Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with body

Nice body powder?

Morrigan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:16:22 -0800

Body powder suggestions? Are there any nicely-scented body powders that you enjoy? It seems that whenever I find one that I like it is discontinued. Woodsy / citrus-y preferred but open to all suggestions.

Caffiene snooze

divabat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:58:53 -0800

Why does one cup of coffee make me sleepy? I've seen this thread, but it was more about confirming the effect rather than explaining it.

I've had an interesting history with coffee. I like the taste, and when I was a teenager I regularly had a cup of 3-in-1 coffee a day with no particular effects. In my late teens I was diagnosed with panic disorder, and I could no longer take any coffee without feeling jittery and anxious. Within the past five years I've slowly reintroduced coffee into my life, and now I can comfortably have a cup a day.

However, instead of either getting a buzz or being jittery, coffee makes me really really sleepy. As soon as I have a cup I have a deep need to take a nap, and I can be knocked out for a couple of hours. It's not particularly restful or refreshing sleep, but it's hard to fight back the urge to snooze. This is a recent development (and slightly annoying because there are times where I could use the buzz!!).

I'm usually described as "hyper" by my friends and peers, though that usually depends on the situation - in fun energetic environments I can be very vibrant and exuberant, though when I'm at home I'm usually sloth-like and lazy. I sleep about 7-8 hours a night; the sun awakes me, so I'm usually up just before 5, and for the first few hours (if I'm not having to be awake early for any particular reason) I vacillate between mucking around on my laptop and snoozing. I don't deal well with late nights - if I'm not distracted by something I usually clamour for my bed by midnight at the latest.

Guarana, ginseng, and other energy drinks & supplements of that ilk give me a headache. There is one particular Aussie brand of energy drink (can't recall the name offhand) that hasn't effected me either way; however I've only had a small tin so I don't know if it's a fluke. I have been suspected of having ADD but have never been on treatment for it or tested professionally.

What's happening with my hormones and my brain that makes me have the opposite reaction to caffiene? Is it something I need to worry about? If caffiene makes me tired, what can I do to get a buzz (assuming that I haven't already scared people off by being highly energetic!)?

Do I have a body language speech impediment?

bartleby — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:35:04 -0800

I've been watching a lot of Lie to Me, and it's making me think that I've got an answer to why I get misinterpreted a lot; is it possible that my microexpressions are "wrong"? So there's this US TV show called Lie to Me, which is based on the study of microexpressions and the work of Paul Ekman and others.

The premise is a lot like reading "tells" when playing poker, and goes like this, simplified:
1) when you smell something bad, you make a "stink-face"
2) pretty much everyone everywhere makes the same "stink-face"
3) even if you're trying to be polite or conceal your reaction, the mind-body(face) connection is so strong that unless you're very highly skilled, the "stink-face" is going to flash across your face as a microexpression
4) some people can consciously and clearly read these microexpressions in the faces of others, making them natural lie detectors; but most people only register them subconsciously. Even the subconscious registering of them is how we get clues to the emotional or mental states of others, to the point that people who can't read faces at all usually get diagnosed with a disorder like autism or Asperger's.

Now I've always had a problem going in the other direction; people seem to take subconscious cues from me that aren't accurate. They'll think I'm lying when I'm telling the truth, or that I'm upset about something when I have no feelings either way about it.

Could it be possible that my microexpressions are somehow off-kilter? Do I have a body language speech impediment?

Blue air in, Brown air out

Secret Life of Gravy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:22:31 -0800

Do you ever use visualization techniques such as imaginary trepanation? I use a number of visualizations (such as imagining your pelvis has an elevator when you do kegal exercises: 1st floor, second floor, 3rd floor and up to the penthouse and back down again to the sub-basement) and my family find it...eccentric. Actually my 16-year-old finds it weird. I ask for two reasons: to find out how odd it is and to find out if I am missing any good tricks.

