Elsja Down Under

Karma… and Putting out Fires October 21, 2009

Sometimes I think karma is a bunch of bullshit.

Today I went for a nice long walk/jog… 7.4km or 4.6 miles to be precise. I was feeling good. It was sunny (maybe a little too hot) but great in the shade near the water. Whenever I go for these long walks and I get to the farthest point, I always regret my decision a little. I think… “hmmm- maybe I should have turned around a bit earlier.” But today I kept going all the way to the end, I was proud of myself for not giving up. (p.s. 4.6 miles might not seem like a LONG way… but this walk involves lots of hills… I hate hills).

On my way back up the quiet road (near the X) I smelled smoke. I looked to my right and immediately saw a bunch of smoke coming from a big pile of ash in the bush (that’s Australian for brush).

So…I actually climbed up the tiny little hill dodging branches, spiderwebs, flies and all sorts of other creatures to see if I could stomp out the fire. I can’t believe I risked seeing lizards, snakes and spiders all to check out a tiny fire! Well there were no flames, just immense heat and smoke. I tried stomping on the smoldering ground but it did nothing to calm it. Since I was super sweaty by this point I started getting attacked by all sorts of flying insects so I quickly but carefully maneuvered my way back down through the branches to the road. I didn’t have my phone so I stood wondering what I should do.  I decided to wait a few minutes to see if any cars would pass. About 2 minutes later, some bikers were riding by and I flagged them down and asked if they could call 000 (that’s Australian for 911). The men explained that the fire brigade were out in the area doing a back burn so it was probably just from that; HOWEVER, that was about 2 weeks ago, it shouldn’t really STILL be smoldering and all it would take to start a bigger fire would be a bit of wind. So he called. Might I mention that this is the SECOND time since moving to Australia that I/we have called 000 after spotting a random bushfire on the side of the road!

The man explained to the operator where the fire was and then the guys said thanks and rode off. I wondered if I should wait for the firemen. I decided they would pass me on my way back up the road and I knew it would be pretty easy to explain to them where it was if I should see them.

I then walked for another 15-20 minutes until finally I was HOME! I was hot and sweaty but feeling great about my good deed and for pushing myself to keep going on my walk when I really just wanted to turn around and go home.

Soo… back to this whole karma thing. You would THINK after doing good things for the world that I would be rewarded… or at least not PUNISHED. But no…what did I get for all my work? A massive headache. I figured I just needed some water so I gulped down tons and took a shower. Usually this is when I feel much better but no, not today. The headache just keeps getting worse and worse.  At dinner I got a massive stomach ache after eating. This is the 2nd massive stomach ache Ive gotten immediately after dinner  in the last 5 days. WTF? And FINALLY to top it all off-  I get in the car, plug the itrip into my ipod, turn it on and BAM! ipod is broken. The screen is shot. It still plays music but I have no way to actually see and/or select what I am trying to play. Seriously, I’ve heard the phrase “karma’s a bitch” before, but that’s supposed to be directed towards people who do bad things… not good!

The last time Andrew and I  spotted  a fire on the side of the road and called 000 we got tickets for not wearing helmets on our bikes. Granted we got the tickets BEFORE we saw the fire, but still!! I swear- next time I see a fire that needs to be put out I’m just going to leave it. Let it burn because with my luck if I call 000 again I may just get mugged or get swine flu or something.

*Edited to correct details… it was actually a peacock we saw roaming the streets, not an ostrich. My bad.

Another Quiet Night at Home August 28, 2009

Andrew went out with his friends tonight- I chose to stay home. Last week he went out with friends twice and I chose to stay home. I’m not sure what it is- but I just have no desire to go out and spend lots of money on alcohol these days. Staying up until 1 or 2 just sounds exhausting! Plus, ever since we went snowboarding I’ve had minor health annoyances that keep flaring up. I have this recurring bullshit problem called gastritis and  alcohol increases the problem so I’m on a drinking hiatus. Usually I get bummed if I can’t have wine with dinner every now and then, but this week I really couldn’t care less. I just want to feel better! I’ve also minimized all soda, tea (any caffeine really) and spicy food since they are also culprits in my annoying issue. Soooo… back to my point… I’m staying home.

