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Hi im a 15 year old boy from britain.i have many insecurities about my penis.it is 4 inches long,i have a very tight foreskin and there is always some substance on the top of my penis and a green/yellow substance in my boxers everytime i check.some times the substance on the end is a crusty substance which i pick off and move on,but sometimes it is a wet substance(not semen) which smells quite bad.i am getting a hand job in 5 days and need to know if its such a problem that i should tell her i dont want to.also since i cant retract my foreskin am i causing an infection?Very nervous for a long time,and want to know if i should see a doctor..thanks

You need to be able to retract your foreskin. This is both for hygienic purposes and also for sexual activities (though granted, a handjob can be carried out without retracting it).

You are right to be concerned since what you are describing is not healthy. However, there is no need to worry, just see a doctor if you really are unable to retract it on your own.

Needless to say, going through the handjob without sorting this out will probably not be a great experience on the part of the girl and may well end up causing you some pain and/or embarrassment.

Good luck.

I'm getting my boyfriend a tie for his 15th birthday (He likes ties, goes to church and stuff) and I bought 3 and can't decide (Buying ties are so overwhelming there are literally like 1000 o_o)
I'm pretty sure the 3rd tie is too feminine (and ugly IMO) for him, but my mom picked it out and I sent these to his sister and she said they were all fine, and for me to pick the one I'd want to see him wear but I rather get him one that he actually likes -_-
So I'm pretty much debating between the first 2. He knows my favorite color is pink so he might like the first one but I don't know if that one's also too feminine, my 51 Yr old dad thinks it's actually kind of pretty but I don't know. :/
I'm sure he wouldn't mind the pink because he has a pinker tie but still I can't decide
He's tiny too so I'm not sure how a thick tie would be on him.
He's not a picky boy and he'd know it's the thought that counts and I'm giving a gift receipt but I still want him to like it a little ;__;
I honestly have no idea T_T

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68464550@N02/8356236763/in/photostream

Hmmm, personally I think I would go with the first one. The middle one is good too but it strikes me as very conservative.

I agree with you that the one on the right is kind of ugly.

hello im 13f and have struggled with bulimia and want to lose weight the safe way now.im overweight and hate it i also have cut myself burned and bruised myself for years help im so ugly right now i gained 5 pounds over the holiday :(

Hey there,

OK, first off, I read the answer below and its pretty good. I am worried that what you are going through here is a problem with your self-esteem.

Nonetheless, I will offer some advice on nutrition.

First, real results are obtained through lifestyle changes. This means that instead of dieting you make small changes to the way you live. This includes eating smarter, exercising more, and making sure you sleep enough.

This will ensure that the gains you make will be optimal (i.e. that you will drop the excess fat and not your muscle mass) and that the gains will be sustainable.

So, here are some general nutritional guidelines:

1. Learn to eat many small meals each day. By eating 5-6 small meals every 3-4 hours, you stabilise your blood sugar. Blood sugar stabilisation reduces cravings for unhealthy food and also gives you optimal energy throughout the day. Ideally, you should eat just enough so that you are ready to eat again 3-4 hours later. It make take some time for your body to get used to this.

Our conventional way of doing things (i.e. 3 main meals and a some snacks) is not ideal. Forget snacking altogether as this disrupts the digestion process. Instead eat many small, balanced meals.

Never skip meals and always eat breakfast soon after waking up.

2. Eat balanced meals. A good calorie distribution is 40-30-30, where 40% of your calories come from protein, 30 from carbs, and 30 from fats (there are 4 calories to 1 gram of carbs and protein and 9 calories to 1 gram of fat).

3. Avoid processed foods, junk foods, and excess salt.

4. Make sure you get your vitamins and dietary fibre. Eating different fruits and veggies as well as grains, nuts, and seeds will cover this.

5. Limit saturated fats found in animal products like meat and dairy.

6. Get your daily essential fatty acids from things like fish, nuts, seeds, good quality oils, and so on. Of particular importance is omega 3 found in fish, walnuts, flax, etc.

7. Ask yourself: what am I going to be doing the next 3 hours? Depending on your answer, eat accordingly. If you are planning to sleep, have a smaller meal which is lower on carbs. If you are going to play sports eat a slightly larger meal with more carbs.

