#macrobhealth

Hi there!

Sorry for the late reply!

First of all you mentioned, you eat hardly anything? Just want you to remember that this is not always the best way to keep healthy. You need to eat. Just not a lot of junk food. You need the energy to sustain you through the day, so please don’t stop yourself from eating. Regular exercise is good. It sounds to me, as though you’re keeping a healthy lifestyle. You need to keep in mind though that beauty is undefined and comes in many sizes, shapes and forms.

If your friends and families are saying things that are hurting you, I suggest being honest with them and tell them that whatever they are saying has a serious, negative impact on you and asking them to stop. I’m sure that those that love you will understand and take consideration of your feelings.

Hey there honey,

It sucks to hear that you’re in this situation and we hope some of our advice can help you out. While none of us have any personal experience in this area we’ve been able to talk to some of our friends with experiences in wearing a binder. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal and totally okay to want to have something to make you feel more comfortable in your body, but you’ve just got to make sure you go about it in a safe and healthy way.

If you’re considering getting a binder the best places to do so from the following sites, they can be more expensive, but are the safest and best method to bind with:

https://www.gc2b.co

http://www.underworks.com

http://www.t-kingdom.com

http://www.f2mbinders.com/binding-tops

These are the best options because there are serious health consideration that need to be considered in binding, and these are designed to make sure that none of those problems arise. Ultimately when binding you compress the tissue around your chest, which if done incorrectly can lead to damage and potentially even breakages to your ribs. Make sure that you use the best method of the ones you can afford, and to carefully watch out for chafing excessive sweating, rashes or pain. If you’re experiencing chafing you can try wearing an undershirt or using baby powder. If you’re experiencing pain though you should give your body a period in which to have a break and take of the binder for a while, and make sure to always watch how long you wear one for as well. You shouldn’t be wearing one for more than 8 hours, and if you’ve been binding consecutively for a few days, take a day off and perhaps try wearing some baggy clothes instead. Remember to listen to what you’re body is telling you, and if you’re in extreme pain to take of your binder straight away, and if that pain sticks around, to talk with your GP or a doctor.

Other definite things to avoid when binding are:

To never sleep with your binder on

Don’t do physical activity with it on as it makes breathing a lot more difficult and in wearing it while doing sports you increase the risk of something going wrong or hurting yourself - try wearing a sports bra or compression shirts instead

Never use duct tape or Ace bandages to bind your chest. Binding with these materials can restrict your ability to breathe and move properly. Ace bandages in particular are designed to constrict, so as you breathe, they get tighter and tighter and can really hurt you

Another thing to make sure of it’s that you’re getting the right size for your binder, and not to go for a smaller size. There is a range of different kinds of binders and doing research and looking through them will give you the chance to find out what will work best for you. Make sure to check that your measurements are good and take care in choosing your binder.

Here are some other things you can do to help minimize your chest, instead of binding for those times when you need to give your body a break:

Layer clothing or wear things that are generally more baggy

Try wearing a sports bra or layer two: although make sure you actually get your size and not smaller ones as this can cause the same health problems that binding incorrectly or for too long can. Also with this technique you shouldn’t be wearing them for more than a few hours at a time as sports bras are really designed only to be worn when doing physical activity

Sports compression wear/ shirts (you can get them at places like sportsmart)

Here’s some article that you mind helpful too:  

https://minus18.org.au/index.php/resources/sexuality-info/item/441-how-to-bind-your-chest

http://point5cc.com/binding-101-tips-to-bind-your-chest-safely/

http://transguys.com/features/chest-binding

If you want feel free to send in more questions through here too or if you’d like we can put you in more direct contact with people who can help you out and give you more experienced advice. Don’t be afraid to shoot us an ask or email me (Kelly) at [email protected] and Luke at [email protected] [GSA Leaders], for some more help :)

We’d also recommend talking to Gil, our school counselor, about this - she’s definitely got some experience in advising other students about how to select and wear a binder safely, and can provide you with some more emotional and mental support as well as resources

Hopefully this helps!

