#LIKE 25KG IS A LOT !!!!!!!

[dot-gov]

we were ordering groceries and my mum accidentally ordered 25kg of carrots

[aid-alaa]

🆘 Real Famine & Imminent Death Hitting All Cities Of The Gaza Strip !!!

For the 417th day of the ongoing WAR on Gaza.

The crossings have been closed & the entry of meat, chicken, eggs & food supplies has been banned, the cost of 25kg of flour has reached £650.

Our state of mind & the state of the people here is "Take our blood from us & give us a dough of flour"

For over 100 Days we have been relying on canned legumes like beans & peas to survive.

Direct Donation Link 🔗

Thank's A Lot ❤️

My Account was Verified #99

[growingstories]

Danny the feeder (NEW PICTURES)

At 36 years old, Danny was in amazing shape, tall, very handsome and had a big paycheck as a freelance tax consultant. He was a proud gay man and a fitness freak, spending hours in the gym sculpting his physique. However, Danny had a peculiar habit that raised a few eyebrows among his friends.

Danny had a tendency to seek out young, ripped men at gay bars and take them home. But instead of pursuing typical romantic relationships, he would shower them with gifts, cook delicious meals, and pay for everything. He would manipulate them into eating more, making them lazy, and ultimately causing them to gain weight. Once they complained about their newfound weight and planning on losing weight, Danny would break up with them and move on to his next victim.

One day, Danny met Diego, a student from Brazil. Diego fell head over heels for Danny, enticed by not only the great sex but also the lavish meals, gifts, and new clothes. However, as time went on, Diego began to feel lonely and lazy. Danny forbade Diego from going to the gym without him or going out in general. Danny would make sure to keep Diego busy with big meals, Netflix series, expensive gifts and sex, lots of sex. Danny was hitting Diego up and lured him into eating a bit more in return of a blowjob or all the way. Danny would get up early to prepare a big breakfast, after breakfast Diego would be too full and tired to get out of bed which gives Danny time for a good workout. Danny would let Diego stay in bed for days bringing him more food and sex. The only time Diego would be outside was for his classes or to drive from home to a restaurant for a lavish meal combined with lots of booze followed by passionate sex. Danny gave him an unlimited Uber account so Diego wouldn’t have to walk a single step.

Three months into their relationship, Diego found himself ten kilograms heavier, feeling lazy, and having lost his coveted six-pack. Danny, however, had already started shopping for bigger-sized clothes to accommodate Diego's expanding waistline. Diego wanted to eat healthy again and go to the gym to get back in shape, which led to many very heated arguments with Danny. Danny labeled him ungrateful and stopped the cooking and paying.

Diego panicked as he didn’t have any savings left so he apologised and hoped he could sneak in some cardio in his day sometime. Danny started cooking bigger meals and became more controling. He drove Diego everywhere and wanted to know every detail of his day. Diego got teased in classes for his new belly but also running the school stairs up and down became a challenge. One morning after an amazing session of sex and a huge breakfast Danny left Diego alone in bed again for his workout. Diego thought this would be a moment to go for a run and get fit again. First he couldn’t find his workout clothes, so he tried on some of Danny. XL… he used to be a M when he started dating Danny. He tried to close his shoes but his belly was in the way. When he was ready to go out he saw Danny back in the house. Danny was back early because he was horny and wanted a second session, therefor he brought a dozen doughnuts and two big frappucinos. But when seeing Diego in his workout clothes his mood changed and got en evil look in his eye. Diego got scared and awaited Danny’s reaction. Danny ordered him to eat the doughnuts and drinks at once. After the sixth Diego protested. Danny calmly said, I pay so I play. If you don’t like the rules you can leave. Diego realized that this game was pure manipulation so he got up and left.

Back in his dorm, Diego found himself broke, 25kg heavier, out of shape and with clothes that no longer fit him. Diego went into the college gym and started his journey to become his old self again.

Six months passed and Diego felt confident again to move on and decided to visit a gay bar. There, he struck up a conversation with Thomas, a very handsome nerdy guy with a big broad chest and shoulders and big round biceps. He did however have with a bit of a potbelly. It was a fun night but Thomas revealed that he was already in a relationship but promissed to stay in contact as friends.

Curiosity sparked, Diego checked Thomas's Instagram and discovered that Thomas was Danny's new boyfriend! Thomas, too, had fallen victim to Danny's manipulative ways, as evident by his potbelly becoming more prominent with each passing week on social media.

