that is a really great point - the pandemic had a big impact on my eating habits, too.

i'm not sure if it was stress, or just access - being at home, having continual access to food and snacking all day. compounded with getting almost no exercise, i gained a lot without trying to.

the funny thing is i didn't notice a change in my appetite, possibly because i was just eating all of the time, lol! but it definitely takes more food to fill me up to the point of feeling stuffed than it did a year ago.

my appetite grew gradually over time. at first i just had to de-program myself from the thought of "enough," just letting myself eat to capacity instead of thinking about portion size.

once i was eating to the point of feeling full on a regular basis, this is probably where my capacity increased. occasionally eating too much, geting really stuffed, no doubt stretching out my stomach.

i am at the point now where my appetite is a problem - i get hungry too easily, and it takes more just to make me feel full.

i am sure there are ways to achieve this faster, but my advice is to just eat until you are really full on a regular basis - i think you'll see that increase happen naturally.

if nothing formal is getting organized, amazingem and i are looking to have something small in toronto late this summer - maybe august or september?

nothing big, just a small gathering for drinks/eats for a couple hours at a restaurant or bar - depending on how open things are in toronto at that time. probably not looking for people to travel yet, thinking very low key!

hey, that is an idea - in addition to introducing ourselves, how about also mentioning what you weighed (or think you might have weighed) when you joined vs now?

i have put on almost 200 lbs since joining :O

i lurked occasionally over the years, but i only got my account about 4 years ago i think. i ended up meeting some pretty wonderful people and some great friends! so i stayed.

there is a transitory nature to websites and social media i find - the user base seems to change every 6 months or so. but ff is weird in that it's different - people like @scottish stevo still active for years and years - and there are lots of active members who have been here for years, which i think is really great. it makes ff different from some of the other sites i have looked at or joined.

well my weight finally crept up to 350. i am still not trying to gain, but we've had some weeks of celebration and conscious over-indulgence so, ahem, it wasn't really a shock.

i like my body as i am. i like my lifestyle, and i like eating (and drinking!) this way... my biggest concern to be honest is not about weight, but about health. i am concerned about my blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. - because my biggest fear is that i will be told "you can't eat or drink that anymore." the thought of having to give up carbs (or beer) for health reasons is just too sad to consider.

it's not a problem now - i am still healthy. and my girlfriend is very good at "balancing" our diet with healthy food, most of the time i eat pretty health. just a lot! but i would feel better if my weight stabilized.

this is really good advice - especially cooling and heating! that helps a lot.

i have gotten into some yoga (i am a total newb, though) and some core exercises for just this reason. i don't do them enough, but i notice when i do i sleep better. my back pain was keeping me awake at night, so that is a good sign.

oooh, that stung!

and, ahem, something about people in glass houses and throwing rocks...

yeah, not being able to pull up shorts that i wore last summer over my hips/butt... that was a good reminder that i might have gotten a little fat.

hey trans people - we want to celebrate you!

today - thursday, june 24th - for toronto pride you can join the live stream of "F*ck Shit Up! A Trans and Non- Binary Cabaret" at 4:30-5:30 (eastern standard time zone).

the link to the event is here: prideguide.online/F-ck-Shit-Up-A-Trans-and-Non-Binary-Cabaret-1


and tomorrow - friday, june 25th - is the virtual trans pride rally & march!

it is at 3pm-4pm. more info is available at: pridetoronto.com/watch

for all events, you can link directly to the stream at: pridetoronto.com/watch