8. Your final meal should be about an hour before bed. Ignore the myth of not eating after a certain time. Your pre-bedtime meal should be small and very low on carbs. E.g. 100 grams of low fat cottage cheese, a small apple, and a couple of walnuts.

Example of a regular meal could be: 100 grams of chicken/turkey/lean beef/salmon/tuna/etc , 50grams of whole wheat pasta/rice, and a small salad with canola. You get the idea, its basically a good and lean protein source, a moderate portion of carbs (preferably lower on the glycemic index), veggies/fruits (containing some carbs but also fibre and vitamins), and some good fat.

Exercise guidelines:

I will keep this very short. Basically, everyone should be doing 4-6 cardio workouts per week. Cardios are things like jogging, stair climbing, swimming, biking, done at a steady pace and a moderate intensity. The intensity level should be such that you are not out of breath. Cardio length should be at least 20 minutes for optimal health benefits (your heart and so on) and over 30 minutes for optimal fat burn.

In the ideal world everyone would be doing a combination of exercises. I won't go into that because my answer has already become quite a mouthful. Suffice it to say that if you can incorporate sports on top of the cardio and/or do some light resistance training at the gym, it will be even better. This will help maintain and build your muscle mass, which in turn will sustain and increase your metabolism. This will make weight loss easier and it will also help you keep off the weight later (plus all the other advantages such as strengthening your body and making you more resistant to injury).

Ok, that is all I got for now. Good luck :)

Hi my period starts on 1st of December and it run up to 7th December. then we had intercourse up to 11th without protection.. and now today is 5th Jan 2013 I did not get my period.

I got married recently and my period cycle is 25 days. please help. I am really in trouble.

As the answer below says, there is always the chance that you can get pregnant if you have unprotected sex.

I'd like to be alone most of the time because I find hard dealing with people at first. I always feel awkwardness and feel bad for being not "into" people. But whenever I am alone, I feel I am a loner and a pity to everyone. Wth teh thoughts of they might think that I have no friends or whatsoever.. What to doooo :( Ive been reading my astrology reading and believes that those are real because I relate to them. It is the only thing I can rely on that I am still doing fine with this attitude. I am an aquarian/february/female/20yo.

It is ok to be alone and to be loner in general if you are happy that way.

However, if the reason for being alone is just because you have difficulty relating to people, then that's just a shame. If that is the case, I think the best thing you can do is practice. I would recommend joining a team activity or sport. They are great at helping you get to know people.

But again, if you are simply happy being alone then that is ok.

And please, leave the astrology alone. It has been shown time and again to be total nonsense. I cannot stress enough how much one should stay away from that kind of stuff.

Instead look inside yourself. Ask yourself what it is that you want out of life and what makes you happy. You dont need some con artist who is earning money by fooling people to influence your life.

Good luck.

Can u get pregnant if u have none penetrative sex but the guy cums on your panty

Yes but its a small chance. Basically there is always the chance that you can get pregnant if sperm comes in contact with your vagina. Sperm dies when it has dried out (and not when it comes into contact with air as one ridiculous myth claims). So basically, if it was not dry there is a very small chance of pregnancy.

im athiest and my parents are very strong christians (practicly everyone in my community is white and christian) and i dont want my christian friends to hate my guts. I am firm on my anti-diety beliefs and im not going to change to please anybody. I honestly dont care. I want to know how to tell my friends and family (i need to) without them throwing a bitch-fit at me. Please help! Thanks :)

This is a very tricky situation, and I say this as a fellow atheist. Whether or not they throw a fit at you will depend on how fanatic and inflexible they are.

In regards to telling them, do so as gently as possible, maybe even with a slight agnostic spin on it. The agnostic approach is a two edged sword though. On the one hand they will feel less threatened than if you say that you categorically dismiss their god, on the other hand it may also leave you more prone to have your "soul saved".

You can increase your chances of things going well by avoiding any kind of argument. The odds are this will be far more difficult than you might think. Many christians will try to engage you in some sort of discussion - but unlike a normal argument this will be a very one sided affair. The more you show them they are wrong, the more far fetched their arguments will be and the angrier they will get.

So, never mind being "preachy"; to have any chance of staying on their good side you have to dodge every attempt they make to engage you in a discussion.