Diego saw that Danny would take Thomas out almost every day, which he wasn’t allowed. Fancy restaurants and bars and big piles of food on every picture. Every week he would see Thomas in new clothes and wear expensive watched and get a bit bigger.

Diego started chatting to Thomas determined to help both himself and Thomas escape from Danny's clutches, Diego told him how he himself was being manipulated to eat more and gain weight. Thomas was in denial first, he claimed that he was very happy and he didnt mind the extra weight as he felt strong and Danny appreciated him for it.

After a few weeks Diego received a call from Thomas that he wanted to meet up. Diego found Thomas nervously eating a big piece of cake. He saw that Thomas gained even more weight.

Thomas explained that he wanted Danny to stop because he had Thomas stand on the scale every day and if he hadn’t gained weight that day he would be locked up in the kitchen until he finished the extra calorie amount. He got scared because he didn’t want to become too fat and lose control over his life.

Diego explained Danny’s routine. Thomas was surprised to hear that Danny would do this to guys. Diego asked how Thomas was allowed to leave the house without him. Thomas told Diego that he had been in in the house for 4 days of not stop eating, Netlfix and sex and that he really needed to get some air and choose his own groceries. So in order to get his daily goal he ate a cake and brought home two more. Danny was disappointed that he left without him and he got home Danny played the victim.

Thomas felt sorry for Danny and gave him another chance, resulting into more eating and control by Danny. Diego concocted a plan and asked Thomas to trust him and do what he would say.

Diego started to flirt with Danny online, showcasing his new and improved body. Even though he never got his six pack back he looked better then ever. Danny, unable to resist the temptation, invited Diego to a restaurant. Danny informed Thomas that he had a business engagement and would be home at 8, while simultaneously Diego instructed Thomas to prepare a sumptuous dinner for himself and Danny.

At the restaurant, Diego ordered large meals, feigning an inability to finish them. Danny, eager to please Diego, gladly polished off the leftovers. Back at home, Thomas prepared an indulgent dinner, but Danny claimed he wasn't hungry. Thomas persisted with his questions of where he was until Danny finally relented and ate to avoid further interrogation.

This pattern continued for several weeks, with Thomas and Diego successfully luring Danny into overeating. Thomas noticed Danny's abs becoming less defined and shared his observations with Diego, confirming that their plan was indeed working. Thomas too, continued to gain weight as Danny kept feeding him snacks and binge watch nights of Netflix. Together, Diego and Thomas initiated phase two.

Diego invited Danny over to his place, ensuring that Thomas could go to the gym while Danny was occupied with him. Thomas prepared a breakfast for Danny upon his return, followed by morning intimacy. Then, as Danny headed off to work, Diego had a big dinner prepared to satiate Danny's ever-growing appetite.

Weeks went by, and Danny expanded larger and larger, becoming an ex-jock with a prominent belly. People at the gym started to make remarks about his weight gain, but he dismissed these comments by claiming that he was bulking up. Still addicted to the attention, the sex, and the food, Danny continued to eat whatever Thomas and Diego served him in exchange for their affection.

Months passed, and Danny's once athletic physique was now unrecognizable. With a big belly and struggling to tie his shoes, Danny found himself helpless and unable to stop. He pleaded with Diego to stop cooking such lavish meals, but Diego shut him down, reminding him to eat his food or there would be no sex. Thomas followed suit, and Danny resigned himself to this new reality. But also Diego and Thomas could’t keep up with the amounts of food they were having. Diego started to grow a belly again and Thomas just continued to grow bigger. It was really urgent to change.

Phase four was the final stage of their plan. Both Thomas and Diego decided to break up with Danny simultaneously, leaving him completely surprised. They told Danny the truth about how Danny had manipulated and mistreated them, using food as a weapon to control their weight. Danny broke down in tears, expressing sincere remorse and apologizing to both of them. Danny had transformed into a blimp of his former self, and he didn't know where to start on his journey toward redemption. It was at this moment that Thomas and Diego, having seen the error of their ways, decided to show compassion and take care of Danny. Despite their tumultuous history, they began to rebuild their friendship, ensuring that Danny remained full and satisfied so that he wouldn't be driven to manipulate and harm others again.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

I can’t believe I’m about to say this as an American but, help me British man!

