Favorite brand: Vineyard Vines (as you can tell)
Favorite song: "No Woman, No Cry"

WARNING:
My answers will be based on a preppy lifestyle. I am the clean, preppy sort, like the person who looks clean and classy and doesn't really notice anyone who isn't, regardless that some weirdos think that preppy people hate them. Also, if you wonder about the corrections on the answers I give, no worries; they're just simple corrections to those who don't know where to put a period, or that they have to capitalize the beginnings of sentences. Please don't be offended.