Typical face-palm worthy questions you may face are:

- How could you possibly not believe in god?
- So how do you explain XXX? (for xxx insert any current scientific unknown)
- How can you have morality without religion?
- You believe we came from monkeys?
- You think the universe came from nothing?

How you respond is up to you, but you need to figure out the best way to answer without provoking an argument. Or if you can dodge the questions all together that would be even better.

Finally, if you want to go all-in, you can also make sure that you let them know that you respect their views and only ask the same in return. I could never do that personally because to me it would be like saying "I respect the fact you believe in Easter Bunny", but maybe you can.

Anyway, that is all you can do. Basically: 1. present your position gently, 2. be non-confrontational, 3. (pretend to) respect their beliefs

Good luck.

I've lived in different countries in different continents from a young age, and I'm very grateful. Growing up, I used to not understand where things like racism or xenophobia came from, because all places felt like home to me. It's not something fixed, like a city or country, it's about being anywhere with people you love. So I'm always eager to learn and experience different cultures, but it hurts that when someone is only used to living with one specific culture, they don't want it to be changed in any way. I used to think xenophobia was only about so-called "white man" countries, but it exists world wide. In Japan, if you don't have Japanese heritage and don't "look" a certain way, you're not welcomed. And there's still animosity between them and the Chinese. In Africa, neighboring ethnic groups clash. In Brazil, lighter skinned people have more opportunities. Etc. It's cool to know what your ancestors did but you don't have to continue what they did, and even if you do, why can't you respect others who choose to live differently?

People say the world has progressed, but I don't think so at all. I think globalization is highlighting how uncomfortable a lot of people are with change. Different ideas, different looks, different technology, etc. I don't know how to relate to that, given my life is all I know, but sometimes it makes me feel like an alien, and I'll get looked down upon if I call someone out for being prejudiced, and maybe even criticized or seen as "less than", because I choose to not be intolerant. How could I treat someone else across the world as if they are not human when I've seen them and they have the same needs as anyone else? Everyone just wants to be loved. I once told a couple friends this and they all disagreed, and implied some people were just inherently evil. I was surprised about one of them, too, cause she had done volunteer work in Africa and seemed really happy about it, so I thought she was above that sort of thing.

And just like there is xenophobia, there are also many people of all continents who are less on the afraid side, and are more open to learning from others with different cultures. I don't see culture in a fixed way at all. If someone has a better way of doing something, what is wrong with adapting to it? Giving up a part of your pride, that your specific culture didn't truly know EVERYTHING? I just see culture as the way you live your life. You don't only have to draw inspiration from your ancestral culture. Ancestral cultures have changed over time, too.

I think the fear that exists in the world is cause of the fear of the unknown. They think just cause someone looks different or has a different culture they're going to hate or cause harm to them, or something? It's really hard for me to grasp. What makes people so fearful? Why the spreading of lies to try and separate themselves from other people as much as possible? Treat people as you'd like to be treated in return. All kindergarten rules are relevant in adulthood.

When I saw the Newton killing it brought tears to my eyes because they were just children, but it also made me angry because there are many many more innocent kids who die all around the world, from preventable things, and nobody gives a sh**. It's just expected. Like their lives are worth less than an American life. And when you bring up civilian, Iraqi kids dying, you're seen as "anti American". But b**** please, I am human first, American second. The whole world is our oyster. with all the destruction we've caused in that area, people losing their families and entire villages to war over oil, you have to give someone A LOT of props to still be clear headed and realize to place the blame on the American government, and not ALL american people. And while we talk about anti-Americanism there, what about all the xenophobia and racism that pretty much defines most of American history? and we're talking about people in Iraq who may not even have the best education or anything, but could be far wiser than someone with many degrees who justified the military action.

And as I say this, I don't hate people who are racist. I just hate the racism itself. People need to expose themselves to their fears, to overcome them. Why would someone voluntarily choose to live in fear? When I was young, it used to really bother me how I felt I never fit in anywhere, and how I never truly 100% felt like I connected to any specific "cultural group", but now I think it's a great strength and despite the loneliness I often felt that drove me to look up a lot of international affairs online, once my family settled in an area in America. Even if someone looks at me and doesn't identify with me I'll still try to identify with them and maybe I just have to do a better job at showing it? I'm not "trying" to do anything, I just want to do what makes me happy, and make other people happier too

Well, I can certainly relate to your situation and to your opinion.