Here are a few reasons that I’m glad to be having a quiet night at home:

1. I am not going to feel like crap all day tomorrow

2. Andrew just texted  and said 3 long Island Iced Teas are $48 bucks! That would only be about $24 in California!  Staying home prevents me from having to even be annoyed about that. I’ll make my own tropical refreshing iced tea for about 50 cents if I want to. Except I don’t, because I can’t drink tea for awhile.

3. I can sit around in my comfy pjs and Uggs rather than wearing some tight jeans and high heels

4. When I get too tired… I can just walk in the other room and go to bed rather than standing in some bar yawning and wishing we could leave

5. I can enjoy my new favorite hobby… browsing The Knot

6. I don’t have to talk to anyone. For some people this would be horrible, but I had my fix of social chatting earlier when some friends were over- now I can just sit and enjoy the silence

7. I can read more of my book that is taking me FOREVER to finish

8. I can get caught up on some work that I have to do this weekend. Ok… that’s not really a benefit of staying home- but I guess I’m going to have to do it at some point so I might as well start tonight

9. I can write this blog. See, now aren’t YOU all happy I stayed home as well?

Swine Flu April 28, 2009

I’d like to share with you my feelings on infected ham snot.

I am not afraid of the swine flu. It’s the flu. I haven’t gotten any sort of flu in over 6 years and I don’t plan on getting this pig  disease either.

Yet another reason I don’t care to eat swine.

Seriously though, why do people freak out so much? People die of the REGULAR flu every year. Mexican hospitals are clearly not up to par with health standards since they are the only country to report any deaths (for now). But seriously… people get flus every year. No more reason to worry about this particular one, right?

I’ll tell you what I AM afraid of…

This porky virus causing people to freak out like they did with SARS which would therefore cause flights to cancel which would therefore cause problems for Amanda and Stephen when they fly here next week!

Making the World a Better Place February 19, 2009

I’m going to start doing something nice for the world.

I am going to start volunteering! By volunteering, I really just mean doing some work at a yoga studio a few times a week in exchange for free yoga classes.

So I guess it’s not REALLY volunteering per se but hey, I’m not getting paid. To me- that’s volunteering.

I may not be helping sick children or cleaning up beaches*, but it WILL still help the world out! How you ask??  Hey, if I get healthier and more in-shape, I will be a much happier person. If I have some time to “meditate” and relax, I will be a much happier person. If I happen to meet a new friend while I’m doing my happy helper yoga duties, I will possibly be a happier person (unless that new friend starts to get on my nerves like a lot of people tend to do). Anyways, If I am happier, Andrew will be happier and he will have better days at work. This means he will fly the planes with even more superiority than he already does and all the passengers will be even safer and more comfortable on their flights. Then, they will arrive to their destinations in a good mood and they will spread their happiness to others. My happiness will spread throughout the planet. AND… since I won’t need to PAY for yoga, I will have more money to spend in shops and restaurants which will help to stimulate this poor economy.

So you see… my 2 hours of work each week in exchange for free yoga classes really will make the world a better place.

You can all sleep easy tonight!

*For the record- I WOULD help sick children if I could actually find a place close to me where they need volunteers for this. I would not clean beaches. I clean my house, I don’t pick up other people’s trash. I’m a people person, not a litter and manual labor person. Good thing there are other people who like doing that sort of stuff.

Unbalanced January 6, 2009

So I was right… my balance… BAD. My center of gravity is totally skewed well to the right, surprise surprise. Guess that happens when you stop using your left foot. So while my overall balance isn’t great anyways (I’ve always known this), I’m actually not TOO bad when I try to balance on my right foot. I’m pretty good at the yoga tree pose… seen here:

I can definitely put my left foot up on my right thigh and balance pretty easily. Keeping that red dot in the middle of the cirlce is pretty challenging, but I can do it. Ohhh… but the left sided tree? Yeah… that just doesn’t even come close to happening. Not only can I NOT place my right foot on my left thigh, I really can’t even lift my right foot 3 inches off the ground for more than 2 seconds without falling over. NO BALANCE AT ALL. Now I see why my physio told me to practice. He was quite aware of the trouble I would have with this simple task.

But… I am really good at the hula hoop challenge. I’m up to 300+ spins. Andrew found it amusing to watch me look like an idiot as I pretend to hula hoop in my undies.

I love my Wii… and the WiiFit is my favorite  So much fun!