How are weights marked in the gyms over there? I know you guys use the metric system (like most of the world besides us) but I don’t know the nuances of where the weights are marked, what intervals they’re most commonly measured in and things like that. I know over here, the largest *common* weight for a loadable dumbbell is a 45 pounds but the fixed weights I’ve seen go up to like 70 pounds (and I’ve seen even higher on both but that’s in the big boy gyms) and the smallest is 5 pounds; where they usually ascend by 5 pounds a weight until they reach the max. God I hope this question(s) makes sense. I’m asking for fic reasons.

Sir, I am at your disposal. Because I am a visual person and I like to conduct research in the field: behold, images of the weights, which I took while gasping for air and wishing I could replace my left arm with Bucky's from Winter Soldier.

Dumbbells are in multiples of 2 from 4kg up to 50kg. Except near what I'll call the flex area ('cause of the giant mirror), where they have odd intervals.

Barbell has weight in multiples of 5 from 5kg here up to 25kg. Some places have higher I've seen but can't see why they would. There are also 2.5kg and 1.25kg discs around that I use for preacher curls. (Yes, I spent 5 minutes sorting this clusterfuck, I couldn't leave it.) Pre-weighted barbells too.

There are two types of cable machine we have here. The weight intervals are pictured.

Weights on some random machine. (Breeding bench, heh heh heh.)

If it's a CoD fic, the lads will be doing a lot of body weight work, cardio and explosive movements like box jumps. Not bulking too much cause they still need to be able to move and my powerlifting lads aren't quick. 😬

Bonus progress pic of your tour guide today: one aspiring otter heading home for a shower and protein shake (sunglasses recommended due to ghostly skin tone).

[yanderepuck]

How do they sleep?

Napoleon: he's got a weighted blanket that weighs 50lbs/25kg. He is sleeping so soundly that Praise could be under attack and he's sleeping through it. He was told that he could sleep when he's dead and well.. he's supposed to be dead.

Mozart: a pretty light sleeper. He has excellent hearing and he hears everything, making it hard to sleep. 100% sleeps with an eye mask on and has a 25 step skin care routine. Also silk sheets. Definitely a side sleeper

Leonardo: on the floor. Standing up. Sitting in a chair. Anywhere but his damn bed. Comte is talking about something and Leonardo just falls asleep while he's going on. Light snoring as well. His coat is so big because he uses it as a blanket. He is also sprawled out taking up as much space as he can. Get him something bigger than a twin bed PLEASE. Sleeps naked if he's in his bed.

Vincent: get this baby a bed. He's sleeping on his side or on his back, but he can't curl up. He has pillows on the floor because he has fallen off the couch before. GET HIM A BED. He loves to cuddle a pillow in his sleep, holding it close to his chest.

Theo: he almost always falls asleep by blacking out but he's laying on his stomach with one leg bent. Somehow he is able to breathe with his face buried in the pillow. His room needs to be pitch black. Wakes up with very messy hair

Arthur: falls asleep at his desk half the time. Face down in the papers. Gets an outline of his glasses on his face. But in bed he's curled up. Sleeps on his side with his legs bent. Almost curls into a little ball. Definitely a pillow cuddlier

Isaac: he just sleep walks. He can't even have peace in his sleep. But he sleeps up against the wall, the blanket almost over his head. Needs to have a window open which sucks because Dazai WILL COME IN. also has a weight blanket.

Jean: definitely a back sleeper. Wears two eye patches instead of one. Only time he takes shis eye patch off really. It never stays on in his sleep so he has to take it off. Stares up at his skylight until he falls asleep.

Dazai: naked. Butt ass naked. And if he has to get up to get something he will not put a robe on. Why are you awake? He's a side sleeper and drools a little. That's how you know it's a good sleep.

Will: silk sheets and pajamas. Puck sleeps next to him meaning they cuddle almost every night. He sleeps on his side to be able to hold Puck and pet him. very light sleeper however. Small noises wake him up. Cannot sleep through storms.

Comte: he's wearing a dumb little night gown and night cap. It is silk tho. Not much can wake him up. Sebastian normally has to yell in his face to get him to wake up.

Sebastian: sleeps on his stomach and feels his body just melt into the mattress after carrying his whole damn vampire family on his shoulders everyday. Someone get him a weighted blanket. He needs it. He still has his phone and uses some weird song as his alarm.

Vlad: like a little baby. He takes up as much space as possible and his blanket is barely on his bed. He rolls around a lot which makes his hair a disaster. Also a light snorer.

Faust: once he's cozy you're never getting him out. He also didn't go to bed until the sun already started to come up. Pulls his blanket over his head in hopes Charles won't bother him. Never works.