I started as a child by performing imaginary trepanation when I had a headache. I would lie with my head on one side, imagine a hole on the side touching the pillow, and allow the poison to drip out. Sometimes I would also imagine a corresponding hole on the top side and pour cold water through the top hole so that it would wash away the poison on its way out through the bottom hole.

I still do that. I also visualize the air in color when I am doing deep breathing exercises: clear, blue, invigorating air, with a hint of mint going in, dusty, greenish-brown air going out.

When I am stretching, I imagine Spiderman-type silk webs shooting out from my fingers, toes, and top of my head which fasten to the ceilings and walls and pull slightly.

When I am tired/achy during exercise, I imagine myself a robot which can perform more smoothly and for longer periods of time than a mere mortal.

I'm sure there are others but these are the ones I use daily (except that I use the headache one only when I have a headache.)

Do you do any of these? Something different?

Is it ok to call out skinny girls for calling themselves fat?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:59 -0800

Should I recognize that all women have body image issues, or do I have a point in feeling annoyed that someone a lot smaller than me is describing herself as "curvy"? I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and she mentioned something about having to come to terms with the fact that she was "curvy". By curvy, she meant (her words) that she occupied an awkward space where she wasn't fat and she wasn't skinny - a weird middle ground of not belonging. While is indeed very shapely, she's actually quite petite, has a very small waist, and I suspect that at least 90% of people asked would describe her as thin.

I, on the other hand, am 5'8 and 185lbs (when I tell people this, they usually make a face and say 'That can't be right'), and well-proportioned but nevertheless substantial figure. I was a fat kid in elementary school, and have my whole life probably been at least 10lbs overweight. While I'm quite comfortable with my body, I do struggle with body image, and all the negative feelings that come with being a big girl.

My immediate (reflexive) reaction to her statement was, "You're not curvy," to which she took offense. She does work in an industry where body image comes into play in a way that it never has for me, and I realize that I shouldn't discount someone's insecurities because of my own anxiety. Women, whether size 0 or 24, all experience discomfort with their bodies at times.

At the same time, I can't help but feel that she really doesn't occupy the space between fat and thin, whereas I have for my whole life. I feel by identifying as such, she a) has some unrealistic ideas about her body, and b) is attaching herself to an identity she hasn't really experienced.

So tell me, am I just being insecure and competitive unnecessarily, or do I have a point? I'm not saying that she doesn't have reason to have her own insecurities, and I'm not trying to be part of an exclusive club, but I feel a bit like she doesn't really know what she's talking about. Even if I'm out of line, I'd love to hear from women who react the same way as I did.

Slim, but fat at the same time?

neworder7 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:03:52 -0800

Slim, but fat at the same time? I have a slim appearance, but I realize I am lacking the body mass that it matters the most, bone and muscle. I have very thin arms and somewhat weak upper-body. I am 35, male, 5'10" , 152lbs. As an adult, I know it is not possible to gain bone mass. How can I improve my physique so I can maintain decent fitness level when I get older? Here is a bit of history:

When I was in my teens I was very slim/weak and in my early 20s due to unhealthy diet in college, I put on some weight up to 180lbs and it was mostly fat (although not too fat, looked kind of flabby) .

In my late 20s I learned about nutrition (yes that late...) managed to get myself into reasonable shape. I have been eating well and exercised in moderation since then (I can bench press 120lbs).

But I see some people similar to my frame, but they weight at least 20lbs more and look more solid, stronger upperbody and healthier.

As a late starter of exercise and eating well, I feel my body has not picked up to a decent level yet. Maybe it is because I have thin arms and cannot build enough muscle on that. Could this be possible?

How can I develop more solid physique, stronger upper body? I am not in rush but I really want to build enough foundation so I maintain a decent fitness level as I get older.

I just don't want to be slim but fat any more.