I grew up in three different countries: Denmark, Romania, and USA. I also went to international schools/programmes from kindergarten to university. So, much like you, being around people from every corner of the world was the norm.

I remember when I first heard the term "racism". I think I was about 9 years old and someone had to explain it to me at length. I recall how it simply made no sense at all.

The one thing I have realised about humanity is how much we are programmed to create groups. Whether its a tribe, a nation, a race, a religion, gender, social class, or even a damn football club, there is nothing more natural for humans than to split themselves up into an "us" and a "them". With no effort at all we can hate "them" and demand preferential treatment for "us".

People do not even realise that nationalism/patriotism is a pretty recent thing, at least in the west. Just a few hundred years ago most people did not give a rat's ass about their nation. But, if it wasn't that, then they would kill each other in the name of some other group.

I do think there has been improvement however. Consider how things were less than 100 years ago; I mean, it was a different world. In the early 20th century in Denmark (where I now live) you had Africans, Chinese, Indians, etc living in enclosures at the zoo. Can you even imagine it? A hundred years before that slavery was rampant all over the world.

So while I certainly concur that things are bad, the reality is they were once a lot worse. The advantage with globalisation is that it brings people into contact with other cultures. Its not the same as actually living in different areas, but its a step in the right direction.

Its like tiny little baby steps eating away at that fear of the unknown you spoke about, but because things are progressing slowly it seems like little is happening. However, I can certainly say that I have seen improvements in my lifetime. I have no doubt about that.

Anyway, I mostly agree with what you wrote. I am not a fan of the whole "cultural heritage" thing, nor am I a fan of virtually any other way that people divide themselves up into groups. I also have never fit into any specific group, nor would I want to.

Am 21 female with no kids but full of sorrow I was good at school I passed my matric in 2010 with examtions that is where the disaster begin I applied to more than three universities and bursaries but the all failed my mom toke me to college. After my first semester she lost her job I had to drop out try to apply for learship and so but nothing happened until I got a job at a callcenter we're they pay me peanut but I work as a slave it been a year now. I cnt continue with my studies coz am the bread winner I never saw my self ending where I am no career bad job I failed before I even get half way and that pains me every night I cry to myself feel better buy nothing happens sometimes I want to die. I dnt know why I feel great pain

I agree with the answer below, I just wanted to add a couple of things.

First, things are not as bad as they seem. You are still very young so there is plenty of time to return to college. One of my best friends, who ended up in a situation very similar to yours, went back to school a few years ago. He already has his bachelor degree and is due to get his masters next year... at the age of 41.

Now, I am not saying you should wait that long. All I am saying is that you can take your time planning how to get your life in order. The key is not to become complacent. Figure out what it will take to change things in your life and then work towards that goal bit by bit.

Now the second thing I wanted to mention is the possibility of getting your degree online. I am not familiar with specific programs and I know there are a lot of fake ones out there, but to my understanding reputable institutions are now offering online courses and diplomas. I realise you said you were being worked very hard but it may still be an option to consider.

Good luck.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for half a year now, Im almost 15 and he's almost 20. He is a very hardworking man, who understands me like my own dad (I never had one). We did not have sexual intercourse because he respects my desicions and doesnt mind waiting. He works, and I go to school. I hang on well with school with good grades like a normal Teenager and plan on moving to America to study. My bf works and plan on moving with me. My mam is starting to be okay with him because he likes to help out in my house and help my mam with house chores. although my Adult siblings think he has no future so they're not okay with us being together. His family dont mind the age gap,and treat me like im part of their family already.:) He smokes, but when we met, I told him not to, so suprisenly he stopped. his family was shocked.
So as you see, were madly in love with eachother, he's perfect for me and dont plan on braking up.
But there is one problem.. Statutory rape.
Im scared that someone will sew him to prison for dating an underage girl.
what will I do so the age wont matter?!?! :(

I don't really agree with the answers below. Even though the age gap is substantial, it is your decision entirely as long as you are not breaking local laws (which I am assuming is the case).

