Shelby

Aww, don't be so modest! What u accomplished is AWESOME! Keep it up and keep us posted!!!

I couldn't agree more!!! Just as I hold my breath when passing someone smoking, I do the same anytime I encounter meat. (This definitely made working at a restuarant a difficult task! And during Thanksgiving at my grammy's house, I'm blue from lack of air for 10 hours of no breathing, lol. Good thing I used to be on the swim team in HS... I knew that all those breathing drills would come in handy some day! LOL). Mmmmmmmm.... the smell of rotting flesh!!! Who can resist it? I think it's the New Springtime Signature Scent from Bath and Body Works!

My brain just exploded after reading that. Absolutely GENIUS!!!

I live near Chicago, but am shamed to say that I have yet to try out any of the vegan restaurants there (mostly because everyone I know is NON-vegan and isn't adventurous enough to try something new...grrrrr ). But, I've heard rave reviews about Chicago Diner and Karyn's (Raw food place). A fun NON-Veg place to go is Ed Debevic's... I used to waitress at the one in Yorktown, but the one in the city is MUCH more fun.... I don't know if u've heard of it or not, but it's basically a 1960's restaurant, where the servers dress in character and serve with sass. They dance to Elvis and the Jackson 5 on the counters and make fun of customers.... it's a blast. They do have some veggie options, but no one goes for the food b/c it basically sucks, lol. But, it IS a blast!

Never met anyone with my name... all I know is that it's actually a Guy's name, popular in the South. (However, I'd feel really bad for the poor guy who's name is Shelby... it just doesn't have that "manly" feel to it, ya know?!).

My friends and I (ok, it was actually only me who came up with the list, but they contributed with laughs, lol) from one of my Pre-Nursing classes came up with a list of words that you can't say with a straight face. Try it---it's like trying to sneeze with your eyes closed... it's just humanly impossible to do! -Turd -Neeeeeeeerd (u have to say it like that though!) -Fart -Booger -Bungholio -Squirt -Sphincter (my all-time favorite!) -Sphygomonometer I know... there is kind of a reoccuring theme here... but hey, this was during my CNA class (Certified Nursing Assistant), and poop was a big focus during clinicals (changing Depends, taking intake/output measurements, bathing...). Just wait until Nursing School starts.. I'll be able to update this list with some really awesome words!

You can also try changing the position of your feet when doing leg presses. By having your feet wider than shoulder width and toes pointed slightly outwards, u will target your inner thighs more. -Also, try Lateral Lunges (to target your Adductors more, put one leg on a bench or BOSU). -The Adductor Machine works well too. -You can also do Body-Bar Adductor Leg Lifts. -My favorite is the Adductor Weight Plate Shuffle. Put a weight plate on the floor and scoot it along with the inside of your right foot. Do 10-12 reps and switch legs. You can also do this with the outside of your foot to work your Abductors (outer thighs). Hope this helps!

Couldn't have said it better myself! Thanks for all the great advice! I actually have that book you mentioned, but cooking is not my specialty! I'm trying to learn how to cook better though! As for the meditation, I try to do it as often as I can (which means not often enough! lol), and yoga as well. Peppermint tea is my favorite tea... I drink it at least 2-4x a day! (Too bad I don't work at Caibou coffee anymore.. we were allowed to take home some gound coffee or 15 tea bags per week... not being a coffee drinker, I always opted for the tea. But my supply is low! It's worth it to work there again just for the free tea!!! ) I'll try your hummus recipe....maybe this time it'll work right!

I'm on too! YAH!

Yah! We got another person playing along! Ok, let me try to guess the puzzle: it's Robert meeting the vegan girl of his dreams (maybe from the VegNews ad? From the forum?) and falling in love! Awwwwwwww! ) How off was I this time? Lol

ANOTHER case of Mad-Cow disease discovered in the US...this time in Alabama. I'm sorry, but how stupid can these mass-producers be? Do they honestly think that giving cows feed with bits of cow mixed in is healthy for the animal? (Stupid me... they aren't concerned with the HEALTH of the cow! It's all about money). This irks me to no end. In the words of John Denver: "Thank God I'm a Veg-an!" (ok, so it's supposed to be "country-boy" instead of "vegan," but "country boy" just didn't have the same feel to it as "vegan" does! LOL.... oh gosh, can u tell I'm a bit sleep-deprived?!?!) Here's to you, Evil Livestock People:

YAH! Rob, that is AWESOME! You must feel really good about that! I'm proud of ya! " title="Applause" /> (Ok, I think i pretty much exhausted all the emoticons for this topic.... but I think u catch my drift, right?! LOL) Oh, heck, I'll throw this one in just for giggles: CONGRATS on the progress!!!!! You rock!