Fitness level for body fat scale

jclovebrew — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:30:29 -0800

My body fat measuring scale requires me to give it parameters: Age, Height, Gender, and Fitness Level (1, 2, or 3). What should I enter for fitness level? The instructions just say something like "enter your fitness level on a scale from 1 to 3". Does anyone have a similar product and have a rule of thumb for this?

ScentFilter: I love Caress Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent.

pghjezebel — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:26:11 -0800

ScentFilter: I love the smell of Caress's Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent in perfume form! I love Caress's Moroccan body wash. I want to find something similar in a perfume form. Bonus points if I could recreate this smell (or have it recreated for me) with natural oils. I tend to like to keep my beauty/cosmetics items on the natural and healthy side.

As far as the scent goes, it's very exotic. It has a spicy, musky and yet sweet smell to it. The closest I've come is Jasmine Vanilla line from B&B Works - and that's still not remotely close in smell. But it has those exotic vibes to it.

Any suggestions?

Deodoranting..

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:49:50 -0800

My body has become immune to every deodorant I've tried. I need advice regarding a heavy duty deodorant which won't stain the armpits of my shirts. I have tried the major brand stick deodorants, baking soda, and was using salt crystal for nearly a year before my body suddenly overcame its power.

I use certain-dri for antiperspirant and it works like a charm, but no matter what I use for deodorant, by the end of the day I can smell my body odor.

Throwaway e-mail: anon.deodorant@gmail.com

(Anonymous because coworkers, friends, and family trace me to this site and I want to resolve this before it becomes their issue.)

can't tell if this psychology study exists

sandswipe — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:23:28 -0800

I recently read about a study on what body language women use as perceived by men. Essentially, it said that there was no observable difference between a woman trying to flirt with a man and the same woman just being polite for the first four or five minutes of their first conversation together. I'm trying to find out if this actually happened, and if so whether it was a reliable, scientifically done study, but I lost the link right after reading it.

Why is junk food causing me aches and pains?

shelayna — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:31:57 -0800

Can eating too much fat and sugar cause body aches? I have recently lost about 45 pounds through eating right and exercising. I still eat a small amount of junk food once or twice a week. No problems there. But once every month or so I overindulge. McDonald's, ice cream, cookies, you name it. Later that day, the pains start. My wrists, knees, thighs, ankles, upper arms, forearms, neck, shoulders all start to ache pretty badly, and these pains last for the next day or so- until the junk is out of my system, I guess. I compare it to the feeling I get when I have the flu and my whole body aches.

This never happened to me in my fat old days, when I binged on an almost daily basis. Can eating crap really cause this reaction? I've searched on Google and have found some stories of people who suffer the same thing, as well as reports that too much junk food can cause arthritis down the road. I know I don't have arthritis, but I wonder if there's some connection. Can anyone explain why my body reacts this way?

I need sleep.

reenum — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:38:17 -0800

How can I make my office more comfortable so that I can take naps over lunch? From time to time, I battle insomnia. This necessitates me having to take a nap over lunch. I know this isn't the best way to deal with it, but please humor me.

Here is my setup: I have my own office with a closing door. I have an L-shaped desk and a reclining office chair. There is ample floor space.

I need to figure out a way to make my power naps work for me. I also can't have anything too obvious, so cots and the like are out. I've heard of people suggesting yoga mats and the like, but I want to hear from others who are able to sleep at the office.

What sorts of things should I have that allow me to sleep well for that one hour in the middle of the day?

How scary is blood, really?

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:32:18 -0800

How scary is blood, really? I was curious how safe and/or possible it is to draw blood without causing serious harm or death? Is it possible to see blood on the skin without the plausible threat of death? If so, what methods exist for doing so without fatal harm to the individual?

I am asking this mostly out of curiosity of my own body, and of the human body in general.

The physical downside to polyphasic sleep.