Where I live the age of consent is 15, so your relationship would be nobody's business.

Now, all this being said, this will indeed become a huge problem once you move the US, where they are totally wound up about this sort of thing. Honestly, I only see two choices: 1. Do not go to study in America or 2. Do not go together.

If you do not go together, unfortunately the odds are the relationship will fall apart. This is not me being pessimistic it is just a fact that long distance relationships rarely last.

What you choose is entirely up to you, but as far as I see it those are your choices.

Good luck.

She threatened me with it yesterday. I don't know if she was serious but I'm a bit nervous about it.

Tom

Well, I would certainly take her out if she was serious. But, if it was some sort of joke (poor as it may be) then it would be an over-reaction, although in both cases some sort of disciplining is definitely in order.

Obviously I have no way to determine if she was serious, so I would suggest that you confront her and talk about it.

If she was serious, she really missed the point of karate. In fact, if her sensei found out he would probably kick her out himself (or herself as the case may be) or discipline her. The reason I would not go to the sensei however is because that will seem like you went behind her back. It's a bit like telling mommy rather than confronting the problem and I can't see how it would lead to anything good. She will feel humiliated and hate you for it.

Bottom line, sit her down and figure out what she meant. Either way make sure she understands this is not something she can ever say to you again, and if she was serious, then I would take her out of karate class right away.

Now, you said you were a bit nervous. If you are nervous because you think your step daughter could conceivably attack you, then there may be deeper issues here than a karate class. I don't know how old she is, or your specific situation, but in general a parent or step-parent should not be worried that their child will cause them physical harm. You might want to look at the cause of the problem here. Karate is just a tool, if you remove it, any underlying problems will still be there.

Good luck.

Oh, and on a side note, karate is not a particularly effective martial art. I don't mean this to sound sexist, but in the hands of a girl, I would not be particularly worried unless she was a black belt and was also physically strong. If push ever comes to shove and she does actually try something, remember they learn nothing about ground defence, so just take her down and incapacitate her until she calms down. This is probably the weirdest advice I have ever given, but at least you have your bases covered.

I am fresher in marketing field

I have worked in marketing for quite a few years (primarily with internet marketing). The only place I have ever heard those terms are in search engine optimization.

Basically, white hat refers to techniques that conform to the rules (in this case specified by the search engines). White hat seo focuses on creating a good user experience and on organic link growth. I.e. the focus is on creating great content that people want to link to, so white hat seo (apart from the technical side) typically involves content writing, social media marketing, identifying and contacting link targets, etc.

On the other hand, black hat refers to using techniques that are specifically prohibited. Thankfully, these days black hat seo is not really as beneficial as it once was (at least not in Google). Examples of black hat techniques are keyword stuffing (completely ineffective these days), doorway passages, or purchasing links (this works if you dont get caught). Nowadays, black hat techniques, with the exception of link purchasing, are usually limited to trying to make a short term profit before the site gets nailed.

In the field, we also use the term grey hat. Grey hat refers to techniques that are not necessarily prohibited but are likely to be forbidden in the future (thereby risking that the sites will be penalised in the future). Usually it involves a loop hole or something the rules did not think of mentioning or abuse of a certain technique. For example, recent Google updates have begun to penalise over-optimised sites even though they did not really break the previous rules, they only ignored the advice that sites should be built primarily for users. The algorithm now looks for certain signals, like over-optimised anchor text, unnatural backlink profiles, and so on.

Well, that's the short version anyway. Hope it was useful.

My dad wasn't home ... My dog ate my Reese's peanut butter cup is he going to die he is a Yorker and is 1 year old.

I agree, he should be fine.

Chocolate is indeed bad for dogs but it takes quite a bit of it to be lethal. One peanut butter cup should be no problem.

he licks my ass

Congratulations!

I'm a very laid back person, completely lazy with myself. I don't feel like taking walks or riding my bicycle because I'm alone when I do that. The only way I want to exercise is if I had a buddy to go with.. no one is available though. And the only thing I have at home are dumbells to lift, and my mother has a small gym area where she works with machines like treadmills and other things for muscles.

But maybe I should just try to take walks/ride my bike by myself? I'm really lazy with that though.
Is there another way/another exercise that I can do inside the house that will get my heart beating and going, make me breathe a little hard?