I don't think it's genetic, b/c my mom has thighs bigger than a linebacker (no offense, Mom, but I'm SO jealous of those thighs! And she doens't even work out!) Maybe I'm not descending far enough. I try to go 90 degrees, but maybe I'm actually not. Or, I could be going too fast and not contracting long enough at the pause before the eccentric. Hmm... next time I do legs, I'll keep this in mind. True, but my thighs aren't very "pronouced,"lol. I LOVE sumos!!! Havent done them in a while, but I'll start incorporating them in again. Thanks for the advice u guys! <---SUMO SQUATS!!!!! Oh YEAH!

I'm the same way...planning what u eat and when to eat really helps. But sometimes is so easy to get stuck in a rut when u find a good plan. That tends to be my problem. No kidding! Eating in and of itself is like a full-time job! I've added a lot more food to what I was previously eating, so now I eat at least 6-9 times a day. I always carry food with me... had to buy a bigger purse to accomodate it all! Oh!!! I finally know for a fact that I actually CAN cook! LOL... I made a pizza tonite and it ROCKED! (Usually, I SUCK at cooking----case in point: I've burned pasta, tofu, and even soup. Most of my pans have burned food permanately crusted onto them. Yeah, with my cooking skills, I'm going to make my future husband very happy, lol!!! ) However, the pizza was yummy and didn't burn (AMAZING!). I used spelt pizza crust, sauce, tofu, spinach, mushrooms, and vegan cheese. YUM!

THIS IS AWESOME!!! I am SO doing this (altho, I can't guarantee much gains, for it's taken me 4 months to gain 5 pounds!)...but this will motivate me to work harder! I am SO in, Rob! (just don't laugh at my before pictures! LOL! ) However, I already have my "after" picture for you: I'll submit my pics as soon as I can find a camera... which may take a little while, lol. This is a great idea, Rob!

HAHAHA.... I get it now! Was "Dave" suppossed to be David Hasselhoff? LOL... I still am in awe of your creativity! I was gonna post a puzzle in my last post, but I need to think about it for a bit... we need more emoticons! There seems to be a few common themes: love, bodily functions, drinking/pot, and inflicting pain on others, LOL...eh, I guess that sounds like just about every movie and TV show out there, hahaha This is awesome and a great way to waste time! Thanks for keeping this going!

Update: Things are SO MUCH better (knock on wood... if I'm jinxing myself right now, I will SO cry! lol).... I am slowly reintroducing the foods that I was having problems with (soy, and soon glutenous grains) and so far, things are better than EVER! I think my problem was that I would get stuck in ruts and eat the same exact thing dayin and day-out, whihc caused my body to become intolerant to certain food groups. So, I went on a "clean" diet for about 2 weeks to let everything heal (plus, I went off the meds that my doctor Rx...I know for a fact that those only added to my problems b/c they interferred with my ability to absorb and digest the food I was eating... even though the medicine was supposed to help it... and THAT'S another reason why I don't like traditonal medicine/doctors!) and now am reintroducing those problem foods in, and so far so good! I'm going to try some gluten-containing foods today, so today will be the big test to see if my gut has healed and if I only had intolerances or if i actually DO have an allergy (and if the latter is true, I will be sad, lol). So, I bascially need to stop being lazy, learn to cook, and have variety in my meals... and things will be a-ok! Man, it would SO rock if I could again eat those mock-meats and breads and other "normal" vegan food... I know I will be able to b/c I'm awesome, lol. On the plus side, I've been able to gain a bit of weight (ok, only a pound, but that's hard for me to do!) Soon, I'll look this this: So, thanks for all your help and advice! Big hugs out to everyone!

Anyone have any secrets for bulking up the top portion of one's thighs? No matter what I do (leg ext, squats, lunges....etc), the middle portion bulks, but not the upper portion. Urgh.

LOL!!! You know, that was my second guess. Yeah, I was just a bit off, wasn't I? What a creative story that was though! Talk about detail! Almost makes me wonder if it is based on a true story! (But, it totally makes mine look kinda lame, eh? LOL). You were close to guessing my story, but not exactly correct. (although, your version does make a lot of sense too!) Here's what I originally thought: A guy is hungry and doesn't know what to eat. He's a health-conscious vegan, so he wants to eat something healthy. He looks in the fridge and finds icecream, but he knows that that is off-limits b/c he can't eat dairy (he has non-veg roommates, lol). He finds some beer, he doesn't want that b/c it's not healthy either. He finds some cake, but thats not a nutritious meal.... He's still unsure what to eat and time's-a-wasting and he's getting hungrier and crabbier by the second. Finally, he gets so frustrated that he gets the idiotic idea to just microwave himself and end the misery, lol..... (yeah, I know... LAME! hehehe) Uh, I definitely like your version better.... -Shelbs