Charles: he doesn't. But when he does he's a light sleeper, curled up on his side cuddling all those pillows. He would love fuzzy pants. Louis curls up with him to get some cuddle time.

Drake: he's so used to sleeping on a ship that getting used to a normal bed is hard. Wants to be rocked like a baby. Sleeps on his side or back because of this tho. Pulls the blanket up high. Definitely a sleep talker/grumbles in his sleep.

Galileo: too busy outside looking at the stars. His thoughts keep him up. A sound sleeper though. When he falls into a deep sleep there's no getting him up.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Now this may be a stupid question, but the asteroid: did it just kill like… everything? In the world? HOW? Cause I don’t think it did, but it surely killed a lot of dinosaurs

it didn't kill everything! this is what happened:

the world was overrun by giant wildfires, everywhere, and tsunamis in the water

After this passed, giant clouds of dust covered the sun

this lead to essentially a nuclear winter - everything froze, nothing really grew

so the only things that survived were things that

could hide from the wildfires

survive the freezing cold in whatever way (hibernation, torpor, burrowing, etc)

find food in the cold

this means that the plants that survived were things that had protective spores and hard casings around their seeds. Plants were heavily hit by this extinction.

among animals, what could survive? things under 25kg. Things that could hide in freshwater, or in burrows, or in caves and crevices. Things that were able to get food even after all the corpses decayed - like, say, breaking open those seeds and spores.

and that's why the only dinosaurs left are birds. they were small, they could open the seeds, and at the time, most were freshwater animals.

[handgiven]

life update: finally got a job settled. lots of learning the processes of a bakery. made 50 breads by hand the other day (ask me for advice on how to knead bread because i know now, i guess). waking up early is fun for me. carrying 25kg bags of flour is no problem. feeling like i kind of went off with the assumption that this could be something i could be good at. that being said i do come home fairly exhausted and incapable. i hope that settles once i get more of a routine going. once i manage to plan my shifts a lil more and stuff. hope to be back to writing soon <3

[meklarian]

Gooseberries

This post has been sitting in my drafts for over a decade, left behind after I stopped posting new fruit finds on tumblr. Since then I’ve had a lot of new fruit encounters, but never again have I dared to sink my teeth into a gooseberry.

It’s been a long time but I remember I bought these at the market in Granville Island in Vancouver, BC; knowing that I had to finish the fruit before crossing back over the US border and yet optimistic that these were going to be sweet. I bought about a 1/3 of a pound / .25kg. This was a severe overestimation.

Dear reader, I don’t do particularly well with sour things- and these were especially sour for reasons unknown to me. I don’t think I finished the bag.

In my lifetime I have encountered aperitifs designed to reset the palate, and these are a potent cleanser. I would rate them more sour than a lemon, maybe not as sour as your drugstore malic-acid-laced candy, but certainly of a class where one might feel like one should be concerned for the integrity of one’s teeth after a few bites.

I didn’t recognize a distinct flavor profile out of the gooseberry; this is probably because their potency is beyond what I’m able to taste. In the time since then I’ve had indian gooseberries as well (aamla), which were similarly sour but still had a faint cucumber-like note straining behind the acidity.

The texture of the gooseberry, fortunately, is not too far off from a grape; once one accepts the slightly burred and veined skins. It’s always a little comforting to have familiar-looking things present and provide an experience to their presumed counterparts. In the explorative world, a grape-like thing should taste and have a texture like a grape; a brown sapote tastes and feels like a brown-sugar-laced apple or pear; and a gooseberry does feel like it is in some wilderness between a grape and a berry. Sad to think that the gooseberry is a sort of betrayal too; a very sour thing that could almost masquerade as a grape, yet no grape would ever be as churlish.

I am writing this because I feel like it’s time to reclaim the empty space of my drafts, even though there is no trophy nor award to be had for maintaining an orderly house in an online dwelling. Maybe I will resume writing and sharing more of these food adventures again someday; but for now this is the end of the road for these culinary adventures.

[thedreadvampy]

2023 was. I don't want to say a "good" year for me per se. But definitely a year of significant personal growth. I have learnt to set boundaries in a relationship, to handle breakups, to set boundaries at work and at home, and how to lean into conflict when necessary. I've also learnt a lot about my sexuality, my relationship with my body, and my capacity for change.

It's been, as my mum said, largely a "weird year" for a huge amount of people. We reckon a lot of us have just finally cracked under 4+ years of constant crisis - there's no one reason why but everyone is exhausted, burnt out and feeling weird.