Chamunks — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:29:37 -0800

I have been tossing around the concept of polyphasic sleeping for years now and the only thing that is stopping me from converting is this question. How would this affect my body? There seems to be no real mention on articles covering polyphasics of how this affects your body. Plenty say that you get enough sleep for your mind, although as I would like to form my own opinion on the mind part, my issue is that they are quick to say that the other "Five something" hours of non REM sleep are essentially wasted. My hypothesis is that you need these hours of downtime for your body itself to regenerate. If my hypothesis is correct is there any ways to ensure a rest like state for my body while in a waking cycle during full on uberman style polyphasics? Related Link As I'm not really interested in the affect this has on the mind, as there's plenty of reading material on such, I would hope to keep the answers mainly body centric, so that I get lots of good answers and strategies for my attempt.

This one falls under science and nature category as well but I can only choose one.

If your loved one is murdered, do the police really make you identify the body?

hamsterdam — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:43:20 -0800

After a murder or sudden death, do the deceased's family members really have to go down to the morgue to "identify the body" or is this just a dramatic construct of movies and television? This seems like a really traumatic thing to put family members through after a sudden death. Couldn't the police confirm identity in other ways? Yet every episode of Law & Order seems to suggest otherwise.

If this really does happen, is the typical TV depiction correct, ie. they go down to the morgue, lift up a sheet, someone goes "that's her" and then they put down the sheet and walk out of the room? What purpose does this serve?

I guess there must be some truth to it, but wondering about the when, where, why, what, how, etc.

Brrrrrr.

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:41:55 -0800

Is my perception of being increasingly freezing cold a sign of something wrong with me? I've always been colder than most other people, but lately it's been increasing to the point that I am starting to wonder if I have some underlying illness. I realize you are not my doctor, I should go to my doctor, etc... but I am just hoping to be better prepared with information when I do see him.

I am a woman, 35, normal weight (BMI 20), healthy diet. I don't exercise as often as I would like but walk around quite a bit. I have been fairly stressed out lately, FWIW.

I am pretty sure I have Reynauds (never formally diagnosed) which I am aware will affect my extremities. But this goes beyond that. For example, the other night I went to bed, it was about 60 degrees in the house, and I was freezing in flannel PJs under three blankets... I had to get up and put on another layer of fleece on top of the PJs. It seems like I feel colder than I remember ever feeling in the spring. Even when it's 75 degrees I need to put on a sweater, especially in the shade.

Any thoughts?

Mother's apron = not okay

LittleMissCranky — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:49:56 -0800

Tell me about your post-pregnancy belly changes. Anatomy details within. I had my beautiful baby girl about a week ago via c-section. I didn't gain an enormous amount of weight during the pregnancy, but my belly did get a lot of stretch marks. The belly is now shrinking appropriately, but there is a whole pocket of loose skin that is hanging down now. I don't think that I am particularly body-conscious, but the thought of this "apron" staying there forever (and possibly getting worse with further weight loss) is kind of bumming me out.

How did your post-pregnancy body change in the weeks-to-months following birth? Did it get better, or did you adjust to it?

I am delighted with my daughter and am exceedingly grateful for a healthy child and safe delivery. I know that this is more important than my belly flab. It's still a little depressing.

Body Weight Set Point

netbros — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:38:44 -0800

How to lose that stubborn, unwanted 5-7 pounds? For nearly all of my adult life (I'm 56 now) I've had a very consistent weight of around 153-155 pounds. At 5' 9" that seems about right for me. I suppose you could call it my "set point." About a year ago I suddenly jumped up to 160 within a matter of a couple weeks, and have stayed there since. I just don't feel quite the same at 160.

In the past two months I have made a concerted effort to get back to my original set point with a healthy, reduced portions diet as well as regular, daily exercise that includes walking about three miles/day as well as sit-ups and push-ups. All of this has had no effect on my weight, up or down. I am still sitting at 160, seemingly no matter what I do.

What do I need to do differently to get back down to my 154 set point? Has my body simply reached another, higher set point and will be content to keep me here? What is to prevent another sudden six pound gain in the future? All hints, tips, and advice welcome. Thank you for your assistance.