Back to the Grind January 5, 2009

I’ve been cleared to go to the gym! Yay… I think. Should I be excited to get back to doing something that I hate? Really… I hate the gym! I go because I know I should and I do feel better after I go, but I never actually enjoy it. Well, with a broken foot- I’ve pretty much been completely incapable of doing any physical activity that includes my lower body (which is basically any cardio).

Today, I went to the physio and he cleared me to go to the gym- but I can only do the bike. So I can FINALLY get back to working out, I can finally stop feeling like a lazy fat ass… but is that a good thing? These last 5 weeks are the longest I’ve gone without ANY exercise in over 4 years! I have to admit, it’s been kinda nice to take a break. Do I REALLY want to go back to the gym?? NO! But do I need to? Ummm YES! I feel like a wobbly, jiggly mess! I think I’m ready to break out my WiiFit for the first time, but do I REALLY want to weigh myself after 5 weeks of inactivity??

The physio gave me some exercises and stretches to do to help strengthen my muscles in my left leg and ankle. One includes balancing. Now, my balance is shit on a good day! My poor balance is the #1 reason I started yoga a few years back. I got really annoyed when I was at the Coachella festival and I kept trying to stand on my tippy toes to see the bands and I just kept falling over. Pathetic. So imagine me balancing on a foot/leg that I haven’t used in over a month!! I almost fell over about 5 times in the office. However, I must say- my right leg was doing quite well in the balance department- I guess that’s what happens when you hop around on one leg all the time.

So… hello gym… here I come! But not until next week… my membership here is on hold until I get back here from the US (so I guess I can enjoy being a lazy ass for a few more days)

My Year in Review January 2, 2009

2008 was a good year… full of ups and downs, but luckily more ups than downs I would say. Let’s look back on my 2008… 

January ** I rung in the new year with my sisters in Laguna ** I did the God awful Master Cleanse detox diet **

 

** Andrew and I spent Valentines day on our couch, with a bottle of wine **  I pretty much spent the whole month preparing for Jen’s shotgun wedding (shower & bachelorette party) **  February 

March  ** I went home to California for Jen and James’ wedding- it was beautiful  ** We had Jen’s bachelorette party and wedding shower… so much fun!  **My niece Emma turned 5 and I got to be with her at her birthday party **

 

** My nephew Preston turned 8… he’s getting so old  ** I started my 101 in 1001 list  **April 

May  ** Andrew got a letter of intent from Qanta Mainline (international flying)… it’s been his dream and goal for years! Now we are STILL waiting on a start date…   **  Andrew and I went to Maui with my sister and her family **  

 

June  ** My sister Jan got married, unfortunately I couldn’t go to the wedding  **  ** My poor puppy Emmi died of cancer. Damn cancer!  ** Andrew and I started saving to try to buy an apartment  **July 

August  **  Andrew and I went to CA to visit my family and friends  ** We then went to Costa Rica and had an amazing time **  Andrew got to meet my sister in Texas and her kids for the first time **

 

September  ** This month marked the 1 year anniversary of when I moved to Australia  ** I Turned 28 over the international dateline on our flight back to Sydney ** 

October  ** I went to my first Australian “footy” game… the NRL Grand Final * After months of preparation, I Got my Australian residency ** Andrew turned 28 **

November  ** Andrew and I went to Perth to visit some of his family and I flew business for the very first time **  I voted in the US presidential election  ** We celebrated Thanksgiving in Australia and I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself… including pumpkin pie from fresh pumkins ** I Broke my foot and sprained my ankle while trying to catch the bouquet at Bec and Olly’s wedding  **

 

**  I spent my first ever Christmas away from my family and friends… but got to spend my first Christmas ever with Andrew  **  I got HOOKED on the best book… Twilight. Seriously, I couldn’t get what all the hype was about, but now I clearly understand how those nerdy kids read Harry Potter in a day. I read Twilight in 2 1/2 – and I hardly EVER read **  I bought a Wii! YAY. This also means I get to cross one more item off my 101 list- #72. buy a wii    **  Andrew got me a WiiFit for Christmas and I’m anxiously waiting for my foot to heal so I can balance on it and have some fun!   **  Andrew got promoted to Captain with his current job   ** I spent New Years eve with Andrew at Cremorne point watching the fireworks over Sydney Harbour- which is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do for the last 3 years. **December 

*** This year we went to 4 weddings, plus got invited to 2 more that we couldn’t attend. I made new friends and got in touch with some old ones. Some had some babies, some lost loved ones, some found love, some lost jobs, some had successes. I think 2008 was financially and emotionally tough on a lot of people, let’s hope 2009 sees things turn around!!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PS. I give up on formatting this damn blog…wordpress can kiss my ass with its crappy text editor  

Withering Away December 15, 2008

Want a surefire way to get skinnier legs? DON’T USE THEM!