But I've come to the end of the year really proud of myself and what I've achieved personally. Not stuff you can readily put on a big banner but I've done a lot in terms of like. healthy relationships with myself and with others. positive boundaries. determination and self-assertion. I had a really productive breakup. I learnt that I'm a freaking catch. I kickstarted the conversation about unions at my work and left to start another, better-paid job this year with my middle fingers held high. I did over a year of consistent daily workout routines and I can now comfortably bench or chest press 25kg+. I've set a lot of boundaries and I've been better than ever before at making space for mutually rewarding friendships, even though I've been running on empty all year. Most importantly, I really actually like the person I am now. That's an enormous shift. 2023 Year of Ruth tbh.

And I'm legitimately excited about a lot of stuff coming up in 2024. New job - nervous but cautiously excited. New housemate - seems lovely! Sam and I are hoping to buy a house by 2025 and that's huge! I'm having a lot of fun discovering more about myself and getting out more and there are several friendships and relationships I'm excited about seeing where we go.

Globally, things are not so hot. What with the genocides and all. Nationally, shit's also fucked. But where I have power to change things, they're changing in a positive direction and that's something I'm hoping to carry forward into 2024.

[petewentzisblack1312]

any beginners advice for flight rising?

the number one rule of flight rising is have fun and be yourself. the number two rule of flight rising is the economy is out to get you.

because of the way the loot tables work if youre low level in scavenging you seemingly have a much higher chance of getting unhatched eggs that way, just because there arent that many other things you can get at that level. they sell for a lot of either currency on the auction house so if you get one a good way to get money is to sell it. a lot of people, myself included, are quite sentimental and hatching unhatched eggs is fun bc its like a gacha but what constitutes a good pull is completely subjective. hatch or dont, do what you want.

that being said, if you hatch an unhatched egg and get a double, or if youre insanely lucky, a triple (that is a dragon with 2 or 3 of the same colours) because of how rare that is and how easy it is to make an aesthetically cohesive dragon with 2 or 3 of the colours being the same, theyre very very valuable. i once got a one off triple charcoal and sold it in an auction (different from the auction house) for 25kg. however. thats incredibly unlikely. if youre hatching unhatched eggs to make money off of what you hatch, you will make a loss. just sell the eggs. hatch eggs for the thrill of the chase.

people generally prefer unbred dragons, especially unbred g1s. however, you can breed your dragons if you want. i do! its your dragons, do what you want with them. itll tank the resale value but how sad would that be to have something that you love that you never really get to love because you might make money on it some day. breed any dragons you want if you want to. dont breed any if you dont. and i recommend not breeding anything you have as an investment.

maxing out your lucky streak in the fairgrounds every day is a solid way to make money. i used to do that when i was new, stopped, and started again when achievements were introduced. 75k treasure a day is really nothing to sneeze at. glimmer and gloom is the fastest but i know some people have trouble learning the algorithm or otherwise cant stand it. pick your poison!

the number one piece of advice i ever got in flight rising is to avoid any trades with crim worth more than 500 treasure. i would tack on 'unless its a battlestone other than one used for popular coliseum builds'. if shes offering more than 500 its probably apparel or something that you could sell on the auction house for more.

this really depends on what type of player you turn out to be, but i personally wish i thought a little harder about breeding my dragons. i take their ancestry into account in my lore but when i started i used my permas (dragons that you intend to keep) for fodder breeding and boy do i regret that. im attached to these dragons but they have a long list of offspring that are exalted. id say dragons you think are cool and dragons you want to breed should be a venn diagram that is almost two circular tangents unless youre sure you dont care. but also. lifes short. breed your progens 50gazillion times if you really want to. exalt them even. who give a fuck.

someone tricked a friend of mine this way so just so you know leveling to 25 is for dragons that you plan to grind with it is strategically not a good idea to level dragons to exalt to 25. ive already explained the value of doubles and triples so i dont think youll end up randomly exalting one of em.

if you can use the coliseum and you dont hate it i do recommend investing in a team to train fodder to exalt or to grind the coliseum and resell materials. one of the biggest flaws of fr is actually how dependent it currently is on the coliseum for gameplay. theres new gameplay in the pipeline. but its not imminent.

theres more. i cant think of it. keep asking questions if you want

[loathsome-little-creature]

Some Notes on Food Prices in Occupied Palestine.