Why doesn't the rug match the drapes?

reenum — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:36:34 -0800

Why do some people's hair on their head and pubic hair not match in color? First off, I'm excluding people who have their hair colored. I know why their hair doesn't match.

I've known women who had dirty blond hair and had black pubic hair. Others I've spoken to have shared the same thing. Given that hair should be the same all over, why is pubic hair sometimes a different color than the rest of your hair?

How much food fits in a person?

TSGlenn — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:09:41 -0800

How much food and waste can a person carry inside them, in terms of weight? In other words, if I weigh 195 lbs, how many of them could be attributed what I've ingested? Of course, a percentage of what I eat will actually become part of me. But I'm assuming not most of it. So what I'm really looking for is the maximum possible variation in weight from day to day due to food.

Also, lets say for practicality that even at the baseline "empty" weight I still have a healthy level of body hydration -- I don't want to compare someone who hasn't eaten or drank in weeks to someone who is filled to capacity with water and food.

How do I improve my body language to improve my days?

IdleRepose — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:35:31 -0800

I'm fascinated by studies of body language and their application - yet my own body language sucks - I seem to have - 'hey, cut in front of me when I'm walking or queueing' or 'when I express an opinion, puff up and argue with me' - even though sometimes I actually do have the right info. Does anyone have theories on the type of body language I can use to dispel/improve this? Being short, female and 38 with a 'kind' face doesn't give me a good head start apparently. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. This can get to be tiring and annoying - and I'm actually pretty patient.

Where else can I find pretty, girly, smelly bath things?

katillathehun — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:14:30 -0800

Totally girly but unique bath and body products. Who makes 'em? I mean besides Bath & Body Works, Sephora, The Body Shop, and Lush. I'm partial to bath stuff and lotions that smell like dessert rather than flowery scents (I'm also a sucker for good package design), but really, I'm just looking for a new place to indulge my rarely-acknowledged girly side. What shops do you recommend? Either online or local (Los Angeles) works for me.

When there's no body of evidence...

np312 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:58:58 -0800

In the history of American law, what was the earliest known case of a murder suspect being convicted without the police ever having found the victim's corpse? I know nothing about law, am not a law student myself. But it's for a project I'm working on, and I'd really appreciate some dates and examples of the earliest (and/or most famous) precedents of a successful murder prosecution when there was no dead body to be found.

Only looking for American cases.

Thanks!

Let's get physical, but not that kind of physical...

pipstar — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:19:53 -0800

I've just left a relationship in which I was having great sex, but not experiencing enough non-sexual physical affection from my partner. It really made me aware of how much I need physical contact such as hugs, and knowing that there's a living body near me. How can I get more of that feeling of physical affection without actually hooking up with someone? Independent of specifically missing the good things about my ex, I'm also aware that I'm going to miss the warmth, skin, pulse and general "livingness" that you feel from a lover.

I'm not planning on hooking up with anyone for a while. However, I know that this longing for contact is one of the things that has previously led me to have casual hookups before I was ready for anything sexual. This time around I'd really like to avoid that situation.

I have an amazing flatmate who by nature is a great hugger, so I'm not totally bereft of hugs when I need them, and I have hug generous friends. But there's an extra sustained living presence that you can't get from hugs alone.

At this point I can't afford to pay for massages and we aren't allowed pets in our apartment, otherwise I'd consider getting a cat for lap sitting happy times.

Any suggestions? Or do I just need to be reminded that this is part and parcel of being single and learn to deal with it?

Just how much can you figure out from an autopsy?

niles — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:43:47 -0800

[Science in Movies Filter] In the opera scene in Quantum of Solace, a bodyguard is shot immediately after being dropped of a roof by Bond. MI6 gets the report that Bond shot him and then dropped him off the roof. Maybe I've been watching Bones too much, but is it at all possible to determine the order of the dropping and the shooting by examining the body?