I need to get my heart pumping and going every day now because I eat a lot/don't exercise and then my doctor tells me I should really start exercising... this medicine im taking is a smaller dose than the medicine I have to get now, that's a higher dose... (For kidney) but still...

I need some motivation to exercising so I can really start doing this everyday..
If this matters, I'm 204 pounds, male, 24 years old, 5'4 inches.

Hey there.

I read the answers below, and I just wanted to add a few things.

First, let me tell you a bit about the ideal scenario. Bear with me please, and keep in mind that I am not saying you must do this. However, in the ideal world, everyone should in the very least do 3 cardios per week of at least 25 minutes duration. Everyone should also do resistance training (e.g. weights), preferably at least twice per week.

This is why: Cardio has countless benefits, including for your heart, which nothing else can duplicate (cardio means steady pace exercise done at an intensity where you can just maintain a conversation). Resistance training has other benefits, among them being that it strengthens your muscles, tendons, and bones. It also has a very positive effect on your blood sugar (good for preventing diabetes).

The advice below is good, though the calorie estimate for the treadmill seems way too low. Generally speaking, cardio burns more calories here and now, while resistance training has a better long term effect on the metabolism.

Now, onto your situation. This is going to be a bit of a mess because I do not want to repeat what has already been said. So its going to be a bit of a mix of ideas, advice, and personal experience.

For cardiovascular workouts, have you considered a fitness video? I will be honest, I have not tried one myself because I am fine with going to the gym, but I know others who have used them successfully. Try check it out, it might help with the loneliness & motivation.

Otherwise, music helps a lot when you are on the treadmill or the bike. So does a television... it makes time pass quicker. I find that an MP3 player with heavy metal plus my bike are a lethal fitness combination :D

The important part here is to make exercise a regular thing. Start small and work your way up. Your mindset should be to introduce a lifestyle change. Personally, I cannot imagine a life where I am not weightlifting, yet in my 20s I had huge motivational problems just like you. Eventually I managed to re-program my mind through sheer perseverance. This meant that even in the weeks when I wanted nothing to do with training, I made sure to still go to the gym - I would do a cut down routine, sometimes only a few minutes, but the important part was that I got my butt down there. Eventually, weightlifting became as natural as taking a shower.

If you do get yourself to do resistance training, stick to big, multiple joint movements. Movements like squats, deadlifts, presses (e.g. bench press, shoulder press, push ups) and pulls (e.g. pull downs, rows, pull-ups) use multiple joints. The body responds best to this kind of training, it is safer and more practical, and it will also increase your natural testosterone level (which is good). For best results, I would stick to heavy sets of no more than 12 reps (if you can do more, use more weight).

Remember also to train opposing muscle groups. I.e. chest and back, biceps and triceps, abs and lower back, quads and hamstrings. This is to avoid posture problems, injuries, etc.

If you want ideas for exercises go here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Oh, one other idea... are there any sports you like? Any sports (or maybe martial arts) you would like to learn? Perhaps joining a team or club of some sort could be the answer. Just a thought.

Anyway, remember, small steps but keep things regular. Try to incorporate both cardio and resistance training on a weekly basis.

Good luck :)

Hi, I am 23/male/207 lbs currently after loosing 35 lbs in 4 months. I have lost pretty much enough fat and now I want to build some lean mass. I have been working out for more then a year now. Now to gain some muscle I am suppose to have around 200 gms of proteins. But being a vegetarian I can get amost around 50 or so grams from my diet so I cannot compliment rest 150 with 6 protein shakes.
Thus I am confused that should a I becone a non vegetarian. Will it help me better, I have never had anything non veg my whole life and m not really looking forward to it. Is it uuterly necessary or can I stick to bwing vegetarian and become muscular , if yes then what should I eat the most in vegetarian food.i cant have soy too much cause it tend to increase estrogen .
Please help.

I assume that when you say vegetarian you don't mean vegan right? I.e. you can eat dairy, eggs, etc.?

If this is the case then no problem. If not then it is difficult (but possible). I will provide an answer first for one then for the other:

Vegetarian Diet
As a vegetarian you have access to some of the best protein sources there are: egg whites and whey. If you are a pesco vegetarian then there is also fish - in particular tuna (but I am guessing from your question that this is not the case). Other great sources of protein include low fat dairy products (in particular cottage cheese).