Depending on how closely you have been watching the news out of Palestine lately, you might have heard that food has gotten a lot more scarce and expensive than it was earlier in the war. My friend Mohammed Haboub told me that his parents needed money for food recently, so I decided to make this post compiling what he has told me about food costs along with some additional information that I was able to gather. If this information is useful to you, I would encourage you to make a donation to Mohammed’s fundraiser, (link) if you are able.

Sources will be listed at the end with footnotes, for example (1) or (2), etc. Prices will be listed by the kilogram unless stated otherwise. The prices will be listed in US dollars. This post is current as of November 16, 2024. It should also be noted that the information provided here may not be accurate for north Gaza.

The goal of this post is NOT to calculate the cost of living in Gaza, nor is it an attempt to speak over actual Palestinians. If you are told something that contradicts this post by someone actually living in Gaza, you should absolutely believe them and not me, as it is nearly certain that prices will change rapidly. I am simply compiling information from a few sources.

I am not going to cover international aid in this post because I simply don’t think I have enough information to accurately say anything about it.

Tomatoes have experienced the most extreme jump in price of any vegetable for which I have information, costing about $1 per kg before the war and increasing to $20 USD per kg at time of writing. Tomatoes are closely followed in price by potatoes, which now cost $18 per kg up from $1.5, and rice which has gone up to $22 per kg from a prewar price of $4 per kg.(1)

Animal protein is exceptionally hard to come by, with eggs being the only source that I have been able to get a definitive price for. Eggs have gone up from $5 per carton to $3 per individual egg, meaning that the price of a single egg in present day Gaza could have purchased three full kilograms of tomatoes before the war.(2)

Clean drinking water is an absolute necessity, as a healthy adult can only survive without water for three days, and can only remain able to do physical activities for about one day without water. While water bottles are one of the less expensive items on this list, at $2 per bottle up from 50 cents before the war(3) the constant need for drinking water means this cost will add up very quickly.

Wheat flour, one of the most important foodstuffs on this list, is extremely difficult to come by, with a 25KG bag costing approximately between 70 USD(3) to $150 USD(4)

As you can probably imagine, the cost of keeping a family fed and in good health is astronomical in daily life, making fundraising for things like medical expenses and evacuation all the more difficult and uncertain. I hope this post has helped shed a little light on the practical realities of life in Gaza, and I hope more than anything that it helps convince some of you to help materially support Gazans in their struggle for survival.

Footnotes under the cut

Footnotes

(1) all of these prices were kindly provided by Mohammed Haboub. Link to his blog

(2) the price of eggs was also given to me by Mohammed.

(3) this price is according to Hani Alanqar link to his blog

(4) Al Jazeera link. Al Jazeera does not provide a clear source for this number however it seems reasonable for an upper estimate

[liesmyth]

Jockposting :) Lifting progress under the cut 💪

the tldr is that i a couple of months I put 20kg on my deadlift, 15kg on my squat, and I am SO close to benching 35kg for reps I can taste it. If I was in a frame of mind to optimise for recovery and nutrition I'd be unstoppable but as it is I'm just really feelin' myself

I'm on week 9 of GZCLP, a reddit-bro sorta program that's IME extremely effective. Once again, I maintain that reddit is phenomenal for solid fitness knowledge

It's a linear progression program, meaning that you increase the weight on the bar week by week, and it's ideal for novices who're still in the "beginner's gain" stage of weightlifting. It's also great if you're returning to structured programming lifting after a break (me!) but I probably won't keep at it after the first 12-week cycle is over, there's only so much linear increase I can aspire to.

Programming: GZCLP is 4x week, built around big compound lifts in the "strength" range (low reps, higher weights). They're complemented by a medium-rage amount of reps of a different compound lift than the one you're practising that day. So basically, you do big lifts twice a week, but at a different weight/range (called Tier 1 and Tier 2 to tell them apart). Every session also includes isolation exercises in the hypertrophy range, starting at 3x15+.

Jargon: that + symbol means that the last set is meant to be "as many reps as possible" or AMRAP. So if I'm doing 3x5+ squats, I'd do 5 reps for my first and second set, then try to aim for 6 or 7 in my last set.

Progression: You add weight every week to each compound lift; if you fail, the rep scheme changes keeping the volume the same.

T1 (main lifts) go from 3x5+ >>> 4x4+ >>> 5x3+

T2 (medium range reps for compound lifts) start at 3x10 >>> 3x8 >>> 3x6

T3 (back work and accessories) are 3x15+, only progressing when the AMRAP set gets to 25.

