Eileen (learning to be happy just the way she is) Basically, this is all you can ever hope for- for anyone unhappy with how you look- understand that its a seperate thing- if have low self esteem, you'll probably have it no matter what you look like or what you weigh. Mare agghhh.

I would also like to state- that at the same time as being concerned about being underweight, I am still obsessively counting fat grams. This makes absolutely no sense and perfaps I AM obsessed with my weight- I just want you to know- that I guess it has more to do with what our brains tell us than what the scale says or how we look- One of my friends is like this (counting the fat grams) and she has been up and down in weight over the years...she was an anorexic before I met her...and she is obsessive about what she eats, the amounts of fat, she exercises too much and is too thin for her _frame_. I would be careful if I were you. It may not be just stress and depression that is keeping you thin. GothPat...who hates to see people obsess about weight

There is a mixture you can make, I read about it in a Natural health book. It takes 1/4 Aloe vera gel,1/2 olive oil,60 drops Vitamin E oil and 4-6 capsules of Vitamin A cut open..You just mix it up and keep in the fridge and apply to stretch marks daily. the only drawback is it smells like salad dressing. jen

:   I don't know, by the way, if anyone has any ideas on how to eat : healthy on a college campus *snort*  *giggle*  *laugh* Muhahahahahaah <wipes tear from eye Sorry.  I would kill to eat something other than grilled cheese for lunch. Yuck. Grilled cheese is a fuzzy memory for me, adn I'd like to keep it that way. As far as dorms go, the only thing that is not yucky is the breakfast cereal and toast and fruit and stuff. So eat a big breakfast. Sometimes they have to-go lunches you can take. Get a veggie and cheese sandwich one if you can. Choose fruit over chips. Buy a big water bottle and fill it up in the food service area before you go to classes. Or, fill it with juice. It's cheaper than buying pop throughout the day in the vending machines, and it's much better for you. Then, go to a grocery store to stock up on stuff that you can eat for lunch. Will you have access to hot water throughout the day? Do your food service or vending areas have microwaves? Because if so, you can buy little cup-o-soup things in the natural foods part of your grocery store. Brands are Fantastic Foods, Nile, etc. These are just-add-water and healthy. Oatmeal in the little single-serving packets is also filling and healthy. If you have no chance of getting hot water, then buy stuff like granola bars (no, not the chocolate ones! the ones with names like Oats'n'Honey). Dried fruit, though pricy, is also tasty and a good substitute for grabbing something from the vending machines. Try carrying a bag of granola with you for snacking. If you will have microwave access, buy popcorn. But buy a brand like Healthy Choice, or some other one where the label indicates less fat content. If you want to spend the $$ on eating out, avoid the pizza/burger joints. Eat chinese & other asian foods, or sub sandwiches. Look at the coffee shops in the area - often they will have bagel sandwiches or other such delights around lunchtime. One coffee shop by my campus sells homemade soups and pasta salads. You are paying for the nasty dorm food, unfortunately. So if you brave lunch or dinner, opt for the vegetarian entree, hopefully the non-cheese covered one if there is such a thing. Skip the fried/battered/sauce-laden dishes and head for the steamed veggies. Try getting a shaker of a mixed-spice salt substitute and carry it to the food service area. Shaking it on the bland steamed veggies or whatnot might make them edible. Try telling the food service officials that you are eating vegan, and see what they can do for you. Sometimes the salad can be decent. If it is consistently limp and wilted, complain! you are paying for this scary food, so you might as well get it improved.  Watch for when they have chinese night , etc. The food might still be dorm food, but at least it won't be slathered in cheese, so will be a bit more healthy. The long-term solution, of course, is to get a roommate and get off-campus. That way, you stock your fridge with what you want, and you don't pay for Mystery Beef Special Surprise in dorm-land. *shudder* Hope this helps. ObGoth: Moving off-campus gives you an apt to decorate... bridget

:  whatever you do DO NOT GET cortisone injections.  i was told by a : plastic surgeon that they would nearly erase the large and rather gruesom : scars i have on my arms thanks to my military service.....yeah, well. : They started out as big nasty red gashes.  after an extremely painful : session wehre he stabbed me about 30 times in each scar witha  cortisone : laden syringe, now i have big nasty red gashes with little white wormy : looking things in them.  nice, huh?  at least they're a conversation : piece...<sigh I think it depends on if you're allergic to it or not.  I've had cortisone shots for various things, and I've had no problem with it. j

bridget, Thank you so much for all of your ideas, our campus does have microwaves in dorms, one on a floor.  As far as dining, we not only have on campus coffee shops that take your meal plan so no extra money there.  As far as the main dining hall, they already have stuff marked for vegetarians as to what is in them.  As far as the off campus thing, although easier and cheaper in the long run, doesn't look feasible unless my brother decides to come here too. Oh well. Thanks, Aloura This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it