Getting 200 grams is easy. Supplement your meals with egg whites (each has about 5 grams), low fat cottage cheese (I eat the stuff almost by the tub), skim milk, yoghurt, and other dairy. I would not go beyond 2 shakes per day, its just not as good as real food. Also work in the vegan protein sources that I mention below.

Vegan Diet
Now, if you are a vegan then its much harder. Non animal protein sources are not as good. The food may have other health benefits but in terms of protein quality plant sources are incomplete. This means that they do not have all the essential amino acids, limiting absorption. This is why vegans have to constantly mix many different protein sources. Moreover, these sources tend not to have as much protein in them either.

Some of the best sources of vegan protein are: Soy, wheat gluten, beans, nuts, quinoa, oats, spinach, lentils.

I would also recommend creatine as a supplement. It is useful for anyone, but since one of the best natural sources is meat it is probably even more useful for the vegan/vegetarian lifter.

Also take a good vitamin supplement and make sure you are getting your omega 3 fatty acids (a supplement is usually a good idea for most people).

So, bottom line is you need to vary your protein sources and aim for 5-6 meals per day with 30 grams of protein in each meal. Add to this a protein shake and you have hit your target.

Oh, and do keep in mind that the protein requirements that you normally see quoted (which vary from about 1.5 grams to 2.5 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight) refer to LEAN body weight. So unless you are really slim at 207 pounds (94kg), you do not need 200 grams.

Personally, I have always opted for the lower end of that spectrum. My lean bodyweight is probably around 105kg and I eat maybe 175grams of protein per day (I do powerlifting btw).

Ok, sorry for the mess, I hope this is useful. Good luck :)

I'm new to this website. I'll be honest and tell you I am currently drinking whiskey and high on xanax. Avoid your judgement. I think this way when I'm sober but I say it when i'm not anxious. My personal belief, stemming from an extensive amount of experiences with death and after coming to the full realization and acceptance that I will die at some point, is that death is simply a transitional period for our lives. This conscious part(i.e. the part that allows me to do this and 'live' the daily grind) isn't the only aspect of my life. This is just one period my soul..mind..spirit(whatever you want to call it) goes through before proceeding to the next level. So, my question is: Is it suicide if i'm just choosing to change consciousness? Please save me the organized religious bull shit and the bible quotes. I want to know what honest, real people think of that. I'm not asking for help. I'm asking if there's anyone else that understands where i'm coming from. No rush on response. I'm going to save this site in my favorites and check periodically. I honestly just want to set a death date for myself within the next two decades so I can finally start living my life the way I want to. It'll just be more comforting to know a few people think this is reasonable/understandable.

Well, here my two cents...

I can certainly agree that death is a transition. The problem is, to the best of our knowledge, it is a transition to nothingness.

It is quite reasonable to assume that your "existence" after you die is pretty much the same as what it was before you were born. I doubt very much you are changing consciousnesses.

We are our brain and evidence has shown that whenever we damage a part of our brain, a part of us dies. We can lose memories, skills, knowledge, etc as the brain is damaged bit by bit. Death is simply the total termination of brain activity and hence absolute nothingness.

As neuroscientist Sam Harris put it, we can destroy or change all parts of who you are, from your personality to your abilities, by damaging the brain, yet for some reason people think that when it is all dead you float away with all your faculties intact and talk to grandma in English. Granted I know this is not quite what you were saying, but you get the idea.

I guess my only point is this: beware what you do with this life, it is the only existence you will get.

So i like this guy at school .. I finally asked him for his number friday but he kinda hesitated :/ .. he was like ''I I I I dont have my phone right now uhh ill ill talk to you later'' then he walked away .. Does this mean he was nervous or does it mean he needed an excuse to get out of it??

I am going to go with the latter. It sounds very much like an excuse. If he was interested he could have made a specific plan, e.g. "I will give you my number tomorrow", or got your number instead.

It's always possible that he was nervous, heck I know better than anyone how stupid nervous guys can act, but if he doesn't come to you with his number then I think you can assume he is not interested.

Hey everyone :)
I'm sorry if I offend you in any way in this question.