The T2 lifts especially are brutal. Because they go up every week but the amount of volume is A Lot. Doing sets of 10 reps with heavy-ish squats or deadlifts is extremely demanding.

Sessions! Basically, each week looks like this

Day 1: Squats (T1) + Bench press (T2) + Back work and leg accessories (T3)

Day 2: Overhead barbell press (T1) + Deadlift (T2) + Back work and upper body accessories (T3)

Day 3: Bench press (T1) + Squats (T2) + Back Work and upper body and core accessories (T3)

Day 4: Deadlift (T1) + Overhead bar press (T2) + Hip thrusts (T2) + Back work and core accessories (T3)

I start every session with dynamic stretching AND core engagement exercises (deadbug, planks, renegade row, suitcase carries) and usually end with an abs + kettlebell swing circuit. KB swings are SUPER FUN, btw. I do them every minute on the minute with a timer, starting with 5 swings then working my way up to 12-15 reps on the minute before I go up in weight. Currently I'm using a20kg (44 lbs) kettlebell.

💪 Weight on the bar! ✨

The whole point of this post was to blather about my lifting numbers so here we go. I started 9 weeks ago a bit conservatively, which imo is better than starting too heavy and going up too fast. I've failed every lift except squats, and that's only because I'm not consistently breaking parallel like I want to — a goal for my next training cycle is to work on lower body flexibility, go lighter on squats and with better form. This cycle is mainly to get more weight on that bar.

Squat

T1: 37.5kg >>> 52.5kg (116 lbs) for 3 sets of 5 reps

T2: 32.5kg to 43.5kg (96lbs) for sets of 10 reps

Overhead press

I failed multiple times here! Why is it so hard to build stronk shoulders, I ask you

T1: 17kg to 22.5kg (50 lbs) for 4 sets of 4 reps

T2: 12kg to 18kg (40 lbs) for sets of 6 reps

Bench Press

Veeeery proud of how this one is going

T1: 25kg to 33.5kg (74 lbs) for 5 sets of 3 reps

T2: 20 kg to 30kg (66 lbs) for 3 sets of 8 reps. Veeery proud of my progress on this one.

Deadlift

Bit frustrated because DLs used to be my strongest lift and I feel like I should be further ahead but that posterior chain needs nurturing

T1: 43kg to 62.5 (134 lbs) for 5 sets of 3 reps

T2: 33kg to 53.5 (118) for 3 sets of 10 reps

What's next?

3 more weeks of GZCLP then we shall see! I'm thinking an intermediate bench program + less volume on lower-body lifts, especially since I'm going to get more serious about half marathon training next month.

[orangedogsquad]

oh wow your dogs look so interesting I've never seen these breeds before

what are they like? do you recommend them to people new to dogs? do they have really awful legs like Basset Hounds under the fluff?

I think they're great, but I have a soft spot for scent hounds in general.

I find the basset fauve de bretagne is fairly adaptable. They're quite happy to have couch potato days, but equally happy to go out on an all day hiking adventure. Most of the ones we've met are pretty laid back, but they are a hunting dog, and get vocal if they catch a scent. (Tess in particular is very good at singing when she smells a rabbit or kangaroo). Fauves can be a bit independent in personality, and can have a 'what's in it for me' attitude when asked to do things, though not nearly as much as other hound breeds I know, and they are still trainable and very responsive, with a tendency to be very food motivated. When it comes to socials, they aren't the most forthcoming dogs, and tend to be fairly polite/neutral to strangers. With people they know, they are very affectionate though!

They're also quite a small dog (Tess is around 12.5kg, and Henry around 13.5kg) and are very portable and pick-upable. A fact which I imagine delights me more than them, lol.

The grand basset griffon vendeen on the other hand is a bit bigger. Maple is a small gbgv at around 20kg, but her siblings are closer to 25kg-30kg. I don't have as much experience with gbgvs overall, so it's harder to tell what's just Maple vs what's the breed, however in general, they seem to have a lot more energy than the fauves, and less of an off switch. They're also very vocal. Maple is one of the loudest dogs I know, which is saying something considering I live in a house with Koda.

Gbgvs are your more stereotypical hound, a level up from fauves in my opinion. Maple is Very independent and does what she wants, and doesn't have as strong a food motivation. Plus she's been a lot slower to mature.

But on the other side of it, gbgvs are very social, from what I've seen of Maple and her siblings. They Love people and other dogs, and Maple thinks everyone is her best friend.

One thing to keep in mind with both breeds is that they're wire-haired, and ideally should be hand stripped. On this front, a typical fauve's coat is a lot easier to strip and maintain than the gbgv's.