My left leg is withering away to nothing. While usually one would think it was great to have their legs shrink and become skinny- it’s not so great when the other leg is still the same size. My calf muscle looks concaved and droopy. My lower thigh looks quite good- but it still doesn’t match the other leg.

I’ve never felt so disproportioned. I’ve never looked at myself and thought “ew, my skinny leg looks gross.” There’s a first for everything I guess.

There is some good news today. Andrew worked. Amazing, I know. He’s off on an overnight shift- his first shift in nearly 2 weeks! I think it’s good for him to be back at work. For the last 2 weeks he’s been like a housewife- cooking, cleaning and taking care of good ol’ gimpy moi. I know it hasn’t been fun for him- but he’s been a good sport. He just needed to get out of the house and fly planes and do math in his head and all that brainy stuff. Hopefully he enjoys his 1 1/2 days of work because after tomorrow, he’ll most likely be off until after New Years.

Up and Down… Happy and Sad… December 10, 2008

First I decorated our tree… our HALF tree that we accidentally bought. Yes, it is half of a tree. It is pushed up right next to the window. We were really angry at first that we spent a lot of money on half of a tree, but then we realized it fits much better in the apartment anyways, so it was a blessing in disguise. it looked pretty. I was excited to see what it would look like at night and enjoy the beautiful sparkle of the lights and ornaments.

I was happy.

Then it got darker and we turned the lights on. It didn’t sparkle. The lights barely twinkle. It’s a dull dark tree. But there was no way to re-do it with new lights unless I took off all of the ornaments and then put them all back. That wasn’t going to happen.

So I was sad…

Yesterday I went to the orthopedic surgeon to get that bohemith of a prehistoric cast off. I waited for the doctor to say “you need surgery” or “let’s put your new cast on” but he didn’t! He said I’d be ok with just an ace bandage and maybe a splint for more support.

I was SO happy! I don’t have a picture to show my joy at this point, so I’ll just show you my original xray instead!

But then today after being in pain all night and morning, I tried calling around to see what it would take to get a removable splint put on. It really hurts without that giant, heavy plaster cast and I need something to make it more comfy and bearable. But I learned that my insurance doesn’t cover splints. Last week I changed plans (the day before this happened). If I was still on my old plan, I would be covered, but now… no coverage. I then called around to different physios to try to find someone who would do a splint for cheaper than the $230 we were quoted yesterday and talked to 3 different places who all said they don’t do splints in their office. Seriously… PAIN IN THE ASS.

Now I am sad… and hurting… but Andrew re-did my bandage so it’s super tight and a bit more supportive.

At least it covers up my swollen, purple and yellow granny cankle for the time being!!

 

Then tonight Andrew made me laksa for dinner. I was happy.

Mood swing city over here.

Old and Tattered December 3, 2008

My BFF Jen LOVES to blog about all the things that make her feel old… and until now, I haven’t really cared to join her. Sure I’ve had a comment here or there about being in my late 20s and feeling old and all… but this week it has REALLY hit me. I’m really starting to realize that 28 IS old. Here are the reasons why:

1. I am now one of those people that looks at doctors and dentists who are close to my age (or younger) and think… “is he old enough to be doing this?” or “I want someone with more experience.”- At the hospital this weekend I thought that about my orthopedic doctor (he looked about 22) and it freaked me out. Only OLD people think that doctors are too young. Until now, doctors have all naturally been older than me due to the amount of school that is required. But now that I am up there in the years, I’m starting to pass them by. It’s scary.
2. I have a noticible wrinkle on the left side of my forehead when I raise my eyebrows. It’s time for botox.
3. I’ve been looking at friends’ albums on facebook lately and when I’m looking at these photos I actually think to myself “wow these people look old” – and they are MY AGE! Sometimes I look at 40-somethings in bars and think “Should they really be THAT drunk?” “Don’t they have a husband and kids to go home to?” And it’s really sad that those are probably the exact thoughts an 18 year old kid would think about me and my friends!