Ding ding ding!!! Robert solved the first Emoticon Puzzle! (Like it was THAT hard, though! LOL ) Dude I have NO idea what your puzzle is.... I gave u a novice one and u threw in a super-advanced one for me! I'm either really flattered that u think I'm that clever to figure it out or irked that u gave me such a difficult one! LOL Ok, I'll give it a shot, but it will probably make NO sense: An agent finds a joe-blow off the street to star in his new movie, which is a romantic comedy involving an umbrella. The movie is a smash hit, which makes the Joe-Blow estatic, so he goes and buys a total muscle car, which makes him Joe-Cool instead of Joe-Blow. With his new riches, he buys a computer, and while browsing around, he comes across information about veganism and then becomes a vegan. THE END! So... how off was I? Here's your next puzzle (sorry for my lack of creativity... my brain is fried from studying most of the day):

Robert, this is an AWESOME idea!!!! You are a genius! Question: Are we supposed to try to decifer an emoticon message? (cuz if so, I have no idea what yours means! I'm guessing it has something to do with Computer Geek-Ninjas should not moon/fart around Boxers??? Yes, I am Emoticon-illiterate... but I'm working on it! LOL). Ok: Someone try to decifer this message: (This is easy so those of us, uh like me!, who are new to Emoticons... plus, I couldn't think of anything really good off the top of my head, lol)

Jay, the majority of people in my program are those who decided to go back to school in order to get their RN. My program is also a 2-year, but it's a lot more intense than the 4-year due to the fact that they have to cram everything into only a 2-year span. However, the difference in pay b/n a BSN (4-yr) and ADN (2-yr) is negligable... the only difference is if u want to go into administration (BSN) as oppossed to working on the floor. I'd rather work on the floor b/c there is more patient contact... and who likes administrative work? Blah... too much paperwork and business! Keep me posted as to what u decide and if u need any advice or help with anything!!!!!! <-----Another GREAT icon!!!! HAHA! Who knew that Smiley-faces could moon?! (yes, I am having a bit too much fun with the icons, lol!)

I'm so excited that I had to let you guys know: I got accepted into the nursing program at my college! I worked my tail off trying to get the grades to get in: over 500 people applied, yet they only take the top 20%. My goal is to get my RN, work for a bit, then return to school to study Oriental Medicine. As for work, I want to try to get a job working as a Nursing Assistant (most places will pay for my RN education.. score! Plus, it's great experience and more reliable than personal training). The program that I got accepted into is one of the most difficult ones in my state, but also the most reputable. So, it's gonna be a tough couple of years, but SO worth it! <----this has absolutely NO relation to anything, but I thought this icon was absolutely HIL-AR-I-OUS and couldn't help but to post it! Whoever came up with this icon is a genious!

Wow guys, thanks again for the great info!!! I really appreciate all your help! I'm not seeing those doctors anymore.. screw them, lol. Unfortunately, It's hard to find docs around here that are tolerant of the evena vegetarian diet, let alone a vegan diet. (Gosh, I can't wait to move outta here! LOL) One of my lifting buddies is really into holistic remedies and suggested doing an epson salt and lemon water cleanse for one day. I might try it next week. You drink a liter of this concoction and lay on your right side. It's supposed to help clean out your system and make it easier to absorb/digest foods as well as just become plain healthier. You preface it with a light, clean diet of fruits and veggies (and if you want, a little bit of nuts/seeds, beans), then do the drink at nite or the next AM, then follow up with the same diet the next day. Afterwards, you should feel much better. So, we'll see if that helps. He also told me aboue this Native American and homeopathic remedy that calls for taking 1 drop of 100% pure gum turpentine under your tongue (once in the AM and once in the PM) for a week to help kill any parasites in your intestines. I started it on Wed and it's actually really helpful! I was skeptical at first, but it does work and it's been around for hundreds of years... plus, I'm not dead for toxicity, so thats a good sign! LOL. But, you'd have to chug a LOT of this stuff for it to be toxic. Turpentine is made from Pine trees, so it is natural and not a man-made chemical. Anyways, thanks again guys! you all rock!

Woopsie! I'm a dork... I meant to say that LIZ has a Vegspace page. I tried going onto the site to register, but I STILL haven't gotten my confirmation email.... grrrr I've tried many times to sprout, but it never works. it either gets moldy, yucky, or just wont sprout! IDK what I do wrong, but I follow the directions perfectly... Is there some secret to sprouting that I am unaware of? LOL