(part 2) I just submitted the ask about how my friend is suicidal, and honestly I’m so so worried I’m about to start crying in class. I just want her to be ok but it’s not. I don’t know what to do and I’m so worried and overwhelmed

Hey there,

Firstly, we’re so sorry for the late reply! It always hurts to see a friend in pain and not being sure of what to do to help but something you should definitely do is let someone know about your friend. Yes, it may seem daunting, especially if they’ve asked you to keep confidentiality but it is required if you want to help your friend in the long term. Preferably, ask help from someone you both trust, someone that is qualified and would know what to do in this situation. This can be a parent, teacher, doctor or councillor.

But for now, just pick up your phone and give her a call. Even if you don’t know what to say, I’m sure your presence would be appreciated by her, especially seeing as she chose to trust you with her vulnerabilities in the first place. Just talking to someone and being there for them makes so much of a difference.

Hopefully this helps,

Hey there!

FAM leader 1: I usually aim for 10:30-11:30 on weekdays but sometimes will push it to 12 (or 2am lol although I do not recommend), on weekends I’m usually the same but might stay up a bit later because i can.

If you’re trying to get into a routine make a plan to stop studying by say 10:00 and then turn off all digital devices etc as you get ready for bed and aim to be in bed by 11-11:30 every single day (you can change the times according to your needs but the concept remains the same). Consistency and forming a habit is key here

FAM leader 2: I have a bad habit of sleeping at like 1 AM and then when i get home after school I take a nap which is NOTTTTTTT GOOOD AT ALL!!!!!!!!!! Not good for your health nort productivity.

FAM leader 3: I’m pretty religious about the time I go to bed because if I get less than 7/8 hrs I perform really poorly the next day. I fall asleep between 10-11 most days (never after 12 unless I have an end-of-the-world assignment due the next day). I turn all of my devices off at around 9:30 - 10 and have a shower before bed - I read somewhere that your body temperature drops when you go to sleep, so having a hot shower and then cooling down mimics that effect and you get sleepy. Also more sleep in the morning lol.

Hopefully this helps!

Hey sweetie,

FAM itself doesn’t stand for the use of illicit drugs, but that said we also aim for no judgement on people who have made that choice. Drugs are something you don’t want to get involved in, and if you friend is unwilling to stop then, yes, it would be a good decision to distance yourself from her.

There are so many dangers associated with drug use and drug dealing- and we’re not just preaching this because we have to! If she gets caught, then she could be facing 25 years to life imprisonment. Also if you think back to all the guest speakers and workshops we’ve had on this, you’ll remember ‘marijuana is a gateway drug’. Just because she is only dealing weed now, she could then become exposed to cocaine, heroine, ice and jeopardise not only her own but other people’s futures as well.

Try and persuade her to stop selling weed and maybe avoid that lifestyle completely. Because no matter how some people who do drugs seem to be fine, there’s just too much risk and would you really want to put your whole future on the line for this?

Love,

Hey there,

Don’t worry it’s actually completely normal! You should let your teeth fall in their natural way and whatever pace that is, is normal. If you’re finding though that you’ve got teeth growing on top of the other you might want to consider seeing a dentist for your own comfort

Love,

Hey there!

The best way to curb bad snacking habits would be not to try and snack less but at first try and substitute the foods you’re snacking on with healthy alternatives. So try something like eating piece of fruit, celery/ carrot with dip, nuts, etc, and you could also start chewing gum as well. Make sure you keep unhealthy alternatives such as chips or lollies away from you. Something else you might find helps to eat better is to have smaller more frequent meals than just three big meals a day.

Other things you can do besides changing eating habits is to try and do things that’ll get you moving so you avoid sitting still for too long end simply eating out of boredom.

 Hopefully this helps!

Hey there,

Sleeping for 18 hours is probably a sign that you are not getting enough sleep regularly. Try to get into a regular pattern for sleep (especially during the school term) and seeing as it is holidays right now allow yourself for some extra sleep. Try to stick to sleeping at night and waking up in the morning at a good time, even if you’re only able to sleep a few hours, and instead try to take short naps if you get sleepy in the daytime.

 Hopefully this helps and things get better!