In addition to feeling old this week, I of course am very tattered due to this stupid broken foot. I never realized how cruddy a cast could be.

1. I can’t go to the beach for fear of getting sand in it… and seriously, can you even use crutches in the sand? And not to mention the HORRIBLE tan I would get! Why oh why did I have to do this 2 days before the start of summer?
2. I can’t exercise and it’s pissing me off. It’s ok though because hopping up my steps, walking to the kitchen, getting dressed and taking a bath are all exercise enough and they totally cause me to lose my breath!! I know it could be worse, but stupid daily tasks are WAY harder than they normally would be. I just really don’t want to sit on my ass for 6 weeks and turn into a tubby! Can someone please bring me a Wii so I can at least sit on my couch and play Wii tennis and boxing? PRETTY PLEASE?
3. How am I supposed to drink a lot?? I thought of this just now when I got an invite to a Christmas party. I thought… eh- I may not be able to dance and walk around socializing, but I can still go! I’ll just sit on a chair and drink a lot!  But what happens when I have to walk to the car? Has anyone ever been drunk and tried to walk with crutches? If so… let me know how it went! I really don’t want to eat shit and break the other foot any time soon! I guess Andrew could always give me a piggy back ride like he did the night of my dreaded injury!
4. How am I supposed to go Christmas shopping? I planned to take the bus to go to the mall or wherever to buy Andrew his present(s) since obviously HE can’t take me to do it (that would ruin any surprise). But now what? I can’t even walk across the road to the car without feeling like I’m going to fall over and die, let alone take a bus to a mall… and then what happens when I buy something? How do i carry it around?
5. I had to sit on the kitchen floor and eat my cereal this morning. Usually Andrew is here to bring me food on the couch or to the table, but he was at work. Yesterday I managed to hop with a sandwich on a plate from the kitchen to the couch. But you can’t exactly hop with a bowl full of milk.

Ugh… I can’t handle 6 more weeks. THis REALLLLY makes me feel for people in wheelchairs their whole life. I just can’t imagine how horrible that must be!

I just would like to say a big thanks to my wooonderful boyfriend who is taking very good care of me! He’s been cooking and picking up my crap and doing dishes and the laundry. And thanks so much to Natasha for coming over last night to eat pizza with me and drink some wine. I’m glad I didn’t have to hang out all night by myself wallowing in my own self-pity.

Bouquet Toss Nightmare November 30, 2008

So last night started off great! We were at the wedding of Bec and Olly, it was beautiful, the wine was flowing, the food was delcious. 

Everyone was having a blast, until the time came to catch the bouquet. I kicked my heels off, you know, to prevent any injuries!! Kimbo and I had a strategy- we were going to pretend to fight it out. Well, turns out that it was thrown way over my head and I could tell there was NO way I’d even be close to catching it. But for some reason, I still managed to completely fall flat on my ass. Not sure how it even happened. I don’t even remember jumping, but clearly I did SOMETHING to cause me to eat shit. IMMEDIATELY I was in pain. LOTS of pain. I couldn’t stand up, I was halfway laughing and halfway fighting back tears. Someone helped me up- I don’t even know who (thanks whoever you are) and I just remember saying “I can’t walk, I can’t walk, I can’t walk…” Soon I was on a chair with people crowded around and ice on my foot. It swelled up REALLY quickly, it looked like there was a golf ball in my ankle.

After I threw up (I think the combo of pain and alcohol does that to you), I was wheeled out and taken to the emergency room. Thanks so much to Rob and Monica for driving Andrew and I there. The X-ray department was closed so I just got some pain meds and was given a referral to come back in the morning.

This morning I woke up and the huge golfball on my ankle was gone, but my whole foot had swollen up…

 

Sooo… we spent about 4 hours at the hospital today and eventually got the diagnosis. The ankle is just sprained, but my foot is broken! First broken bone ever! I’ve got a temporary cast on until next week. Then I have to go see an orthopedic surgeon to see if it looks like it’s healing. If it is, then I’ll get a permanent cast put on- but if it’s not healing right, I may need surgery.

I feel pretty crap. This cast is really heavy. I’m not comfortable. I have no energy to write a creative blog, so I’m just stating the facts.