It depends on what kind of dog you're after, but I think either breed would be fine for someone new to dogs as long as you were prepared to deal with their hound quirks. I might be biased, but based on my experience, the basset fauve de bretagne would probably make for an easier first time dog experience than the gbgv.

To answer your other question, both the fauves and the gbgvs have much better legs compared to Basset Hounds. The fluff makes it a bit harder to judge, but their legs are a lot more proportionate to their bodies than what you would see in a Basset Hound. This isn't a perfect comparison, but you can see how Tess has more leg to her than the basset hound on the left. She's still fairly short overall, but has a lot more ground clearance, and is more structurally sound. Tess is also the smallest dog we have, so both Henry and Maple have more leg than she does! Because of their better structure and proportion, the fauves and gbgvs aren't prone to disc and spinal conditions like basset hounds are.

This has mostly been about the basset squad so far, but if you're curious about the other two:

Lagotto romagnolo- I wouldn't recommend a lagotto to a first time dog owner, no offense Koda. The lines in Australia tend to have Issues, at least from our experience and what we've heard from the vets we've spoken to. The idea of a lagotto is great, since they're very smart, energetic, sweet and affectionate to their owner, and don't shed, but for some reason it is very common for the ones here to be not quite right, lol. They're prone to anxiety, noise sensitivity, resource guarding behviours, and so on. Depending on where you are in the world, you might have better lines who don't have these issues, but in our context, I'd only recommend one to somebody who has a quiet, predictable household, no kids, no other pets, and who knows a good behavioural vet. If you want a smart, trainable, affectionate, non shedding breed, a poodle is a nice alternative.

Groodle- Holly is a great dog despite her 'breed'. Her traits are pretty much poodle, and the majority of the other 'groodles' we know are the same, so I would recommend getting a well bred poodle over any oodle mix! Very affectionate, eager to please and readily trainable, with a more solid health base.

[abuzd]

Dude literally in this post you said you were ordering smaller clothes. IDK man just be wary and safe. Seems like you’ve gone extreme to lose 25kgs in a short amount of time and to still be losing weight and being unable to control it. Don’t fuck your heart up even more.

https://www.tumblr.com/abuzd/757166025985916928/tw-dsorderd-eatng

OHHHHHH no jfhdhdhdgd sorry okay so i gained a lot over two years because of my meds (antipsychotics) that weren’t supposed to cause weight gain but they did and so when i went off them (all my doctors knew) the weight literally just shed off tbh 👀 like i don’t.. do anything extra..? i eat plenty, i take all my meds and vitamins etc. i can get Thoughts that are disordered but i don’t act on them!!! i’m physically very healthy!!! 🥺 all my doctors confirmed!!

i hope that makes more sense? 😭

[msreyny]

tips on How i lost 25kg in 5 months

hello darling !🦢🌷

here’s are some tips and habits that helped me lose lots of weights in 4 months and maintained it.

1. don’t go for a restrictive diet prefer a balanced one, restricting will only make you gain all the weight back and create a yo-yo circle.

2. drink 2L of water, it help a lot with weight loss and reduce appetite. I personally always drink a glass or two of water before any meals to prevent overeating.

3. log all my meals, it help me with calories déficit but also taking care of what i eat.

4. instead of eating a big snack with a lot of fat I tend to eat fruit, or 0% sugar yogurt with strawberries it will make you complete very fast.

5. when it comes to working out it is essential to have fun, seeing workout out as a punishment or a way to only be like those girls in magazines will make you hate it rather than love it. From my experience in the past, I hated working out because of my point of view and gaining all the weight back.

So it is very important to enjoy moving your body :)

6. eat lots of protein, protein help to reduce your appetite which leads to losing weight.

7. allow yourself to not eat 100% healthily all the time, you have the right to eat an ice cream or a burger as long as you keep eating healthy 90% of the time.

8. don't check your weight every day, it creates such a bad relationship with weight loss, etc, every time you'll see you didn't lose anything or even gain you be totally sad about it and it might even lead to stopping your all journey.

Also, it's okay to gain a bit of weight, don't be sad it takes time and consistency.

9. Fasting, a reminder that fasting might not be for everyone but personally it helps me to avoid eating lots of snacks very late at night, I recommence the app Simple, they have lots of choices to adapt to your own lifestyle

[fattened-newbie]

I've gained 25kg/55lbs in the past year and i started to like it, a lot. I dunno what to do really