I started to think it would be amazingly problem solving if the world did end on December 21.

Now there's something you all need to know before you answer this, angrily.

I'm a very happy person, I love my family, I love everyone. I just see my life, & everyone's life, as pointless. Everything I care about, everyone I love, is not permanent. Everything dies, nothing lasts forever. So I don't see the point in caring so much about a life that is so unimportant as the ones we lead. This is something that really worries me at times. I feel like my thoughts are very negative, me being the happy, very grateful & thankful person that I am. My own thoughts confuse me.

I think that with all of these people I see on Facebook with completely naked pictures & people saying they hate their parents, bath salts, babies with iPhones, people who don't say I love you to their parents because its "embarrassing", crimes committed every day that involve deaths, people with no confidence, peer pressure, jealousy, addiction, teen pregnancy, rape, shooting in a theatre, shooting of children that could be the next president one day, & hate in general.

I'll tell you one thing. When people commit suicide, I laugh. The only people I would cry over taking their own life is a schizophrenic. They all have a good reason to want to die. They're trapped in their own brain.

People take things for granted. I would never take my family or my friends, or anyone who wants to be around me AT ALL for granted. My life is too important to me for me to be spending it with hate.

Keep in mind, I want to live my life. I want to be happy as much as possible. But I can't just sit back & not say anything about the very sad & careless things that happen every day, & the crimes committed toward innocent people every day. This is my first attempt at saying something. Feel free to call me names, speak your mind. I want to know what people think.

Is it bad that I feel this way? Am I the only one? Am I wrong?
Any comments/opinions are appreciated.
If in any way, this upsets you, please let me know why.
Thank you for reading :) & have a nice day :D

This is an interesting question/statement. In some ways I agree with you. Warning: this is going to be long much like your question (or more so)... you reap what you sow :P

I am on the same page when it comes to the notion that life is ultimately meaningless. People do tend to call this way of thinking "negative", but in my opinion that is because they cannot face the reality of their existence. This is why they invent religions, spirituality, and every other last ditch attempt to deny that death is the ultimate end and something which renders their entire existence irrelevant.

I always ask people to imagine a hypothetical event from their past, something they have long forgotten and which has had no influence at all on their current condition. How important was that event? Well, when you die, this is what your whole life becomes - an event you have completely forgotten and which has had no influence on your current condition (i.e. dead and gone).

Now, that being said, one reason why I would never laugh when people die is due to the notion of free will, or more correctly the lack of it.

If you look at free will, the way we define it in society really is an idiotic concept. That somehow you could actually have chosen to do something other than what you did, or that I (if I were in your place) could have chosen a different course of action. How could I? If I became you, molecule for molecule, I could only have chosen what you chose.

The more you read about free will, the more absurd a concept it becomes. Think about it, at point X you made a decision. You made this decision because you (your exact molecular configuration at that moment) interacted with the environment (i.e. something outside of your control). Your exact molecular configuration at that moment depended on your previous decisions, i.e. everything you did that led you to this moment. So at a hypothetical X-1 you chose to go left instead of right, to frown, to smile, etc. At X-1 you were a slightly different person interacting with the environment. And you became this person because of a decision made at X-2... and so on and so on, until the very first thing you ever did, which was entirely a product of your genetics and the environment, neither of which were in your control.

Now, you might throw in some randomness into the system (if such a thing exists) but that does not imply anything like free will. In essence, we are all trapped in our own brain, or more correctly we are all trapped in our own existence.

So, how can you judge a being for living the only life they could have lived? I would never laugh at someone who died or lived an unhappy life, or even made horrible choices (like committing crime or hurting others). They never had a REAL choice. Much like you and I never had a choice but to lead the lives we have led.

So by all means, say what you need to say, live your life to the fullest, and try to make it a better place for the people around you... but just remember whenever you hear of someone taking their life that they probably struggled through a miserable existence and were entirely victims of their own circumstance.

i had sex with my boyfriend and i have been on the pill for 6 months and we used a condom and it fer sure , definitely did not break. could i get pregnant?

Not really no. People tend to say that there is always a chance, and that is of course true, but this chance is so close to zero I think it would be considerably more likely to be struck by lightning.

There should be nothing to worry about.

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