At least the wedding was great! I posted some photos HERE and HERE (2 different albums).

Congrats to Bec and Olly!

I Don’t Get Sick May 8, 2008

Until today…

I can’t remember the last time I got sick. Typically, if I start to feel under the weather I start downing my Wellness Formula vitamins that I SWEAR by and the little sick bugs never fully take over my body. Literally, if I start to feel a BIT off, I take the pills and by the next day I feel totally better.

Well what am I supposed to do when my body gives me NO warning? How am I supposed to start taking my pills without the hints of of impending illness?? Today I woke up at 2:45am with a horrible sore throat. I didn’t even have to swallow… it woke me up from my peaceful slumber and I just KNEW that as soon as I swallowed… I was going to be in for it. But I had no warning last night… didn’t feel even slightly off balance. Just WHAM… I was hit with this crap out of nowhere as I slept!

But never fear, I got up and started taking my vitamins and took them a few times throughout the night. When I woke this morning, my throat was just a little hot and uncomfortable- not severely hurting like it was at 2:45am. Even more of a reason why I love these miracle vitamins!

I still felt like crap all day. Weak, aching, sore (I think that is primarily from my crazy gym outings lately) and I didn’t have much of an appetite at all until about 3pm. The odd thing is, I’ve eaten better this week than I have in months. I’ve ONLY had water all week and I’ve had a lot of it! I’ve been working out pretty hard (maybe too hard??) Regardless, I’ve had a very healthy week and then this crap happens! UGH.

I’m hoping and praying that my Wellness Formula kicks some serious virus butt as I sleep tonight so I can wake up feeling better. It would be nice to get off the couch tomorrow. And it would be nice to get dressed and feel decent enough to pack for my trip on Saturday.

Coommme on Wellness Formula! I’m counting on you to make me allll better!!

96 Hours January 17, 2008

Do you know what hasn’t happened in 96 hours? Food has not passed my lips in 96 hours. Yes that’s right, I haven’t eaten in 96 hours! I’m on day 4 of the Master Cleanse. While it’s not easy at all, it’s also not AS hard as I thought it would be. I’m never hungry physically- although I definitely WISH I could eat! I am looking forward to Saturday night because it will be the end of day 6 and I will officially be halfway through. OMG 6 days to go.

I am REALLY looking forward to next Friday because that will be the day I can officially “eat” even though I just get soup broth. I’m looking forward to making my own veggie soup for the first time ever. It will be soooo delish! And I’m REALLY REALLY REALLY looking forward to net Sunday because then I can actually eat REAL FOOD.

I have a list of things I am craving immensly…

pasta

pizza

chips and salsa

Thai food

I really could care less about sugary food like candy and cookies. I just want salt, garlic, and some spice! I really plan on eating pretty healthy the first few days to get my body back in tune with actually eating solid foods… but I think in a couple weeks I’ll scarf down an entire pizza. I can’t wait. I can’t wait.

This better be worth it! I better feel a whole heck of a lot healthier at the end. I guess the worst case scenario is that I feel the same, but mentally I’ll be VERY proud that I stuck it out. It will be a big sense of accomplishment to know that I CAN do it- even when I used to think there was no way in HELL!

Master Cleanse January 13, 2008

So for some weird reason, I decided to do this cleanse. New year… clean out my body… blah blah. I’ve known people who have done it and they feel GREAT after. I am looking forward to that great feeling because I’m sure the process itself will be miserable. But seriously, it’s 10 days of my life,  I can do it, right?  I always thought “I could NEVER do that… how do these people have the willpower??” I am here to prove myself wrong.

Here is what I will be consuming for the next 10 days:

Mornings:

Roughly 1 liter of salt water… blugh- actually I already did this- it wasn’t so bad tasting, but it was SO much water that I felt full for SO long. Thats a good thing I guess.

Rest of the day:

A mixture of water, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. It’s really not as gross as it sounds. I think I put too much pepper so it tastes a bit weird. Its 1:15 and I’m only having my first glass.

10 days seems VERY daunting at this point, but so far day 1 is not bad at all. I hear days 2-4 are the worst! Then people say they feel great, aren’t hungry and have total energy.

I haven’t been hungry yet- it’s more of a mental desire to eat- and even that is not too strong at the moment. Wish me luck!!